Richardson Books

A sharp and disquieting critique of IQ testing on one hand and general intelligence on the other hand.

Surprisingly brief and to the point for a topic with such a long and contentious history. Even more surprisingly, and very welcome, the author presents a reasonable (though somewhat difficult to measure) alternative way of viewing intelligence, as tracing of increasingly complex covariation among relevant variables. The "points of light" experiments (recognizing biologically meaningful things from nothing but a few moving points) provides a helpful platform for discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the "module" view vs. a "construction" view based on Piaget.

Along the way, the author manages to provide reasonable and well argued, if not entirely convincing, arguments against cognitive modules in general, and an interesting discussion of levels of hierarchy from genetic variation to genome regulation to epigenetic regulation to cognitive regulation, in both development and over the lifespan of individuals.

I was disappointed to find that there was no solid critique of some of the proposed biological theories of general intelligence, such as the putative "string length" electroencephalogram correlate for IQ or the recent working memory theories. The critique hits those kinds of data only briefly and superficially where touched on at all, and mostly on statistical and methodological grounds rather than technical or theoretical ones.

Perhaps the most effective argumentation here revolves around how IQ tests are constructed (by selecting items so that the resulting scores correlate with predefined types of success assumed to reflect intelligence); and how they have been misused historically. The main weakness from my perspective was the disappointing way the book address specific technical arguments with general methodological and statistical criticisms.

Definitely worth reading, whether you agree with the author's conclusions or not, because its thought provoking insights into how we think of intelligence, and how we may be fooling ourselves through our own deep assumptions.

I found mouth watering dishes in MaryAnn's Favorite Family Recipes, I used the book many times for dinner parties and each dish I prepared was a hit with my family and friends. I recommend anyone from a novice to an expert in the kitchen to try the variety of dishes that MaryAnn has to offer.

This is a well researched volume. It places togather in one volume for comparison of identifiable pieces of Rhodian armour. All the pieces mentioned are photographed. Similar pieces to the ones dipicted and thier locations (where possible to tell) and referenced publications are included. Some comments about different locational preferences of style, i.e. Spanish, northern Europe, German, etc., are dispersed throughout the book. The book reads like it is, a grocery list. In other words, this is the piece, its' dimensions, location, known references, similar to, current condition, restorations, and such. It is written to be used as a reference for comarison to unidentified or future located pieces of armour. The book has two minor drawbacks that keep me from giving it 5 stars. I will admit I am being picky. It does not have a quick reference location map with major collections pointed out. Terms are used that would leave an individual uniformed about armour scratching thier head. Therefore the book was designed to be used by a select audiance. Besides these two points, I am convinced that the work is worth the money and would make a valuable contribution to the library of individuals interested in the subject.

Dawn Richardson is quite an accomplished and educated drummer and this is reflected positively in her book. I recommend this book for absolute beginners who will find the building blocks of basic rock grooves and simple variations a very good source to practicing and building the foundations in their study.

The book deals only with the meat of the matter - there is no digressing, no wasting of time. I opened up the book, put the CD in the player and was playing the grooves and beats in no time. Its a no frills book for beginners.

A slight criticism is that I had some difficulty finding which grooves on the CD correspond to which ones in the book, but other than that, its a good buy.

I have frequently purchased this book as updated issues are released. It categorizes the companies out there in appropriate categories and by number of employees. You also get website addresses as well. Occasionally the infroamtion becomes a bit outdated but in these ever so rapidly changing times, its hard to blame the publisher. The section on Temporary/Permanent Agenices is quite extensive but probably needs to be organized a little better. None the less, this is a good series that can help most job seekers.

Student Revie

Modelling for Management by George P. Richardson is the first of two volumes on the subject of systems thinking and dynamic modelling. The first chapter / article provides the reader with insight into the very practice of modelling for management and exposes the fallacies inherent in many of the more common approaches. Subsequent chapters explore a broad spectrum of cases and applications of systems thinking to management. It is an excellent introduction and reference book for all readers interested in the field.

Moose Girl explores a public health and private issue, the body image of adolescent girls. Easy to read, pleasant scenes of Philadelhia.

A few semesters ago, I borrowed this workbook from one of my colleagues at the university where I teach, among other things, Intercultural Communications. I was amazed with the variety of activities it provided for my classroom.

My students enjoyed the activities and in turn the activities allowed them an opportunity to begin to develop a dual cultural perspective when interacting with people who are different from them. "The Global Village" activity was one of the best learning experiences for my students. The day we did that activity was a "light bulb moment" for them. They began to see how people from a western culture often times see the world not from a global perspective, but from a very narrow viewpoint.

I have used this workbook every semester since then and will continue to use it when I teach Intercultural Communications.

This book has a particularly fine and comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of the various natural textiles, particularly as the cloth's qualities relate to use in home furnishings. Information on sun-resistance, soil-resistance, resistance to abrasion, absorbency, strength, and so on makes the first section of the book exceptionally useful. Without that first section, this would be a fairly standard book on making soft furnishings such as cushions, chair covers, curtains, blinds, table furnishings, etc. I would only suggest a section on sources for materials (for example, the author mentions 108" wide linen!) to elevate this book to a five-star treasure.