Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Good book from this point of view.
  • Just the facts, maam
  • Just read the top ten
  • Typical ID/creationist crack at evolution, great if you want to reinforce your world view
  • sensational tabloid garbage
 Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong
Jonathan Wells
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0895262002

Book Description

Everything you were taught about evolution is wrong.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good book from this point of view........2007-09-25

This book a fairly good critique of evolution. This book I'm sure will receive many poor reviews or raving reviews from people who have already decided which side of the debate they are on (or would claim there is not even room for debate on this subject).

"Icons of Evolution" points out flaws in the basic illustrations that are always given to people just learning about evolution. These illustrations are used as a basis to support evolution where no alternative theories are given in biology classes (particularly at the lower levels of education.) Anyone who advances to the upper levels of any type of science will realize that many theories that are used to simplify teaching at the lower levels of education are flawed or debateable.

I have to question a theory that uses such obviously flawed examples to attempt to show uneducated people how it works. I was particularly interested in the discusson on the fossil record (which shows a particular explosion of species in a certain period of time.) I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in finding out more about evolution, although there are many other books you should read as well.

5 out of 5 stars Just the facts, maam.......2007-07-07

Jonathan Wells systematically examines and dissects 10 classic "examples" of Darwinian

evolution. Drawing on the published works of recognized scientists, Wells exposes the

logical fallacies and factual errors of the pre-biotic soup, peppered moth, homologous

structures, Archaeopteryx, and other "showcases" of evolution. He also considers the

perpetuation of these "examples" in current (up to Y2K) biology textbooks. I wish this book

had been available when I was in college 20 years ago. I hope it is on the shelves in major

universities today. I hope university biology professors have the courage to read it, and

tell their to students about it. But if all that fails, I hope you, with an interest in the

subject, get it and read it yourself. Other titles you might enjoy include "Evolution: A

Theory in Crisis" by Michael Denton; "Of Pandas and People" by Dean Kenyon and Percival

Davis; "The Creation Hypothesis", ed. JP Moreland; "Darwin on Trial", by Philip Johnson;

"Darwin's Black Box" by Michael Behe; "What is Creation Science?" by Henry Morris and Gary

Parker; "Uncommon Dissent", ed. William Dembski; "Darwin's Enigma" by Luther Sunderland.

1 out of 5 stars Just read the top ten.......2007-07-05

You can skip the book and read his top ten. Your not missing anything new.

I love how he wants to debate the 'evils' of a scientific theory with fallacy of the single cause and slippery slope arguments and not just the scientific facts. For example:

"Darwinism has been used historically to justify social evils such as eugenics and racism."

Of course, I'd be accused of 'attacking religion and moral values' if I point out that religion has been the cause of woe. Salem Trials, 911, the Crusades, do I need to go on? Obviously humans misuse ideas to fit a cause. Science is not the cause of racists any more then religion is the cause of the IRA.

My favorite is how 'Darwinists' want to censor free thought by not teaching ID in schools. Since for years his camp has been outlawing the teaching of Evolution in biological science, it's a sadly lacking argument. ID is a good discussion for a politics or comparative religion course in any school. Since it lacks any scientific merit, it does not belong in the science classroom of our public schools.

What bothers me most is how the Creationist camp has attempted to use the tools of science and logical argument to mislead. ID is a silly attempt to make religion a science so they can force a doctrine to be taught in school. In the end, ID only has one 'proof', which is the Bible. That makes ID a religion. End of story.

1 out of 5 stars Typical ID/creationist crack at evolution, great if you want to reinforce your world view.......2007-07-05

First thing is I suggest getting this book from you local library.

If you like the topic of evolution and have read Dawkins or Mayr you might want to indulge in this short book to develop a better understand of what evolution is not . This book will do an excellent job of providing the typically Christian creationist (or Intelligent Designer) a reinforcement of their world view by casting doubt on evolutionary processes.

That being said I do believe that Dr. Wells is a good writer, decent at constructing an argument for the uninformed reader and even better at sounding convincing.... Also his attempts at casting doubt on evolution are completely unsuccessful.

The book truly is a simple example of deconstruction. One of the basic techniques Dr.Wells employs is to take the disagreements about "how" evolution happens and turn it into the argument "does evolution happen"? It is somewhat intellectually dishonest.

The most incredible part of the book is the last few chapters. His blatant attacks on evolutionary biologists are uncalled for and his conspiracy theories about government funding for research based evolutionary biologists is as crazy as the Roswell aliens or the JFK assassination conspiracy, UFO's ... etc.

The fact is there is no debate among true scientist about evolution. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming, widely accepted, has undergone peer review etc... has all the elements of good science - Evolution is a scientific fact that is as well established as the theory of gravity. Then again if use deconstruction techniques and are sufficiently uninformed about physics you could probably disprove gravity.

In summary if you are uninformed about evolution and like conspiracy theories you might really like this book, the arguments do sound convincing. If you want to really learn about the science behind evolution you might want to pick up something by Dawkins or Mayr.

1 out of 5 stars sensational tabloid garbage.......2007-06-01

my biggest beef with this book is the blatant lies and misuse use of facts.one example is the haeckels embryos and how the drawings are inaccurate.first off the drawings are 12o yrs old and i have yet to find those drawings in any high school or college textbook (with the exception of history of biology or evolution and only as an outdated example) so my question for all you so called intelligent design advocates that want the controversy taught, why would you intentionally mislead the readers ? if these are the so called icons of evolution why did he choose the stupidest and flimsiest example? quit living in a fairy tale and understand that science has to contain testable hypothesis not god did it .
What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Finally, a clear-eyed view
  • The Optimistic Jew
  • Abysmal
  • Good look into the Islamic world.
  • Arrested development has a life of its own and is a World-class System Generator of Interpersonal and Societal Problems
What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East
Bernard Lewis
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060516054
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Amazon.com

Bernard Lewis is the West's greatest historian and interpreter of the Near East. Books such as The Middle East and The Arabs in History are required reading for anybody who hopes to understand the region and its people. Now Lewis offers What Went Wrong?, a concise and timely survey of how Islamic civilization fell from worldwide leadership in almost every frontier of human knowledge five or six centuries ago to a "poor, weak, and ignorant" backwater that is today dominated by "shabby tyrannies ... modern only in their apparatus of repression and terror." He offers no easy answers, but does provide an engaging chronicle of the Arab encounter with Europe in all its military, economic, and cultural dimensions. The most dramatic reversal, he says, may have occurred in the sciences: "Those who had been disciples now became teachers; those who had been masters became pupils, often reluctant and resentful pupils." Today's Arab governments have blamed their plight on any number of external culprits, from Western imperialism to the Jews. Lewis believes they must instead commit to putting their own houses in order: "If the peoples of Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, [and] poverty and oppression." Anybody who wants to understand the historical backdrop to September 11 would do well to look for it on these pages. --John Miller

Book Description

For centuries, the world of Islam was in the forefront of human achievement -- the foremost military and economic power in the world, the leader in the arts and sciences of civilization. Christian Europe was seen as an outer darkness of barbarism and unbelief from which there was nothing to learn or to fear. And then everything changed. The West won victory after victory, first on the battlefield and then in the marketplace.

In this elegantly written volume, Bernard Lewis, a renowned authority an Islamic affairs, examines the anguished reaction of the Islamic world as it tried to make sense of how it had been overtaken, overshadowed, and dominated by the West. In a fascinating portrait of a culture in turmoil, Lewis shows how the Middle East turned its attention to understanding European weaponry, industry, government, education, and culture. He also describes how some Middle Easterners fastened blame on a series of scapegoats, while others asked not "Who did this to us?" but rather "Where did we go wrong?"

With a new Afterword that addresses September 11 and its aftermath, What Went Wrong? is an urgent, accessible book that no one who is concerned with contemporary affairs will want to miss.

Download Description

The New York Times bestselling history of the encounter between Islam and the West and what happed to Islamic civilization in the modern era.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Finally, a clear-eyed view.......2007-09-14

Dr. Lewis presents a rather important thesis, albeit not a new one. He suggests, that as long as the bond between religion and state power remains strong, the modern Islamic civilization will be unable to compete with the West. "In the secularization of the West, God was twice dethroned and replaced--as the source of sovereignty by the people, as the source of object of worship by the nation..."

5 out of 5 stars The Optimistic Jew.......2007-08-31

The title is the theme of the book. This is a critique of the culture of victimization of the Arab world in particular - blaming all their problems on the Americans and the Jews instead of cultivating a culture of self-criticism. In my own book "The Optimistic Jew: a Positive Vision for the Jewish People in the 21st Century" I claim it is also a cautionary for the future of Zionism - lest we Zionists desert our tradition of self-criticism and begin blaming our problems on external enemies and internal traitors -- as many on the paranoid Israeli right are already doing. Having the fifth most powerful army in the world and still cultivating a culture of victimization is truly in poor taste.

1 out of 5 stars Abysmal.......2007-08-13

Lewis is supposed to be a major scholar of Islam but this book would probably fail a high school assignment. He may be an expert on the Ottoman Empire but he hasn't set foot in the Middle East for 40 years - and his lack of exposure shows in this book. When you take into account Lewis' neo-Conservative propensities, it becomes easier to understand the context, and more importantly the motivations, behind his work. Deeply disappointing.

4 out of 5 stars Good look into the Islamic world........2007-07-28

A bit difficult to wade through, but, all in all a fascinating look into the Islamic world, a world which remains largely isolated from and unknown to the average American.

5 out of 5 stars Arrested development has a life of its own and is a World-class System Generator of Interpersonal and Societal Problems .......2007-06-17

I picked up this book after seeing it referenced more than once in Ayaan Hirsi Al's two books "Infidel," and "The Caged Virgin." I wanted to get more insight into the dynamics creating the huge gap between Islamic and Western societies.



Reading between the lines of Ms. Ali's bibliography, it seemed clear that next to her own books, and those of Karen Armstrong, this book was one of the two or three most important historical sources for gaining a better understanding of the developmental gap between Islam and the West. After reading it, I am now more convinced than ever that this is true: that Bernard West's book is indeed an important source of such understanding.



The content of the book rides smoothly along on several interrelated but recurring historical themes:



(1) That continued and unjustified Islamic arrogance due to its earlier advances (mostly during the Middle Ages) over the West in art, commerce, economics, administration and military development and conquests, led the Islamic countries to over-estimate their superiority and to assume it to be immutable. Rooted in an air of moral superiority promoted by Islam, which although only an off-shoot of Judaeo-Christianity, was nevertheless seen by them as morally purer and superior to these roots. All of this allowed Moslems to develop a disdain and haughty attitude towards Westerners that exists even today.



(2) That the utter failure to acknowledge that, despite Islam's earlier superiority over the West, not only did the West eventually catch up, but by the time of the Renaissance, it had began to surpass them;



(3) That the Islamic countries also failed to see the real underlying reasons for the West's success and their own corresponding failure: the openness and plurality of Western societies compared to their own -- as this is best underscored by the priority given the development of individual freedoms, and their primary consequence, the free exchange of ideas;



(4) That the West's victory was thus not a victory over Islam so much as it was a victory over the West's own self-imposed and institutionalized ignorance as it was perpetuated through religious practices. That is to say, it was an intellectual victory mostly over the ignorance of the Catholic Church, but more generally over the very idea that religious dogma should trump or have primacy over science and scientific facts.



(5) That the closed rigid, authoritarian and hierarchical nature of Islamic societies (and by extension any society) entombed both the arrogance and the ignorance into a pressure cooker that still serves to stunt Islamic growth and promote its tensions as well as its underdevelopment.



(6) Recognizing but failing to deal with ones own lack of development (at any level, from the intrapersonal all the way up to the nation state) can have a life of its own: The denial upon which it must be based sets up the dynamics for, and the need for, rationalizations, excuses, lies and delusions that eventually create a sense of powerlessness, self-hatred, anger and frustration that cannot be contained without lashing out and blaming an external source.



The potency of the larger message of this book resonates with Samuel P. Huntington's "A Clash of Civilizations" and cannot be overlooked: that the arrogance of supposed superiority, compounded by religious ignorance, lack of intellectual development -- combined and contained within a closed delusional society are a potent interactive formula all on its own - and usually develops a life of its own. It becomes a a virtual pressure cooker for perpetuating all kinds of interpersonal, group and societal problems - all of which are best measured by tensions resulting from underdevelopment.



Put another way, these ingredients alone -- without the additional assistance of the traditional familiar litany of chauvinisms that we all know so well -- such as racism, colonialism, classism, and sexism -- can do the same work that these ills do all on their own.



In fact, myths of superiority, religious ignorance and arrogance, coupled with a closed hierarchical system seem to be a "stand-alone system generator" of societal and group ills, and tensions that lead directly to underdevelopment. These mostly internally generated pre-Fascist ingredients all by themselves form a self-sustaining system whose consistent output is group or societal misery, tensions, poverty and despair - all leading it seems inexorably to underdevelopment.



After reading this book, it cannot be overlooked that even in the West, especially in the U.S., we are now beginning a new turn of that same old wheel: With the conservative and fundamentalism movements again gaining prominence, we are slowly stumbling back into that same old Fascist like trap - using religion to whip people back into social, cultural, and political submission.



With myths of superiority, religious ignorance and arrogance, coupled with a closed hierarchical system, who needs racism, colonialism, sexism, classism, or other forms of intolerance? And although all of these maladies typically work hand-and-glove with religious ignorance, it is not at all necessary for them to do so: They alone can do all the heavy-lifting by themselves.



A tough message to swallow but thanks again to Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali this has been an eye-opener.



Five Stars
What Went Wrong?, Fourth Edition: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Enlightening stuff
  • Excellent book
  • Learn from other people and other companies mistakes
  • A Master Class In Hazard Avoidance And Mitigation
  • Itemized Case History of Accidents in the Chemical Industry
 What Went Wrong?, Fourth Edition: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters
Trevor A. Kletz
Manufacturer: Gulf Professional Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0884159205

Book Description

Expert Trevor Kletz examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters--almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

Learn from the mistakes of others. This invaluable and respected book examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong and why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

* Learn from the mistakes of others with this important book!

* Examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - most of which could have been prevented

* Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Enlightening stuff.......2007-08-14

Mr Kletz offers engaging technical insights with case stories arising out of his long professional experience related to accidents causing small to large property damage and bodily injury including death and demonstrates that they just arise from silly mistakes made during everyday work or by having misconceptions about the laws of physics or process engineering

It is focused on occurrences in the chemical industry but the case stories serve as an example for property loss prevention in any industry (among the chapters it delves into are: maintenance, modifications, pressure pipes and vessels, hazard of materials, computers, human errors, storage tanks, labeling)

It is a slow paced reading, written to focus on ideas and develop concepts to have something new to think about. Most suitable readers are loss control & process engineers and health and safety professionals working in any type of industry or doing field surveys for insurance companies

5 out of 5 stars Excellent book.......2007-03-08

Concise review of many industrial accidents with clear recommendations to help avoid repeating them. A must read all involved with industrial plants but especially chemical plants and refineries.

5 out of 5 stars Learn from other people and other companies mistakes.......2006-07-12

Learning from other people and other companies mistakes is better than to gain experience through our own mistakes, especially if those are relate to safety.

An excellent reference for the industrial practitioner interested or involved with Process Safety System, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Safety Instrumented Systems, etc. working in the process industries, who want to learn about real world examples of what can go wrong.

The incidents described could occur in any type of industrial plants, even in yours. This book doesn't provide an exhaustive analysis of process safety issues or risk control. For this type of in-depth information you could try "Loss Prevention in the Process Industries", by F. P. Lees.

Use this book as a safety manual full of stories from which you should try to get what lessons can be learned from the incidents described.

I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Safety and Control. I have been working for more than 16 years as an Instrumentation, Automation, and Process Safety and Control Engineer for the Oil & Gas Industry. I found this book to be an aid when preparing training material for operators and technicians.

5 out of 5 stars A Master Class In Hazard Avoidance And Mitigation.......2006-05-02

"What Went Wrong?" is a well thought-out book on practical safety in the chemical processing industry. The book recounts numerous actual process plant accidents and incidents, includes causes and effects, and avoidance and mitigation practices.

Some of the accidents in this book are familiar to most people (Bhopal, etc.), but most are not; this exposure to "new" material is a real strength. Another strength is the focus on "minor," seemingly inconsequential, actions that have major effects. For instance, on page 62, a company was concerned that because heating had to be shut down over a weekend that water lines would freeze, so water was replaced with alcohol. When a fire occurred the sprinklers then fed the fire. This seems obvious in retrospect, but Kletz is trying to develop foresight rather than hindsight. Kletz also includes examples of human error accidents from other fields. (An excellent example concerning radiological medicine is on pages 92-93.) Kletz always avoids simplistic "human error" diagnoses and diligently pursues root causes; he asserts correctly that in human error accidents it is "unfair to put all the blame on the person who adds the last straw."

Chapter seven concerns leaks. Thomas Fuller was right in 1732 when he said "A small leak will sink a great ship." Leaks are easy to discount as minor and routine annoyances. This chapter does an excellent job of discussing most leak-related issues. The section on "Drain Valves and Vents" is particularly well-developed, as is the section titled "Small Cocks," which makes the point that they should never be used as the sole source of isolation (especially for flammable materials above their atmospheric boiling points.) Likewise his remarks at the end of the chapter (page 162) about measurements are insightful: "Whenever possible we should measure directly what we need to know and not some other property from which it can be deduced." This was, of course, one of the major problems that triggered the Three Mile Island accident.

Chapter eight is titled "Liquefied Flammable Gases," and is an extension of chapter seven in many ways (leaks play a role in many LFG incidents.) Kletz also has an excellent discussion of the hazards of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVEs) including dramatic examples from Feyzin, France and Duque de Caxias, Brazil. A great example (a crack propagation problem in a low temperature, nine percent nickel steel tank in Qatar) of how to mitigate and trap problems in a large-scale LFG system is on page 172, and discusses the pros and cons of different types of dike wall construction.

Chapter nine is on pipe and vessel failures. There is a good discussion of vapor cloud explosions, and while I am amazed at the scope of the author's data, even I was surprised (and amused) to find that Table 9-1 included in "transport container" column for vapor cloud explosions the note "Includes 1 zeppelin." Now that's thorough!

The book also discusses ancillary fittings (like flanges and gaskets) and equipment (like centrifuges and pumps), their common failure modes and hazard prevention methods. There is an especially good discussion of heat exchangers, furnaces, and cooling towers in chapter ten. Especially enlightening is the discussion of damage by water hammer, and the example given (see Figure 10-11, "Condensate in the steam...knocked off the impingement plate and damaged calandria tubes") illustrates the folly of ignoring precursor incidents in an accident prevention strategy. In section 10.7 Kletz discusses furnaces, and makes the statement "Never say, 'It must be safe because we have been doing it this way for years and have never had an accident'" which is an axiom that any safety professional should embrace.

Chapter eleven concerns entry into vessels, and notes that in the US each year about 63 people are killed after being overcome in inadequately prepared vessels. Of these, 40 are would-be rescuers. Any business with this type of exposure must insure that they have excellent equipment and training (including recurrent training) for people undertaking these tasks. No matter what training occurs, though, you can't protect from bad judgment. On page 232 an incident is discussed where a worker was trying to shrink-fit a bearing onto a shaft in a pit with an acetylene torch while the shaft was cooled by another worker hosing liquefied petroleum gas onto the shaft with the expected fatal results.

Chapter twelve discusses the hazards of common materials. Many situations in this book concern the misuse of water resulting in boilover, slopover, foamover, frothover, puking, or many other steam or vaporization related accidents. Compressed air is another underappreciated hazard, and is also discussed at length. Especially emphasized are reactions of air and oil mixtures and the importance of using Type 3A molecular sieves, which can avoid issues encountered in operations that dry or purify compressed air. Nitrogen is also discussed. While it is inert, Kletz makes it clear that it is not harmless using several insightful examples, including an unusual liquid nitrogen induced explosion in a pork rind processing operation on page 254.

Throughout the book Kletz emphasizes the importance of process change control, and that even slight modifications are thoroughly evaluated; this is true in all safety communities, not just the chemical processing industry. Excellent examples of training issues are throughout the book, but are specifically delineated in section 22.5 "Poor Training or Procedures."

Appendix one contains a useful discussion of relative rates of different types of incidents, while Appendix two is perhaps the best in the book, as it discusses accident reporting (page 395) and gives five excellent reasons to publish accident reports, advice that is valid in all industries.

"What Went Wrong?" is a well written book with many insights for safety professionals. It is written for the chemical industries, but is readable and useful to safety professionals in all industries. I deal largely with aviation safety (though I have a background in industrial chemical processing), and the parallels are manifold.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading other books by Trevor Kletz.

5 out of 5 stars Itemized Case History of Accidents in the Chemical Industry.......2006-04-06

What I like most about this book is its index and table of contents. It is easy to find a type of accident. For example, when I turned to page 291, I found an exact, simple description of the dangers resulting from the flow of a non-conducting liquid, i.e., one with a low dielectric constant --- like toluene (2.4 compared to water with a constant of 80). "The danger is that a spark could discharge between a body of liquid and grounded metal." In other words, a high voltage shock will knock you off your feet.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote.

This is an easy-to-read text and should be required reading for all chemical engineers entering the workforce. After you read it, you can move on to more detailed engineering text on the subject of safety such as Kletz's own book, or Mark Tweeddale, or Crowl and Louvar's text. These text are for calculations, "What Went Wrong," is for a clear understanding of the dangers you will be facing.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote -- Thanks.
Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • good for basics or beginners
  • Great Foundational and Advanced Book
  • Physician, heal thyself
  • Finally, a book worth more than the price
  • "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?"
Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
Gregg Kreutz
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars good for basics or beginners.......2007-07-08

ok for beginners and those who paint in an impressionistic style. could focus a bit more on materials. some good basic tips.

5 out of 5 stars Great Foundational and Advanced Book.......2007-06-15

I'm a professional in the business and make my living as an artist. This book is a wonderful reference and is always close by on the shelf. The work in it is excellent and the principles are straight forward as well as solving lots of the problems artists and painters encounter. Love it and recommneded it many times over.

1 out of 5 stars Physician, heal thyself.......2007-05-30

Sorry, I didn't like the book. I don't know how to say this kindly, but Kreutz' paintings seem to need some improvement, especially the portraits. He may have very good advice to give and should be commended for giving it, but I am reminded of the saying, "I always pass on good advice, because it never does me any good."

5 out of 5 stars Finally, a book worth more than the price.......2007-02-13

I LOVE this book and keep by my easel. His checklists keep me on track.

5 out of 5 stars "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" .......2007-01-19

As any true artist can attest, real art does not just arrive from the soul of the artist. Rather it is more often than not the result of hard-won struggles with all sorts of problems. Art in its creation is not linear. It develops by answering questions like, "What makes form look dimensional?" "How does light flow?" "How can air be represented." If the content is too dominating and the technique too finished, the painting can look impersonal. It the artist is too dominating, to expressionistic, the painting can look self-indulgent.

Gregg Kreutz in his "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" has assembled many of the questions that have occurred to him during his years as a painter. He examines the characteristics of a superior painting and shows through examples what makes one picture better than another. Some of those qualities include richness, mystery, simplicity, and focus.

Kreutz appreciates individual expression and knows that each painter develops in his or her own way. He knows that painting is not a mechanical act. When it is, the end product will be unconvincing. Painting requires creativity, insight and empathy. He builds on these attributes which vary from individual to individual with the questions that painters frequently face. He answers these in a straightforward, agnostic manner that will be useful to all painters.

This is an excellent book that will serve the intermediate to advanced to professional painter well. Kruetz's paintings have been represented in many juried shows, winning many high honors. The book is chock full of his work and I, for one, am glad. His work is inspirational and, with this book, he has forced me to raise the bar for my work by asking one question when I paint, "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" I no longer have any excuses - he provides plenty of answers.
What's Wrong?: Applied Ethicists and Their Critics
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		What's Wrong?: Applied Ethicists and Their Critics

    Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Ethics & MoralityEthics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0195167619

    Book Description

    What's Wrong?: Applied Ethicists and Their Critics is a thorough and engaging introduction to applied ethics that covers virtually all of the issues in the field. Featuring more than ninety-five articles, it addresses standard topics--such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, world hunger, and animal rights--and also delves into cutting-edge areas like cloning, racial profiling, same-sex marriage, prostitution, and slave reparations. The volume includes seminal essays by prominent philosophers (Robert Nozick, James Rachels, Peter Singer, and Judith Jarvis Thomson) alongside work by newer voices in the field. Employing a unique approach to teaching argumentation, editors David Boonin and Graham Oddie unify the wealth of material presented in this collection. Each chapter opens with a featured article that takes a strong stand on a particular issue; the essays that immediately follow offer objections and critical responses to the arguments put forth in the featured selection. This format helps students learn how to better engage in debates because it illustrates how philosophers argue with each other. In addition, a general introduction describes strategies for understanding and evaluating the different types of arguments contained in the readings, while detailed chapter introductions enable students to see precisely how the arguments presented in the various writings are related to one another. Discussion questions and suggestions for further reading are included for each chapter. Ideal for courses in introduction to ethics and applied ethics/contemporary moral problems, What's Wrong? can also be used in critical thinking courses that emphasize philosophical argumentation.
    The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina--the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • The Storm
    • Read This, and worry about your town...
    • Worth The Time
    • Eye-Opening
    • The Sad Truth
    		 The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina--the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist
    Ivor van Heerden , and Mike Bryan
    Manufacturer: Viking Adult
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    1. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
    2. Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City
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    ASIN: 0670037818

    Book Description

    The ultimate inside story: how bureaucracy, politics, and a disregard of science combined to cripple—perhaps forever—a great American city

    As deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, Ivor van Heerden had for years been warning state and local officials about New Orleans's vulnerability to flooding. But like Cassandra's, his predictions were ignored—until Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. Suddenly, van Heerden found himself at the center of a media maelstrom. Stepping forward to challenge the official version of events, he revealed the truth about the city's shoddy levee construction.

    Now, in The Storm, van Heerden shares up-to-the-minute reporting from his investigations and connects the dots among the Army Corps of Engineers, the bureaucrats, the politicians, and the chain of events—both natural and human—that culminated in catastrophe. An epic of cutting- edge science and systemic bureaucratic failure, The Storm is the first book from a major player in the Katrina disaster and a riveting narrative that brings expertise, passion, and a human viewpoint to America's greatest natural disaster.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars The Storm.......2007-05-14

    Good description of what happened during Katrina and the causes of it. However, it is a first person narrative with a bit of self-congratulation embedded throughout (which is kind of annoying).

    5 out of 5 stars Read This, and worry about your town..........2007-01-09

    I am a New Orleanian. I was there, I know the details, and I know this writer has a lot to teach about disasters and personal responsibility to the community. He's a good guy who a lot of politicians tried to gag.
    The book does a lot of CYA- people who knew what they were doing during Katrina have taken a lot of bludgeoning from fools. Mostly fools in politics and the Corps of Engineers- who caused the whole damn New Orleans disaster through sheer idiocy.
    Rad this book and weep, for us, for yourselves. Where ever you live, there's the same incompetance waiting to fail you.

    5 out of 5 stars Worth The Time.......2006-11-15

    Let me first start by explaining that Ivor Van Heerden is my step father, and Mike Bryan is my good friend. During the months in which this book was written, my family was not only dealing with the aftermath of Katrina, but the effects of someone with such huge ideas and opinions trying to fit them into a few hundred pages. The amount of time and dedication that went into this book alone was enough to encourage me to read it, but once i did i realized that it's positively genius. The detailes he goes into just to make sure the readers can understand what he is about to discuss definitly sets him apart from other katrina authors. And Mike Bryan's years of writing experience really bring eveything together in this book. All in all I have to say that this book is definitly worth your time, if you want to understand the big picture behind katrina, as well as the things not many people knew at the time.

    3 out of 5 stars Eye-Opening .......2006-08-04

    Get your dictionary out for acronyms... very confusing at times. Great storytelling in the first half of the book, but much finger pointing at the end. Van Heerden is very passionate about his work and point of view. Story matches reality I guess in relation to this catastrophic, horrible event. Very eye-opening, as our government continues down the same road, levee's ...FEMA... wars..... cover-up after cover-up.... Etc...

    5 out of 5 stars The Sad Truth.......2006-07-14

    As a former emergency management planner, I found this book to be an excellent analysis of what really went wrong in New Orleans. It is a treatise for government officials to learn what not to do and an outline of what we as citizens should demand from our government leaders. It presents very technical information and scientific analysis in a manner that even an elected official can understand. But, beyond presenting the scientific basis of why New Orleans flooded, it presents an outline of solutions that should and must be considered. It is an great testament to the fact that some issues should be above everyday politics and that some important decisions that a government may be asked to make should be based upon science and not political considerations. This is a must read for every citizen and should be a mandatory read for every elected official.
    Dr. Barksdale
    When Love Goes Wrong: What to Do When You Can't Do Anything Right
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Very Helpful
    • An uncommonly thorough and easy to use guide
    • Useful for friends of abused women
    • IF you only buy 1 book this year buy this one.
    • This book is saving my sanity if not my life!
    		 When Love Goes Wrong: What to Do When You Can't Do Anything Right
    Ann Jones , and Susan Schechter
    Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Domestic ViolenceDomestic Violence | Abuse & Self Defense | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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    Accessories:
    1. philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

    ASIN: 0060923695

    Book Description

    Millions of women each year find themselves in relationships with controlling or abusive partners and don't know what to do, or even what's wrong. A woman may feel anxious, inadequate, intimidated -- and as if she is walking on tiptoe. And she may find herself trying harder and harder to make things right without ever being successful. Ann Jones and Susan Schechter bring together their more than fifteen years of experience working with women in abusive relationships to offer an eyeopening new analysis of controlling partners and a wealth of empowering information for women who want to change their lives for the better. Full of moving first-person stories, When Love Goes Wrong shows women what their options are in or out of the relationship, provides concrete guidance on finding safety and support for themselves and their children, and includes a comprehensive list of agencies offering information or assistance.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Very Helpful.......2007-09-13

    This book helped me to identify the fact that I was being abused by my boyfriend. It also helped give me the strength and courage to leave. I highly recommend this book.

    4 out of 5 stars An uncommonly thorough and easy to use guide.......2006-06-27

    I went to the bookstore tonight to find a book to help answer the question: What do you do when you have been close to a truly brilliant, good, & decent person, and they communicate to you in clear terms they will be happier if you go away and stop interacting with them? You see, I grew with a single parent. I lived with the parent who was left by my other parent. The trouble was, both of my parents were brilliant, good & decent people. Both of them were strong willed. One of them decided they would be happier if they had very little to do with the other. It would have been easier, or understandable if the person who abandoned the other had been a lousy person, but they weren't. So if anybody has a book that helps a person cope with that issue, please email me and let me know.

    Like many children in that circumstance, my solution was to concede that I couldn't take one side (See Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can). Children tend to have the naivete, intelligence, and/or resolve to learn to love both. But that did not solve their direct relations, and I'm still trying to improve their rapport.

    So while I couldn't find a book that helped address my question, I did find this good book near the "Dealing with Grief, Divorce, & Loss" section: When Love Goes Wrong. I recommend it to anyone who is dealing with a dysfunctional relationship, whether personally or with a friend. It does an uncommonly thorough job of helping an untrained person identify the abusive or controlling aspects of their primary relationships.

    This book is not just for abused women. It can help any person identify the controlling behaviors in themselves and others. Recognizing those habits is useful to anyone. It includes extensive checklists that offer practical analysis of behavior patterns and motivations. The advice given appears to be educated & experienced. It also attempts to deal with misconceptions & myths. While it is far easier to identify the controlling behaviors in others, this book is exceptional because it helps us see them in ourselves.

    It is an easy book to scan and find what you might be interested in. It is organized and labeled exceptionally well.

    This book is not filled with cliches. It understands that abusive habits are just part of the person. This book does not assume that abusive relationships should break up. The first emphasis in the book is: Can the people change the abusive or controlling parts of themselves or not? And how do you encourage and enable those changes?

    The book does not deal well with one large, practical question for the couples it targets: How do the couples use non-abusive and non-controlling techniques to still negotiate solutions that meet more of both of their interests? Finding good answers to that vital question will need to be found in other books. But don't let that keep you from scanning this book, because this book still focuses exceptionally well on an often neglected, but beneficial part of the process.

    5 out of 5 stars Useful for friends of abused women.......2003-11-07

    This review is from the point of view of someone who has a friend in an emotionally abusive relationship. I found this book extremely helpful. It provides insights into what goes on in abusive relationships and it helps to answer the big question you've been asking: why does she stay? It has a chapter specifically for friends and family of victims suggesting how to help, what to ask, and how to react if an abused woman confides in you. I wish I'd read this book *before* that happened to me! I could have avoided some mistakes.

    The book also includes practical (not rosy) descriptions of what abused women can expect if they file for a restraining order, stay at a shelter, bring in the police, etc. There's also advice on choosing the right person to confide in, the right counsellor, and the right advocate.

    If you have (or suspect you have) a physically or emotionally abused friend or relative, you owe it to yourself and to her to read this book.

    5 out of 5 stars IF you only buy 1 book this year buy this one........2003-09-06

    I read this book in 1994. It was the best book that I have ever read. I was in a horrible controlling marriage, and this book let me know that I was not always wrong. He was. I got the divorce in 1995, and if it was not for this book I dont know where I would be. I was told so many times that I was stupid, that I started to believe it. If any of you are having problems with a controlling abusive (mentally or physically) relationship, read this book. It saved my life.

    I am a totally different person, happy, outgoing and I am not afraid to speak my mind.

    5 out of 5 stars This book is saving my sanity if not my life!.......2001-01-02

    This book is wonderful, since it finally pointed out all of my feelings of hopelessness and confusion where I wasn't sure where it was coming from. All my excuses for staying with my abusive partner are in this book, and when I finally got too overwhelmed with the beginning of the book, I jumped ahead to the "When You Choose To Leave" because I just left him again almost a month ago. (You can easily jump around in this book and not feel like you've missed something.) I'm hoping that this book will help pull me through the tough times and give me enough courage to seek professional help for what he's done to me. So far I can't talk about it to more than a few people, because I feel ashamed, but I also feel hope, because if the women in this book could get their lives together in worse situations than mine, then so can I! Also, it gives great advice on where to find housing and financial help if you need it. I wasn't even sure what questions to ask in applying for assistance, but I just went back to the book, and it explained it out for me, and that gave me the courage to make a few more phone calls and figure the system out. What I've learned, sadly, is that although I'm not alone, I'm also in good company with beautiful human spirits.
    U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life?
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Fascinating insights drawn from fascinating lives
    • Interesting read or so I thought.
    		U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life?
    Bruce Grierson
    Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Applied PsychologyApplied Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 1582345848
    Release Date: 2007-04-03

    Book Description

    Every day, in almost every field, someone perceives themselves to be on the wrong side of a psychic divide. The “second brain” in their gut tells them their life must change. Bruce Grierson draws on over 300 hundred stories of u-turners, including famous cases like Gandhi and Gauguin as well as a host of other gripping tales of people who have risked everything to answer life’s wake-up call: people who change political parties and careers, people give up their jobs as doctors to become poets, men who become women, professional athletes who quit to spend more time with their families, mothers who quit their families to pursue careers, people who suddenly become revolutionaries for a cause they didn’t care about the day before.

    Grierson examines the u-turn from all angles—philosophical, scientific, literary and psychological—beginning with premise that the wake-up call is the secular equivalent of the religious epiphany, the moment when a person is “born again.” When does the wake-up call happen? Often in mid-life, but not always. Is it a good thing? Yes and no. Who does it happen to? Potentially any of us, under the right circumstance. Is America ready for a mass u-turn? Maybe. In chapters that address everything from the neuroscience behind epiphanies (the eureka moment) to the possibility of “forcing” a u-turn, Grierson brilliantly describes and elucidates this powerful, mysterious phenomenon, and in doing so illuminates all or our continual struggles with life choices and identity.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Fascinating insights drawn from fascinating lives.......2007-05-16

    Everyday I encounter people who have made U-Turns and their lives are richer and happier as a result. After reading Grierson's exploration of dozens of people who abandoned or reinvented their previous lives--often in dramatic ways--I am even more inspired and intrigued by the possibility of second chances.

    Obviously, Grierson is a great listener and a wonderful storyteller. Unlike most non-fiction books I read, I found this one needed to be read slowly. After one or two stories, I had to stop and think about the tale Grierson had told. Equally inspiring is how obvious it becomes that anyone, anytime, anywhere can find themselves making a U-Turn into an authetic new life.

    2 out of 5 stars Interesting read or so I thought. .......2007-04-25

    I initially liked this book until as I got further along it became apparent that the author saw this as an opportunity express a political viewpoint. The "U-turners" he chooses as examples are nearly all of the same political bent. It really destroys the author's credibility when he makes it seem that only one kind of person (liberal or conservative) is capable of making a U-turn. Not a book I'd recommend.
    What Did I Do Wrong?: When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship is Over
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Good effort
    • This book brought me peace...
    • Friendship falling outs
    • Author did everything right
    • Wow...I needed that
    		 What Did I Do Wrong?: When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship is Over
    Liz Pryor
    Manufacturer: Free Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0743286316

    Book Description

    It happens without warning, and it hits you with devastating force. Your closest girlfriend, the Ethel to your Lucy, the Thelma to your Louise, cuts you off completely. No more late-night phone calls, no more afternoon e-mails, no more catch-up lunches and dinners. She has decided for whatever reason to move on with her life and has left you to figure it out on your own. The experience can be as painful and confusing as a sudden breakup with a significant other, and you replay scenes from the friendship and wonder what you did wrong.

    Until now, women had to endure the heartache of losing a friend all alone, without the social support and understanding that accompanies, say, a romantic split-up -- and to make matters worse, they don't even have their best friend's shoulder to cry on. But What Did I Do Wrong? gives you that sympathetic shoulder and a resource -- and some answers -- that you can rely on. After author Liz Pryor had gone through a number of these breakups herself, she set out to discover why they were happening, how to help herself -- and others -- get through them...and how to prevent them from happening again.

    Through personal interviews and her popular website, www.lizpryor.com, Pryor collected hundreds of stories of friendships with which you will identify. Now she draws on those stories to explore the dynamics of friendship breakups in a candid, intimate way, revealing the patterns, the warning signs, and some ways to put a friendship right or help it change to meet your or your friend's changing life. She also explains how to end a friendship -- if you find that you need to do so -- in ways that honor both parties' feelings and your history together.

    Like the best kind of girlfriend -- one who really will stay friends forever -- Pryor blends plain, old-fashioned, feminine good sense and good humor with genuine empathy for the thousands of women who live with the confusion that lingers after an ended friendship -- for women of all ages, races, and backgrounds. What Did I Do Wrong? validates your feelings and inspires you to be more forthright and compassionate with new and old friends. It might even lead you to reconnect with a lost one. In the end, you will be moved and uplifted by the many stories of strong friendships, broken friendships, and renewed friendships that make this book a treasure of women's wisdom and experiences.

    Download Description

    It happens without warning, and it hits you with devastating force. Your closest girlfriend, the Ethel to your Lucy, the Thelma to your Louise, cuts you off completely. No more late-night phone calls, no more afternoon e-mails, no more catch-up lunches and dinners. She has decided for whatever reason to move on with her life and has left you to figure it out on your own. The experience can be as painful and confusing as a sudden breakup with a significant other, and you replay scenes from the friendship and wonder what you did wrong. Until now, women had to endure the heartache of losing a friend all alone, without the social support and understanding that accompanies, say, a romantic split-up -- and to make matters worse, they don't even have their best friend's shoulder to cry on. But What Did I Do Wrong? gives you that sympathetic shoulder and a resource -- and some answers -- that you can rely on. After author Liz Pryor had gone through a number of these breakups herself, she set out to discover why they were happening, how to help herself -- and others -- get through them...and how to prevent them from happening again. Through personal interviews and her popular website, www.lizpryor.com, Pryor collected hundreds of stories of friendships with which you will identify. Now she draws on those stories to explore the dynamics of friendship breakups in a candid, intimate way, revealing the patterns, the warning signs, and some ways to put a friendship right or help it change to meet your or your friend's changing life. She also explains how to end a friendship -- if you find that you need to do so -- in ways that honor both parties' feelings and your history together. Like the best kind of girlfriend -- one who really will stay friends forever -- Pryor blends plain, old-fashioned, feminine good sense and good humor with genuine empathy for the thousands of women who live with the confusion that lingers after an ended friendship -- for women of all ages, races, and backgrounds. What Did I Do Wrong? validates your feelings and inspires you to be more forthright and compassionate with new and old friends. It might even lead you to reconnect with a lost one. In the end, you will be moved and uplifted by the many stories of strong friendships, broken friendships, and renewed friendships that make this book a treasure of women's wisdom and experiences.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Good effort .......2007-03-29

    The author made a good effort but it is missing something, maybe because it is based on her life and I am not in this social class.

    For me this book reinforced the idea that Women are bad friends. The stories make me wonder who this author knows - sounds like a self-centered crowd.

    The friendships she depicts seem shallow ending over gossip, petty squabbles and my personal favorite my husband doesn't like you. Is this the stone ages where a woman can't be friends unless her husband gives permission? My parents had individual friends and couples they were friends with. Each had individual friends that the other liked and didn't like so based on my experiences with friendship some of her stories seem silly and shallow.

    I agree with other reviewers about writing a letter when you are in the midst of a painful end to a friendship is a bad idea. Most people are not going to wait until they have enough emotional distance to write such a letter and sometimes you have no idea what the recipient is going through. I would not want to write a letter to someone when I may not know what is happening in her life. Is she experiencing a deep depression? Is there a recent crisis? Sometimes regardless of the spirit in which a letter is intended the person will still read it though a lens that may be clouded by pain or bad circumstances.

    This author is not an expert so in some ways her approach seemed fresh but having an expert voice involved could have made it a much better book.

    4 out of 5 stars This book brought me peace..........2007-01-23

    After the grief and confusion with my own personal loss of a dear friendship, this book was like a breath of fresh air. The author, Liz Pryor really hit the nail on the head, and tackled a very common, very taboo friendship topic--what to do when a friend basically disappears into thin air. I am so grateful to her for her storylike text and ability to share perspectives from both sides. Through the number of personal interviews and stories within, the reader is truly able to gain some clarity and insight without having to skip chapters only to find what applies to her.

    I wanted to give this book 5 out of 5 stars, however--there is an underlying tone that has an air of pretentiousness about it. While I could relate (who's not a little pretentious at times...?) some readers might not be able to connect with the women who are clearly from upper/middle class lives(the author is married to actor Thomas Calabro, from Melrose Place); there isn't much here for women who have more domestic issues or those who come from a different background than many of the women interviewed in this book. Either way, my opinion is that if you can get past that aspect--you easily have a five-out-of-five star book. I highly recommend it to ALL women seeking solace during such a confusing time.

    4 out of 5 stars Friendship falling outs.......2007-01-04

    This book is good if you have experienced a falling out with a friend. It helps explain alot and makes you feel less alone. Might especially be good for younger women.

    5 out of 5 stars Author did everything right.......2006-11-20

    Pryor's book exceeded my expectations. I picked it up out of idle curiosity and, midway through, got on the phone to a female friend: "You've got to read this! I have a story..."

    And that's the power of What Did I Do Wrong (WDIDW): universal appeal and a compelling "can't put this down" narrative style. Pryor creates a unique genre between self-help and personal essay: she's more like the big sister or mentor, with research and attitude, rather than the expert or ordinary person with an opinion. Not bad.

    Pryor focuses on women who have close friendships, lasting several years, with frequent contact and conversation. We learn what happens when one friend says, "Enough! I'm ready to move on." Maybe she's just outgrowing the friendship. Or maybe her friend inadvertently did something that made her see their relationship in a new, ugly light. The "initiator" of the breakup tends to just disappear out of the "receiver's" life, leaving the "receiver" baffled, hurt and angry, often unable to feel closure.

    Pryor encourages the "initiator" to talk to the "receiver," either in person or via letter. She has become something of an expert in helping others write these letters, beginning with the straightforward communication question: "What is your objective?"

    Before reading WDIDW, I would have said, "Typically these conversations create awkwardness and accomplish nothing." But now I would say, "It can be important to assure the receiver that she didn't do anything horrible." The most painful stories in Pryor's book describe situations when one friend believed a false rumor about the other -- in one case, a woman left her neighborhood after friends dropped her based on a bizarre story spread by one woman's housekeeper.

    So I would say the most important confrontation may not be about losing the friendship, but about asking the question, "Is this true? Did you do this?" In fact, if a friend doesn't ask these questions, I'd wonder what else was going on. What kind of friend believes an unconfirmed rumor?

    Pryor's lack of credentials (she states clearly on the book jacket, "I'm not a shrink or a Pulitzer prize winner") makes the book fun to read. But a social scientist might encourage us to move to deeper questions, such as, "When are these shifts likely to occur? Are friendship changes correlated with changes in residence, career, economic shifts or marriage?"

    My own friendships tend to evaporate following a move, marriage, childbirth, or other family event. When I returned to graduate school for a PhD, friends disappeared because my schedule, interests and sense of direction shifted radically. Pryor's stories mostly came from women who resembled each other in terms of life status, such as "married with children." In one case, a friendship broke up when one woman's husband disliked her friend. This topic might deserve more discussion, especially as more and more of us are single and living alone by choice.

    With more casual friends, often a single incident made me say, "I don't want to spend more time with this person." So I think it's important to note that, in today's mobile society, we often assume we're friends when we're merely acquaintances. We need to take time to get to know someone before investing emotional energy in a relationship.

    But Pryor doesn't seem focused on teaching us, let alone giving us the "10 tips" we see so often these days. She presents evocative stories that encourage us to ask our own questions, talk to whoever's in our current circle of friends, and ultimately find our own solutions.

    Not a book to take with you to a desert island!


    Cathy Goodwin (.com)



    5 out of 5 stars Wow...I needed that.......2006-10-28

    What a gift for women everywhere! How many of us have not had the experience of a cherished friendship coming to an end without getting the answers we need? This quick read is full of empathy for those that have suffered such a loss and advice on how to get closure. More importanly, the book gives great insight to why some women choose avoidance rather than confrontation.
    What's Wrong With My Mouse: Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Valuable Book
    • Essential Book
    • Expert Review
    • Review
    • an excellent resource
    		 What's Wrong With My Mouse: Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice
    Jacqueline N., PhD Crawley
    Manufacturer: Wiley-Liss
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    Similar Items:
    1. Mouse Phenotypes: A Handbook of Mutation Analysis Mouse Phenotypes: A Handbook of Mutation Analysis
    2. The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, Deluxe Second Edition (with CD-ROM) The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, Deluxe Second Edition (with CD-ROM)
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    ASIN: 0471471925

    Book Description

    Dr. Jacqueline N. Crawley, author of the First and Second Editions of What’s Wrong with My Mouse? Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice,continues to field calls and e-mails from molecular geneticists who ask: how do I run behavioral assays to find out what’s wrong with my mouse?

    Turn to What’s Wrong with My Mouse? to discover the wealth of mouse behavioral tasks and to get the guidance you need to select the best methods and necessary controls. Chapters are organized by behavioral domain, including measurements of general health, motor functions, sensory abilities, learning and memory, feeding and drinking, reproductive, social, emotional, and reward behaviors in mutant mice. Throughout the chapters, new behavioral tasks and new research discoveries have been added, bringing the Second Edition up to date with the latest science. In addition, the Second Edition includes two new chapters:

    "Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration" discusses mouse behavioral tasks relevant to neurodevelopmental diseases, such as mental retardation and autism, and to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

    "Putting It All Together" recommends strategies for optimizing a battery of behavioral phenotyping tests to address your specific hypotheses about gene functions.

    The final chapter, "The Next Generation," examines new and emerging technologies.

    Throughout the book, the use of behavioral testing equipment is illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and representative data. Examples of behavioral tasks successfully applied to transgenic and knockout mouse models are provided, as well as references to the primary literature and step-by-step methods protocols. These features, along with a comprehensive index, listings of database and vendor websites, and an extensive list of references, make this book a valuable and practical resource for students and researchers.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Valuable Book.......2002-11-19

    "...this valuable book is currently the most complete overview of behavioral procedures available...it is a must have and a must read book..." (Genes, Brain, and Behavior, 2002)

    5 out of 5 stars Essential Book.......2001-07-24

    "I would recommend that every behavioral scientist has at least two copies, one for their own use and one that will be on permanent loan to their students, post-doctoral students and colleagues in molecular biology." -- TRENDS in Pharmacological Sciences (Gerard R. Dawson, Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories)

    5 out of 5 stars Expert Review.......2001-07-24

    "[T]his volume succeeds as a useful introduction to the realm of behavioral phenotyping for those interested in creating or using the large and increasing number of promising targeted mutant mice." -- TRENDS in Neurosciences (John K. Belknap, Oregon Health Sciences University)

    5 out of 5 stars Review.......2000-06-15

    It is a much prized addition... and fulfills a heretofore unmet need for a comprehensive sourcebook of mutant mouse literature and procedures. In addition to its reference utility, Dr. Crawley's text can exert a valuable influence on the future of transgenic and knockout mouse research by standardizing behavioral phenotyping methods according to the present state-of-the-art. --Stephen C. Heinrichs, Ph.D., Boston College

    5 out of 5 stars an excellent resource.......2000-06-08

    Very timely given the increasingly recognized importance of providing behavioral phenotypes of mutant mice. I would recommend the book with enthusiasm. --Eric Nestler, Yale University School of Medicine

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