If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • It's time for a paradigm shift in healthcare
  • Book has wider appeal than health care
  • The Best Book on the Disney Approach...Period
  • If Disney Ran Your Hospital - Save your money
  • Great book for hospital leaders
If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently
Fred Lee
Manufacturer: Second River Healthcare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Health Care DeliveryHealth Care Delivery | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Hospital AdministrationHospital Administration | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Health Care DeliveryHealth Care Delivery | Administration & Medicine Economics | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Hospital AdministrationHospital Administration | Administration & Medicine Economics | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
MedicineMedicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ProfessionalProfessional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. The Baptist Health Care Journey to Excellence: Creating a Culture that WOWs! The Baptist Health Care Journey to Excellence: Creating a Culture that WOWs!
  2. Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference
  3. Love Your Patients! Improving Patient Satisfaction with Essential Behaviors That Enrich the Lives of Patients and Professionals Love Your Patients! Improving Patient Satisfaction with Essential Behaviors That Enrich the Lives of Patients and Professionals
  4. BE OUR GUEST BE OUR GUEST
  5. 101 Answers to Questions Leaders Ask 101 Answers to Questions Leaders Ask

ASIN: 0974386014

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It's time for a paradigm shift in healthcare.......2007-06-02

I attended a lecture by Fred Lee, where he discussed some of the points brought up in his 9 1/2 Things book, and I was very impressed. First of all, I am a huge Disney fan, and I know that the Disney method transcends the typical service model, and focuses on the entire process as an "experience".

Mr. Lee, in this very insightful book, delves into how this can be applied to healthcare. And why should it not be applied to healthcare? In healthcare, there is a tremendous opportunity for caring and competent people to turn a frightening and intrusive process into an experience.

Sure, going to the hospital will never be a fun trip like a trip to Disney would be, but it can be one that is memorable for the RIGHT reasons rather than memorable for the WRONG reasons.

There are so many pieces of valuable information in this book that you'll need to keep it readily available as a reference tool.

5 out of 5 stars Book has wider appeal than health care.......2007-05-25

This book is specifically targeted towards customer service in hospital settings, but it is very easy to apply the ideas to other situations. There are also discussions of units with only internal customers, and these sections are broadly applicable to government, business and non-profit organizations.

5 out of 5 stars The Best Book on the Disney Approach...Period.......2007-02-15

"But I'm not in the hospital business." Neither am I. But I am a Disney Institute alumnus and an avid practitioner of the Disney Approach to People Management, Quality Service, and Loyalty; and I've found "If Disney Ran Your Hospital" more helpful than anything else in print. I think you will, too. Here's why. A number of books explain the principles and practices that drive Disney. Most are helpful, and one, "Be Our Guest" by the Disney Institute, is indispensable. But Fred Lee does one thing better than anyone else: he models how to transfer those principles to another industry. That's what he did at the Disney Institute and that's what he will help you do in your business. Granted, his applications come from healthcare. But along the way Fred Lee demonstrates how to translate and apply the Disney Approach outside of the Disney setting, and that's what's so helpful--he provides an example that the rest of us can follow. If you're interested in benchmarking the Disney Approach, you need this book. One more thing: Fred Lee can write. "If Disney Ran Your Hospital" is the best book on the Disney Approach...period.

1 out of 5 stars If Disney Ran Your Hospital - Save your money.......2007-02-07

This book was a complete waste of time and money. I would give it zero stars if I could.

5 out of 5 stars Great book for hospital leaders.......2007-01-18

This is a different book that brings a whole new perspective of how to threat professionals that care for people and how to improve your corporate culture resulting in extraordinary results to patients.
Mems Packaging (Emis Processing)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Mems Packaging (Emis Processing)
    Tai-Ran Hsu
    Manufacturer: Institution of Electrical Engineers
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Electrical & Electronics | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    SemiconductorsSemiconductors | Electrical & Electronics | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Electronics | Electrical & Electronics | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
    All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. MEMS/MOEM Packaging (Mcgraw-Hill Nanoscience and Technology) MEMS/MOEM Packaging (Mcgraw-Hill Nanoscience and Technology)

    ASIN: 0863413358

    Book Description

    MEMS Packaging discusses the prevalent practices and enabling techniques in assembly, packaging and testing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The entire spectrum of assembly, packaging and testing of MEMS and microsystems, from essential enabling technologies to applications in key industries of life sciences, telecommunications and aerospace engineering is covered. Other topics included are bonding and sealing of microcomponents, process flow of MEMS and microsystems packaging, automated microassembly, and testing and design for testing.
    When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Murder, Mayhem and Money
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Great Read
    • Entertaining as well as informative
    • If you are interested in Vegas ... You'll love this book!
    • For Mobster Fans!
    • Why These Men Gave Their Money
    When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Murder, Mayhem and Money
    Steve Fischer
    Manufacturer: Berkline Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    NevadaNevada | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    WestWest | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside History BooksLook Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob
    2. Sharks in the Desert Sharks in the Desert
    3. Las Vegas Babylon: True Tales of Glitter, Glamour, and Greed Las Vegas Babylon: True Tales of Glitter, Glamour, and Greed
    4. The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob
    5. Las Vegas Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay) Las Vegas Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay)

    ASIN: 0977065804
    Release Date: 2005-07-07

    Product Description

    Vegas like you've never seen, tales you've never heard -- until now. Sizzing, behind-the-scenes stories about the men, the Mob, movie stars, and missing money that made '50s and '60s Vegas such a hot spot in the Nevada desert. “On opening night at the Cal-Neva Lodge, Sinatra's guests included Marilyn Monroe, Joe Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy. Also there that weekend were Johnny Roselli and Sam "Momo" Giancana. Uninvited and hiding up in the hills around the casino lodge was an FBI surveillance team with long-range lenses . . . From the chapter Frank Sinatra’s Cal-Neva Lodge "On Sept 22, 1953, the Riviera Hotel was approved, the name was changed from the Casa Blanca to the Riviera just before this meeting . . . and the list of newly approved owners included Harpo (Arthur) Marx, movie star, comedian; his brother, Gummo (Milton) Marx, comedian" . . . From the chapter Does the Riviera Still Kill Its Executives? ”The Tropicana partners included Rosselli’s bosses in Chicago: Sam Giancana, Paul Rica, Camel Humphries, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Carlos Marcello . . . Fronting for the Chicago Outfit was Ben Jaffe. He owned the giant Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami, and also owned a little insurance company in Indiana” . . . From the chapter Frank Costello Builds the Tropicana "In every showroom in Las Vegas, there are certain inviolate rules. Rule Number One – the headliners go for 60 minutes. Not 64. Those extra 4 minutes represent 4 minutes of lost revenue on the casino floor . . . Then Deano came out on stage with his signature, "Who are all you people, and what are you doing in my room?"– and so started the two and a half hours of the Rat Pack Show!" From the chapter Coffee Shop Stories: Rat Pack and the Sands 21 stories packed with intrigue and mystery, a thoroughly research book, vintage photos.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Great Read.......2007-05-25

    The book was excellent. A lot of names were mentioned so one should really read it twice and to get the full impact take some notes as to the persons involved as the accounts have what one might count as flash backs.
    For those that want to know what Las Vegas was all about when the Mob & their associates were involved this is a MUST read. Highly recommended.

    5 out of 5 stars Entertaining as well as informative.......2007-03-12

    I could not put this book down! A lot of nonfiction books have all the allure of required reading in school. This book is written in an almost
    conversational style. I learned a lot of things I did not previously know about Las Vegas history. I have loaned it to others, urging them to read it.

    5 out of 5 stars If you are interested in Vegas ... You'll love this book!.......2007-03-09

    I have lived in Las Vegas since 1992 and this book is very accurate for the period of time that it covers. I've met and talked to a lot of "old-timers" and they have filled me in on the "mob-run" Vegas so I knew some of the info written in the book ... however this book filled in the blanks (so to speak). A GREAT read!!

    4 out of 5 stars For Mobster Fans!.......2007-01-10

    If you loved the Gofather, Goodfellas, The Untouchables, Sopranos... and so forth. You will love this book. Some parts to drag on but for the most part a great book. Interesting facts about the real mobsters which later were used to make movies like Casino and The Godfather. Also some great storied or I guess "myths" about President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

    A must read for you mob fans

    5 out of 5 stars Why These Men Gave Their Money.......2006-10-20

    The Kefauver Committee is a 1951 flashback on the Las Vegas of the 1940's. The original charge of the committee was to combat crime of any type which crossed state boundaries. What the committee ended up investigating was gambling. One witness was Frank Costello
    who raspy voice was imitated by Marlon Brando in The Godfather. "On advice of counsel" Costello took the 5th Amendment 138 times in five days of testimony. Meyer Lansky was subpoenaed as were Joey Adonis and Virginia Hill. Kefauver quizzed Hill about the death of her former boyfriend, Bugsy Siegel. Hill handled the questions easily. Then Kefauver made the mistake of wanting to know why men gave her money for no apparent reason. "Senator, are you sure you want to know why these men gave me money?" Hill asked. The Kefauver Committee hearings were broadcast live on network TV. There was no time delay to censor Hill's response.

    What is now the commonly conceived of view of Las Vegas began in 1945 when an attorney by the name of Bautser bought the Folsom Guest Cottages on US 91, which were at that time six miles south of Las Vegas. The buyer was one of Ben (don't call me Bugsy) Siegel's men. The planned project was The Flamingo. Siegel got lumber and pipe for the project from movie studios in Hollywood and Culver City. Marble came from the Mexican black market. Siegel made friends with a US Senator named Pat McCrarran who reprioritized the building needs of southern Nevada so that Siegel get copper fixtures and tiling in time for the Flamingo to open by Christmas 1946. Siegel had a competitive racing service in Vegas run by James Regan. During the Flamingo's grand opening, Regan was shotgun blasted in half.

    Siegel had already begun to scare off the movie stars. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn declined the Flamingo's grand opening. Clark Gable got a cold. Marlene Dietrich sprained her ankle. Gary Cooper said his mother had become very sick. At this time these stars were MGM stars and William Randolph Hearst ran the studio. Hearst hated Siegel because the latter had had a series of one night stands with starlet Marion Davies. Siegel in turn owned the Screen Actors Guild. The opening night of the Flamingo was disastrous. George raft was the only well known loser. Raft said he lost $75,000, but that didn't matter as the house was down $200,000 on just its first night. The next night was worse. Rose Marie (remember her from the Dick Van Dyke Show?) played to fewer than 20 people. Jimmy Durante played to the smallest crowd he had ever seen. New Year's Eve faired a little better with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. In 65 days the Flamingo closed while losing close to three quarters of a million dollars.

    It will be quite a number of pages before Fischer finishes his story. Along the way one will run into Meyer Lansky, Elvis, Joe Kennedy and his son John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Howard Hughes, Marilyn Monroe, Harpo Marx, and on and on. There are more big names than in front of Grumman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Fischer ends his story with Lefty Rosenthal leaving Las Vegas in the early 80's. There was no question that the Sands just had to close. Fischer and his wife take one more trip to Vegas and have to put up with a Jerry Lewis who is way too loud. Buddy Hackett does a show that under 18's can not enter and which has Frank Sinatra rolling on the floor. In the Rat Pack years of the early 60's the sands was "mobbed up." The Sands closed in 1996.
    A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Great Historical/ Environmental Read
    • This book is fantastic for third graders!
    • This is one of the greatest books ever written.
    • Scenic AND educational!
    A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
    Lynne Cherry
    Manufacturer: Voyager Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    State & LocalState & Local | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment & Ecology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    WaterWater | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    History of TechnologyHistory of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Children's BooksLook Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    State & LocalState & Local | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment & Ecology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    WaterWater | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    History of TechnologyHistory of Technology | Technology | Science | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    All 4-for-3 DealsAll 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
    2. The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle
    3. The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
    4. A Drop Around the World A Drop Around the World
    5. How Groundhog's Garden Grew How Groundhog's Garden Grew

    ASIN: 0152163727

    Book Description

    From the author of the beloved classic The Great Kapok Tree, A River Ran Wild tells a story of restoration and renewal. Learn how the modern-day descendants of the Nashua Indians and European settlers were able to combat pollution and restore the beauty of the Nashua River in Massachusetts.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Great Historical/ Environmental Read.......2007-03-21

    Ages 10+
    Follows the life of a river from Native American time through present and details the story of human destruction of a river and the human renewal of the resource. Definitely a read for grades 5+ due to the "urgency" of environmental destruction*we don't want to scare the kids to help them appreciate the resource*

    5 out of 5 stars This book is fantastic for third graders!.......1998-08-23

    I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

    5 out of 5 stars This is one of the greatest books ever written........1997-12-24

    This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

    5 out of 5 stars Scenic AND educational!.......1997-03-16

    This is a beautiful book! The illustrations are breathtaking and it follows an almost "illuminated" type of text structure, similar to that found in "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Each page is bordered by illustrations of items pertaining to the period in history that the page is depicting - the implements used by Native peoples, animals that live by the river, inventions of the Industrial Revolution, etc. There is much more to talk about on each page than just the environmental theme of the book. This book would fit well in units about Native people, progress/inventions, ecology, water habitats, etc. A must-have for classrooms, homes, and teachers
    I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean Birth Mothers of Ae Ran Won to Their Children
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Not for Adoptees
    • Heartfelt but Flawed
    • Questions for others
    • ADOPTION BOOK LIKE NO OTHER
    • Informative reading
    I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean Birth Mothers of Ae Ran Won to Their Children

    Manufacturer: Yeong & Yeong Book Company
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    AdoptionAdoption | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Nonfiction BooksLook Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Parenting BooksLook Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. When You Were Born in Korea: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from Korea When You Were Born in Korea: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from Korea
    2. After the Morning Calm: Reflections of Korean Adoptees After the Morning Calm: Reflections of Korean Adoptees
    3. Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries
    4. Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now
    5. Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects On Raising Internationally Adopted Children Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects On Raising Internationally Adopted Children

    Accessories:
    1. philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
    2. Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

    ASIN: 0963847236

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars Not for Adoptees.......2007-07-09

    If you're a Korean adoptee born before 1990 (I am) and you're looking for more insight on why you were given up for adoption, this is not the book for you.

    The "letters" written by the women in the book will seem contrived and form-like in nature after you have read 10 of them. I understand that these women are all in the same situation and location therefore the letters might seem similar in nature, but honestly, they did not provide any other information or emotional support for me. Perhaps, I am not the audience this book is aimed towards, however, I found it extremely disappointing.

    3 out of 5 stars Heartfelt but Flawed .......2006-08-02

    I thought that the essays in this collection were heartfelt, to say the least -- at times gutwrenching. However, the book's editing is so unilateral as to leave me wondering just how universal the feelings presented in these essays are.

    All the women who contributed to this collection were at the same maternity home. As one part of their couseling and education they were required to write a letter to the child they were placing for adoption -- [some of] the letters that were chosen for this collection. As another part of their education, they attended religious training. So, many of the letters are quite religious in nature. Most are extremely emotional -- emotional language that may not be typical of every day life nor even of these particular women, since it was part of the "exercise" to explore this in their letter writing.

    In looking to read how birth parents feel, I found this book too uniform -- same facility, same training, same counseling per author -- to tell me whether or not this is indicitive of a typical birthmother response, or a typical Korean birthmother response. I'd have loved to hear from birthmothers from other institutions or hospitals, with varying religious beliefs, pre- and post- education, and at different times in the process.

    It was clear to me from the introduction that the editors had a large part in conveying the birthmother experience -- the way they chose the letters, the way they organized them, how few letters were chosen from many, how they tell the reader to respond to them, and their own viewpoints plainly stated in ways that were entirely consistent with the material presented. I found the editorial comments at the start nearly too consistent with the material in the book, as it told me just how much the editors' own feelings influenced their choices.

    It's unfortunate, because I think this is a stellar idea for a book. But the one thing it lacked was the precise element I sought -- How do birthmothers tend to feel? Not, How do birthmothers at Ae Ran Won who have received certain training and instruction to write their feelings tend to feel, but what is their true experience?

    1 out of 5 stars Questions for others.......2006-07-16

    I have a couple of concerns about this book. As a mom who has lost a child to adoption, I am familiar with the "writing a letter to your child" right after placement and filling up the pages with words of hope. However, often times, this is not the full scope of the reality of what has happened to the mom, and it is a once done thing, and is frozen in time. It doesn't seem to go into depth of the sense of loss that these women will feel later, how they will be affected negatively by the loss of their child, despite their greatest hopes forced into making this decision through lack of any real options by profit making agencies.

    I would love to read a book that is about mothers who've lost children in other countries twenty years after placement (or so) to talk about their experience and how it affected them for the rest of their life.

    5 out of 5 stars ADOPTION BOOK LIKE NO OTHER.......2006-04-07

    As an adoptive Mom, I have read countless books on adoption. None have touched my heart like this one. This book gives dignity to the choice of relenquishing a child for the sake of their future. It shows the internal battle that rages within a young mother who is forced to make a decision because of her situation & cultural stigmas. All the stories take you to Ae Ran Won & show you that before we were Momma, there was someone who will forever have left an indelible mark on the hearts of our precious chosen children. A MUST READ FOR ANY ADOPTIVE PARENT!!

    4 out of 5 stars Informative reading.......2005-09-15

    As a Korean myself (not an adoptee)I am familiar with the dramatic ways that Koreans express their feelings. While this makes me somewhat skeptical of the emotions expressed in this book, there's still enough information in the book that is well worth the read. For example, How do these single moms end up in the situations they find themselves in? Why do they feel they need to give up the baby? What are their backgrounds? What do they hope for their babies? I found this book very helpful in answering these questions for me. I recommend this book to all adult adoptees, adoptive parents, potential A-parents, social workers working with Korean adoptions, etc.
    If Aristotle Ran General Motors
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • If an irrational populist ran a non-profit agency
    • Brilliant
    • Genuinely non-Aristotelian look at Business Leadership...
    • makes philosophy come alive
    • I find myself enjoying this over and over
    If Aristotle Ran General Motors
    Tom Morris
    Manufacturer: Owl Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    ManagementManagement | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    MotivationalMotivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    EthicsEthics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Business BooksLook Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence
    2. If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards
    3. Beyond Integrity: A Judeo-Christian Approach to Business Ethics Beyond Integrity: A Judeo-Christian Approach to Business Ethics
    4. The Art of Happiness at Work The Art of Happiness at Work
    5. Art of Achievement: Mastering the 7 C's of Success in Business and Life Art of Achievement: Mastering the 7 C's of Success in Business and Life

    ASIN: 0805052534

    Amazon.com

    Philosophy purists take note: yes, this is a business self-help book. But Tom Morris has plenty of philosophical street credibility: after getting his Ph.D. from Yale, he taught for 15 years at the University of Notre Dame (where stunts like bringing the ND marching band to class for an impromptu "pep rally" before a big test made him one of the most popular professors on campus). And Morris isn't dumbing down his message for the corporate culture. Rather, he's genuinely interested in fostering a workplace environment where one can seriously think about truth, beauty, goodness, and unity. "If we let the great philosophers guide our thinking," he says, "and if we then begin to become philosophers ourselves, we put ourselves in the very best position to move towards genuine excellence, true prosperity, and deeply satisfying success in our businesses, our families, and our lives. Why should we settle for anything less?" Why indeed?

    Book Description

    Since its hardcover publication in 1997, If Aristotle Ran General Motors has been one of the year's most talked about books, not only in the United States but around the world, where it has been translated into many languages. Author Tom Morris has emerged as one of America's most popular motivational speakers, bringing his inspirational message of ancient wisdom in modern business to thousands of employees at major companies like ATamp;T and Merrill Lynch. In 1998 Morris will give more than 100 keynote speeches at corporate seminars to further establish If Aristotle Ran General Motors as a must-read for anyone doing business today.

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars If an irrational populist ran a non-profit agency.......2004-09-19


    This book is neither about Aristotle nor General Motors. Do not be fooled into believing it is in any way an application of Aristotelian ethics in modern business; it is not. Morris consistently contradicts Aristotle throughout the book.

    An example is Morris' proselytizing conclusion that leadership requires humility. To make his point Morris quotes ancient Hasidic verse and the Tao Te Ching to establish that we are all worms. Nobility, Morris suggests, is lowness.

    Did Aristotle ever say this? No. Could Aristotelian writing lead us to these conclusions? No again. Is Taoism consistent with Aristotelian reason and logic? No, no, no. Is Hasidic verse? Definitely not. So what is going on? Did Morris forget to read Aristotle?

    Aristotle understood Man as a rational being with happiness as the moral purpose of his life. Morris does not. This book does not.

    Morris peppers his book with quotes at the furious rate of no less than one or two per page. He quotes every thing from fortune cookies to Einstein. Ironically with all this mad quoting he never once, ever, (I checked) quotes Aristotle - never.

    This book could better be titled, "If an irrational populist ran a non-profit organization."

    The prefaces of basic economic texts usually contain better discussions of the practical intersection of business and philosophy.

    5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......2002-09-16

    When you ask business people what they think about ethics and morality, they usually answer that these are important things in today's business environment. When you ask them what they REALLY think about ethics and morality, most of them don't want to answer you in any detail. A few will reply that morality is "idealistic" and that one must be "pragmatic" in everyday business practice. The belief that "morality is a topic to be debated after the bills are paid" seems to be the dominant belief in business (and other) circles.

    This book, brilliant in every way, attempts, and succeeds, in arguing that wisdom and its concrete manifestation in ethics, should be the cornerstone of business life. The author is a philosopher, and not a business owner, but with his insight into the dynamics of the marketplace and its optimization, his ideas are clearly thinking "out of the box". One can only hope that business leaders (and others) will discover the ideas in this book or some other like it. With today's headlines in corporate fraud and other scandals (some justified and some not), business people need to start believing in the efficacy of ethics in optimizing their business ventures.

    The preface to the book concerns "reinventing corporate spirit", the author drawing on the thoughts of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to set up the foundation for his arguments in the book. He recognizes correctly that it is ideas that fundamentally move the world.

    Throughout the book are many interesting insights into the psychology of business practices. When speaking of happiness for example, in relation to Aristotle's notion of eudaemonia, one of these is the recognition that money is frequently not the end goal for business people, the real goal being to achieve admiration in the eyes of others. The resulting ostentatious lifestyle is primarily done to impress, this being a transient and ultimately unsatisfying motivation in the eyes of the author.

    The book is divided up into four parts: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Unity. Each of these stand for respectively, the intellectual, aesthetic, moral, and spirtual necessities for achieving true happiness.
    In "Truth" the discussion is interesting in that it emphasizes the importance of telling the truth not just from the standpoint of what it will do in relation to others, but what it will do for the individual involved. Telling a lie damages one's self confidence. Individuals who practice the telling of falsehoods are intimidated by truth and do not have any confidence in the efficacy of their own minds. In addition, the author discusses the importance of "open-book management": that the sharing of knowledge results in greater productivity among the employees. This is to be contrasted with the nervous attitude among some managers who feel threatened by information, again lacking self-confidence and are in a perpetual state of worry that the dissemination of knowledge among employees or co-workers will result in their comptetitive demise. These views on truth are most refreshing. "Lying is the most dangerously corrosive and subtly destabilizing activities to be found in human life" he says. He's right.

    Quoting the Hindu proverb "The true nobility is in being superior to your precious self", the author encourages the view of competition as being one in which individuals surpass their former abilities, instead of worrying about their status in relation to others. He's right.

    Even more important is that the author addresses the influence of philosophy in the development of ethical attitudes in business. Ethical relativism and nihilism have wreaked havoc in society as a whole, not just in business, and the author emphasizes the need for coming to grips with these beliefs, and replacing them with sound philosophical systems that are both rational and meshed with common sense. "Ideas rock the world" he states. He's right.

    Most refreshingly, the author does not shy away from addressing the issue of self-interest. Confronting the "What's in it for me?" question that is asked by some, he clearly believes that self-interest is not something to be swept under the rug in discussions on ethics and morality in business. "The view that ethics requires total personal disinterestedness is a dangerous distortion of the truly moral point of view", he states. He's right.

    Peer pressure and "going with the flow" are always issues that everyone has to deal with in the business environment. Not being labeled as a "team player" can be detrimental to one's growth in a particular organization. The author asks the reader to count the costs of conformity and not to "associate with evil men, lest you increase their number", quoting George Herbert. He's right.

    But ethics is not merely a collection of arbitrary rules to follow, the author argues. The right course of action is built into the nature of reality and meshes with human nature and human needs. Since this is the case, the practice of true ethical norms is not only productive, but pleasureful to the individual, and instead of causing boredom as some might believe, alleviates it, argues the author. He's right.

    Some might label, and the author does unashamedly, the framework outlined in the book as "spiritual". Goal-oriented, truth-valuing, truth-loving conduct results in a productive, life-loving spiritual individual, in complete antithesis to that of a sterile, non-creative, cynical one who views life as a burden with crosses to bear.

    Some of course might view this book, and one on ethics in general, as being "idealistic" or "naive". Such individuals may not wish to even pick it up, let alone read it. But individuals who practice these ideas, or ones very similar, haved moved the world, and will continue to do so.

    1 out of 5 stars Genuinely non-Aristotelian look at Business Leadership..........2002-07-20

    Despite a provocative and promising title, Tom Morris delivers neither a new nor a true approach to the art of business leadership. While the book is occasionally clever and sometimes humorous, the vast majority of this book is mostly just a hodgepodge of relativism only somewhat related to the art of management and leadership. In short, the content of the book leads the reader miles away from what might result from the title scenario.

    Morris falls short perhaps because he is simply a mediocre scholar of Aristotle, perhaps because he was a professor of philosophy at a Catholic university, or perhaps because he is simply just a below-average writer. Regardless, the author comes up lacking in both the style and substance of a book premise that could be truly great in more capable hands.

    As to style, the book is replete with anecdotes that sometimes illustrate points quite well and sometimes are clearly inserted only because the author had them at his disposal. Likewise, the book is peppered with quotations that interrupt the flow of the narrative and only rarely have anything more than a tangential relevance to the text surrounding it. One such quote, from the author himself, neatly summarizes my view of this production: "Obscurity is not a mark of profundity, however many confused writers have hoped to bully us into believing otherwise." How true, how true indeed: I wonder how many of his students felt the same way after one of his philosophy lectures.

    As to substance, the book is almost a complete loss. I say almost because, to be fair, Morris does come close to painting an Aristotelian view of life when he delves into the meaning of life. The author frames up his answer beautifully but then promptly undermines it in his attempts at clarification. To be more specific, Morris claims that the meaning of life is to be found in "creative love" (or, more accurately, in the love of creativity). While this sounds at first blush to be both logical and promising, not unlike the true motive power behind human innovation, Morris explains his surmise so ineptly that it becomes readily apparent to the reader that any proximity to the truth was merely an accident. Far from leading the reader closer to any meaningful answers, Morris abandons the audience as if in mid-thought, convincing them that his conclusions were as much the product of coincidence as of rational thought.

    This is just one example of the sort of philosophical inconsistency that exists throughout this book. In nearly every chapter, Morris makes sweeping, unsubstantiated statements and then proceeds as if these statements were self-evident truths. This might be passable if the author were able to consistently proceed from these sweeping statements in a logical progression. However, the reader frequently gets no more than one or two steps away from an assertion masquerading as immutable law when the author creates transparent straw man arguments to bolster his tenuous premises. Even if the reader can forgive (and accept as true) the first premise of the author's progression, the subsequent steps are so disorienting and fallacious that it is hard to move past them.

    Perhaps the most obvious example of this is how Morris routinely equates rational self-interest with intellectual myopia. For instance, in painting the entire philosophical landscape, he cites only three schools of thought: Nihilism, Relativism, and Absolutism. While he aptly defines the concepts of Nihilism and he readily betrays himself as a Relativist, he casts Absolutism as the province solely of religious zealots.

    Morris's emphatic use of the relativist's scale on which to measure thought is perhaps the fundamental flaw of his book. It is a small wonder that he finds no thematic consistency when he shows us a different yardstick for the measurement of each new topic. This changing standard sometimes becomes outright silly. For instance, on nearly a half dozen occasions, Morris attempts to weave coherent messages by juxtaposing concepts from the writings of Aristotle next to those of prominent theologians. The result of this sort of conceptual looseness is that better than half of the supposed insights delivered by the book turn out to be little more than fortune cookie proclamations-statements devoid of both context and independently verifiable meaning.

    All of this should be hardly surprising from someone who openly claims that any "unifying principle of philosophy is a dream." The question that remains for the reader, however, is: Why choose Aristotle if you believe philosophical unification is unachievable? Why co-opt the one Philosopher who may have come closest to philosophical unity than any other? Why not be honest with your readers? Why not entitle the book: If Dale Carnegie Ran General Motors? Even Plato or Immanuel Kant or William James would have been better choices, but that discussion is for another time.

    Like so many academic philosophers and modern business writers, Morris selects philosophical concepts based on their emotional appeal rather than with regard to any underlying consistency. This book, like virtually every business book on the market (with a few highly worthwhile exceptions) simply promotes the art we witness in greeting cards and long-distance phone commercials on television. From it, we get nothing more than the regurgitation of unthinking, it-takes-a-village drivel that characterizes so much of todays supposed non-fiction writing. Morris' entire effort seems to be very much like a Hollywood production-aiming to tug at heartstrings with nothing more substantive as a goal. In the end, that is all this book is equipped to do: provide us with a feeling...sadly, that feeling is simple, straightforward disappointment.

    5 out of 5 stars makes philosophy come alive.......2001-10-28

    I had never been a philosophy
    buff, but reading this book has changed my mind . . . I now
    see that the subject can be fun (if you can believe that), as
    well as interesting to study . . . Morris takes ancient truths
    and effectively relates them to the business world, as well
    as to life overall . . . i'm now looking forward to getting his
    first effort, TRUE SUCCESS: A NEW PHILOSOPHY
    OF EXCELLENCE, which somebody else has
    recommended to me.

    I know i'm really "into" a book if I find myself taking all
    sorts of notes on it, not only for my own use--but to share
    others . . . the biggest problem I now
    face is to edit these down to just a few passages, but let
    me try:
    If Aristotle ran General Motors, everyone employed there would
    think of it as one large partnership, encompassing myriads
    of smaller partnerships for the purpose of living well. If he
    ran the corner grocery store, he would instill in everyone there
    the same mindset. And if he offered you advice, I think that this
    would be at its core: Always think of yourself as entering with
    other people into partnerships for living well. This highly general
    truth about the deep beauty of business can provide us with an
    important perspective on many specific decisions we face. We
    should always be asking ourselves whether what we contemplate
    doing will enhance or diminish this crucial function of the
    business within our own domain of influence. Are we building
    partnerships for living well?

    I saw the professor later that day and asked him about it. He
    answered with a big smile, "At Hampden-Sydnery, we have a rule
    that every student must greet everyone they pass on campus."
    I said, Why do you have a rule like that?" And he explained, "At
    Hampden-Syndey, we believe that etiquette is where ethics
    meet everyday life. . . . If we don't help our students get
    it right in the little things, they'll never be in a position to get
    it right in the big things. We teach them to be courteous,
    hoping that this will help them to be moral."

    In an office building full of hundreds of Ph.D.s, whenever anyone
    faces a personal challenge, has trouble at home, is bothered by
    any sort of worry or fear, or just needs a spark or renewed energy,
    they easily discovered that the wisest course of action is to seek
    out the one man in the building who didn't graduate from high
    school, Brother Jeff. He whistles while he works, he sings,
    he greets everyone with a big smile and a kind word: "How
    are you today, my friend?" An otherwise dour face may
    brighten and respond, "Fine, Jeff and how are you?" The
    inevitable answer: "Everything's pretty!" A conversation
    then may or may not ensure, on almost any topic imaginable.
    But if it does, it always ends with a hearty send-off: "You
    have yourself a great day, my friend!"

    5 out of 5 stars I find myself enjoying this over and over.......2001-05-08

    I purchased the audio version of this book to listen to during my commute, and a year after the original purchase I realized that I've played this tape more than any other.

    Why?

    Aristotle's ideas can be like knives cutting through cluttered thinking, but his presentation can be a bit long and dry. Morris does a nice job of presenting Aristotle's virtues of Truth, Goodness, Unity, and Beauty as they can be applied to business while putting a fun and popular face on them.

    You can find good arguments in many books for being honest in business as well as doing good and creating a sense of unity. Beauty was a surprise, but Morris argues well for it. I felt that the combination of ancient wisdom with modern examples made Morris' message meaningful and more inspirational than many other business books.

    I've gotten a lot of mileage out of these ideas, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking to find Aristotle's virtues in the workplace.
    Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World--Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Awakening Terror
    • A factual but not fun read.
    • Hard To Sleep After Reading This Eight Stars
    • I love this book!
    • Dark side of microbiology
    Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World--Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It
    Ken Alibek , and Stephen Handelman
    Manufacturer: Delta
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Biological & ChemicalBiological & Chemical | Weapons & Warfare | Military | History | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
    Military ScienceMilitary Science | History | Subjects | Books
    TerrorismTerrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside History BooksLook Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Nonfiction BooksLook Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Demon in the Freezer : A True Story The Demon in the Freezer : A True Story
    2. Plague Wars: The Terrifying Reality of Biological Warfare Plague Wars: The Terrifying Reality of Biological Warfare
    3. The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
    4. Virus Hunter: Thirty Years of Battling Hot Viruses Around the World Virus Hunter: Thirty Years of Battling Hot Viruses Around the World
    5. Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War

    ASIN: 0385334966
    Release Date: 2000-04-11

    Amazon.com

    In this fast-paced memoir, Ken Alibek combines cutting-edge science with the narrative techniques of a thriller to describe some of the most awful weapons imaginable. The result will remind readers of The Hot Zone, Richard Preston's smart bestseller about the Ebola virus. That book focuses on the dangers of a freak accident; Biohazard shows how disease can become a deliberate tool of war. Alibek, once a top scientist in the Soviet Union's biological weapons program, describes putting anthrax on a warhead and targeting a city on the other side of the world. "A hundred kilograms of anthrax spores would, in optimal atmospheric conditions, kill up to three million people in any of the densely populated metropolitan areas of the United States," he writes. "A single SS-18 [missile] could wipe out the population of a city as large as New York."

    Chilling passages like these, plus discussions of proliferation and terrorism, make Biohazard a harrowing book, but it also has a human side. Alibek, who defected to the United States, describes the routine danger of his work: "A bioweapons lab leaves its mark on a person forever." An unending stream of vaccinations has destroyed his sense of smell, afflicted him with allergies, made it impossible to eat certain kinds of food, and "weakened my resistance to disease and probably shortened my life." But it didn't take away his ability to tell an astonishing story. --John J. Miller

    Book Description

    Anthrax. Smallpox. Incurable and horrifying Ebola-related fevers. For two decades, while a fearful world prepared for nuclear winter, an elite team of Russian bioweaponeers began to till a new killing field: a bleak tract sown with powerful seeds of mass destruction--by doctors who had committed themselves to creating a biological Armageddon. Biohazard is the never-before-told story of Russia's darkest, deadliest, and most closely guarded Cold War secret.

    No one knows more about Russia's astounding experiments with biowarfare than Ken Alibek. Now the mastermind behind Russia's germ warfare effort reveals two decades of shocking breakthroughs...how Moscow's leading scientists actually reengineered hazardous microbes to make them even more virulent...the secrets behind the discovery of an invisible, untraceable new class of biological agents just right for use in political assassinations...the startling story behind Russia's attempt to turn a sample of the AIDS virus into the ultimate bioweapon. And in a chilling work of real-world intrigue, Biohazard offers us all a rare glimpse into a shadowy scientific underworld where doctors manufacture mass destruction, where witnesses to errors are silenced forever, and where ground zero is closer than we ever dared believe.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Awakening Terror.......2007-07-17

    I bought and read this book years ago and was astounded with the information that was revealed. It's a dangerous world we live in knowing what various governemnts have created in order to destroy humans etc... This story is coming from the Author who was behind some of the most deadly biological, chemical weapons created in Cold War Soviet Union. he defected from the Soviet Union and then went to work for the U.S. governemnt applying his knowledge of weaponized biological agents and how to combat them etc... It's a true story with lots of information. It's a Great Book.

    3 out of 5 stars A factual but not fun read........2007-01-14

    It many ways this is necessary reading in today's world. Lots of facts, but not a particularly passionate story. It's not a fun page turner. And the author's regret for the demons he created seems too late and too little. The book also ends in 1999 and is due for an update or adddendum. After reading this, one could make the arguement that if there was only a 10% chance that the Soviet bioweapons technology made it to Iraq, then the Iraq invasion was justified. The book is not an exciting or particularly good read; but it may be a necessary read.

    5 out of 5 stars Hard To Sleep After Reading This Eight Stars .......2006-10-28

    The author for once and for all exterminates the propaganda that the USSR was not involved in the large scale production of biological weapons. He also reminds us that our college campuses are filled with what Stalin termed , " Useful Idiots", those who want to think the US is the eternal villan.

    The scale of the USSR bioweapons program was almost beyond what we could imagine both in the quantities produced and the variety of agents exploited. The author leaves little doubt as to the consequences of the use of these materials.

    Written before 9-11 the book helps to understand the threat bio-weapons pose when in the hands of unstable nations or terrorist groups. The ease of production and of deployment ( expecially if the humans are willing to die for the cause) is the foundation for restless nights.

    The book is also enlightening in how a huge program was shielded from US penetration through conventional Soviet security measures and our scientists unwillingness to consider the possiblity that the Soviets were developing and deploying such weapons.

    As terrorist organizations race to be the first to use chemical, bio or nuclear weapons against the US homeland the lessons of the book take on more importance.

    Highly recommended .

    5 out of 5 stars I love this book!.......2006-07-25

    This is one of my top 3 favorite books. It is so addicting you cannot put it down! Most of the statments in this book have do evidence to back them up contrary to what another reveiwer said. I learned a lot from this excellent book!

    4 out of 5 stars Dark side of microbiology.......2006-06-16

    This book covers the production and development of bioweapons in the Soviet Union. Reading the book is an unique chance to have a peek in the paranoid bureocratic society, in which production of mass murder technologies becomes a norm. In a way, the book is another example how ideological (in this case state sponsored) propaganda can subvert humans to do incredible, inhuman actions.

    The book is equally important as a warning for humanity of the self destructive potential of scientific knowledge when harnessed into usage as weapons of mass destruction.

    The book is written in readable, professional (from microbiologists viewpoint)and what appears a sincere way. It even seems that the book could be a part of a personal salvation process in which the author wants to deal with his past. I recommend the book for those intrested in soviet history/society, and especially for microbiologists and politicians who should get a deeper understanding of the issues covered in the book.
    If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss)
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Good Not Great
    • Sadly Disappointed :(
    • If I Ran the Zoo
    • Dr. Seuss at the Zoo
    • I remember this from my childhood.
    If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss)
    Dr. Seuss
    Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    HumorousHumorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    Dr. SeussDr. Seuss | Poetry | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Poetry | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    Literary Criticism & CollectionsLiterary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    Dr. SeussDr. Seuss | Book Characters | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Dr. Seuss | ( S ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    HardcoverHardcover | Dr. Seuss | ( S ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    FictionFiction | Zoos | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. If I Ran the Circus (Classic Seuss) If I Ran the Circus (Classic Seuss)
    2. And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (Classic Seuss) And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (Classic Seuss)
    3. Horton Hears A Who! (Classic Seuss) Horton Hears A Who! (Classic Seuss)
    4. Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (Classic Seuss) Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (Classic Seuss)
    5. McElligot's Pool (Classic Seuss) McElligot's Pool (Classic Seuss)

    ASIN: 0394800818
    Release Date: 1950-10-12

    Amazon.com

    "It's a pretty good zoo," said young Gerald McGrew, "and the fellow who runs it seems proud of it, too." But if Gerald ran the zoo, the New Zoo, McGrew Zoo, he'd see to making a change or two: "So I'd open each cage. I'd unlock every pen, let the animals go, and start over again." And that's just what Gerald imagines, as he travels the world in this playfully illustrated Dr. Seuss classic (first published back in 1950), collecting all sorts of beasts "that you don't see every day." From the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant to the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind, Gerald hunts down every animal imaginable ("I'll catch 'em in countries no one can spell, like the country of Motta-fa-Potta-fa-Pell"). Whether it's a scraggle-foot Mulligatawny or a wild-haired Iota (from "the far western part of south-east North Dakota"), Gerald amazes the world with his new and improved zoo: "This Zoo Keeper, New Keeper's simply astounding! He travels so far that you think he would drop! When do you suppose this young fellow will stop?"

    But Gerald's weird and wonderful globe-trotting safari doesn't end a moment too soon: "young McGrew's made his mark. He's built a zoo better than Noah's whole Ark!" Some of the text and illustrations--imaginative as they are--are obviously dated, such as the following passage: "I'll hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant/ With helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant,/ And capture a fine fluffy bird called the Bustard/ Who only eats custard with sauce made of mustard." And your children may be the first to recognize that attitudes have changed since the xenophobic '50s. But that doesn't mean this tale need be discarded; instead, it should be discussed. Ironically, Seuss was trying here--in his wild, explosive, and sometimes careless manner--to celebrate the joys of unconventionality and the bliss of liberation! (Ages 4 to 8)

    Book Description

    Illus. in color. "Young Gerald McGrew thinks of all sorts of unusual animals he'd have in a zoo. Dr. Seuss at his best."--Horn Book.  

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Good Not Great.......2007-09-11

    This book is very good with the exception of one thing. The book has at least one euphemism with God's name. I try to teach my children not to use God's name in vain, even when done euphemistically. Abstain from the appearance of evil. I generally admire Seuss books greatly but was a bit disappointed in this.

    1 out of 5 stars Sadly Disappointed :(.......2007-08-15

    Let me first say that my daughter and I LOVE Dr. Seuss books. I cannot even tell you how many times I have read "If I Ran the Circus," "The Sneetches," the Horton books, plus MANY others. I can even read them with my eyes closed because I know them all so well.

    I have to say that I found myself very disappointed with this book. It was partly the storyline (capturing and hunting down the animals), but it is mostly the pictures. I am not someone who is easily offended at all, but the pictures in the book of Asians and Africans were so stereotypically horrible. I realize this was written in a different time, but I just don't feel it is truly appropriate to the children of today. When we finished the book, my daughter even said, "Mommy, I didn't really like that book." I guess that was that.

    5 out of 5 stars If I Ran the Zoo.......2007-05-24

    This is a fabulous Seuss book. I used it during Read Across America week for my Pre-K 4 class. They were enthralled by it. We did several activities - such as creating our own animals for our classroom zoo. It became a fast favorite.

    5 out of 5 stars Dr. Seuss at the Zoo.......2007-01-07

    This is a great book. The girls of my girlfriend love the book. As soon as I sit down, they grab a book and jump in my lap.

    5 out of 5 stars I remember this from my childhood........2006-12-12

    This was a favorite when I was a kid. For some reason I always remembered the 10 legged lion, the elephant cat, and the family of What-do-you-know!

    My little girl likes this book as a companion to "If I ran a circus"

    I am surprised at the claims of racism. Some people read in things that are not there. A child won't become a racist from reading this book. The drawings and the writing are fanciful. Leave it as such and you don't have anything to fear.

    After all "It's the gol-darndest zoo On the face of the earth!"
    If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Great starter book on rain forests!
    • Not impressed
    • Interesting way to introduce rain forests to children
    If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    Bonnie Worth
    Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Forests & Trees | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    Natural HistoryNatural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Children's BooksLook Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    NonfictionNonfiction | Environment | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    Forests & TreesForests & Trees | Nature | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    Natural HistoryNatural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    All 4-for-3 DealsAll 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library: Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry) The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library: Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    2. Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry) Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    3. There's a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry) There's a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    4. Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry) Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
    5. Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry) Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)

    ASIN: 0375810978
    Release Date: 2003-04-22

    Book Description

    The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick for an “umbrella-vator” ride through the understory, canopy, and emergent layers of a tropical rain forest, encountering a host of plants, animals, and native peoples along the way.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Great starter book on rain forests!.......2007-03-29

    My 6 yr old really enjoyed this intro book on rain forests. One of the off-shore excursions on our upcoming cruise is the Costa Rican rain forest and I purchased several books on rain forests to get him familiar with the topic This one was the perfect intro book for him. It was written in classic Seuss rhyming style which was engaging for my son. The illustrations were colorful and eye-catching and the information about rain forests was just enough for a 6yr old to understand and digest. We read it while also listening to a "Relax with Tropical Rain Forest" audio CD which provided an added dimension to the rain forest learning experience. I plan on reading the other books on rain forests to him but selectively as they contain much more advanced information.

    2 out of 5 stars Not impressed.......2007-01-18

    This is the first time I've read a book from the Cat in the Hat Learning Library, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I wasn't expecting this.

    The illustrations make it look like the kids and the cat are having an adventure in the rainforest. But they aren't. They're just on a field trip, I guess.

    The book goes over the four levels of the rainforest and names the different types of animals, plants, and people you would find in a rainforest. The main focus of the book seems to be maintaining the rhyme scheme rather than giving detailed information. At times, clarity is even sacrificed in order to maintain the rhyme. For example, "Millions of acres of land every year are cut down..." Cutting down land is confusing to a child. Usually trees or plants are cut down.

    One funny thing was that the cat in the hat says he will give you a prize if you find these six things. Well, he's talking to the kids he is traveling with, not "you" the reader. So my 5-year-old son jumped in and named the things, then said "Where's my prize?"

    So after around 40 pages of naming and discussing rainforest plants, animals, and people, a bulldozer showed up on the second to last page and the animals are running for their lives. On the last page the cat in the hat says "Save these trees please!" The end. Well, I like the environmental theme, but I had an awful lot of explaining to do when the bulldozer showed up. I think the book should have begun where it ended, because that is where the real story is. I buy books for my kids in the hope that the author can explain and illustrate a topic better than I can.

    My son only asked me to read this book once, then never picked it up again.

    I gave the book two stars for the unusual format. The novelty might appeal to some kids.

    5 out of 5 stars Interesting way to introduce rain forests to children.......2004-10-25

    This is one of the best of The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library. The rhyming style is excellent. This book introduces such concepts as four levels of the rain forest, transpiration, animals in the forest, pollination, and camouflage.
    Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • 1 great essay, 1 good essay, and 14 essays to waste your time
    • A Good Excuse to Enjoy Harry Potter as an Adult
    • Common Sense Revealed
    • Interesting perspective
    • Entertaining enlightenment
    Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts

    Manufacturer: Open Court
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    Good & EvilGood & Evil | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    ModernModern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    Children's Literature GuidesChildren's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Harry Potter Books | Fantasy & Adventure | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    PaperbackPaperback | Harry Potter Books | Fantasy & Adventure | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Children's BooksLook Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Fiction BooksLook Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Nonfiction BooksLook Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy BooksLook Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (Popular Culture and Philosophy) The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
    2. The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices
    3. Star Wars and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy) Star Wars and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
    4. Mapping the World of the Sorcerer's Apprentice (Harry Potter) (Smart Pop series) Mapping the World of the Sorcerer's Apprentice (Harry Potter) (Smart Pop series)
    5. Looking for God in Harry Potter Looking for God in Harry Potter

    Accessories:
    1. philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
    2. Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

    ASIN: 0812694554

    Book Description

    Harry Potter has put a spell on millions of readers, and they all want to find out more about the deeper meaning of his adventures. In Harry Potter and Philosophy, 17 experts in the field of philosophy unlock some of Hogwarts' secret panels, uncovering surprising insights that are enlightening both for wizards and for the most discerning muggles. Individual chapters look at such topics as life revealed in the Mirror of Erised; the ethics of magic; Moaning Myrtle, Nearly Headless Nick, and the relation of the mind to the brain; and the character of Hermione as a case of "sublimated feminism." Also examined in this witty collection are how Aristotle would have run a school for wizards; whether the Potter stories undermine religion and morality; how to tell good people from evil ones through the characters in these novels; and what dementors and boggarts can teach readers about happiness, fear, and the soul.

    Customer Reviews:

    2 out of 5 stars 1 great essay, 1 good essay, and 14 essays to waste your time.......2007-09-02

    After finishing book 7, but before rereading all of the HP books, I wanted to read something that was about the HP books, to see what other people had to say.

    This book, consisting of 16 essays, is not about the Harry Potter books. Rather, it uses the characters and events in the Harry Potter books to illustrate the philosophical arguments that are studied at University level in Philosophy 101. For the most part, it won't add to you knowledge of Harry Potter, but it will make you glad you don't have to take Philosophy 101 again (or for the first time).

    The essay "Magic, Science, and the Ethics of Technology" is an exception to the overall quality of the book. This is an outstanding essay, that focuses on magic in the HP books and its relationship to science and technology. The authors have thought out the issues very clearly, and this essay does shed significant light on the HP books. In brief, magic is seen as a proto-science, roughly comparable to the field of 'Natural Philosophy' as was studied in Europe just before the dawn of the scientific age. Magic has natural laws that are followed, and the students at Hogwarts have to learn these laws. It's not just waving a wand and having any desire 'magically' brought about. And they also have to learn the ethical principles involved in using magic. A brilliant, wonderful essay here.

    The good essay is "Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts". In brief, this essay discusses how the Wizarding world is one in which there is pretty much full equality between the sexes, and everyone in the books just assumes it. As but one example, several of the players on the Irish Quidditch World Cup team are women, but this is only mentioned in passing, since it's no big deal that women are on the same world championship team with men.

    The rest of the essays are a complete waste of time. They are nothing but empty philosophical concepts, basically empty words chasing other empty words in circles. (In the philosophical debate on whether ethics and metaphysics are worth studying or are the results of linguistic errors, I come down on the side of the Ordinary Language Philosophers like Wittgenstein.) As examples, taking several pages to discuss the real-world possibility of apparating as traveling through 'real' worm-holes, and discussing the paradoxes of time travel misses the point of Harry Potter.

    If you want to know more about HP, read 'Unlocking Harry Potter' by John Granger.

    Without the essay on Magic and Science, I would have given the book a 1. But I don't think one excellent essay out of 16 can raise the rating to a 3. So I'll leave it at 2.

    4 out of 5 stars A Good Excuse to Enjoy Harry Potter as an Adult.......2007-06-05

    I very much enjoyed reading "Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts". As one who reads the Potter books mostly for the escapism, it was interesting to have the help of professional philosophers help me delve into the deeper meanings contained in the books. This book also helped me to appreciate JKR's talent even more. I believe she must have more than a cursery knowledge of philosophy herself. My favorite essays were "Feminism and Equal Opportunity:Herminone and the Women of Hogwarts", "Heaven, Hell and Harry Potter" "Magic,Muggles and Moral Imagination" and "The Prophecy-Driven Life: Foreknowledge and Freedom at Hogwarts" All of the essays had at least one "ah HA" moment where the brain went into high gear and really started purring. The essay "Space, Time and Magic" caused the usual brain cramp that all time travel conundrums do and I enjoyed it as much as I always enjoy such discussions with the addition that new concepts were introduced of which I had previously been unaware. I was not aquainted with the terms "tensed" and "tenseless" time. This book is probably not for the expert philosopher as these concepts will be basics but for someone of my experience (almost none) studying philosophy,it was a great read. Just like a good movie, don't leave before the credits are done; the bios at the end are amusing.

    4 out of 5 stars Common Sense Revealed.......2007-01-18

    To begin with, the subtitle should read:
    If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts he wouldn't change a thing.

    These Philosophers praise J.K. Rowlings for her character development of both the good and bad people in the books. They recognise, describe and praise her treatment of them and find her ideas mirrored in other philosphers. It's a fun read most of the time but to me the praise of that most uncommon of all qualities 'Common Sense' found in Rowlings was a pleasure.

    4 out of 5 stars Interesting perspective.......2006-08-19

    I read this book not expecting any great new philosophies or insights into old ones. I was pleasantly surprised. As a person that has read many of the older philosophical texts, I know how hard it is to sometimes understand the reasonings and logic presented. I think this book presents its ideas in a very clear way that even the youngest audiences of Harry Potter would be able to have a good introduction to philosophical thought.

    5 out of 5 stars Entertaining enlightenment.......2006-01-12

    As a Harry Potter fan, I pick up almost anything with Harry in the title. Often, I put it back down after a cursory glance. Not this time!

    This book is a collection of essays on philosophical questions raised in the Harry Potter series. It would be a good adjunct for anyone taking a college level philosophy course, to see a practical application of using philosophy to aid in understanding literature - or the use of literature to understand philosophy!

    Books:

    1. Impressions of Light: The French Landscape from Corot to Monet
    2. Inside Bartlet's White House: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The West Wing
    3. Inside LightWave v9
    4. Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism
    5. James Dean: Fifty Years Ago
    6. Japanese Film Directors
    7. Journey Of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives
    8. Just a Geek
    9. King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
    10. Lady Luck: The Theory of Probability (Science Study Series.)

    Books Index

    Books Home

    Recommended Books

    1. Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents
    2. Guide to Owning a Labrador Retriever: Puppy Care, Retrieving, Training, History, Health, Breed Stand
    3. Bob Flanagan: Supermasochist
    4. Digging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Myster
    5. Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry
    6. Library Lion
    7. Frommer's Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
    8. Living and Working in Spain: How to Prepare for a Successful Stay, Be It Short, Long-Term or Forever
    9. Canadian Directory of Search Firms: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Recruitment Industry.
    10. The A-z Of Commercial Leases