The book is a very quick read, and very exciting. But don't be deceived. The weight you lose will most likely not come from the workouts (8 minutes should tell you something), but mostly from the dieting. My favorite part is the Quick Start week. He tells you you can lose weight without going without the treats you love. In the Quick start week you get two treats everyday: one cup of air popped pop corn and one marshmallow! Wow! That's a total of 45 calories! Come on. If you can't have snacks on this diet, then he should just say so. If you have 2 cups of popcorn and 3 marshmallows, are you supposed to feel guilty? It's better than a pint of Ben n' Jerry's, isn't it? I got this book hoping to fit some effective exercise into my busy schedule. Having never dieted before, I suppose I got a little shocked when I saw the diet.
If you buy this, just be remember you're really buying a diet book, not a workout book. You may do situps for 8 minutes in the morning, but you will be dieting the rest of the day.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
by James C. Collins, Jim Collins

Reviewer: John Meyer (see more about me) from San Francisco, CA USA
Life Changing April 13, 2002
I have a hard time making it through this book simply because I am rereading pages multiple times. I don't work for a large company such as those studied in the book, but I found the description of how to focus one's business to be priceless. I also have benefitted from the concept of a 'stop doing' list, as a foil to the 'to do' list that has too often overwhelmed me. Unlike rah rah management books this one relies on fact -- a large helping of fact -- garnered from a lengthy and presumably costly process of interviewing thousands of executives in great and not so great companies. If I could pick one book to read in 2002.... this would be it.

The three volumes that make up Bryant's biography of Pepys are a delight to any reader who wishes to step back in time and immerse him or herself in another era. Bryant covers not only the period which Pepys himself chronicles in his diary, but also provides the "prequel" and "sequel" of the life before and after. The amount of detail available for these periods is quite staggering but always lively and, as with the diary itself, one has the feeling of being an eyewitness to history. Not only are we treated to the grand spectacles - the return of Charles II, the Plague and the Great Fire - but also to more mundane details that touch us across the centuries, sometimes by their familiarity, sometimes by their sense of anxiety and sometimes by their immediacy. Pepys often comes across, by his own admission, as venal and lecherous, but he also demonstrates loyalty, courage and generosity. His patient support of his brother-in-law, Balty, his fears for his possible loss of sight, his sorrow at his too-early loss of is wife, his simple pleasure in playing music with his in-house musician, all make him love him as if we knew him personally. But in addition we see Pepys grow in stature as an executive, as a man of action and as a man of principle. We see him shouldering the burden of naval administrative reform, standing his ground under parliamentary enquiry, journeying to Tangier to wind up affairs there, sticking to his principles and his friends, and displaying loyalty to his patrons, at a time of political and religious witch-hunting - and even hiding himself in a tavern to gain evidence of his most dangerous enemy plotting against him. This splendid biography has much of the richness and sense of period of Churchill's "Marlborough" and at the end leaves the reader feeling that they have known a man as fallible as themselves, but probably, on balance, a great deal better. A marvellous book - buy, beg, borrow or steal all three volumes!

The Saudi Royal Family was well presented for younger children. Reed wrote this in a way that enables young kids to understand not only the Saudi Royal Family but the religion of Islam. She remains objective throughout but as an American questions whether or not the Sauds are our friends. She raises this question in a way that would allow kids to think it through and come to their own conlcusion. The photos are wonderful and I liked the color, layout and presentation of the book.

My 16-month-old daughter has loved this book for quite some time now. So much so that she learned to say "Arthur" before she learned her own name! It is clearly her absolute favorite amongst her many books. She first used this book to practice turning pages and enjoy the pictures. Soon she progressed to lifting flaps. For the last couple of months she has spent a great deal of time patiently sliding the playfigures in and out of their slots, developing her fine motor skills in the process. She has now become a big fan of the Arthur show on PBS. This book, and "Kiss Hello, Kiss Goodbye," go with us everywhere. We highly recommend both.

A Scandal in Bohemia was a nicely written short story. It was engaging and it is my favorite Sherlock Holmes tale. Its nice to see that for once he went up against someone whose mental capacity was in the same league as his. At first I didn't really like Irene Adler for no reason I can think of now. But she grew on me and by the end of the story, she was my favorite character. The King was an absolute idiot.

Concise yet engaging, this book is an excellent introduction to Schopenhauer's life and thought. The author's remarks on the difficulties and limitations of Schopenhauer's metaphysics are highly illuminating. His notes highlighting the important and influential aspects of this philosophy provide a perfect contrast to his critical remarks, and give the reader a sober, balanced view of the subject. All in all, this is a great book to read before and after delving into Schopenhauer's own works.

As it came to pass (once upon a time) there was a scientific revolution. then from the woodwork crept gremlin Romantic poets in a sturm and drang amid which German philosophy grappled with science's broken world view. Schopenhauer, in the midst of this commotion, is seen as both an instance and exemplar, and a man armed with a transcending insight, inherited via Kant, yet with Fichtean echoes. This work very nicely recounts the fascinating subplot of the interaction of Schopenhauer and Goethe, with his theory of colors to which Schopenhauer contributed, but which did not detain him long, as he went on to complete his great opus. Schopenhauer's attempt to refocus on the A edition of Kant's Critique of Reason is the starting point for a critique of the Schopenhauer's distinct 'metaphysical' idealism of the will, bringing him closer to Berkeley, perhaps. Very interesting work
I was always wondering about Schopenhauer and Darwinism. I noted the critical comment cited of Schopenhauer on the earlier Lamarck (the real founder of evolutionary theory)in the generation of the early developmentalists (of which the philosopher was aware), and the 'obvious' sudden realization that the Darwin debate is foundering over the 'noumenal' aspect of the 'will', that is, the missing component indirectly visible as evolutionary directionality (of which Lamarck was still aware, before the Darwinists constructed their own 'metaphysical naturalism'). So much for Darwin. (Darwinists will grumble in vain, so much for Schopenhauer).
Excellent book, if you can afford it.

I have never been a fan of science fiction but this set of classic tapes (I listend in the car) are among the best "reads" I've ever enjoyed. I didn't want to leave my car. I found myself sitting in the parking lot before work listening to just "a little more". The reader is phenominal. Treat yourself and buy the tapes. You won't regret it.

Unlike the many other great literary inspirations of the science fiction writers of the of the twentieth century, this book is not a work of science fiction.

As its name suggests, The Scientific Outlook, is an attempt to predict the next developments in science as seen from the perspective of the early 1930's.

The contents of this book were so outrageous and shocking in their time that they were best appreciated by those people who saw it as their business to show our destiny taking an unexpected turn, painting a picture of a time to come when things contrast radically with our current circumstances.

There are instances where such predictive storytelling is intended as a warning, attempting to offer an insight into how seemingly innocuous trends and apparently insignificant contemporary changes portend unforeseen (but not unforeseeable) catastrophic longer term outcomes.

Science fiction writing has a major category called 'technological extrapolation' in which the above occurs, and within that genre there is a subcategory called 'dystopia' which uses such crystal gazing to present a kind of 'negative utopia' where 'it all ends in tears'.

The two most famous twentieth century dystopias, two 'worlds turned upside down', are Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and '1984' by George Orwell.

Both of these great works have very strong connections to this book, the former being substantially derived from it.

Aldous Huxley was Russell's student and published Brave New World a year after The Scientific Outlook.

Orwell was strongly influenced in '1984' by Burnham's 1940 classic 'The Managerial Revolution' which has strong parallels with 'The Scientific Outlook' (although Russell claims no direct influence on Burnham, he points out the similarity of Burnham's material, which was published nearly a decade after Russell's book).

Even if the similarity to the predictions in 'The Managerial Revolution' was a freakish coincidence, the connection to Brave New world is unquestionable and the shared dystopian derivations are 'of a piece' with 1984 to the extent where, if you want to 'go back to the source' in an easily readable form (Russell's writing is razor sharp and witty, with all the historical context you could wish for in a popular science book) you could not ask for a better starting point in terms of understanding the technological roots of those two great novels.

An enjoyable and insightful read, essential for anyone trying to get to grips with the recent history and philosophy of science, especially in the highly controversial field of medical ethics, where it is possible to see eugenics from a standpoint which preceded its post-war ethical and political denunciation.