This book is very engaging and thought provoking. I'm sure the apologists for bigness dislike this book a great deal. Unlike most business and economics texts this book is chock full of references. The apologists for bigness have nice sounding philosophies but they rarely have any real world data to back up their grand ideas. The authors of this book have the facts to back up their argument that bigness, in and of itself, is bad. A very persuasive argument that will be difficult to counter in a rational manner.

This was an excellent and thought provoking book. They challenge the assumption that big is better by showing fact after fact after fact that proves otherwise. The best part of the book is that, unlike most management, business, and economic texts, it isn't just theoretical philosophizing with no basis in reality. Every chapter is laden with dozens of references to real world events and published facts. If only the Bigness apologists had so much evidence it would be easier to take them seriously....

Brock's Sunshine Mine Disaster is a fantastic series of poems mingled with other life documents--a truly original and exciting reading experience. With this collection, Brock drags poetry out of the darkness of MFA-approved academic boredom and into the light of life, death and transcendence. The poems themselves remind me of DH Lawrence in subject and scope. A major addition to contemporary poetry and literature.

Brock combines original poetry with various historical documents to depict events, real and imagined, surrounding the 1972 Idaho silver mine explosion, which killed 91 men. The result is an exciting tour de force, which the author modestly calls "an example of life-writing" rather than a book-length poem with epic tendencies. Brock invents the persona of the miner Dan Taylor through which to view the disaster, even to the extent of creating a fourth grade report Taylor wrote-"The Rainbow Trout in Idaho." Other perspectives, real and imagined, unfold as the poem moves toward its final section, a moving prayer uttered by the entombed Taylor. Along the way the reader encounters tragedy, irony, even comedy, in the actions of the mine owners, various authorities, victims, and their families. Brock's knowledge of mines and their technical vocabulary is extensive and superbly woven into the poem. American poetry could use a lot more of what The Sunshine Mine Disaster has. Highest recommendation for all readership levels. --from Choice Magazine, June 1996

An essential book for every American both young or old, male or female, Democrat or Republican. A delightful discovery on the need of God and guns (or perhaps swords) in the United States and the intolerance of a government in charge of all but answerable to noone. An undeniably perfect fit for todays culture.

Discover your roots from the men that gave their lives for the signing of the Constitution; true heroes. Their resolve was unquestionable and the love for country without reproach.

They brought us so far. We've walked away. Read it and weep. BK

"Method of Rhetorical Criticism: A Twentieth-Century Perspective" remains one of the standard collections of essays in the field. The primary reason for this is that for each critical perspective, from the traditional to the postmodern, the editors provide an essay laying out the theoretical premises and then a second one which puts that particular critical theory into practice. So, for example, the Dramaturgical Perspective is covered in Bernard L. Brock's "Rhetorical Criticism: A Burkeian Approach Revisited" and then the theory is applied in David S. Bridsell's "Ronald Reagan on Lebannon and Grenada: Flexibility and Interpretation in the Application of Kenneth Burke's Pentad." This format works very well with students, both undergraduates and graduates, because whether they are more comfortable with the abstract theory or the critical application, they can use the one to better understand the other. Furthermore, included are some of the most honored essays in the field by not only the editors but Lawrence W. Rosenfield, Ernest G. Bormann, Walter R. Fisher, Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Celeste Condit Railsback. Unless you can put together your own packet of essays for your students, this volume will serve you well in providing a foundation for a class in rhetorical criticism.

The six major categories of rhetorical criticism covered in this collection: (1) The Traditional Perspective, which includes the Neo-Aristotelian Approach (and Marie Hochmuth Nichols classic look at "Lincoln's First Inaugural") and the Historical Approach; (2) The Experiential Perpspective consists of the Eclectic and Epistemic approaches; (3) The Dramaturgical Perspective covers the Dramatistic Approach, Fantasy Theme Analyais, and the Narative Paradigm; (4) The Sociological Perspective presents the Sociolinguistics, Generic, Social Movements and Feminist approaches; and (5) The Postmodern Perspective has both the Constructionist and Deconstructionist approaches. These sections are bracketted by an introductory essay on rhetorical criticism and a concluding piece on "Decisions in Rhetorical Criticism."

Lyrical, suggestive poetry, handsomely arrayed, that stands up reading after reading. These poems, about love, place, and loss, prove redemptive and hopeful and honest, as when the speaker arises with his beloved to a desert landscape of "automobiles and asphalt and ash," or when the speaker marvels at the airiness and gravity of his lover's dance, "the raw doomed pull of the music," or when the speaker sees the formation of his son's image: "my child's face in a cry or a laugh, / calling out someone else's name." These poems, like all good poetry, risks sentimentality, but they have a rigor and intelligence to them that make the poetry rise.

While the poems are personal, they exhibit the dexterity and depth of a craftsman who is in full control of his art. They rise above the rather facile and fashionable criticism about the personal lyric these days. In short, a grown-up has written these poems.

After reading the back cover and introduction of this book, I expected a rather harsh portrayal of neoclassical economics. This book does not end up being too crtical of the Chicago school. Of course there are a number of strawmen in this book, portions where the expert is portrayed as an out of touch academic oblivious to the effects of his theories. Perhaps my greatest criticism of this book is that it does not adequately exlore the "sovereign's charter" - the government maintained monopolies. The authors refer to the concentration in the airline industry without really considering the effects of regulation that excluded foreign airlines from domestic routes. In addition, the authors do not seem to commit enough attention to the availability of substitutes for virtually any commodity or service. Even if the major airlines offer fewer flights from a particular airport in the long run smaller air lines will establish routes. If not, there are alternatives like high speed rail. At the exteremes, one could consider technological advances like teleconferencing and electronic data exchange reduce the need for certain forms of business flights. Overall, however, the book only takes a few hours to read and introduces the major debates of this subject.

This is the same topic the authors have tackled in their other books, this time presented in a somewhat screenplay-ish format. Once again it is an argument between theory and evidence. As you read the discussion between the lawyer and the economist you wonder why the economist always retreats to theory in the face of evidence. It would interesting to hear a Chicago economist's explanation of the facts Adams and Brock bring to bear.

I just read Good-Bye Mr.Chips and I thought that it was a decent book. It was about an older man who had been a schoolmaster at an all boys school. The school was very reputable. Everyone at the school knew and loved Mr. Chipping. They called him Mr. Chips. He was a humerous character and everyone laughed at his jokes. He would make the new boys feel welcome and he taught well. The story is about him recollecting his memories while working at Brookfield (the school). He worked there for about 60 years and expreienced many things and got to know many boys. Everyone liked him and hated to see him go.

Good-Bye Mr. Chips is a short story about a man named Authur Chips. He is a headmaster at a school named Brookfield. Mr. Chips, as he is called by his students, is a very old fashioned Latin teacher. Throughout the book he encounters many different situations and his reactions display his charming and noble character. He cares about people and influences the lives of all who come in contact with him.
Although there is not much action, Good-Bye Mr. Chips is captivating in its own way. It's easy to read and short enough that it does not become boring and monotonous.

Good-bye Mr. Chips was a good book for short, recreational reading.
Mr. Chips is an elderly man who tells about his life as a school teacher.
He also tells all about his wife, whom he loved very much, but whom died an early death.
Through out the book the stories of the past are told by Mr. Chips as he sits in his chair drinking tea. He is very kind and
he loves the boys at the school.

I did edit "Mastering Tools, Taming Daemons: UNIX for the Wizard Apprentice", but I don't know anything about this book.