As an only child, I had plenty of motivation to use my imagination to create different games to amuse myself with. Most often these involved Legos, Matchbox cars, darts, and tennis balls, depending on the weather and location. Editor Cohen seeks to tap into that time in all of us, in this little stocking-stuffer type book which assembles the brief memories of writers and famous folks in (as the subtitle says), "A Celebration of Childhood and Imagination." While some of the entries don't really fit in that well with the overall theme (Jackie Collins and Lou Stovall's come to mind), most do evoke a sense of wistfulness and childhood innocence. The contributors recount in simple prose (and in two cases poems, and another, in illustrated panels) the games of their youth-from paper dolls, to neighborhood Olympics, to Chinaberry wars, and so on. It's the kind of book one wonders if could be done in 50 years now that children have much less unstructured playtime outside the home-something to think about.

I loved this book. Like many of the contributors to this excellent anthology I played ball games; stood on street corners with a 'gang'and generally tried to mix in. But I had glasses from the age of 6, too much reading under the blankets with a torch so the rougher games were out for me. One pair of spectacles and it had to last! With this in mind, I eagerly read, nay devoured Glen Roven's account of his own childhood. I am, next year, a first time author - published in August 2002, but my first love has always been the theatre. That world of imagination that we all seem to lose sight of in the short-sightedness of growing older. Glen, if he'll excuse the informality, comes over as a cross between Mickey Rooney and George M Cohan, and no doubt the show was put on in the barn! His memories of putting on shows is priceless - the sequence with the glasses is a gem - and far from being reluctantly wheeled out to entertain the grown-ups this was one boy who you didn't dare to hold back. This was a kid born with a baton in is mouth and rhythm in his veins; his career since then has proved that. Childhood is the foundation of adulthood and we should never forget it. In our rush to mature we sometimes lose the inner child, with its imagination and open-eyed wonder on seeing something new, through eyes that are without cynicism and predudices. Short sightedness can be cured! Everyone should be encouraged to read this anthology, to realise what some of us have forgotten, the wonder of being a child, and the impulsivenss, sometimes recklessness of youth. Glen's account speaks to me, personally, on many levels, but chiefly in the world of the imagination of theatre. I urge you to read this book, latch onto the inner child, if needs be rake it forwards from the recesses of your memory, live your youth again and if the spirit moves you to do so go, fly that kite.

the first chapter will have you hooked. this is a scary read, and the detail is riveting. even though the events are pulse-quickening, there is well-placed humor in which the author seems to be winking at us. the conclusion, often the downfall of many mysteries, is completely consistant with the logic of the whole story. however, as with most murder mystery/police procedurals, skip the obligatory romance, this time involving the #2 male lead and an asian police department computer programmer, in which the dialogue is sophomoric and many of the references nigh-racist. would have been 5 stars if it weren't for the love affair.

This was one book that I could not put down. Although I read it several months ago I can not stop thinking about it.

Steve Martin Cohen has an excellent imagination, along with his ability to write and create unique characters that means one heck of a book.

If you liked Silence of the Lambs then you will love this over the edge thriller. Just remind me not to bumb into Mr. Cohen in a dark alley at night!

I enjoyed this book, and I want to read more. Could someone leave more titles by this author in another review? Or how I could find them, for they seem to be out of print? Thanks

The Ramapo Mountain People is an excellent history of the people residing in an area bordering the NY/NJ State line within the Ramapo Mountains. The interviews give an indepth perspective of how this group view and classify themselves, as well as how outside influences have changed their way of life over the years. Covered are the controversies surrounding the origin of these people, and how they have come to live in the Mountains for almost 250 years alongside the Dutch and local Indians. Often referred to as "Jackson Whites", the subject of racism between themselves and outsiders (black and white) as well as within their own community, is well covered. The writers have done extensive research into this subject, and have given the reader an excellent insight to a community that has, for the most part, been left to their own devices by the outside world. Genealogies for the most common families are provided, and thought provoking arguments as to the exact nationality of the Mountain People is discussed. A wonderful source of information for all aspects of the lives for those known as Ramapo Mountain People.

Though this book never states it clearly, the Ramapo Mountain People are actually the very first residents of New Jersey! I have studied native American history in the New York/New Jersey region for more than 30 years and I don't think there is a more convincing case that the people Cohen identifies as Mountain People are the native (Indian), Dutch and African American people who first settled the region in the 1600s. This is an important book about a very important group of people! Shame on Donald Trump for maligning these people as "hillbillies" -- no native American group has lasted as long in the metropolitan New York/New Jersey area, and may God bless them!

This is an excellent source of information covering the Ramapo Mountain People, a community of people who for the better part of almost 250 years have lived in the Ramapo Mountains and surrounding areas of Rockland County NY and Bergen and Passaic County NJ. These people are surrounded in controversy concerning their ethnicity, which has been labeled African American, American Indian, Dutch, German Palatine, French Creole. This book explores the ancestry and genealogy of the early members of this group and takes the reader through very personal and often controversial issues surrounding a very proud, but very private segment of Society. The book contains photographs of the areas inhabited by the Mountain People as well as photographs of some of the people interviewed. It allows the reader to experience the conflicts facing this community, through real experiences as told to the writer. The reader gets a feel for what it is like to be a Ramapo Mountain person. Some of the Ramapo Mountain People do not approve of this book, its contents or conclusions. I recommend this book if you have any interest in the history of these people.

A very enlightening if not scholarly examination of the differences and similarities of Jews in the United States and Israel. At some points this book is a little heavily written but it not difficult to understand. The dichotomy between the two communities is amazing and worth investigating. The two authors, one from each nation, shed light on the differences of opinion, culture and society on both sides of the ocean. While reading this work will not make one an expert in the challenges and intricacies of Jewish culture, in either country, one will learn a great deal about Jewish identity in general and much more about the divergent attitudes possessed of American and Israeli Jews. Delving into the very experience of being Jewish in two very different societies, this work a good read and an illuminating journey into the social dynamics of two very different nations.

Part 1 (6 chapters) - Absolutely a waste of time, not worth a read. And the code examples are not related to JWSDP.

Part 2 (6 chapters) - Discusses on SOAP, UDDI and WSDL. The code discusses using a Older version of Apache SOAP and Apache Axis. The code needs a complete rewrite.

Part 3 - Discusses on JAXP, JAXB, JAXR, JAXM and JAXRPC. Good introductions but the JAXB chapter is based on DTD (which is obsoleted in the latest specs). JAXM and JAXRPC chapters just reproduces the Sun JWSDP tutorial...not much value addition.

Part 4 - Security, WSFL, WSIF (based on IBM Specs) currently these specs are obsolete no further releases.

It might've been a good book during 2002. The code and content needs an update to the latest specs and SOAP implementations.

Just as I stated in the title, it's a great book to start you with. It's written in a clear and precise manner where you could learn the basics of Java Web Services and not be intimidated by it.

It is a good introductory book to web services standards like SOAP, WSDL and UDDI but also goes further and talks about topics like WSFL, WSIF which are not covered by all books on web services but are essential to any real business processes exposed as web services where flow control and service unit(s) choreagraphy is as important as the single unit service request/response. Java specifications relating to web services are also covered like JAXM and JAX-RPC. I wish more examples and code was given, perhaps even a chapter or two, for ebXML which may not be a part of web services standards but still uses SOAP and defines industry standards for business to business collaborations especially dealing with supply chain commerce issues.
I agree with a previous reviewer (John Sfikas) that this book alone isn't exactly an eye opener for experianced professionals who have been dabbling with all the tools mentioned in this book like Apache SOAP, Axis, WSTK, Tomcat, Jetty etc. and know the challenges facing B2B collaborations on the internet quite intimately, but this book combined with "Building Web Services with Java: Making Sense of XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI" will give a much needed practical grounding to start making sophisticated web services in the real world. I highly recommend getting both these books but be prepared to use your brain and further what is presented in these books to deploy web services satisfying your needs. They will certainly not amount to spoon feeding you a near solution to your collaboration problems.

This book presents itself as a sociological study of the Modern Orthodox Jewish population in North America. Included are discussions of this group's religious attitudes and values, its voting patterns, and its orientation towards American society and culture in general.

Unfortunately, this book's basic approach to the subject is so fundamentally flawed that you are more likely to be misinformed than to learn anything when you read it.

For one thing, the authors took almost half of their statistical data (490 responses out of 1023) from questionnaires answered by members of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a truly vibrant congregation with dynamic adult education and outreach programs, but obviously not representative of the rest of Modern Orthodox community in New York, or anywhere else for that matter!

But the main problem lies in the categories of religious observance Heilman builds out of thin air, and upon which he bases his arguments. Most of the discussion focuses on a middle group of Modern Orthodox Jews, which Heilman confusingly terms the "centrists," despite the fact that he uses the very same term in other places to refer to the Modern Orthodox population as a whole. To make his middle category, Heilman groups people who are completely religious but still eat cold salad with non-kosher utensils (when visiting friends' homes) together with people who turn on lights on Shabbos. Heilman excludes members of this category from the "traditionalist" right-wing group merely because they will eat cold salad on non-kosher dishes, even though that act is often completely permissible even according to the strictest interpretations of Jewish law! We can understand why, as Heilman admits, many respondents found the survey's questions problematic and wrote lengthy notes to explain their answers. (Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the book makes much use of their clarifications.)

The result of this is to create a large grouping which will necessarily appear ambivalent and divided over key issues of religious dogma and behavior. So it comes as no surprise when only 54% of this group "agree strongly" that "the Torah was revealed by God to Moses at Sinai"! And since Heilman doesn't give us any statistical breakdown within his made-up categories, it is impossible to know how many of the strictly observant do NOT feel strongly that the Torah was revealed at Sinai, and thus any useful inferences or insights that we might have drawn from the responses are lost and beyond retrieval.

Another general problem with the book: Although it is indeed true that members of the so-called Modern Orthodox community are likely to be less punctiliously observant than their "right-wing" brethren, Heilman seems to believe that all Orthodox Jews who actively engage and participate in wider American society are NECESSARILY ambivalent about basic Jewish law and theology. In many sections, he seems to confuse and lump together more strictly observant Modern Orthodox Jews with the "picturesque" ultra-right-wing Orthodox. It would seem that according to his categories, most of the theologians and scholars of Modern Orthodoxy wouldn't be considered Modern Orthodox.

The usefulness of the book is also severely limited because it doesn't even include the text of the questionnaire. (Although an appendix with the exact wording of the questions is promised in the text, none can be find anywhere in the volume!)

In conclusion, this book is simply not representative of the talents of Heilman, who is one of the world's leading sociologists of the American Jewish community.

While this book does have some minor shortcomings--such as a restricted sample and neglect of the "ultra-orthodox" wing of Judaism--I still give it five stars, in part because the authors have done us the rare favor of delving into the subject of how a traditionalist, religious subculture can not only survive but thrive in the midst of an alien dominant culture. It was not that long ago when assimilationist Jews and non-Jews alike were confidently predicting the inevitable demise of traditionalist Judaism... Yet at the same time there were other Jews who foresaw that the assimilationist or integrationist strategy could only lead to extinction. They imported traditional Jewish rabbis from the old country to lead their communities and funneled as many of their children as possible into Jewish religious schools, which the authors regard as decisive for traditionalism's unexpected success. Consequently, their faith remained sufficiently intense and their social cohesion and collective identity sufficiently strong to maintain birth rates comfortably above replacement level, high rates of religious observance, and low defection rates, even while their more secularized counterparts saw their birth rates plunge to a level persistently below replacement and their children begin to outmarry at a high rate. Not only did traditionalists defy the integrationists'confident prophecies of doom, but they seem to be growing even more traditional; that is, judging from the sample used for this book, the younger generation is actually *more* religiously observant than their traditionalist parents... Although the literary style of this academic treatise is dry, I very highly recommend it to anyone interested in the survival of embattled or endangered subcultures...

this is an interesting subject but it is way out-weighed by the turgid writing.

I had the opportunity to listen to Professor Eisen during a Scholar in Residence weekend at my synagogue. I'm not sure what's more engaging - hearing him speak or reading his book. GET THIS BOOK. It's not just for Jews - it will make you think about your place in the world regardless of your religious or cultural affilation.

shipper INFO5 never delivered the book and strung me along. Never do business with global books or bookconsignment dot com

With prose more sleep-inducing than general anesthesia, this tome (at least it feels long) microwaves managerial cliches until you wish to forgo a career in public service. Avoid at all costs.

A small book on a large subject--But the shorter length makes it more likely to be read. The book has a series of chapters on the expected topics, like dealing with hiring, firing, and the personnel system. It is a worthwhile book, but doesn't have anything startlingly new or original. Still one of the few books to treat this subject from a practioner's view rather than an academic one. If the subject interests you, I'd suggest reading Haass's "The Power to Persuade" in addition to (not instead of) this book.

Using the over-used word "creative" as a shield, "Tools for Innovators" rehashes common-sense and stale ideas as exciting new methods for public managers. Current and aspiring managers should avoid this platitude-ridden guide: It will not improve your managerial skills, only waste time.

This book sums up the some popular management tools to be used in public organizations with the intent of helping them to meet citizens demands of highest quality service. Including Strategic Planning, Total Quality Management, Re-Engineering, Benchmarking, Outsourcing, many approachments (or tools) that can be useful in restructuring public organizations are told in this valuable book. Readers who want to understand the basic principles of popular management tools developed for private sector organizations (but can be applied to public sector)should read this book. One of the obvious weaknesses of the book is its cases which were not well-developed.

Overall, I recommend Cohen's book to readers who have spare time.

Although Amazon has listed Dr. Seuss as one of the authors of this book, he is not!

Instead, the other authors/illustrator are attempting to boost their sales by stealing some of Seuss's characters--the Cat in the Hat, Horton the elephant, and the Grinch.

This plodding, predictable story totally lacks the wild plot twists and off-the-wall craziness of true Seuss. The trouble-making Cat in the Hat is transformed into a bland voice of authority lecturing about the importance of sharing. Evidently the authors haven't read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", or they would know that the Grinch reformed at the end and is not the incorrigible villain he is depicted as in this book. Even the artwork is not a convincing imitation of Seuss, lacking the bold black ink strokes and wild details. The new characters in the book, Megan Mullally and her grandfather, look like Muppets rather than Seuss characters.

Get a *real* Dr. Seuss book.