Outstanding guide for NCOs. I bought this book when I was assigned to USAREC and have used it ever since.

I found the Three Meter-Zone to be simply one of the best books on leadership that I have ever read. And there have been many such books that I have read. This book clearly rates as one of the top two or three books that I could recommend on this topic.

Although I have a military background (USMC, late 60s - early 70s), I spent my career in law enforcement. I retired a couple of years ago after almost 29 years, to include time as a "first line supervisor and commander in Patrol Operations and police tactical operations (SWAT).

I found it to be very refreshing that this book was oriented "primarily" towards the first-line supervisor level. Although the principles and concepts outlined in the book were clearly applicable toward supervisory and management positions above that first line level, the thrust of its direction was somewhat unique in the direct approach towards first line supervision.

Additionally, the use of "war stories" to demonstrate specific examples of conceptual thoughts of principle allowed the reader a glimpse of practical applications of the various principles.

It was quite strange that while this book was an easy read - easy to follow, well written, and by no means conceptually "hazy" - I found it hard to finish! And that was only because I found myself reading a section, putting the book down and mulling over what I just read (and sometimes mulling it over off-and-on for hours), going back and re-reading it, etc. before going on to the next section. As a result, it took me quite a bit longer to finish the book that I had first imagined!

This book rates an "A+" for no other reason that the author's identification of one of the key problems facing supervision AND management today: "The Three Ps" (I won't ruin the surprise for future readers by identifying them).

In fact, in my opinion, in today's area of supervision and management - as I know from first hand observation in the law enforcement field and otherwise see both in the corporate world and in the military - the "Three Ps" are THE biggest problems of leadership today. Until the cultural climate adjustments occur that effect the necessary changes in this area, I see no hope for true positive outcomes within those troubled organizations.

This is an outstanding book that tells an uninformed reader exactly how NCO's should motivate, direct, and give purpose for a Three Meter Experience ! FM 22-100 guides soldiers in the Army leadership process through the eyes of Senior Officer Leadership. The Three Meter Zone gives it to you by a Noncommissioned Officer, for Noncommissioned Officers who like to get close and personal. We are in an Army that has sold its soul to corporate America and are being taught to "manage" soldiers instead of leading them. Its good to see a book supporting direct, in your face leadership !! I've conducted a Bold site adjustment on my leadership style and am confident that my shot group is now in the Three Meter Zone!

I love this collection of poems. The poems are well-organized and compelling. A good read! Not just for men--I'm female and enjoyed going through the book.

.

There is nothing but water in the holy pools,

I know, I have been swimming in them.

All the gods sculpted of wood or ivory can't say a word,

I know, I have been crying out to them.

The Sacred Books of the East are nothing but words,

I looked through their covers one day sideways.

What Kabir talks of is only what he has lived through.

If you have not lived through something, it is not true.

-- Kabir, translated by Robert Bly (p. 282)

This eclectic offering of verse reminds the reader of what he has lived through. It illuminates forgotten & ignored experiences through rhythms and images of people who have made their lives' works out of committing the unconscious to the written page. These nuggets of truth find value as they elicit Truth from the reader's experience.

DON'T trace out your profile

forget your side view--

all that is outer sutff.

LOOK for your other half

who walks always next to you

and tends to be who you aren't.

-- Antonio Machado, translated by Bly, (p. 366)

It's difficult to flip at random through these pages, and not find an echo of something stirring deep, writhing in forgotten darkness. These words shine from the page to cast the shadow of that "Other" in sharp relief upon your mind. This is not a book of pretty verse, not poetry to read to grandma during the Christian Ladies Tea Party in the rose garden. These are words to sever the bondage to dysfunctional social programming: "We have been busy accumulating solace / Make us afraid of how we were." (Rumi, p. 135)

Although the subtitle says "Poems for Men," I'm certain women will find power & freedom in these words, too. Some poems specifically name masculine woes, sorrows & challenges. Where these do not apply directly to the lives of women, perhaps they will open a portal into men's souls for the other gender.

I've nearly worn mine out and will soon be getting another copy. If I only had one book of poetry to take to a desert island, this would be the one.

I have been hooked on the power of words in poetry -- secretly, of course, since I'm a guy -- since I was a little kid. I have absolutely no problem with reading an entire book of modern poetry and coming away with a single line, a single image that moved me, the hunger is that great in me.

I found this book back in '92 when it was first published. It spans the centuries and the continents; but has a healthy dollop of contemporary writing that is stunning. It's quite possible to imagine that all greatness belongs to ages past; this book proves that a lie by nestling examples of past excellence with their contemporary heirs.

My favorite pieces especially include "Becoming Milton" (p. 81), "The Colonel" (p. 89), "A Story About the Body" (p. 266), and "What Happened During the Ice Storm" (p. 249); which I have redubbed "A Sack Full of Ears," "Entombed in Tanks," "A Bowl Full of Bees," and "Frozen Pheasants," respectively. I just read the last one at a poetry reading in New Hampshire on the first Wednesday in January 2001. A third of the way into the poem, the entire room audibly gasped and tensed. At the end, I felt a tremendous sense of redemption and relief overcome the SRO room as they burst into applause. No credit is due to myself; it's entirely the power of Jim Heynan's words. If you believe, or need to believe, in good poetry, you should own this anthology and read from it frequently, as I do.

And the search continues ...

This is basically a bio of jimi hendrix's father. There are alot of things you will learn about jimi as a child.

With all the rock-god hype linked with Jimi, it is easy to forget that he had a solid foundation at home with a loving dad, who sincerely cared about what happened to him, and always tryed to do the right thing for him under the worst circumstances--extreme poverty, thinly veiled racism, and an alcoholic mother who he loved dearly, but could not return his love. Jimi's dad was the rock he needed to absorb his values.His innate sweetness
and legendary humility testify to a humble, hard working everyman trying to do the right thing for his son.A must read for the Hendrix fan. to me the it explains Jimi's mindset, when in London in his early career, the (then) T.V. star LULU said to the press that the experience was a"flash in the pan". Instead of the usual biting comeback, Jimi said "i just think that it was nice of her to say anything about us at all"I suspect that comment cut her worse than anything else anyone could have said

This is The kind OF Book to have for Father's Day.it Shows Overcoming Odds&Battles but Standing Up&Doing the right thing.You Always Hear About Jimi Hendrix The Artist but Never The Man butr thanks TO His POPS You Get The Full Scope on Him&HIS Pops.AL HENDRIX is a GREAT MAN&HUMAN BEING.

An indispensible resource for scholars and fans. No other biography so captures the man and his work. On top of that its a damn fine read, and I would recommend it to anyone who seeks to tackle either of Joyce's last two novels.

I was prompted to read this by Tom Stoppard's glowing recommendation of it in "Travesties." Ellman certainly brings the liveliness of James Joyce's life to life, describing everything from his practical jokes to his desparate financial straits -- meticulous to the point of noting the times when Joyce entered the lottery. I'd read the original 1958 edition, and I'm curious how the revised edition would stand against that now-honoured text.

For more Ellman, I highly recommend his collection of essays, "a long the river run."

Richard Ellmann's biography is by far the most comprehensive and readable book on the life of this Irish genius. Ellmann takes us through Joyce's quarrels with his family,church and nation, "the nets," his courtship and family life with Nora, and most importantly, shows the biographical link between Joyce's life and work.This book is a treasure.

This book was a good book for children to read and enjoy. It was not to long and was easy for me to understand. In the story, a Princess named Lenore was sick. Her dad told her that anything she wanted, he would get her. She told him that if she could have the moon, she would be better. Her dad, the King, told his wise men what she wanted. They didn't know how to get it or even if they could get it for him. If you read this story, you will find out exactly what happened.
Brandon M.

This delightful Caldecott Medal winner is classic James Thurber and as such is filled with sweet humorous prose with a witty little message. Louis Slobodkin's simple yet evocative ink and water color illustrations help bring the story to life. When a little princess is ill her father, the king, is worried and is willing to get her anything her heart desires if only she will get well. When the princess decides she wants the moon she sets off a chain reaction of worries for the wisemen of the court as well as for the king. All of the best minds of the kingdom are dismayed when they cannot come up with a way to get the moon for the princess. Their final analysis: IMPOSSIBLE! The court Jester gets to the heart of the problem and with the help of the princess and the wisdom of childhood, not only presents the princess with her heart's desire but can explain why the moon still appears up in the sky. Don't miss this lovely book. It's a great tucker-inner and is as fun to read aloud as it is to hear it read.

The story with a surfeit of delectable images and colorful characters is every child's delight. What adds to the reading pleasure is the curiosity generated by the improbable demand of the young Princess. The young reader is captivated with mounting anticipation as the Court Jester works out the solutions to the problems-twice in the story, while the wise men of the court eat humble pie.

While amusing the grown-ups for the same reasons the story also throws up many interesting points for them to mull over. Here are some of them:

To start with, young children will always come up with unattainable demands, and the parents-doting or otherwise-would do well not to dismiss them offhand. The King chased the impossible dream of his ailing daughter and came out successful.

Next, the story shows that people in power are often prisoners of their own rigid patterns of thinking and doing things. If they must come anything near to solving problems they have to break the shackles of convention. The Lord High Chamberlain was trapped in the web of his bureaucratic achievements and the Royal Mathematician could not think beyond his complex rules of calculation. They, unlike the Jester, did not leave any space in their minds for new ideas to sneak in.

The story tells us to use the perspective of a child, at times, for a change. Innocent and uncluttered minds may throw up fresh ideas, which are often blocked by our mindsets and in-depth knowledge. Only when the Jester decided to look at the problem with the eyes of the Princess did he find that the answers lay in the child herself. Creativity must be nurtured in a mind that is a fresh green pasture. This story has a very good lesson in divergent thinking and would make great reading in the creativity and problem solving courses.

It has a great stress-busting lesson too. We worry most of the time for causes, which do not exist. The King fretted about the unpleasant consequences when the Princess would look at the sky, but did the real moon bother the Princess at all?

Excellent book that highlights the fundamental building blocks of any VLDB from all perspectives. Instead of dwelling on information that is already available in the manuals, it highlights all components for architecting a large system and is a definite read for anybody who wants to understand not only the oracle but all the building blocks that make it possible namely, OS, hardware and storage.

Now a days there are lot of Oracle books which confuses the readers with inaccurate information. But this book gives 100% accurate and pracical information. And James knows about the topics he is talking. Not that just cut and paste from Oracle documentation or some metalink notes.

Great book and I have already recommened to most of my friends.

This book is packed with useful information that is otherwise hard to find. It covers Oracle, Unix and hardware issues in approximately equal depth. The focus is on issues that can affect the scalability of large OLTP Oracle systems. Because of the expansive scope, some issues are only lightly treated. Nevertheless, there are many nuggets of highly detailed and invaluable technical information.

James McPherson is not only the preeminent Historian of the US Civil War, but one of the greatest historians working today. He offers razor sharp analysis of complicated issues, with fair consideration of all points of view. Best of all, McPherson does all that in clear, concise and at times poetic language, that is remarkably easy to read.

'Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution' enjoys all the benefits of McPherson's considerable scholarship. Its problems are almost exclusively editorial.

This thin volume (152 pages of text; 20 more pages for notes, bibliography and an index) contains seven essays about the two themes in the title - The US Civil war seen as the second American Revolution, and Abraham Lincoln's role in it.

The first essay argues convincingly that the Civil War did radically change the Unites States. From a Slaveholding Republic, it became a free one. Politically, the center of gravity moved from the South to the north. Economically, the Industrial revolution, earlier contained in New England, spread out and defeated the plantation economy. In the South, the prevailing order was weakened, although not surmounted, and the situation of Blacks improved considerably, although equality was still very far. The theme McPherson is most interested in, however, is the change from a philosophy of negative liberty - freedom from government oppression - to one of positive liberty - the right for protection - guaranteed by the Federal government.

The second essay discusses Lincoln's role as the leader of the revolution. Lincoln, McPherson argues, was a pragmatic revolutionary. The revolution, which he brought on America, was caused by Lincoln's accurate assessment of necessities, not by a strong ideological tie to the revolution. Lincoln was no Lenin - he held sternly to the one principle of democracy, and the second American Revolution happened as a by-product of defending this principle.

In the third essay, 'Lincoln and Liberty', McPherson discusses how Lincoln's struggle for positive liberty was seen as despotic by those holding the principles of negative liberty. The Republicans wanted to restrict and ultimately destroy the rights of Southerners to hold slaves - and to enforce these restrictions by government action, if that was what it took.

Lincoln's role as supreme military commander is a neglected issue in Civil War historiography, claims McPherson, and he sets out to remedy that in the following essay. Lincoln's most important contribution, he concludes, was his unyielding hold on the doctrine of Unconditional Surrender. This issue also returns in Essay number 6, which compares Lincoln to Northerners who were not nearly as clear about the goal of fighting as he was.

Lincoln's rhetoric and the use of metaphors is the subject of the fifth essay. In an interesting comparison with Jefferson Davis, McPherson concludes that Lincoln's usage of metaphors in writing and speaking made him a superb communicator, which Davis wasn't. Thus, McPherson agrees with David Potter that had Lincoln been the leader of the South in the war, the confederacy might have maintained its independence.

One weakness of the collection is the lack of coherence in topics. The illuminating comparison between Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln in this essay, for example, is sadly missing from other chapters. Take War Leadership -Lincoln's grasp of the northern grand strategy made him replace popular generals who nonetheless could not follow his concept of total war. Jeff Davis on the other hand, despite his superior military background (as a war hero and a West-Point graduate), never articulated war aims as Lincoln did, and the Confederate war policy was constructed de facto by the decision of its irregularly brilliant generals. Lincoln would have made much better use of Robert E. Lee than Davis did.

The absence of such themes concurring through the book weakens the narrative, and it remains more an anthology than a focused monograph. Another such problem is the repetition between the essays. The final essay repeats almost all of the discussion about Isaiah Berlin's concepts of positive and negative liberty, before launching into the new theme. That theme, the turning away from positive liberty back to negative liberty during reconstruction, is fascinating. During reconstruction, Republicans had to constantly use the military in order to enforce equality for blacks on the unwilling Southrons. The disillusionment from Reconstruction and the resurrected fear from governmental tyranny left the racist policies of the South for another century, when Martin Luther King finished that job that Abraham Lincoln has began.

Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution is a collection of seven related essays by James M. McPherson. Each essay shows us a perspective from which the Civil War can be seen as a "revolution." They are all provocative and intense -- two things that are rare in history. From the first page to the last you'll be saying to yourself "I never thought of it that way before ..." A must for anyone even remotely interested in the Civil War.

This is an acute uncovering of the concealed revolution in the Civil War era with its great transformation, as the released energy 'under a war footing' accelerated the real evolutionary emergence of the freedom declared but never fulfilled in the age of the Founding Fathers.
One of the ironies is that the reification of concepts of revolution can result in confusion,while, here, change happened without the label. It is also true that the last step foundered, and the counterrevolution began and hardened, in the tragic era of reconstruction, leaving still another revolution with an ambiguously sour note.

In this newest novel of the Wit'ch series, James Clemens takes the readers to the far corners of his fantasy world of Alasea. From the deserts wastelands to the highest mountains of the dreaded Gul'gotha where the Dark Lord reigns. From floating cityscapes of El'vin ilk to just about everything inbetween, the writer takes us on a voyage of high action and adventure filled with magick and wonders. As usual, some new characters come in to play and some old characters die off, leaving the reader wanting more. Clemen's writing style is ever growing and expanding upon each novel. Its kind of strange that near the end of the new novel, there is a strange character that reminded me alot of this certain character in the novels and books that is a key and vital piece to the novels. Now, of course I'm not going to tell you and ruin the book and movie at one fell swoop, now would you? Read the novel and see the movie!

The book is about a teenaged white girl - Elena who realizes at her 14 birthday that she is a witch. The farmer's daughter cannot understand what is happening to her but before she can sit down to think, she is pushed into the real world. Away from the shelter of her family farm, she realizes that people are sometimes the most disgusting creatures. Along the way, she meets interesting characters like a man who is missing his right arm, a forest nymph, ogre, two werewolves that are stuck one as a man and another as a wolf, an elf and a mountain giant. This bunch of misfits get together for one reason or another and realize that they have a common aim and that is to make the world a better place by defeating the dark lord. This book is a very interesting read and in this particular book, Elena finally figures out what the dark lord is like and what he is planning to do. Tol'Chuck gets the shock of his life and Kral and the bunch who trooped of with the Dro captian - Tyrus, finally manage to fulfil their destinies. This book also features Joach's unending struggle with the dark magik and something horrible happenes to him. On the other hand a new character is introduced in this episode.
James Clemens is Truly a wonderful author and his stories drag you into the book, and with every page you read, you get dragged further into the world of Alasea. I never want the story to end.

This book was fabulous. The dark fantasy that Clemens has created in this world is right on par with Mark Perry (Morigu). Unlike Mark Perry let us fans hope that he (Clemens) does not leave us hanging on the cliff waiting for the next book.

Judy Valentine always hid from life behind her drums. It was always her dream to be part of a rock band, as well as her older brother's dying wish for her. Three years after her brother's suicide, Judy finds her band, Wedding Night. Opening for Nick Praetorious, the hottest act in the country, brings the band national attention and forces Judy at sixteen years old to deal with success, attention, and being idolized while still developing her own identity.

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher tells the similar story of a teenage boy named Dillon who also loses his older brother to suicide. Dillon escapes his pain through triathalons, an extreme contrast to Judy's music writing and playing. Crutcher tends to write novels centered around sports because more young people can relate to sports analagies than they can to introspecitve song lyrics. For me, it was nice to read a young adult novel with a storyline that I could relate to rather than merely understand.

"You can give her all your money, till you're totally broke./ You can christen her with diamonds, You can sprinkle her with coke./ But you'll never have her and you'll never know her/ 'cause she's the girl, she's the girl inside the girl."(Pg. 36) Judy "wrote" this song,"The Girl Inside the Girl". Many other full song lyrics are included throughout the book so that one can truly hear the sounds of a Wedding Night concert as well as visualize it. One even begins to understand the rock and roll lifestlye through a teenager's eyes. Once seen from behind closed doors, a rock star's life loses it's luster and glamourous image. Yet, the passion never dies for the music, not for Judy Valentine.

This book was written for "young adults", so it might be a little below an older teen's reading level. However, the storyline is just so unique, I would still recommend it to any music lover.

A magnificient book, although tad childish and naive. The author weaves a beautiful tale of the protagonist Judy, a drummer who recovering fromt eh death ofher brother, is yearning to discover herself through her 'band'. SHe finds this band when she answers mysterious want ad. and meets Strobe, together they assemble this band...Irwin. Maddox and Mark the Music. The descirpitions that the author uses when describing music being made is painfully beautiful. His descriptions of Mark the Music playing the guitar are exceptionally beautiful....leads you to believe the author is a guitarist...The story is very tight and Judy's voyage of discovery, in the company of 'Wedding Night', the band, is told very well. The ending is beautiful...ANyone with music in their hearts will fall in love with this book.

This is one of the most wonderful books from my early adolescence I ever read...it can to me at just the time I needed it and that I will never forget. I felt just like the heroine of the book the whole time... her against the world in a desperate desire to simply make music and find out who she is. Read it...and give it to your teens...

There are eight translations in this book; KJV, NASB, New Century, Contemporary English Version, NIV, New Living Translation, New King James and The Message. There are 4 translations to a page so you can see all translations for the same passage at the same time. The open book shows you all eight at once. There is a 2 page preface for each version in the front of the book. It gives a brief summary of how we got that version. This book is easy to read. The format is great. It doesnt have any frills though, no concordance etc. Great book for the price. Makes comparisons simple and easy.

I am extremely pleased with this "parallel" New Testament. My biggest (pleasant) surprise was the fact that this collection is actually quite compact in size and weight. (I was expecting the book to be much wider and heavier.) It is easy to carry around (unlike most hardcover books of this type).

Aside from that, it's great to have these particular translations "side by side," as it were. With the notable exception of the King James Version, each of these translations is written in modern (American) English; they are a joy to read and make studying the scriptures a meaningful experience.

I would recommend this volume to anyone who enjoys comparing (or who has an analytical mind).

I use this parallel NT each time I am preparing a sermon or
Bible study on a passage in the NT. It is very good, the
translation choices are from the wide spectrum of English
translations, literal to paraphrase. I wish the publisher
had placed the NKJV next to the KJV and the NASB next to
the NIV. It would have made this resource even more useful.
But this deserves a place on every pastor's study desk.
Highly recommended.