This book literally helped me make through many an evening after the death of a loved one. James Millers approach to comparing the seasons to grieving was so accurate. As your going through the Autumn of Grief you wonder if you will make it through to the Summer. You do, and this precious book will help to bring you to that bright Summer. The quotations written from other writers are placed strategically throughout the book and address the particular emotions being felt so beautifully. The emotions of grief can be very intense. This book helps you realize that you are not alone in your feelings, that they are normal. I have kept the original copy given to me; and have purchased several for others who have faced Grief. I can't recommend this book enough. It will be a tremendous assist as you go through this terribly LONELY time.

After the death of my husband, I was given this most excellent book. James Miller's experience as a Grief Counselor and Clergyman came through beautifully. I read and re-read the consoling pages. I cried grieving tears with the assurance that someone knew the depths of the tears and the groanings. Each season of grief is beautifully broken down. The book begins in Autumn and walks with you day by day until finally you have arrived at the summer of your grief.
Throughout the entire book, there are quotations from various writers that just seemed to express the turmoil of mind and emotions that grief causes.
I have given this book to many who have lost someone dear to them.
I know it will help so many work through Grief.

In a time of grief when so many books are so harsh this is a very soft, feel good book that makes you reflect on the good that is still in your life. It does not focus on what you "should" be doing or feeling, but rather gives you permission to grieve and to also move forward.

The Busines of May Next is easily the best book I have ever read on James Madison's intellectual journey from his dismay over the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation to his draft of the Virginia Plan, which was the underlying foundation of our Constitution.

The title is taken from a letter Madison wrote in which he discussed the "business" of the upcoming Constitutional Convention (in May of 1789), of which Madison--along with Alexander Hamiltion--was the prime mover.

Miller's book expertly and eloquently explores the influences on Madison's thinking, from his reading of David Hume's essays on the ideal conditions for a republic, to his correspondence with Washington, Jefferson and many others in which he fleshed out his ideas of how to turn the weak, ineffectual Articles into a government that had both power and staying power.

As Miller points out, Madison's genius was his understanding of human behavior, and his awareness that any government must be shaped in ways that take advantage of the "better angels of our nature," but also (more important) minimize, or at least accommodate, the darker side of our nature.

By fashioning a government with limited and shared powers; by holding frequent elections in which the leaders are held accountable; by ensuring that the people possess certain rights that no government can threaten (on pain of being altered or abolished), Madison was the first among equals in the creation of a truly representative government that has lasted more than 200 years and shows no signs of dying out.

Miller himself is one of the few (William Manchester is another) historians whose thorough research is matched by his delightful writing style. I have two copies of the book--a hardcopy for reading and a paperback for underlining.

This is a very good discussion of Madison's role in the development of the Consitution. Very readabl

I searched for 2 years for this book. It is a wonderful way to start my day.

This book is a wonderful daily devotional and I wouldn't start the day without ready it. It has brought much joy to me. I bought another one for a friend.

If you want to understand how to do life, read this book at the perfect time for you to take next steps. If you are curious about the Enneagram, read this book. If you want to know how the universe of the human mind works read this book.

As someone who has read and is familiar with nearly all the references in the Miller-Redfield book, I suggest you begin your journey at the end by reading Appendix 2, entitled "The Perfect Twosome Continued." Here you will find the positive possibilities for taking this "Beyond the Zone" journey.

I read this book in my 58th year and learned more about the Laws of Three and Seven than I had learned in all the other books that mentioned them, including Ouspensky's Gurdjieff teachings books.

Miller and Redfield have a unique way of taking complex subjects and concepts and making them mind-friendly.

if you read the celestine prophecy, you must read this book!

This book was an excellent read. It provided some very useful food for thought. Miller gave a fresh perspective on the Game Theory and how to apply it to the real world. For someone who is not that familiar with this theory, the author was able to apply the concept to some very practical concepts. The humor helped to make this an enjoyable experience. I have suggested my friends in business to read this as well as my students in my Economics courses. The author has convinced me to apply the theory when asking for my next pay raise.

Miller's book is intentionally aimed toward a non-specialist audience; by the end of the book you'll have a good grasp of game theory even if you've never had a course in economics. Miller manages to explain game theory clearly yet without resorting to the complicated mathematical formulae typical of formal game theory, and he puts the reader at ease by inserting irreverent humor into his explanations and examples--something you won't find in other books on the subject.

Miller begins by explaining what game theory is and why you'll find it useful not only in business but in everyday life. He uses examples from his own life and from his experiences teaching at Smith College, which give the book a nice personal touch; for example, he includes a section on applications of game theory to Greek mythology, a cross-disciplinary approach that interested his students. But he also includes obligatory yet interesting sections on Nash Equilibria and the well-known "Prisoner's Dilemma", without which no book on game theory would be complete. Other topics include price competition; sports and lotteries; the personal computer industry; and the stock market. Each chapter is introduced by a humorous quote: the chapter on price competition, for example, gives us Lily Tomlin's "The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

The book includes many helpful figures and diagrams, and an appendix at the back provides study questions and answers, should readers be interested in testing their understanding of each chapter.

If the book has a main flaw, it is a flaw that applies to game theory in general: game theory assumes that players are acting rationally and in their own self-interest. There is little room in game theory for irrationality, illogic, insanity, and acts based on faith. Miller deals with this problem briefly ("The Benefits of Insanity", pp. 31-34) but incompletely, showing only when insanity might benefit game playing, rather than explaining how game theory fails when irrationality enters the picture. But a critique of game theory itself could fill another entire book, and I'm hesitant to fault Miller for the flaws in his field.

In short, I'd recommend this book not only to business people wanting to learn more about business strategies, but to anyone wanting to understand more about a basic economic theory.

This is a deceptively simple book, quite easy to read, yet potentially transformative. It offers insights, helps and provocative questions that, if carefully considered, can help one navigate the especially difficult currents of holiday grief. It does an excellent job of normalizing predictable crises related to grief during the holiday season, and offers a pathway through the experience with sensitivity, compassion and wisdom.

This book is one of the best I've seen on grief--especially at the holidays. The author has gathered thoughtful quotes and draws on experience as a counselor and pastor to offer practical, heartfelt suggestions on dealing with grief. I've given this book many times as a gift to friends who are facing the holidays without a loved one. I highly encourage the use of this book!

Conventional wisdom says that America needs tighter campaign finance rules to level the political playing field. A recent book suggests the opposite is true. Existing rules give enormous advantages to certain political players, and proposed campaign finance "reforms" would solidify their grip even further.

"Monopoly Politics" (Hoover Press, 1999; 157 pages), by James C. Miller III, describes a system so stacked in favor of congressional incumbents that challengers have little hope of defeating them in the voting booth.

More likely than not, the vast majority of congressional incumbents who run for re-election this year will win, and win big. In 1998, voters re-elected 98.3 percent of all incumbents who sought to remain in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three out of four of these incumbents won re-election with more than 60 percent of the vote. Believe it or not, that was fairly typical for a congressional election. Since 1950, incumbents seeking re-election to the House won 93 percent of the time. Senators fared nearly as well, winning 80 percent of their re-election bids.

In explaining these overwhelming percentages, Miller juxtaposes political markets with commercial markets. In the latter, anti-trust laws exist to prevent businesses from colluding to keep new competitors from entering the marketplace. But in the political marketplace, elected officials routinely engage in monopolistic practices with impunity. After all, Congress writes the election laws.

Miller, who once served as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and who was himself a challenger in two Senate primaries, believes incumbents often win re-election because they have access to the formidable resources of their political offices. For instance, incumbents routinely bombard their home districts with mass mailings at taxpayer expense. They have free use of the Capitol's television and radio studios. They use the appropriations process to lavish their districts with pork-barrel spending. They provide "constituent services" to the voters who will ultimately decide their political fates. Few challengers can easily overcome such advantages.

Federal election laws also provide congressional incumbents with a substantial edge. For example, the law allows incumbents to maintain multi-million-dollar "war chests" from one election cycle to the next. These discourage would-be challengers from entering the race. And because incumbents with large war chests are thought more likely to win re-election, many challengers find it difficult to raise money for their underdog campaigns.

Reform-minded readers will enjoy Miller's lengthy discourse on campaign finance reform. Although several reform proposals are competing for Congress' attention, most are based on the assumption that money has corrupted the political marketplace. Predictably, the leading reform proposals would further restrict a candidate's ability to raise or spend campaign money.

Miller advocates an entirely different point of view. He believes the political marketplace is suffering not from too much money, but from too little competition. While incumbents are generally well-known in their home districts, most challengers must spend an inordinate amount of time and money to introduce themselves to the electorate. Further restricting a congressional candidate's ability to raise or spend campaign money would only make it more difficult for challengers to become known in their districts.

"Monopoly Politics" offers 15 specific recommendations for increasing competition in the political marketplace. Among other things, Miller would eliminate the legal ceilings on campaign contributions and require campaigns to disclose their contributions fully. He would impose term limits, eliminate "pork" in the budget, prohibit war chests, and end the free use of Capitol television and radio studios.

Some of Miller's recommendations are more practical than others. (Indeed, fiscal conservatives have tried unsuccessfully for decades to purge wasteful pork projects from the federal budget.) But on the whole, Miller's recommendations would likely inject much-needed competition into the political marketplace. For that reason, expect incumbents to offer fierce resistance.

As interesting as Miller's book is, even more interesting have been the reactions to it. Inside the Washington Beltway, people nod in agreement with Miller's description of how politicians engage in anti-competitive behavior, as though that is the way the system is supposed to work. Outside the Beltway, people have trouble seeing what the controversy is all about. They could care less about competition among politicians. After all, aren't politicians pretty much the same? In fact, politicians aren't all the same. But if we don't change the system, we might never be sure.

(James Carter is an economist with the U.S. Senate. Patrick Chisholm is managing editor at KCI Communications, an investment newsletter publisher.)

Thanks to an advance copy of "Monopoly Politics" I have had a chance to read and review a book that takes a much needed new look at a tired problem. Too many reformers have offered the same explanation and remedies for the ills of the political markets. Namely limit the money, control the money, track the money. But Dr. Miller dives straight into the heart of the problem, the lack of competition in the political markets. Hopefully this book will be the start of a new debate that addresses the real problem, so that effective reform can begin.

I've long wanted something with artwork by James Christensen. His work is magnificent, his art geared to fantasy usually. This book however was given as a present by my sister. I use it for teaching the parables to my Sunday School class, and as one of the few books laying out where others can see it. The book is well-done, and well-laid out. Of course, the pictures draw the eyes and the amount of detail is fascinating to children. The parables are classic stories, no matter what religion you are...like many other religious stories, they teach everyone the same thing. In this day and age, when so many children and adults need basic training in kindness, in charity, in placing your trust in right things (rather the wrong ones such as money)...this is a beautiful way to reteach those lessons. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

We received this book for Christmas last year, and I recently bought a copy as a gift for a relative. It makes a nice addition to our coffee table, and we have received many positive comments about the book.

The artwork is what makes the book special. Look at the picture accompanying this book and of other books by the same artist to get an idea of the type of art this book includes.

I've enjoyed Millet's writing in the past, and "Parables" didn't disappoint. He takes a nondenominational approach to the parables of Jesus, offering insight about how they can apply to our lives today. There's no deep theology here -- just useful observations and commentary. We've used the book as the basis for family devotionals, and the children seemed to enjoy it.

In my view, this book would make a fine gift for any Christian family or anyone who likes that style of art.

I studied this book for about 1 month and is giving me a clear understanding of the verbal part in the SAT. This will explain almost all of the stuffs you may need to know for your upcoming SAT as well as some tips. I highly recommend this book. Good luck on the test!

This is a very, very old and very, very good book on baking. I first found a hard-back edition of this classic in the early 1960's. If you are new to baking or a seasoned pro, Peck will provide you with lots of information as well as wonderful recipes.