Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

To a student of Zen, it is unnecessary to introduce this book. For those folks reading about Zen for the first time, this is a collection of Zen and Pre-Zen writings. For the greater part, it allows you to explore with your own mind these great insights without a lot of left-brain interference. Oh yes, you get clues but no answers, because these must come from the fusion of the neurons in your own brain.

I will have to admit that I no longer lend this book to anyone. It never comes back. My copy is old and has notations on every page, thoughts that occurred to me. While I was reading it for the first time a few years back, I had a dream. In the dream, I entered an ancient house and walked down into the black basement. As I opened each of a series of doors in this darkness, I would reach for the light in the center of the room. Light after light popped on. I am sure I do not have to interpret this dream for you. That is exactly what happened to the darkness in my mind: light after light illuminated my world. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. It was the beginning of a long flight towards freedom.

The greatest part of this is you do not have to learn to meditate. Each teaching brings you closer and closer to solving the problem of your mind, that is, relating conscious to preconscious awareness, into your every day living. It offers the flesh and bones of Zen. The marrow is your discovery of yourself.

"Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" was the first book to bring Zen Buddhist koans to America. It is also the best. The translators have left these wonderful stories and teachings speak for themselves. If you have never read koans, they are bewildering stories that defy logic and shock the reader into a higher state of consciousness. They are especially wonderful to read after meditation or church. They are ancient stories, often describing the strange interactions between monks who challenge each other's claims to enlightenment. They seem as playful sparring of the mind, heart, and soul.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones came into print in the 1950s, when I was a child.

I first discovered it in 1970, when I was a young man. One of my secretaries lent me her copy, and I kept it for myself.

I bought this edition last year, as a middle-aged fart.

I figure I've owned at least a dozen copies over the years. Some have been gifts from friends. Others, I've purchased for myself.

I stole only the first copy, because I didn't want to run up against any karmic Repeat Offender Rule.

It's the kind of book that seems to "walk away". Someone will see you reading Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, and they'll ask to borrow it.

That's the last you'll see of it.

Guaranteed.

I've read it many times, often in a single sitting.

I still remember the first time I sat down with it, and how it gave me a shimmering look into a world I had known little about--Zen Buddhism. At times, I still get back my "Beginner's Mind" when I re-read one of those Zen stories that I now know almost by heart.

I cannot explain the why of that.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones contains perfect jewels of ancient stories that provide insight about life, about the world. Most of them are a half page in length--perhaps 100 words.

The neat thing about this particular edition is that it's very compact. You can slip into into your pocket, say, when you're going fishing or hiking.

It's inexpensive, too. So you won't be out a lot of money when a friend asks to "borrow" a copy and "forgets" to give it back.

For anyone who wants to improve their surfing, Surf Flex is a must have book. I incorporated many of the flexibility and dry land workouts into my exercise routine, and my surfing has taken off! Not only did my riding and balance get better, but I felt so much better condiditoned to stay out there as long as I wanted. In rough conditions, I immdediately notice the added strength I've developed through the exercises from Surf Flex. If you want things to do outside the water to optimize your time in the water, BUY THIS BOOK. -- DAS, avid longboarder

As a 35 year old surfer I pride myself in my ability to rip! I keep right up with the younger puppies in the water. Lots of them ask me how I do it? I just smile and say 'surf alot'. Fact is I've been doing yoga for 8 years 4-5 times a week. A couple of years ago I was introduced to working out with a swissball. These two elements changed my conditioning radicaly. I never shared it with anyone, because when I'm 45, I plan to still be ripping while most of the young'un have stopped surfing because of bad backs,and shoulders. It may have been a bit selfish, but I thought it would keep the surf population down. So I could have just as easily given Surf Flex a 0 star rating, more healthy surfers more people in the water, bummer dude! But that would have been bad karma! Seeing that I haven't shared my conditioning secrets with my fellow surfers, I must say this is an excellent book. Its not a book that was published by the big surfing guns, Surfer Mag, or Surfing, so it not slick,thats what great about it. What it lacks in slick, it compensates with heart and passion. Ain't that something! Great swissball workouts, good foundations for yoga, dry land training and comments from world class surfers. I applaud the author, but, if I see him out in the water, he owns me a couple of waves :)

As a 28 year old women surfer I'm glad to see someone has finally addressed women surfers as athletes. The yoga stretches are direct and to the point. Surfers don't want to spend a lot of time warming up so the 10 minute yoga routine is great! The Wahine Workout is challenging with lots of good tips. The Surf Flex Workout done on a swissball is without question the best workout a surfer can do outside of the water. "if your going to play on an unstable enviroment doesn't it make sense to train on one?" Makes sense to me. This workout brings all your surfing muscles to the party! See you in the water!

Hesselbein and Cohen have assembled and brilliantly edited "enduring insights on leadership" from the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal. What a superb selection of essays they offer! The Introduction by Hesselbein (all by itself) is well worth the cost of the book. As for the 37 individual essays, they are organized within seven Parts:

I. On Leaders and Leadership (eg Peter Drucker, Max DePree, and Herb Kelleher)

II. Leading Innovation and Transformation (eg Peter M. Senge, John P. Kotter, and Douglas K. Smith)

III. Leadership in the New Information Economy (eg Esther Dyson, Margaret Wheatley, and Kevin Kelly)

IV. Competitive Strategy in a Global Economy (eg Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ann Winblad, and Keniche Ohmae)

V. Leading for High Performance (eg Steven R. Covey, Jim Collins, and Noel Tichy)

VI. Building Great Teams (eg Warren Bennis, Jon R. Katzenbach, and J. Richard Hackman)

VII. Leadership Across the Sectors (eg John W. Gardner, Regina Hetzlinger, and James E. Austin)

I know of no other single volume in which so many great business thinkers are represented by so many of their landmark essays. The editors are to be commended for the selections; also for the structure within which those selections are organized. This is "must reading" for leaders and, especially, for whose who aspire to be leaders.

"People in both in this country and around the world have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "This hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I summarized partially only four of the thirty-seven essays written by talented thinkers as follows:

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "The three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations.

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnerships reqire devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. Warren Bennis argues: "I belive that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Groups is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

IV. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

3. Fall off the authority balance team.

4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

Not only these essays, but all of the book as a whole is strongly recommended.

"People both in this country and around the world also have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "this hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I partially summarized only five of the thirty-seven essays written by thirty-seven talented thinkers.

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "the three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations:

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnership require devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. John P. Kotter argues: "No organization today-large or small, local or global-is immune to change. To cope with new technological, competitive, and demographic forces, leaders in every sector have sought to alter fundamentally the way their organizations do business. These change efforts have paraded under many banners-total quality management, reengineering, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, turnarounds. Yet according to most assessments, few of these efforts accomplish their goals. Fewer than fifteen of the one hundred or more companies I have studied have successfully transformed themselves." Hence, he lists eight critical steps to transform your organization:

1. Establish a sense of urgency.

2. Form a powerful guiding coalition.

3. Create a vision.

4. Communicate the vision.

5. Empower others to act on the vision.

6. Plan for and create short-term wins.

7. Consolidate improvements and produce still more change.

8. Institutionalize new approaches.

IV. Warren Bennis argues: "I believe that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Group is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

V. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

Mistake 1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

Mistake 2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

Mistake 3. Fall off the authority balance team.

Mistake 4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

Mistake 5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

Mistake 6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

I highly recommend this excellent collection as a whole.

I love this book! I first saw Sex Flex when I went to a friend's house. He had it on his desk right next to his muscle mags. I laughed when I saw it. A guide for working out with your partner while being intimate? Hah! No way!!!!! (In all truth, I was a little excited by the idea.)

A week later, I broke down and bought it, especially since my girlfriend and I had been having some problems budgeting quality time. Now, we can't get enough of Sex Flex. We've worked our way through all of the exercises - and we've even made up some of our own. (If the authors are interested, they can contact me at the above e-mail address!)

Thanks to the authors for their great info and the solid base on which to build new exercises. My relationship's the better for it!

This book was great! My wife and I are very busy, and this is great for us to spend some time together. We get to do something that we both enjoy. We are also more limber than we have been in a long time! The pictures were great. Nina and John really looked like they were having a good time, which actually made it easier for us to relax. Reading the credits, I was pleased to see the use of an actual couple for the photos, and not just two models who didn't know each other. That way when I see them smiling in the pictures, I know it is genuine.

This book offers creative and unique approaches to enhanced intimacy for couples. Not only does it offer techniques to improve personal physicality, it gives couples the opportunity to better themselves as a pair. Having been married for less than a year, my husband and I found this book to be a way to bond and improve the more intimate aspects of our relationship. The husband and wife models did a great job and were easy to identify with. We will incorportate this into our lifestyle for years to come.

If you dont know how to answer your kids questions then you need this book. My mom gave it to us at an age that we already knew, but it gave a new look at how we got here and we passed it on to the rest of the kids in the family. Now I need one for my own children. I strongly suggest this book if your children, whom you think are too young, are asking questions and you cant or dont know how to answer.

My mother gave me this book when I was young and now I bought it for my daughter. She is 8 years old and has already read it many times. She has asked honest, intelligent questions about reproduction and we have had many wonderful and informative discussions about the subject. This book is a wonderful tool for any parent. I recommend it highly.

My parents gave me this book as soon as I learned to read, and it was an amazing tool. Thanks to it, I never believed any of the lies and speculations that went on in elementary school, and I was never tempted to experiment sexually, because I saw making love as a tool to achieve reproduction. (Naturally, my parents explained the rest as I got older!) I recommend this to any parent who is nervous about how to approach the "birds and bees" with their children!

This book was a required "textbook" in a high school "Science and Sustainability" pilot class my school did in junior year. I remember we generally used the books in class but could check them out to take home if we wanted. I checked one out and din't want to give it back. I think I skipped two classes that day just sitting in the student lounge poring over it, and I think the people reading over my shoulder probably had other things to do as well, but I couldn't put it down, it was so fascinating. So of course I bought my own and I can still pick it up and pore over it for another three hours with the same fascination. It's real life, and the families are real people that you feel somehow close to after reading this. I love this book and show it to everyone. This book will change the way you look at things. Also, for those who think that this book is primarily about material goods around the world, you couldn't be more wrong. Each chapter shows an incredibly detailed portrait of life in another country, and is as wonderful for introducing kids to other cultures as it is for opening their eyes to economic realities. Enjoy.

What does the average Ethiopian home look like? What is the average Cuban family's hope for the future? How much does a carrot cost on the black Market in Bosnia? Which country has the highest fish consumption per capita? What does the average Japanese father have for breakfast?

It may seem trivial, but these are the questions that Peter Menzel and the creators of "Material World" have tried to answer. And the answers they found are more profound than you might think. 30 very different countries, and 16 excellent photographers, trying to show through images, statistics and interviews how the world's average families live. The differences are astonishing: the financially average Abdullah family in Kuwait is both literally and figuratively a world removed from the Cakonis in Albania.

In this book, created to celebrate the United Nations International Year Of The Family, sumptuous photographs, show each family with their material possessions spread around them outside their homes: while one family's material wealth seems to consist almost entirely of carpets, another's is made up of animals and cooking pots. One family has four cars, another a single and ragged looking donkey. More photographs show each family in the course of the average day, and coupled with data based on interviews, they answer questions such as: do the children go to school? Where does their food come from? What does their house look like? And most tellingly, what is their most treasured possession? More light hearted sections, which explore average televisions, toilets and meals across the world, show at once how alike and different we are.

The creators of "Material World" have sought, and achieved a fine balance. They contrast not only those countries which we know to be rich or poor, but also look at how other factors, such as war and technology, affect families. The information is implicit rather than explicit, conveyed only through the images and words of each family; while the photographers' impressions are expressed in small "photographer's notes" sections, their main function is simply to show us the real lives of their subjects. No judgements are passed, nor opinions given. The reader is left to examine the evidence for themselves.

"Material World" works on many levels. The quality of photography and the compilation of each section make it beautiful to look at - a smart and very PC coffee table book. The statistical information and photographs together provide a wealth of material for use in schools. Flipping backwards and forwards to explore the differences yourself is as much fun as "Where's Waldo", and the writing is so good that "Material World" is a great book to snuggle up with and read. I can only pick one fault with this book: the more trivial statistical data is not always consistent. For example, data on percentages of income spent on food is only available for some families, making comparison impossible. However, this is a small fault. "Material World" is a fantastic book, original, interesting and well put together. Highly recommended to anyone with even a slight interest in the subject.

"Material World" is one of those books that EVERYONE should read. It really is beyond description...deceptively simply yet incredibly moving in its stark simplicity. In these pages about families across the globe, we see scenes from their everyday life. When we glance at the pictures of each family on their lawn surrounded by all of their material goods, the difference between the average American family and the average Ethiopian family couldn't be plainer. We look at the faces on these pages, hear their thoughts on the future, and compare their lives to our own...and suddenly the people in other countries seem real to us, and the faceless people of the news suddenly have faces and thoughts and homes and families. Peter Menzel and all of the others who have worked on this book have done a brilliant and wonderful thing when they created "Material World". They have done what no "You should be grateful..." or "Think of those people in other countries..." could have done...they have made the world real to us.

The potter's companion, is exactly that, a book containing a broad range of everything you need to know about making pottery from clays to glazes. There is something for both beginner and advanced potter: there are pictorial demonstrations of how to make something on a wheel as well as some breathtaking designs from experienced potters. The book itself has a lovely glossy feel and is beautifully presented - it is a joy to browse.

As usual a Birks book is complete. Pictures, detail instructions, and more pictures. Many ideas for the beginner and experienced potter. Large format and National Geographic quality will make any purchaser happy they ordered this book. The only subject not covered in detail is the building of a kiln.If you want to construct your own kiln this is not the book for you. However, all other subjects are thoroughly explained.

The image on the cover sets the tone here as Tony Birks lays out the basics of forming clay and developing beautiful, useful surfaces while inspiring us throughout with image after image of high aesthetic merit. Birks is an excellent writer and he presents information with clarity and colour in a simple and comprehensible manner (e.g. "Clay is weathered, decomposed granite and consists mainly of alumina and silica.") The written text is complemented with photographs of artworks, artists, and techniques, all produced in full color. There seems to be a "just right" amount of information provided in each section which motivates but doesn't overwhelm. Although not officially a text book (where's the section on hazardous wastes?), I recommend it to students since it is such a work of art itself. It's merits are underscored by a price which is half that of "official" but often less appealing ceramic texts

Truly a handbook, i.e. brief and comprehensive, this volume can be beneficial to a broader group of professionals than the primary medical staff. Starting with how to's for content rich charting and other record keeping the book also provides lists of medical abbreviations.

The book is organized by diagnostic category with the subspecialties and their unique presentations are also provided. The 'appearance' of the condition as well as the features that distinguish it from another can be the difference between needing to call a code or needing to make a page that may take hours to answer. The authors also provide checklists whenever applicable. Most line staff will be able to comprehend enough of what is pertinent to inform their management style and to discriminate pertinent details for treatment docs. Why not teach them?

In partial programs, sheltered workshops and residential treatment, supported living etc., the nature of psychiatry is such that many different classifications and treatment plans are joined in one service and in one building. The qualifications of staff- at best- are not up to par in neurology. This book can provide some assistance and when augmented with staff training, the treatment setting is likely to be more secure and productive.

The popular pediatrician in special ed., Mel Levine, is attempting to rebuild the role and qualifications for teachers in this manner. He uses a medical-like model for his training programs. If "hands-on" could be applied to neurology education Levine certainly succeeds. His program exposes teachers to the condition first, they go to an on-site hospital and residential diagnostic unit where they review charts, meet the child, make observations and dialogue about programs of accomodation and remediation. At the school, they further observe the learning differences and their behavioral co-morbid or psychiatric symptoms. They become familiar with more than a definition, (After all, no one really has figured out the Disorder of Written Expression- everyone has a different version and none matter when it comes to the poor child stuck with it.)Levine's fortunate few must come up with concise explanation, what's wrong, strengths and weaknesses and an integrated response. That can be expanded to several unique arenas and adjunctive therapies.

In summary, this is an excellent brief and handy pocket handbook and one that would be well-placed for staff providing different therapies and/or manageing a unit to review and refer to under many circumstances. Nursing homes, special education settings, trauma rehabs and psychiatric units will all find relevant and highly understandable details here. The federal entitlement for Early Intervention is another woefully neglected subgroup. Special educators, poorly paid and with high turnover, are the primary therapists and team leaders with at-risk and medically fragile infants and toddlers. They go into homes, often impoverished, and provide services, developmental activities and do assessments. They have many checklists and standardized tests which are on the whole, completed carefully. Yet there are so many other things, not necessarily on those tests, but enormously important that are outside of their professional scope. This book has vital explanations around Toxic Exposure, symptoms and 'mimic' conditions. The substance abuse sections too are vital for professionals evaluating a maternal child relationship or in cases of an addicted family member. There is high frequence for fetal substance abuse conditions and HIV genetically transmitted diagnoses. These generally brave and devoted staff see siblings who manifest behaviors or motor skills that may be uniquely relevant to understanding the baby. But they do not either know or feel comfortable speculating- so they ignore it.
Without insulting these authors, who are experts in their field and darn good writers- I urge those readers who influence some of the areas I mentioned above to read not only with an eye for their own improvement but the ways that written in this way, this book has promise for a far greater target audience.

This book give a huge amount of information, all of which is practical. If you are looking for an intro to the are of neuropsychology, this is NOT it - this was never intended for that use. If you are part of the audience it was written for, its idea. This book assumes you already know the theory and all the concepts it deals with, and so doesn't get bogged down re-explaining biologic bases for behavior and their clinical correlates. What it does do is give all the details and practical guidelines, in a concise form ideal for those who know the concepts but need a resource for the numerous hard to memorize details.

I am an occuaptional therapy assistant student. I am particularly interested in neurology and I found this handbook while doing library research today. I ordered it immediately so that I will have it with me for my clinical affiliation in a local neurology center. It is well-written, easy enough for even a student to understand, and it is very thorough. The handbook format is perfect to keep with me as a part of my on-site reference library. Thank you for meeting the needs of students as well as seasoned clinicians.

Teammates

Teammates is about 2 men named
Pees wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Both of them were baseball players on the same
Team called the dogers. Pee wee
Reese was white and Jackie rob-
Inson was black. They were both
Friends and helped each other out. The players on their team
Came mostly from the south, men
Had been taught to avoid black
People since childhood. They moved to another table
Whenever Jackie sat down next
To them. Many opposing players
Were cruel to Jackie, calling him mean names from their
Dugouts. A few tried to hurt
Him with their spiked shoes.
It was bad for Jackie. Pitchers
Aimed for his head, and he
Received threats on his life,
Both from individuals and from
Oramizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. Jackie avoided all of it,
And made the team. Jackie and
Pee wee became really great
Friends and baseball legends.

This book teaches you alot about how blacks were treated back in the day. When Jackie Robinsion was signed to the Dodgers the fans and players treated him really badly. People threw stuff at him. Then a young teammate stood up for him and saved him from being ban from the team. So you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

A simple telling of how Jackie Robinson came to play in the major leagues, this book portrays the prejudice he faced in a basic way that children can understand. And it shines a bright light on a quiet moment: PeeWee Reese's brave public declaration of solidarity with his teammate. This book has been my son's favorite for the past two years, since he was five.

Today corporate America has joined the sanctimonious trend in our society under the "giving back" theme. I imagine what a breath of fresh air it would be to hear the following candid statement from a corporate CEO or Board Chairman after refusing to kowtow to political correctness:

"We sell a quality product that our customers value. We have provided our employees with the means of supporting themselves with dignity, good wages, benefits, and a good working environment. We have worked hard to create wealth for our investors who after all are people with varying needs and means - and not all of them fantastically wealthy. We pay our share of taxes. In summary we already gave back to the community! As for giving to charity - any of our investors has the right to give in any way or amount (time or money) to any organization he or she sees fit. They don't need us to make that decision for them."

The "giving back to the community" phoniness implies that while running a business you are obviously taking from others - you are a drag on society at large and need to give back to equalize things - Karl Marx couldn't have come up with a better slogan.

Curt Weeden tells corporations that social investing through charitable contributions can help society, and can be good business. Then he explains why, and how. This detailed guide explains ways to get the most out of each philanthropic investment, benefiting the non-profit organization and the company's reputation, employee motivation and bottom line. Weeden provides only a few examples of companies that have engaged in corporate social investing, but the introductions by Paul Newman and Peter Lynch are more hands-on because both are active in philanthropy. The book focuses on instructions for setting up your firm's social investing system. Suggestions cover choosing a non-profit recipient, figuring tax benefits, and other nuts-and-bolts issues. The book is oriented to CEOs and top corporate managers, though we at getAbstract also recommend it to academics, stockholders and fundraisers. If you are considering social investing, this is a good guide. And if you're not, it'll explain why you should. (Note: Tax matters discussed are

Nonprofit organizations, particularly grassroots agencies, would do well to absorb the lessons in Corporate Social Investing which demystify and challenge corporate giving policies. We've found it much more enjoyable than most business texts, and we found ourselves laughing at some of Curt Weeden's analogies on more than one occasion.