Anyone who is considering applying for Social Security disabiliity benefits should order this book immediately. I am attorney and have been representing Social Security claimants for over 20 years. The biggest problem most of my clients have is the overwhelming amount of information that you must provide to Social Security. Mr. Smith's book explains why each piece of information is needed for a successful result on your claim.

I have been using this book since its 1st Edition and I have never been disappointed. The most important part of the book is the section with six worksheets where you can assemble all the information you will need for your application. Even the most disorganized person will be able to use these invaluable worksheets. Many of my clients come to me after completing these worksheets and the initial interview goes twice as fast.

For successful applicants, the appendices on Continuing Disability Reviews and the Ticket to Work Act are completely up to date and provide excellent guidance.

In short, I give this book the highest rating for both its plain language approach and its superb contents. More self-help books shoould be this easy to use and useful.

>I cannot say enough good things about attorney Douglas Smith's Disability Workbook. As a social worker with lupus, I had reached the point where I could no longer work, and thought that my social work experience would be an asset to me in my disability application. But when faced with the actual
application, I became completely overwhelmed. Fortunately a friend put me on to Doug's book, which was invaluable. It showed me how to organize my claim, illustrated what a medical report that is acceptable to Social Security should look like, provided forms to help me put it all together. I believe it was because of Doug's suggestions that my claim was approved on my first
try (up to 50% of first claims are denied, I have heard). My doctor also appreciated the information on how to write a good medical report. He knew I was sick and could not work but he did not know how to get that information across in a way that was acceptable to Social Security. This book is well worth the cost, is informative, empowering and gets results.
>

Bought 3 books to prepare for ssdi application, this book, 2.Nolo's guide to ssd and 3. how to get ssd. Using the info in the books (and each gave insight to a diff part of the ssdi process-this book detail was the how to fill out the paperwork completely and what dis examiner was looking for in depth). I got my ssdi on first try. Having the books made all the difference in the world, I had tried for ssdi before (4 yrs ago) and did not understand the process and just gave up after I was denied and went back to work even with my med problems. Knowing the process and what ss was looking for and how to give it to them made me a winner. Best $[money]. (for the 3 books) I ever spent.

Make Success Measurable! is definitely becoming the Bible at work. Very well written, and Smith's ideas are well-supported. We've received positive feedback from clients, and we've expanded our client base because of this good word-of-mouth. I strongly recommend Make Success Measurable! It's as good as Guerilla PR: Wired, which focuses on techniques to getting solid public relations coverage, especially nowadays.

You can rarely pick up a job description in the public or private sector that does not include a statement seeking "demonstrated experience and success working with the principles of quality management and a commitment to customer service." One of the cornerstones to quality management is the ability to focus on outcomes instead of activities.

Make Success Measurable is filled with practical techniques. Even more, it is a workbook, providing opportunities to apply new concepts to real work. Whether you want to be able to create more focus within your own work unit, be able to demonstrate tangible results to your manager, prioritize your own work by aligning your day to day activities with the most important initiatives, or coach customers who are seeking your expertise in developing performance measures, this book can help.

As a result of reading this book and trying the exercises, you should be able to:

1) Convert new visions, strategies, and directions into achievable outcome-based goals that can better yourself and others in your organization.

2) Set goals that are specific, measurable, aggressive, achievable, relevant, and time bound. (SMART Goals)

3) Set goals that matter to those expecting a return on their funding dollars.

4) Set goals that matter to you personally in terms of opportunities, rewards, and skills.

5) Choose from a variety of management disciplines to achieve your goals.

6) Set goals that matter to customers who want speed, quality, and prompt service.

"I believe you will benefit from this book because the challenge of setting and achieving performance goals has become very confusing". Douglas K. Smith writes, "It has been more than 30 years since Peter Drucker wrote about the importance of managing for results. His work led to the widespread practice of management by objective. But an awful lot has happened in the past 30 years. The world of business and organizations has changed dramatically, turning many of Drucker's specifics (though not his wisdom) upside down. In the aftermath of total quality, customer service, time-based competition, strategic alliances, globalization, reengineering, core competencies, continuous improvement, innovation, teams, horizontal organization, benchmarking, best place to work, information technology, diversity, environmentalism, deregulation and reregulation, eCommerce, and privatization, those of us left standing in today's organizations are unsure about what performance goals and outcomes make the most difference and why. We know that setting performance goals is key to managing ourselves and others, but we no longer know how".

Douglas K. Smith organizes his book in four parts. In the first part (Chapters 1-4), he provides the background, concepts, tools, techniques, and frameworks you need to set specific outcome-based goals that matter to successfully navigate today's most pressing performance challenges. In the second part (Chapters 5-7), he focuses on helping you align and coordinate goals throughout your organization. In the third part (Chapters 8-10), he describes the management disciplines you need to achieve your goals and how to make choices among them. In the fourth part (Chapter 11), he concludes the book with a step-by-step design for building an outcomes management system in your organization.

In this context, in Chapter 10, he reviews the management disciplines you must understand in order to succeed in the face of change, and introduces the critical distinction between decision-diven change and behavior-driven change, and describes how to manage each successfully. Hence, he argues that most change efforts fall far short of their potential. Usually that's because leaders fail to address the deep behavioral changes they are seeking. And thus, he lists the following ten management principles as the heart of any successful change effort:

1. Keep performance results the primary objective of behavior and skill change.

2. Continually increase the number of individuals taking responsibility for their own change.

3. Make sure that each person always knows why his or her performance and change matters to the purpose and results of the whole organization.

4. Put people in a position to learn by doing and provide them with the information and support they need just in time to perform.

5. Embrace improvisation as the best path to both performance and change.

6. Use team performance to drive change whenever demanded.

7. Concentrate organizational designs on the work that people do, not on the decision-making authority they have.

8. Create and focus energy and meaningful language because these are the scarcest resources during periods of change.

9. Stimulate and sustain behavior-driven change by harmonizing initiatives throughout the organization.

10. Practice leadership based on the courage to live the change you wish to bring about.

Finally, he argues that if you expect others to change their behavior, you have to change yours. It's as simple and as hard as that.

I strongly recommend.

Beautiful pictures, touching and moving story. About the restoration of the wolves.

Beautiful pictures illustrates the many different wolves that were restored to yellowstone (#10, #9etc...). Illustrates the effort the yellowstone had to put in to restore the wolf to its natural habitat. Very interesting to the average wolf lover and those who are interested in what happened in the 1995 restoration of the wolves to yellowstoen.

This book brings you right into the experience of bringing the wolves back to Yellowstone where they belong! Find out the behind the scenes activity that brought the sight and sound of the wolf back after an absence of over 60 years. You'll never be the same after reading this. Excellent!!

Douglas MacGowan's book, Murder in Victorian Scotland..., depicts Madeline Smith's life and trial with a clarity and focus that allow the reader a glimpse into a bygone era. Using historical references and letters saved by the deceased to build the world of Madeline Smith and Emile L'Angelier, MacGowan takes his reader into the lives of these two figures in context of 18th century Scotland and allow them to come to their own conclusion regarding the historic trial and its rather odd verdict of "Not Proven". Overall, a fascinating look at another life, time, and judicial system.

Most mystery buffs relish the challenge of piecing together the clues and figuring out "who done it" before the author discloses the guilty party(ies). A smug satisfaction settles in after the reader wades through a complex set of circumstances and successfully solves the puzzle. Of course, the fiction author always reveals the answers by the last page. Not so in the true crime story related in "Murder in Victorian Scotland : The Trial of Madeleine Smith." We know that Emile died of arsenic poisoning, and that his secret lover Madeleine was tried for his murder, then released with the unusual verdict of "Not Proven." However, author Douglas MacGowan won't give us much more than that. His clever, 'diarist' style of chronologically detailing the available facts and surviving evidence puts readers smack in the middle of this intriguing story -- to decide for themselves what really happened.

Those who usually avoid non-fiction will likely find the saga of Madeleine and Emile as riveting as a blood and guts novel -- pondering clues and re-reading pages in an attempt to fit together pieces of the puzzle. Madeleine's letters to Emile offer a fascinating study in human psychology, through both her emotional missives to her lover, and his apparent responses which are implied in her references. Other characters are woven in, making us wonder if there is more to this tale than just an inappropriate love affair gone wrong. We get to glimpse a time and society where morals, laws and investigative tools were much different from those of today. Yet, it all boils down in the end to -- an upper class young woman carries on a passionate and secret love affair with a common man, who ends up dead by poison just as the woman plans to wed another of her own class. A timeless scenario. And, one that presents more questions than answers.

This book provides a rare chance for the reader to "rewrite" history with his/her own verdict...and to wonder about the author's own conclusion. Did she do it? Or not? Puzzling. Thought-provoking. Challenging. Terrific! A must read for historians AND mystery lovers!

In what was called "The Trial of the Century" in 1857, a young lady named Madeleine Smith was accused of poisoning a lover of a lower class so that she could marry a man her family deemed more suitable.

The subject of this case does not seem to inspire moderation of views, as earlier works seem to be nakedly pro or anti Smith. Unlike previous works on the case (and many books of this genre), the author resists the temptation to take a stand on the innocence or guilt of the accused. Perhaps MacGowan has enough faith in his readers intelligence to allow them to come to their own conclusions.

People who want to read a murder mystery in which the answers are handed to them at the end might want to read an Agatha Christie novel instead. Those that don't mind thinking for themselves, and getting a glimpse of the culture and justice system of the Victorian age will enjoy this book.

This books contains it all: who, why, what and how to make effective, efficient, creative and committed change. Changes that last and last. Very practical, down to earth, yet based on a powerful and imaginative model. Don't read it, use it!

were afraid to know. McWinney shows in this "fieldbook" how any change process can be tackled. He convinced me how working with myself, the groups and the resources at hand can create better and longer lasting solutions. Not only to problems but also to the issues of problems that were very hard to solve. The book is a practicle guide to his "Paths of change" and should belong to every bookshelf that contains literature on change and social issues. One warning: this book is not about quick fixes and will only work for you when you are not afraid to venture where you thought you wouldn't dare to go.

This is the second book by this master storyteller that features the adventures of U. S. Marshal Oscar Schiller. The story is set during the early 1900's in the Oklahoma Indian Territory and Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is replete with the author's vivid characters and graphic situations. Jones also sprinkles much colorful history throughout the story and this adds to the reader's enjoyment. His imperfect principal character and the period chosen for the plot have a close similarity to the PINKERTON EYE. The only negative factor in the book is that it's editor repeatedly substituted "Marshall" for the correct form, "Marshal." The author, Douglas Jones, died during production of the book and probably was not involved in reading proofs. I enjoyed every page of this book and enthusiastically recommend it to others.

What a masterpiece! This book is truly magnificent. Someday critics will review this historical fiction and recognize it for the great literature that it is. The audio version with Ed Sala's narration is perfection itself. Please read or listen to the audio version of this book. Great writers like this must be appreciated.

I found the book to be extremely informative. Douglas Smith has done a masterfull job of creating a step by step guide for the process of both Creating and Managing Change in any organization. He also points out why many Change Efforts fail. The 10 step guide that he has created should help us all avoid the common pitfalls of this process and help greatly improve our odds of success. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is either thinking about starting a change effort or currently in the midst of one now.

This is clearly the best book about the practical side of Change Management I've read so far (and I've read more then 20 by now). This book really helps me in my day-to-day work as a Change Manager. Smith has closed a big gap in the Change Management literature, this is the most practical book you can look for! Highly recommended.

The one thing that ties all humans together, rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or helpless is death. To many Americans our Presidents are either marble figures (Washington, Jefferson...) or are little known familar names (Tyler, Harding...). This book does a great job of making ALL of our Presidents into human beings. The pictures, the writing, even the index pages are outstanding.

What better way to really understand a person than to know their final words. Or better yet to see their final resting places many of which were picked out by the individuals themselves. One can learn a lot about the true character of a person if you see monuments they designed for themselves.

I have visited many Presidential homes and several gravesites but after reading this book I have decided to make visiting all of the gravesites one of my goals in life.

It is strange that a book about death should bring history so alive. BUY THIS BOOK!

For years I have wanted to tour World War One battlefields, and finally I came upon Before Endeavours Fade: A Guide to Battlefields of the First World War, by Rose E. B. Coombs. I read it cover to cover and felt doing so was the next best thing to touring those sites. When I finished reading this book, cover to cover, I thought this is better than going to each birthplace! It is certainly a lot easier, and I found it extremely satisfying to see each gravesite, all in the course of a couple hours, and to learn so many interesting things, like: What state has the most Presidential graves? Why is there a picture of David Rice Atchison's gravestone in this book? What President lived the shortest time after leaving office? If these sort of questions intrigue you, as they do me, get this book and revel in all the fascinating things you can learn from it.

Who's buried in Grant's tomb is an interesting guide filled with small histories on each American president. The book contains accurate directions to help you find presidential gravesites, museums and libraries. Furthermore, the book contains addresses where you can write for additional information on each site and even includes website addresses when applicable. I have toured a few of these historical locations myself and have found the information in this book to be especially helpful in providing hours of operation as well as admission prices to some of these places. The book might appear a little morbid when you consider that it focuses on presidential burial sites but once you read it, you quickly find out that it provides a doorway for you to study the human side of these men. By visiting their homes graves and museums, you realize that they are not merely cold icons that you read about in history. They were very real with interesting lives and this book invites you to study their legacies.

Harding wants to convince us, literally, that we do not have a head. It sounds preposterous but he is rather insistent and, incredibly, it starts to dawn on us that somehow he has a point. The phrase "I have no head" says something new not about the word "head" but about the word "I". Actually what Harding should have written is that "I am not a head": our experience of the world is something much more basic and elemental, and only later do we learn about our head. This becomes clearer when one finds that Harding also claims that we don't have a body. In fact, even after reading the book I shall continue to talk about my head as something I have - it sounds more natural.

I think that Harding is talking about one of the most intriguing philosophical problems of today, which is consciousness. He wants us to become aware of our awareness, and to show how this experience fundamentally changes the way we see everything else.

To my mind, his connection to Zen Buddhism is strenuous. He mentions many passages from Zen Buddhism (and also from some Christian mystics) to make his point. Zen Buddhism is about rational thought being an obstruction of truth, but thinking about awareness is a very rational enterprise. I am not convinced that when the Zen masters talked about the disappearance of the self they meant the same as headlessness. Anyway the connection with Zen adds little to the main idea of the book, which I think can very well stand on its own.

All in all, I think this book touches on something that is really very important, even fundamental. My only criticism is that the book contains much that I thought peripheral and even unnecessarily opaque.

Is the world you experience "inside" your mind or "outside" it?

Puzzle over that little question while you read this underground spiritual classic. Douglas Harding is dead serious (though far from solemn): he wants to show you that you have no head.

You see, he noticed one day while wandering in the Himalayas -- where this sort of thing is apt to happen -- that _he_ didn't have a head. And, in reflecting on the experience afterwards, he worked out a way to bring other people to the same awareness with no need for either abstruse scholarly appartus or esoteric meditation techniques.

All you have to do is turn around the arrow of attention, and try to look back to see who -- or Who -- is looking _out_ from wherever it is you're looking out from. Go ahead. Try it right now.

See?

Well, if you did, you don't technically need the book any more. But Harding is still a lot of fun to read: he has a light touch, a subtle sense of humor, and the ability to compress the keenest of insights into the simplest of prose, so you'll enjoy him even if you've already gotten his point.

And if you _haven't_ gotten it yet, he'll help you to do so. It's really the same point Alan Watts wanted to put across in _The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are_ (which, for my money, is his best work on the subject). Watts wants you to see that the world is your body; Harding wants you to see that the world is your mind; and they're both right.

This is just a charming book all around, and it will grow on you over the years without ever getting old. Buy a copy and keep it; when it wears out, buy another. Pass it out to your friends. Force it on your enemies (and thereby turn them into your friends). I've gone through at least a couple copies of it myself.

Of course, if you're one of those people who thinks spirituality isn't _supposed_ to be fun, and that anything this simple is somehow unworthy of God, you should probably stay away from it for a while. Read Raymond Smullyan's _The Tao Is Silent_ first and (chuckle) lighten up.

Is the world you experience "inside" your mind or "outside" it? Read Harding, and then _you_ tell _me_.

Douglas Harding's On Having No Head: Zen And The Rediscovery Of The Obvious is a philosophical look at "headlessness", or the psychological state of "no-self" of mysticism that opens one's mind and senses to the workings of internal and external nature. Harding places "the headless way" within a Zen context, as well as comparing it to other spiritual traditions in this insightful and thought-provoking treatise. On Having No Head is a highly recommended contribution to Buddhist and Eastern Philosophy supplemental reading lists.

Dr. Kathryn Jackson, after finishing her residency in pediatric emergency medicine, begins a long anticipated vacation to Mexico. There she encounters Maximiliano Ramos, now a high ranking government official, who had captured her heart ten years before. Drawn to Max, but knowing they live in different countries and come from different cultures, Kathryn tries to fight the attraction she feels for him. Circumstances and Kathryn's independent nature as well as her fiery Irish temper place her in direct conflict with Max. Unwittingly, Kathryn finds herself involved in the underworld of illegal drugs, and torn between her love for Max and the needs of a small child. Kathryn is forced to make choices that change the course of her life.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. Anne Hodgson delivers a fast pasted, and intriguing read. Reunited love is always a favorite theme, and Ms Hodgson does it with style.

AWESOME!! Anne Hodgson is a true romantic writer! Her gift of character, style, suspense, and love are so captivating. From the moment I started the first page, I couldn't put it down! Kathryn is beguiling and bewitching! What a combination! This book is well worth the read and re-read and re-read! Thank you, Ms. Hodgson, for adding such a wonderful story to my library of romance novels.

This new novel from Anne Hodgson (annehodgson.com) is just wonderful! I loved it from the first page and couldn't put it down. I read her first novel, To Love and To Cherish, and have read it several times. I'll read Chance Encounter again, too. It's full or romance, love, and passion. I can't wait for Anne Hodgson's next book!