Dr. Marty must have put in a lot of time and effort into this book. He discribes each century and the ideologies that the people believed in. He describes all the problems and benifits of each time period. He accomplished this through quotes; well broken up chapters and thorough anaylsis. At some points, the book becomes to thick with facts and very slow. It never lacked inspiration or serious effort. Dr. Marty's book is a well writen work that a lot of time and effort went into. If you are serious about history I would recomend that you read it.

This book is definitely designed for clinicians, but in some ways is too basic for professionals who primarily work with dementia patients. However, the chapters on family, legal issues and particularly the chapter on environment are very useful. A good resource for a clinician new to treating dementia.

As a student working in the area of applied optics as related to flow cytometry, I had many questions to ask about the principles of operation and aplication of flow cytometry.

This text provided a wealth of knowledge in the field, from historical accounts of flow, through general principles of operation and overviews of technoligical developments and commercial instruments, to the biological application of these instruments to clinical and research laboratories.

'Flow Cytometry & Sorting' is excellent both as an introductory text and reference guide for flow cytometer developers, users, and researchers.

give you an interesting look into some of the differences in our own country concernig laws. It is very houmorus, but strangly enough it is true.

This book actually covers three USS Californias - the Armored Cruiser, the Battleship (BB44), and the nuclear-powered Guided Missile Cruiser. However, the bulk of the book addresses BB44. There are many pictures, which will be of interest to modelers or those who are interested in battleships in general. There is also a narrative that provides a high-level summary of the ships' histories. However, this narrative does not go into much detail - which is to be expected in a book of this size. If you are interested in a more in-depth of BB44, I would highly recommend "Blue Water Beat", which goes into great detail of the battleship's history as well as interviews with former crew members. You might also be interested in "Battleship Sailor" by Theodore S. Mason. This book is a personal account of life aboard the USS California from 1939 to 1941. "Golden State Battelwagon" is a very good introduction to BB44.

Two orphans escape from their mean aunt, and team up with Mortimer Wintergreen, an interesting fellow with an even more interesting magical hat. The hat has a personality of its own.

I liked the way this book was the way it was set in the 1890's, proving that not all things old are boring. It also had a nice, sweet ending, and gut-ripping humor.

I read this book in elementary school, and still remember it!

Without a doubt, a biblical approach to church management is needed. In the recent past, ministries have instead adopted secular management principles, which view authority simply as manipulation. The very premise of secular management is getting work done through other people.

Conversely, Rush understands Christian leadership to be focused on serving those in the ranks, not lording authority over them. Christian management, by definition, is meeting the needs of people as they labor at accomplishing their jobs. In return the people eagerly work hard for their servant-leaders.

Rush's writing is based on the Tower of Babel account in Genesis 11:1-9. From this text he derives four keys for a successful organization: it must have (1) commitment to a common goal, (2) unity among the people, (3) effective communication, and (4) a desire to do the will of God. The author notes that the last of these keys was not found in the construction of the tower, and so the plan was confounded. "And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" (v.6).

From my perspective, the book addresses three main issues in relationship to the above keys: people, plans, and problems. People, Rush suggests, are our greatest resource. They can improve project performance immensely if managers will simply recognize their creative abilities. How does that happen? The author recommends that leaders (1) build trust relationships, (2) delegate decision making power, (3) turn mistakes and failures into learning experiences, and (4) provide gratitude to those who make a difference.

In addition, it is vital that the people are rallied with a team spirit toward a common goal. Teams, the author states, improve quantity and quality of production. Why? Team members are allowed to compensate for the weaknesses and compliment the strengths of the others on the team.

Rush also sees God with a specific plan for the ministry (or business) and as the source of all power to accomplish that plan. He states that in order to know God's will, one must first be committed to doing it. Plans then are formulated around this vision and in the power of God.

Finally, the book deals with solving problems. The author notes the importance of handling difficult situations quickly and wisely, as "conditions degenerate as needed action is delayed." Particularly problematic areas include communication, delegation, and time management.

Leaders must be aware of the power of their verbal and nonverbal communication. Rush states that 55% of communication is in fact nonverbal, 38% is in the tone of voice, and only 7% is actually in the words we use. In order then to be effective, leaders must not only work on what they say, but how they say it. This is especially true during times of conflict, when weaknesses and faults are magnified. Christians should deal only with the facts and according to the principles found in Matthew 18.

Delegation is another difficulty. Delegation is the transfer of authority, responsibility, and accountability from one person or group to another. It should create leaders, stimulate creativity, and demonstrate trust. Some of the most common reasons leaders do not delegate are pride, lack of teaching, and an enjoyment of the work. In light of these, Rush gives considerable attention to the four basic leadership styles: dictatorial, authoritative, consultative, and participative.

Poor time management can also create a leadership fiasco. Time is too valuable to be mishandled. Leaders must develop priorities and stay focused. The "size of your goal reflects the size of your God," Rush states. So focus on God and the opportunity, not on the problem itself.

The book was written in such a way that it could benefit the local church pastor, the parachurch organizational manager, or the secular businessmen. In any situation, however, Rush maintains that a Christian must have a biblical approach to management. On this premise I would agree.

The most convicting part of the book to me was the author's statement about handling problems. Too often I am guilty of waiting in hopes that the problem will resolve itself or go away. Yet that is not frequently the case. "Conditions degenerate as needed action is delayed." This is one point that I will not soon forget.

October 2000

"METROPOLITICS: A regional agenda for community and stability" (1997) by Myron Orfield presents a convincing solution to a surprising array of problems. Americans hate sprawl, but they hate even more anything that they can find a way to label socialism. Orfield describes a system of regional government -- tried and tested by himself and others in Minnesota -- that promoters of corporate profit will have a difficult time pinning the pinko label on. Much of what Orfield thinks promotes sprawl are government regulations and projects of an undesirable sort.

Regional planning reduces competition among towns, counties, and neighborhoods that hurts them all. Without regionalism, taxpayers end up subsidizing sprawl and ghettoization. Companies play one locality off against another to find the biggest giveaways. Developers lobby successfully for publicly funded infrastructure in the hinterlands, and affluent (largely white) residents move out of downtown. Schools in the city become dominated by poor students, taxes are raised to subsidize the wealthy suburbs, and white flight escalates.

Orfield's book concentrates on the example of Minneapolis/St. Paul, but is applicable around the United States, and presents useful strategies for improving schools, creating affordable housing, and numerous other projects in addition to protecting the environment and quality of life. Orfield maintains that higher spending on schools in areas of concentrated poverty is pointless. What's needed, he says, is (aside from the elimination of poverty, and as a step in that direction) a redistribution moving some of the poor to the suburbs and some of the wealthy downtown. He wants to fight sprawl, in fact, by building affordable housing in the suburbs. This is because he sees a primary promoter of sprawl as ghettoization and white flight.

Of course, Orfield also wants to see denser construction, and argues that competition among localities drives the desire for less dense construction in hopes that it will produce more tax revenue than it produces demand for services. Regional planning can avoid this vicious rivalry, and -- by mixing housing of various prices -- can allow people to live nearer their jobs, thus cutting the costs of transportation throughout the region.

I think Orfield's point about schools is worth quoting a few passages. I, for one, am immediately suspicious of any assertion that what struggling schools need is not money. But this one I find persuasive:

"Schools are the first victim and most powerful perpetuator of metropolitan polarization."

"Few people realize that the central-city schools spend $7,060 per pupil. 15 percent more than any other group of districts in the Twin Cities. Spending on central-city schools is also high in Chicago, Atlanta, and many other cities throughout the United States. No matter where it occurs, higher spending does little to attract or retain middle-class students. The existing level of poverty and student diversity are overriding deflectors."

"'If you just fix the schools so the middle class will be comfortable, the city will stabilize,' reform advocates often say. This claim would be true if anyone knew how to fix monolithically poor schools. School reformers, like reform advocates for cities, rarely take into account the effects of concentrated poverty on schools -- effects that are fundamental to how attractive these schools appear to the middle class."

The basic premise of this book of collected essays by a handful of authors is that the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s promised individual freedom, unlimited sexual satisfaction, and personal fulfillment and that this promise was never fulfilled. To the contrary, this promise was a big lie that was a thin guise for a culture of protracted adolescence, selfishness, hedonism, and ultimately nihilism and despair. Looking back, it's almost easy to criticize the sexual revolution since we can see the zany pop psychology beliefs and appalling displays of selfishness that this so-called "Revolution" spawned. However easy the target, the sexual revolution is still considered the final word on sexuality for many and these essays for the most part offer an incisive and stimulating antidote to the excesses of the sexual revolution and make important critiques against the way we denigrate monogamy, the way children are inappropriately sexualized and exploited by pop culture, and the way certain "intellectuals" reduce human beings to science, removing the soul and its needs from any kind of discussion about family and sexuality. Bear in mind, these essays are written by writers who are members of a conservative think tank, so you're not exactly getting diverse opinions here. Nevertheless, considering how saturated our popular culture is with frenzied sex, these essays are an important call to pause and examine sexuality and its discontents in our society.

I found that "Nearby History" (2nd edition) was actually quite an informative book. I was looking for something in particular about my family, and I was at a complete loss as to how to find it. I haven't found it yet, but thanks to this book, I have made progress. I thought it'd be just for historians.