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There are two flaws in these books. One is that the editors have taken so much trouble to give so much information about the structure and meaning of the Hebrew, and yet have provided often mediocre, and even often, lousy, inaccurate translation. They have relied on the RSV, and have stated that where they felt necessary, they have given a more literal meaning. The interesting fact is that in many cases, they have let stand those translations of words which have NO basis in the Hebrew text. They have, in fact, gone beyond dynamic equivalence (conservative paraphrasing), and used straight paraphrashing. Why would one go through so much trouble to get to the root of the langage, and then provide a translation that misses the mark virtually or totally. So keep your Hebrew lexicons available, because you are going to need them.
The second error shows up mainly in the verb descriptions. Just looking at the 7 major verb stems, they are clearly classified in error quite frequently. I have found that this is usually between the Qal and Hiphil stems, and often on weak verbs which loose a consonant (e.g., hollow verbs). The pointing of the text will usually be a clear Hiphil, but the editors have classed it as Qal. This is quite a problem, both for understanding the emphasis of the verb stem, and at times the actual meaning of the verb.
I do not recommend this set except for those who are studying Hebrew seriously, using, for instance, Waltke & O'Connor, Gesensius, and other authoritative works. One without a decent knowledge of Hebrew grammar already in the brain will end up teaching inaccuracy in certain areas.
Word-by-word, the masoretic text is analyzed and translated. Especially helpful is the verb analysis. However, one should not expect to see any commentary, since that is not what these volumes are designed to give.
This set of books won't teach you Hebrew, but it you are a little weaker in that area than you would like to be, these books will help you out greatly.
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All of the Girzone books I have read are wonderful. So refreshing and uplifting. Also, easy to read and understand.
I highly recommend this book.
Anyone who has felt a bit arm's length when reading Scripture will find that they are welcomed into God's story as part of it. Fr. Girzone's writings continue to help bring my God closer to me.....and for that I thank him.....eternally.
Lowell Rinker
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I have a problem in understanding his logic when it comes to the Black Americans Soldiers which he controlled. The General states that he was not a predjudist person and was in charge of the 24th Infantry (black) during the Mexican-American war. He praises their work, yet, when the 93rd Division (black), American,arrived in France; Pershing assigned them to the French Army.
Pershing made the statement that Americans will not fight under another countries Flag but then gave the 93rd Division (provisional) to the French.
Further on, General Pershing makes the statement that Black Americans are good soldiers as long as their are white officers leading them. There is no mention of visiting the Regiments (369th, 370th, 371st, and 372nd) during his tours of the regiments.
The Generals attitude towards black officers resulted in an open field-day on all black american officers.
The 92nd Division, a complete black-american division was not given its rightful respect, due awards, and training while in france.
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As an experienced data modeler who works with large, complex data models in a constantly changing business, I find I do not refer to this book at all. The book excludes common data modeling constructs that I have found very useful, including subtypes and supertypes. The book does not explain the difference between conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling. (It covers techniques used to capture conceptual/logical level data, but nowhere does it explain that or the difference between this type of model and a physical model, and why and when you'd need one or the other.)
The book does not cover normalization, which, once one leaves the interview with end users, one will need to understand. The book does not mention data integration with other systems or databases, how this topic is important and could (and often should) arise in interviews with end users.
Some of the topics covered I found shallow and incomplete, for example, how to name things in a data model. The authors take a parochial view by ignoring real world issues such as using consistent names across database and organizations, and avoiding naming things for what they are used for, not what they are.
As a practicing data modeler, I find my users aren't as naieve about data models as Carlis and Maguire assume them to be. I often am asked why I am modeling data in a given way. In my view, this book does not address the "why" - why do you model the data in the way suggested, and what happens if you don't. When I can answer these questions well for my customers, I earn approval, and this book doesn't equip one to do so.
In sum, my belief is that this book contains about 1/4 of the information a person needs to know to become a "master" data modeler. It's a good starter book if you are a novice data modeler or are having trouble gathering information from business subject matter experts, but if you really want to become an expert data modeler, I'd recommend continuing beyong this book. I prefer 'Data Modeling Essentials 2nd Edition' by Graeme Simsion
I've been using the techniques described in this book for years because one of the authors taught me. I've used them to model data about research science, business, and topology. Now others can learn it too.
Carlis cured me of normalization. There's a difference between normalization and "normal forms". A goal of modeling is to produce databases in high normal forms - Boyce-Codd Normal Form, fifth normal form, etc... Most modelers think the only way to do this is through normalization, a specific process that step-by-step improves to a draft model. This book shows how to avoid that process completely. I used to do normalization. Now I use the conversational techniques of this book to reach high normal forms sooner. One thing I always hated about Normalization was that I usually did it after talking to users, which means I was making decisions that the users should have been making. I have not performed normalization in at least ten years. Yet I still produce databases in high normal form. This book does include a chapter about normalization, with normal forms up to fifth, so you can see for yourself how the technique produces high-normal-form databases. If you learned that normalization was essential part of data modeling, this chapter will help you learn this different way of working. If you are new to data modeling, you should start with this book to avoid learning normalization altogether. The principles of high normal forms are important, but the process of normalization is ludicrous.
This is a book about data modeling, not physical database design. It concentrates on the modeling in users' language. The naming conventions it recommends are based on guidelines of language and categories. If you follow these naming guidelines, you will not need to learn a huge list of more specific, special-case naming rules.
I also like what Carlis and MaGuire say about constraints. By following their constraint advice, I have become a much faster data modeler, and my team mates (programmers, DBAs) do not have to wait so long for me to finish my work. It also helps me keep my data models flexible, good for a changing business environment.
This book has more examples than any book on modeling I have ever seen. I stopped counting sample data models when I got to 300.
The hardest part of application design is understanding the user's data. This book concentrates on solving that problem, leaving the technical details of database design to other books.
The course of events in this tale takes some unraveling. Devices employed by Conrad include flashbacks, sudden gaps in the chronologic sequence, and implied dialogue. Consequently, the book reads more like a detective novel than one of O'Brian's straightforward sea adventures. That is to say, it takes a bit of detective work to follow the story.
My only regret is that I read the introduction to this edition first; unfortunately it gives away the ending. That may be the only reason why I didn't rate this book five stars.
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It also points out that organizations and academic institutions are good at developing organizational specialists but not at training managers. The author thinks that these institutions should provide management programs that also focus on developing leadership and managerial skills. But to do that it's important to understand what managers and leaders really do.
Overall a very good read for a traditional manager to be introspective and effective.
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There are interesting stories - but this is not a history that takes into account the second half of the 20th cnetury.
After re-discovering my Catholic faith, I have been trying to explore the depths of my Church and its teachings. This book has helped me to put people, places, and events in their proper perspective.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in finding the roots of their Catholic faith.
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I would not recommend using this as your only source of questions. However, it is a good question source for rapid review of a lot of information. You can get through the questions rather quickly. Offers a nice change of pace from the NMS series or Board Review Series (which tend to bog you down with long, very detailed answers requiring intense attention).
Highly recommend as an additional source of questions.
P.S. Remember, the best way to score high on Step 1 is QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!!!
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Strengths of the book include an eye-opening look at Ford's WWII service, (How many other guys were at both Midway and D-Day and managed to get to Burma and Yugoslavia as well?) a clear presentation of Ford's relations with the different studios (the list of "better" titles for The Quiet Man the head of Republic tried to force on Ford is hysterically funny) and an evenhanded evaluation of Ford's behavior during the blacklist era.
Perhaps the evenhandedness of McBride's tone is what I liked the most about the book. One could take Ford's life and turn it into a straightforward case of hero-worship, or one could take an axe to him up and down the line, pointing out his failures in family life, his bigoted comments, his questionable actions in some controversial issues. McBride avoids falling into either extreme camp. We get Ford warts and all here, and it is left up to us to decide.
My only complaint is that the book is too short. I would have liked more discussion on a few films, and I would have liked a chapter on Ford's posthumous reputation. McBride raises the issue in his introduction that Ford is being forgotten by the new generation of writers and filmmakers, but he never quite tells why.
Still, this was a fine book, one that I read quickly despite its length.