As an Executive Coach and a close observer of many corporate cultures it did my poor old tired heart a world of good to read this book. If what Hal Rosenbluth says about his company is even half true, it puts his organization at the forefront of employee value and relationship management. Beyond all that, it makes perfect common sense. Why we would think in our wildest imagination that an employee who does not feel valued by his employer would not transmit that lack of appreciation to his customers, is a mistery to me. The first 100 pages of this book are not be missed by any company who truly wants to improve their workplace culture, increase the productivity of their workforce and cut their turnover rate down dramatically. Read it and implement any one of the outstanding programs explained within and watch s shift in morale and productivity start right away. This book is a keeper and an excellent reference source. I could not recommend it more highly.

I am an avid reader of business books, and if I gain just one or two usable ideas from a book, I consider it worth my time. This book is a stand-out among management books, because I got not one or two, but at least a dozen solid ideas I can implement right away. I have shared it with all my top level managers, and have wathced it being shared throughout my multi-national organization. It is a gem, to be kept within reach in one's office -- not with the countless other books that sit, read once, on most managers' bookshelves. I highly recommend it for anyone who cares about the success of their business.

I don't think I need to tell any educated person that a review from a disgruntled ex-employee needs to be taken with a grain of salt, if not a whole handful (9/26/02). Rosenbluth is not a perfect company, and Hal never pretends it is but the lifeblood of his company is his belief that every member of the company is a valuable contributor. His book does a great job of conveying that value proposition and how others can make it work.

Although many companies preach an employee empowerment model few practice it. That's why Rosenbluth's mascot is the Salmon - we swim upstream.

Last month, after our company installed a new videoconferencing system, my boss asked me to assume responsibility for our first trial meeting with a midwestern customer organization. I was very excited about the promise that this new technology could afford our business. But, I must confess, that the actual videoconference event was a big disappointment. Even though the equipment worked as promised, the meeting felt like Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour." That's when I began browsing around for a book that might address the weaknesses I perceived in our interaction. And, I discovered that only one book - of the dozens available on videoconferencing - actually dealt with the human communication issues involved.

After my first experience, I can attest that these are, indeed, the most important.

Our next videoconference event is scheduled in a few days - and I think our company is now much better prepared, thanks to the helpful, practical tips in this book, Smart Videoconferencing This book emphasizes the significant differences that exist between a face to face meeting and a videoconference. There is a paradox involved, because the videoconference demands both greater care and professionalism, while, at the same time, there is the necessity for a sense of relaxation and authenticity. I can tell you that our first event lacked both of these qualities - and our company lost some business as a result. Now, I think I we can avoid the mistakes we made last time.

I highly recommend this book for anyone engaged in videoconferencing when the stakes are high.

I enjoyed reading the book. Even easy to read for me who is no‚Ž-native speaker of English or intermidiate learner of the language. I did not have to look up dictionary so often.
Anyway,I think that this book will be good especially for those novice end users who have just started using the video technology and who want to use it in more effective and productive ways.
I think that this is a kind of a book that end users desire.@Basically they are not intersted in how technology works behind but more and more they are interested in benefits and effects that they anticipate to get from using the technology. Not intersted in features and capabilities etc.. Some may, though.
However, I would like to point out one thing.
There is a paragraph in page 10 regarding Japanese video market graph. What is written is not correctly translated into English.
The numbers in the year 1998 and 2000 are based on a prediction by unidentified source according to the web page.But numbers in the year 1988,1993 and 1995 are actual numbers.
The graph was a part of a presentation made for doctors in Saitama to understand the status quo of videocommunications in relation to medical activities. But it does not show the source.
The numbers includes all kinds of video equipment from room or board type to set-top to PC based to surveilance. It does not mean one product category.
But it is true that the first video service was launch in 1984 by NTT, but it was actually not as popular as expected. Just a handful of big companies in Japan used the service to slash costs associated with travels, and the service cost per month as running cost was unjustifiably quite high to smaller businesses, so it did not go hit. And after that, audio service introduced also by NTT that offers relatively inexpensive service which could be accepted by smaller businesses.

I have read a lot of books on the subject of VC. It is great that someone has finally begun to look at the very important presentation aspects of this field, which the authors have done extremely well. This book is a fantastic primer for how to look your best during a VC and create the right impression with your audience. I highly recommend it.

There are so many fabulous insights in this book, and such honesty that it should be required reading for high school religion classes. Cardinal Ratzinger has really hit the nail on the head, giving all of us an inside view of the issues that are important to the Church. "In today's whirl of instant bliss, religion, too, is socially respectable only as a dream of happiness without tears, as a mystical enchantment of the soul. Perhaps the Church comes under heavier fire because she talks about sin and suffering and rectitude of life....Just one curious example - when it comes to the state, as soon as crimes begin to multiply and society feels its safety threatened, there is an immediate demand for tougher laws. In relation to the Church, whose laws are moral in nature, the exact opposite happens - there is a demand for further relaxation."

A very readable, interresting book! Cardinal Ratzinger gives his views on a wide range of topics in the course of an extended interview with Peter Seewald, including his life and the state of the *world-wide* Church. This book offers valuable insights from a man who is uniquely positioned to "see" the workings of the Church as a whole.

In the more "liberal" circles, there's apparently a tendency to villify Cardinal Ratzinger as some kind of "right-wing", closed-minded fringe type. Having read this book, I find that claim hard to believe: whether one agrees with his views or not, it is hard to see the Cardinal as anything other than a thoughtful, intellegent and learned man.

[The following three paragraphs were striken from the end of my earlier review of this book due to length restrictions. The beginning of the review, of which these three paragraphs form the concluding portion, appears immediately below this review.]

Cardinal Ratzinger is forthright in his pessimistic assessment of the time ahead. "The danger of a dictatorship of opinion is growing, and anyone who doesn't share the prevailing opinion is excluded, so that even good people no longer dare to stand by such nonconformists [i.e. Christians]. Any future anti-Christian dictatorship would probably be much more subtle than anything we have known until now. It will appear to be friendly to religion, but on the condition that its own models of behavior and thinking not be called into question." (153) The Church must attorn to the zeitgeist in this scheme. These themes are explored in Michael D. O'Brien's "Children of the Last Day" novels.

It is time for the faithful, Cardinal Ratzinger says, to form "vital circles." [T]here are great, vibrant new beginnings and joyful forms of Christian life that don't figure much statistically but are humanly great and have the power to shape the future." (143). "Particularly when one has to resist evil it's important to not to fall into gloomy moralism that doesn't allow itself any joy but really to see how much beauty there is, too, and to draw from it the strength needed to resist what destroys joy." (69)

In his autobiography, the novelist and historian Russell Kirk wrote, "Not by force of arms are civilizations held together, but by the threads of moral and intellectual belief. In the hands of the Fates are no thunderbolts: only threads and scissors." Throughout this book, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger shows that in most parts of the world that the Roman Catholic Church is the last defense against the decay of human civilization. By defending revelation and sacred tradition against the moral anarchy of the age, the Church withholds disorder of the soul and the commonwealth, the idolatry of man as god, and preserves man, as a creature of God, against transitory and often violent popular passion. The ambitions of those men who would bring about and celebrate her demise are dangerous. Implicit in Cardinal Ratzinger's words and lifetime service is the message that it is time for serious men of serious purpose to come to her defense.

This book is very well done and I cannot understate how impressed I was with the effort that the author put into it. He certainly did his research and does a great job outlining the short but rumour ridden history of the Glock handgun. Typically in this genre of book you find a lot of fluff and no real substance, not the case here. One other thing, I may have changed the title lest the suggestion be that Glock is strictly a combat gun, but that statement is debunked in the book, you have to read it to see what I mean. The book is dated in some aspects- there has been further expansion and development of the product line that is not covered. A followup book is in order here to come current. Interestingly the Glock accessories (E-tool, bayonets, etc.) are covered, many people probably did not know these accessories even existed until seeing it here! From the technical point of view, and speaking as a Glock armorer, the book DOES NOT replace the armory documents and manual and was not meant to do so. While the reader is given a general idea of how the Glock functions and the concept of "Safe Action" I would not tackle disassembly of a Glock firearm without training beyond what is in the book. You will not find guides to parts interchangabilities or quirks that are associated with particular models. Okay, now that the disclaimer is out the way, for the firearms enthusiast this is a great one to have on the shelf. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

An outstanding technical reference, this book also delves into the history of Glock (both the man and the gun), the myths, the political hysteria, and the practical reality of this remarkable device. I had the good fortune to count Mr. Kasler among my few close friends. Pete passed away April 16, 2001.

This book is a pretty good read as you may have gleaned from my 5 star rating. However, it is also quite dated already and does not have sections on the relatively new Mini Glocks like the Glock 26 9mm Parabellum that I own. This book is just waiting for a revised edition to fit our need for current information. However, as an entertainment vehicle, it can't be beat.

It's a nice book, with excerpts of letters, and many photographs; although geared towards children, I at sixteen found it adorable. Although when you look at it, it's sad--how an innocent girl, caught up in politics, was shot. It's a nice look into the "eyes" of Anastasia, and I bet 'Shvyzbik' would be pleased.

Beautifully and honestly presented, "Anastasia's Album" tells the story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicolaievna Romanova. It offers a delightful glimpse of life in Imperial Russia, before and during its collapse, enhanced by photographs from the Romanov family albums and quotes from the family's letters and diaries. "Anastasia's Album" covers Anastasia's life from birth up to the family's imprisonment. It very tastefully tells of the family's tragic end and also has an epilogue that addresses the Anna Anderson controversy and subsequent films, setting the reader straight on the historical truth.

One of the greatest things about "Anastasia's Album" is how children absolutely love it! I teach elementary school, and the book has been a favorite among my students every year. It has turned several of my students on to history, and many of them did their own Russian history research after starting with "Anastasia's Album."

In all, this is a fantastic book, and Shelley Tanaka did the world a great service in writing it! "Anastasia's Album" should be in every school library and is a must-read for history buffs of all ages.

I loved this book. I did wish it was longer, with more pictures.
Also more quotes from Anastasia herself, not just the author's
words.

David Baum's work on change management, while not as scholarly or detailed as John Kotter's widely-read "Leading Change," is well-written and accessible to a variety of audiences. He arranges his subject matter so that you can open to any page, begin reading there and glean some useful, practical advice on the process of change management. He writes in a very easy and informal style, which makes the book fun to read. As is the case with many of these "management" books, Baum leans a little heavily on anecdotes and witty stories to illustrate his points, but nevertheless manages to keep them concise and relevant. If your company, organization or group is going through a reorganization or a change management process, I would definitely recommend reading this book as a group both before and during the process. I think it will be very helpful, thought-provoking and well worth your time.

I LOVED this book. Practical, useful, funny, refreshing. I was delighted with the specific suggestions and useful information provided. I could pick it up anywhere, read from anywhere. It's a delight to have a leadership book so accessible.

In particular, the chapters on the change cycle and the benefits we get in NOT changing were especially useful and thought-provoking.

My only problem was everyone who picked up my copy wanted to take it with them.

...A practical reflection of David's travels through corporations... and life. Lots of very useful and inspiring ideas of what to do and what NOT to do to solve problems in organizations. The book is organized into short, easy to read chapters, each making a key point.

NOT the usual business rhetoric; instead it's based on actual experiences, so it's both funny and packed with learning. Highly recommended!

This is a fantastic book for the first-time potter or for someone experienced hoping to learn more. The only weakness was too few photos of finished products to see the results of techniques being described in the book. Otherwise, a fun book that will inspire you to learn more about your craft!

I got this book as a Christmas present from 3 of my dearest friends last year and it has just been a FANTASTIC source of inspiration and information since. Projects were easy to follow and instructions were clear, illustrated with lots of nicely taken photos to guide you every step of the way. I would highly recommend this book to both beginners and/or experienced potters.

What a great book for all of us clay lovers. Not overwhelming yet offers information on about everything you need to know. I've had this book for several years and I keep getting out again and again.

Aside from the fabulous title, the graphics are so appealing; those are what drew me to this book at first. The story itself perplexed me a little bit until it dawned on me that it is a fabulous explanation to give any child about why she can never catch the bunnies that she chases in the yard. It can be frustrating to a child that a pursued rabbit will always run away when all that she wants to do is play with it and be nice to it. So, after some thought, I adore the story almost as much as I love the pictures. I have not kid-tested this book but, because of the beautiful graphics alone (plus, of course, the age-appropriate language and subject matter), I imagine that kids would love it, too.

"Little Bunny on the Move" is the engaging story of a veritable cottonball of a rabbit who is on a mission to reach his home. Along the way he is confronted by a little girl and animals that question the fact he appears to have no place to go. But this headstrong hare knows better, rebuffing all who question his seemingly purposeless state. His singlemindedness is a good message for children.

While the story itself is good, it is the luminous illustrations that elevate this book beyond the horde of mundane children's fare out there in the marketplace. McCarty's monochromatic drawings look remarkably like infrared photographs - everything seems to glow with life. The softness in the illustrations makes them seem as if they floated out of a lush dream. And that little bunny is just as cute as cute gets, too.

Endearing and beautiful. A worthy addition to any child's library.

A small bunny goes on the move, but what is he searching for? Where is he going? He travels across the countryside, stopping only to sleep at night. He finally reaches his destination, but what does he find there?

A brilliantly illustrated and written picturebook for young children. The drawings, made from watercolor and colored pencil, are among the most striking and visually appealing I have ever seen in a children's book. This book may likely become a collector's item for its simple but genuine story and superb illustrations.

I first read this highly informative, often hilarious book for Intro to Political Science back in college. In this short tome are pearls of wisdom about politics and human nature still relevant 100 years later. Plunkitt, high atop his regular boot-black stand in NYC, declaims to his biographer, Riordan, a life spent in the political machine known as Tammany Hall, with such disarming honesty that is nearly non-existent today. Plunkitt's diatribes on "honest graft vs. dishonest graft," "Brooklynites Natural-Born Hayseeds," and the evils of civil service exams are outright hilarious. I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in politics.

Plunkitt was a king in a world that needed benevolent despots. In a place like turn of the century of New York before Keynesian economics and the Welfare State, Tammany was the only relief the poor knew. Plunkitt reveals with refreshing honesty the seemingly rough and coarse manner with which one needed to play the game of politics in his town. However, one must look at it in context. This was a different time from our own, and the reader must imagine whether a person of Plunkitt's demeanor can last in the information age political world. Then again, the book also illustrates how many of the problems Tammany had still exist today.

I originally read this book in undergraduate school as Political Science major, and had to go back and find a copy because of the profound affect it had on my psyche. George Washington Plunkitt was a "stereotypical" politician. You know, the one who says what he needs to say to get elected; but once there does what's necessary for his party.

Comparing his comments to the actions of present day politicians, I don't think there are many differences. Everyone does a little grafting and civil servants are still "civil servants." Understood?

As with any politician, Plunkitt "seen (his) opportunities and (he) took 'em." This is a must for anyone interested in any realm of politics.

After reading his prior novels (particularly "The Weekend" and "Andorra"), I've come to expect that Peter Cameron's novels will be beautifully crafted and full of rich, human dialogue and insight. Peter Cameron's new novel, "The City of Your Final Destination," met my expectations and then some. Like his other works, "City" is full with wonderful yet unassuming prose and dialogue, and intelligent observations on modern life. What makes "City" really special, though, is its generosity towards its characters and their fortunes. The novel recounts, without any of that easy cynicism, but with lots of humor, an exiled and splintered family's coming to terms with a beguiling offer from a young graduate student who descends upon them unannounced. Never syruppy or sentimental, Cameron warmly shows us what it's like today to try, all at once, to do the right thing by all, the best thing for yourself and, in the process, manage to carve out a little love and happiness. Not an easy task, but when rendered with heart and pluck by Peter Cameron, it makes for great, rewarding reading. Enjoy.

I read this wonderful novel after reading Richard Eder's rave review in The New York Times. For once, a critic's hype was absolutelyl justified. I haven't read a more beautifully written and satisfying -- not to mention howlingly funny -- novel in ages. Peter Cameron gives you everything you want from a novel (or at least everything I want): amazingly complex and sympathetic characters, a gorgeous depiction of scene and event (it's no wonder Eder claims the book would make a fantastic movie -- you can almost see the movie as you read the book, it's so vivid and alive), the smartest, wittiest, most moving dialogue of any contemporary writer, and a hurtling plot that encompasses all sorts of human questions of morals and manners and love. The book is a light as a summer breeze, but has considerable depth -- it is explores its moral quandries with the sort of effortless, sure touch of E. M. Forster. My tastes may be old-fashioned, but I didn't think people were writing novels like this anymore: smart, beautiful, supremely moving. No cynicism or authorial ego here. Yes, it's conventional, but wow is it a wonderful book.

There are a select few authors that I look forward to reading. Peter Cameron is within that group. The anticipation of picking up one of his books is exciting, because I know I will be in for a very good read. And this latest book is no exception.

Reading this book, I had no idea where Mr. Cameron was going to take me. The characters are rich and the plot absorbing. And half-way through this read, I thought that wherever he would leave me really didn't matter. While the destination was awesome, my journey was equally satisfying.

I highly recommend this book (and any of Mr. Cameron's other ones as well). He writes so well. Using a minimum of words, he is able to tell the story so vividly, far better than a lot of other authors who use paragraphs upon paragraphs to describe a scene. There are writers who write stories, and then there are authors, such as Mr. Cameron, who write literature.

Don't miss this one!