Things are getting hairy for heavyweight present-delivering champion of the world Santa Claus in Mick Foley's Christmas Chaos. The elves are making like South Park miscreants, mooning the boss, talking trash, and watching Raw Is War on TV instead of working. Seven reindeer are having a "schmozz" (free-for-all) against Rudolph, resentful of his song royalties and uppity attitude. Cupid just "nailed poor Rudolph's nose with a People's Hoof," Rudolph threatens to send Santa to jail, and Santa wants to go on strike.

But Mrs. Claus saves the day by calling in those elfin fellows, the World Wrestling Federation Superstars. Santa cheers right up--even though, "for the first time in his life, / A Superstar had mistletoe and tried to kiss his wife." The holiday doggerel by WWF star and bestselling author Mick Foley is fairly amusing, and the colorful illustrations by wrestling announcer Jerry "The King" Lawler are surprisingly good. His Mad-like caricature of Mick captures the man's missing-teeth grin and raffish mien at least as well as Yellow Submarine evoked the Beatles.

Parents, don't fret: the scariest picture is Rudolph with a nosebleed, and all bad language is rendered thus: "bleep bleep." The cruelest line in the book is this: "One child wanted Al Snow's Best Matches, though no such tape existed." Henceforth, we'll all just have to refer to the noted arm-twister turned author as "good saint Mick." --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Foley is good!
Mick Foley's Christmas Chaos has to be a book destined to be a family classic. The Illustrations by Jerry "The King" Lawler are the true highlight. There is also humor (Jerry Lawler steals art supplies and Val Venis attempts to kiss Santa's wife). It also rhymes. For those of us expecting Foley to top Have a Nice Day!, don't!. This is purely a family (Or children's) book. I would still however have to recommend it. Than again, I am a fan of the WWF.

good for wrestling fans, not sure about children today
This is a children's book from professional wrestler Mick Foley. Foley is the author of two previous memoirs (Have a Nice Day, Foley is Good). The illustrations are done by Jerry "The King" Lawler. The idea of a children's book by a professional wrestler, not to mention one known for the level of violence that Foley is, is a little surprising and I was more than a little bit skeptical. Christmas Chaos is better than I expected.

Santa has been having some problems up at the North Pole. The elves are showing no respect (one is running around naked and mooning Santa) and the reindeer are beating on Rudolph. Everyone is filled with greed and Santa is in despair. In the end he calls up Vince McMahon and a bunch of WWF superstars come and save the day.

While the action is crude, it never goes over the line of what may be appropriate for children. Some parents may question the content, but in my experience (and the success of certain movies) this is what many children find funny, this sort of slapstick action.

One thing that must be mentioned is the inclusion of WWF superstars. While this was done cleverly and was written well, it is also extremely dated and will only become more so as time goes on. A truly good children's book will stand up over time, but I doubt this one will. Children will not recognize the wrestlers and in another 5 years very few of them will be recognizable. This hurts the ending portion of the book. Since I recognized everyone, I enjoyed this children's book and thought it was fairly clever and well written. I'm not sure what the reaction of children will be this year and in 5 years.

A chaotic Christmas with the hardcore legend.
After the huge success of his first two books, legendary wrestler-turned-writer Mick Foley decided to diversify his writing style by making a children's book about his favorite holiday, Christmas.

The first thing you'll notice about "Mick Foley's Christmas Chaos" is the tremendous artwork done by commentator Jerry Lawler. I really had no idea that someone like him could draw so well, and I was suprised to see how much detail he put into all of the characters and background settings.

The book is very well written, as we've come to expect from someone like Foley. Taking a page from the likes of fellow authors such as Dr. Suess, every line in "Christmas Chaos" is cleverly and humorously used in a rhyming fashion. This is a great book for people of all ages in need of a good laugh, but my only complaint is the cost. I bought it around two years ago at the mall for about $18 (it was actually on sale) and was able to finish it in six minutes. Maybe the price has lowered since then, but I find it a little ridiculous to pay so much for something that is so short. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas   2. Elves   3. Fiction - General   4. General   5. Humor   6. Poetry   7. Santa Claus   

Customer Reviews (7)

very dissapointing
i am a card-carrying girlfiend ... loved iovine's previous books (i have all the guides from pregnancy to getting your grrove back and LOVE them all!). i really wanted to love this book.

instead, it was a huge dissapointment. it had none of the chatty, witty dialougue or cute anecdotes that made iovine's earlier books fun to read, and so different from every other parenting book.

this book read like a very tedious magazine article. the author occasionally tried to sprinkle in some vicki-like humor or language but it was sporatic, awkward and always fell painfully short. and as far as the content -- even the slightly experienced mom will find the ideas redundant.

A lot of help!
As a person who enjoys cooking and entertaining at the drop of a hat, when it came time to throw a birthday party for a 3-year-old, I was clueless. I bought this book in anticipation of my daughter's 3rd birthday party. I followed the directions to the T and the party went off without a hitch. I have since used it to plan activities for playdates and for gift ideas for other kids' birthday parties. No, Vicki didn't write this all by herself, but hey, she's got a lot going on in her life with 4 kids, etc. I still found the information to be enlightening and helpful.

Disappointment to Girlfriends
How disappointing to discover that this Girlfriend's Guide isn't written by Vicki Iovine (her name is on the book, with another author, but it just doesn't sound like her). This volume reads more like a tedious magazine article, replacing those terrific anecdotes with reminders about choking hazards. The party ideas are presented in fairly bland description, and were not really very creative. The playdate information was covered better in other volumes. The gift-giving section was poorly though out (this is supposed to be for moms as they relate to their kids' friends, but extravagant, "grandparent" items were listed (instead of general guidelines about choosing how much to spend). Many of the ideas for play with children just sounded like lists in a magazine article. Most of the things I loved about the other Girlfriend's Guide books are absent from this volume--it just doesn't ring true. It does, however, have enough decent information to warrant a glance--but it could've been in any parenting magazine. The book just lacks the magical quality that made the other books such treasures to moms. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities   2. Children's parties   3. Entertaining - Party Planning   4. Family & Relationships   5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth   6. Family/Marriage   7. General   8. Parenting - General   

Customer Reviews (7)

A Practical and Compassionate Approach to Helping Your Child
This excellent book helps parents in a practical way to approach understanding and "solving" problems their child/children with ADHD may have with coping with learning and life. Parents are guided through the process of identifying the difficulties their child is having and also with identifying the resources to help them set up mechanisms with which the child and the family can develop successful school and social careers. This book is down-to-earth and practical. And, through the voice of Theodore, Dr. Heininger's son, we are given insights into the emotional turmoil ADHD can create in a child. Very helpful, and highly recommended!

Not very realistic.
I read all of these reviews prior to purchasing this book. I remember reading the review from the woman who mentioned that this book wasn't helpful for her as her child has AD/HD and bi-polar disorder. I didn't let this review stop me from buying the book, as there were other positive reviews from parents that didn't have children with ADHD.

I wish I would have heeded the warning from the mother of the ADHD child. I should NOT have purchased this book.

I have a son with ADHD, and I bought the book. There were a few good tips here and there... but the book was overall upsetting and insulting to me. The expectations this author has of her 9 year old son with ADHD is ridiculous! The book is written with commentaries from the author (mother of child with ADHD) the son, and the therapist. The mom is SO hard on the son. Her list of rules is endless. Even the therapist mentioned on several occasions that the parents rules are too extensive.

As I was reading the book, I thought that the mother would listen to the therapist and lighten up her expectations of the child. NO. She siimply demanded that the son follow her rules -- all two million of them. After everything I have read about children with ADHD -- if you follow the advice of this author/mother, you will overwhelm your child and push them away.

The author makes her son out to be an animal because he can't follow her unrealistic set of rules. At 9 years old with ADHD, she expects him to do the following every morning: Get up, get dressed, make bed, get breakfast, eat breakfast, clean up dishes & empty the dishwasher if needed, brush teeth, comb hair, kisses, depart for school bus. And this was her list after she pared it down upon the suggestion of her therapist! Give me a break!

Perhaps this book would be helpful to the parent of a child with out ADHD... but I didn't find it very helpful as the parent of a chld with ADHD.

The unrealistic expectations of this author/mother were a huge turn-off for me.

If you are the parent of a child with ADHD, I do not recommend this book.

The author/mother is the source of the chaos in this book, not her son -- the child with ADHD.

I would like to see this author/mother walk a mile in her son's shoes, and see how it feels to follow her rules.

How do you define chaos?
This book may be useful for children with only ADD with no hyperactivity or children not suffering from any biological problems. But if you define chaos by not remembering to turn off lights or flush the toilet or by forgetting homework, then I don't think you truely know what chaos is. I live with a ADHD and Bipolar child who truely causes chaos in my home, including hitting, slamming doors, throwing things, cutting his sister's hair, climbing out the window, etc., and he is only six. This book did not help me at all. It made me cry and wish I just had the problems they discussed. If you have true chaos choose another book. The Explosive Child by Ross Greene helped me a lot. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior disorders in children   2. Behavior modification   3. Child rearing   4. Children with Special Needs   5. Family & Relationships   6. Family / Parenting / Childbirth   7. Family/Marriage   8. Parenting   9. Parenting - Discipline   10. Parenting - General   11. Problem children   

Customer Reviews (1)

A Gospel of Chaos and Love
About a year ago I was present to hear Dr. Goodchild's response to a classmate's question about whether love is "only projection," an erotic glow we put into the person we fall for. We had just had a class in psychoanalysis, a useful but highly reductive set of theories and therapies.

Although I can't repeat the response here, much as I'd like to, it was splendidly animated, asking in essence: if love is all projection, what does that say about the beloved--HER feelings, HER reality?

Although you can't know the St. Elmo's Fire that cavorts from the very windows wherever Dr. Goodchild speaks unless you're there to have your hair raised by it, the passion behind it lights this fine book of hers, in which Sekmet and Shakti, angels and aliens rise like currents of celestial fire to charge the dance of Chaos and Eros, the mythic pair so often pushed off the dance floor by Chaos and Order or just Order, finally a solo in the positivist pageants of our time, so addicted are we to programs, lists, and control, we heirs to Apollo and Rome.

And so the Chaos we try to arrange out of our lives and relationships (thereby depotentiating both) breaks in again in unexpected places, angered at going unrecognized, eager to initiate us into a richer and more genuine--and more tumultuous--kind of Eros than we're used to. For there's no such thing as a safe love, or a truly orderly vocation. Would we want them if there could be?

Some of my classmates question whether depth-related learnings are still relevant, what with falling bombs, terrorist attacks, a literal anthrax to match the psychic poisoning of our era. In and below such surface-level cataclysms and the pain they involve Dr. Goodchild reads the re-emergence of a long-repressed cosmological love intimately bound up with everything else we've managed to marginalize: the fleshly, the feminine, the esoteric, the earthly, the imaginal. To quote from the book:

"Could it be that the chaos of our world, losing its way in breakdowns on all levels from the personal to the political, from the cultural to the geophysical, signals that moment of deadly peril where collective consciousness seeks its own destruction and dissolution, in order to birth a relation to this complex Mystery, a connection that we can only approach, that we can only forge, with an attitude born of a willingness to suffer, and of a love that can only emerge from our grief?"

Obviously, this kind of love has nothing to do with a manically optimistic "everything is love, man"; its wellsprings are deeper and its cost far higher than anything rainbow stickers and positive affirmations could tap.

"Love is a paradox and evokes all our shadows. The claim in this book is that it is just this great undoing, this peculiar darkened illumination, that is part of love's great gift to us."

It is a poetic, multidisciplinary work in which the author bravely brings in some of her own collisions and learnings with the lively pair mentioned in its title; reading it reminded me that the best books are not so much put together as given birth.

"Whatever is done with love," Nietzsche wrote in a fine passage, "always occurs beyond good and evil."

p.s. It bears mentioning that as I wrote this review, a statue of Ishtar was being unearthed in Iraq. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Emotions   2. Interpersonal Relations   3. Jungian psychology   4. Love   5. Love & Romance   6. Personality   7. Psychology   

Customer Reviews (3)

Fun but limited.
I used this with a group of 10 year olds (as a model for creating their own treasure chest) and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

The contents stimulated some discussion and the building of the models and map were enjoyed.

However, it is really a stimulous to further research rather than a source of anything other than 'bit' knowledge.

Having said that, it was worth buying.

GREAT BOOK
THIS ANCIENT CHINA BOOK HAS ALLOWED ME TO EXPAND MY HORIZONS. I ABSOLUTLEY LOVED THE CALLIGRAPHY SECTION AND HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH CHINA. I'M BOOKED FOR NEXT MONTH. GO BOUY THE BOOK AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT I MEAN.

EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR CHINA
This product was absolutely excellent. I have developed a stronger sense of appreciation of China. The kit has a great calligraphy section. BUY THIS KIT TODAY! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 221 B.C.-960 A.D   2. Children's 9-12 - Sociology   3. China   4. Civilization   5. General   6. History - General   7. Juvenile literature   8. Political Science   9. Politics/International Relations   10. Social Studies - General   11. To 221 B.C   

Customer Reviews (10)

Not his best work, but it is still a great book.
Explaing the history and change of Candar is well done. It also tells the tale of Naclos. Very good follow up book to the Fall of Angels.

Another fine addition to Recluse.
I am a fan of the Recluse saga and must say I enjoyed this book. Though slow in parts it kept my attention. Once again Mr. Modesitt has secured himself in the fantasy genre and hopefully will continue to write more of these excellent books. If you liked the other Recluse books, more importantly "fall of angels", you'll like this one.

A good story, but very similar to others in the series.
This books chronicles the fall of Cyador and the rise of Naclos. Even though the history and information about chaos/order relationships contained in this one are important for a reader wanting to understand the world of Recluce, I was somewhat disapointed by the fact that this book reads almost exactly like the others in the series. Basically, Nylan, your typical smith/order-mage, spends most of the book struggling to understand and master his powers. The book ends in the same way most of the others have- Nylan destroying a huge White army at the last possible second and being punished for it just like all the other heroes have been, by going blind and aging. I did like the characters in this one, good and bad, but I felt like I knew what was going to happen the entire time (which it turns out I did) so I didn't really get caught up in the suspense very much, just tried to get through it in a hurry to more on to the next one, which doesn't make for enjoyable reading. Hopefully in future books, Modesitt will change up the general story outline, maybe detailing the colonization of the planet by the Rats. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy   2. Fantasy - Epic   3. Fantasy - Series   4. Fiction   5. Fiction - Fantasy   6. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Customer Reviews (35)

Strategic planning enters the 21st century
As the Director of the Colorado Center for Chaos and Complexity, I have frequent occasion to survey the literature on applications of the new sciences of complexity, as well as on more fundamental developments. Irene Sanders' new book is an extremely valuable addition to the growing body of work applying ideas from chaos and complexity to strategic planning and management techniques. In fact as a direct result, I have hired Irene to be Director and Chair of our Business Network, and have charged her with bringing her vision of a wholistic and systems view of the planning process to the national and international business communities. Her insight and recognition that the process of strategic planning should account for the emergent characteristics of an organization is in complete accord with the modern view that reductionist thinking cannot begin to capture the full span of that organization's dynamical behavior. I fully expect that Irene and her systems view will quickly become the standard for organizational planning by which all others are measured. We at the Colorado Center for Chaos and Complexity feel privileged to be associated with Irene Sanders, and look forward to a long a successful association.

Linking understanding to complexity theory over the ages.
Besides being a wonderful strategy resource for any organization, this book provides an absolutely wonderful view into the epistimology of complexity theory. From the presocratics to current day paradigms, Irene Sanders has collected a detailed and readable history of knowledge and its marriage to the complex world. This book is highly recommended for practitioners, academics working on their dissertation (like myself), and those with an eager interest in complexity theory.

Great Primer and Guide
This is an excellent book, serving as both primer and guide to the application of complexity and chaos theory to business and organizational strategic thinking. Ms. Sanders navigates the history of the development of "new science" with skill and genius, drawing in the novice and reminding the experienced of key milestones in history - all in an accessible and compelling language... and that is only the first half of the book. In the second half she makes the science of chaos and complexity applicable - not simply as a new technique for planning, but more importantly, as a new way of thinking about the world. Her techniques (the Futurescape), based on developing "insight about the present, foresight about the future" give new life to strategic planning sessions. I have seen the book used in a variety of settings - from Graduate School of Social Work classes to urban leadership planning sessions - and its techniques are equally effective across a wide variety of audiences. Though her command of the subject is impressive, one notices that this author wrote a book that is meant to be used, not one meant to show off her considerable knowledge. Use it if you want to enliven planning sessions, want a new way of viewing the world, want to engage a diverse group, need a compelling visual tool...Great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Chaos (Science)   5. Chaotic behavior in systems   6. Corporate Planning   7. Entrepreneurship   8. Management - General   9. Management Science   10. Strategic Planning   11. Business & Economics / Management Science   

Customer Reviews (3)

A excellent introduction to chaos
This is an accessible and readable introductory textbook on chaos and nonlinear dynamics. It focuses on the ideas behind the theory of chaos, rather than on the details of the mathematics which can sometimes hinder rather than help the reader gain real insight into the mechanisms of nonlinear systems.

By this I do not mean that the author skips over the required mathematics. The text is intended for people with a solid background in differential equations, and some familiarity with classical dynamical systems is also helpful if not completely necessary. I would say it is targeted for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in the mathematical sciences, as well as scientists/engineers with no background in chaos theory. However he does not get bogged down in mathematics at the expense of physical insight. I have been studying the book on my own and have run into few problems in understanding the explanations.

The first chapter goes over 3 chaotic systems as a practical way of introducing the reader to various features of such systems. This provides a basis of practical experience to draw upon for the rest of the book, where the principles of chaos are examined in greater detail. The extensive references given in the book are a valuable addition that can be used to further explore the scientific literature. The references include journal papers as well as books, articles, and software for dynamical systems.

If you have the requisite mathematical background and want to learn the basics of chaos and nonlinear dynamics, I highly recommend this book.

fundamental, systematic
If you are looking for a textbook or reference on chaos theory, I recommend you to buy this book.

If you read other books, you will eventually comment,'chaos is something related to mathematics, very abstract, has nothing to do with my messy bedroom...'

But if you read this book, you will scream,'Great! I have figured out the richness of the nonlinear world. I understand the different dynamical routes to chaos. I know different quantifying methods with their pros and cons. Most fascinating is that chaos is related to pattern formation and self organization, which I consider them as another field of knowledge before. Also chaos may provide a new approach to quantum mechanics, a good news for those including me who do not believe in the parallel universe interpretation. By the way, I learnt a lot from this book!'

Good book!
If you want to get on into chaos, just read this book. I especially like the very wide scope of the subjects considered and the insight provided by the author in pattern formation or quantum chaos. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied   2. Chaos (Physics)   3. Chaotic Behavior in Systems   4. Dynamics   5. Mechanics - Dynamics - General   6. Nonlinear theories   7. Physics   8. Quantum Theory   9. Quantum chaos   10. Science   11. Science/Mathematics   12. Chaos theory   13. Differential equations   14. Mechanics of solids   15. Non-linear science   

Subjects:  1. Alternate Spirituality   2. Applied Psychology   3. Body, Mind & Spirit   4. Cabala   5. General   6. Inspiration & Personal Growth   7. Meditation   8. New Age   9. New Age (Self Help)   10. Spirituality - General   

Customer Reviews (8)

A great tool for anyone willing to use it
As with my dad's first book, BEING ZEN, I could read AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER countless times and always find it useful. There always seems to be something or someone in life that I want to change. I see repetitive patterns in the way I relate to others and to life. I watch myself react and put up defenses and strategies of control. I think I am clear, with a good analysis of the situation, of myself, and of others. And yet, the same patterns return. The same difficulties and questions come again and again, varying only in the circumstances under which they arise, but not in the base emotions and beliefs themselves. AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER helps me to see and experience my difficulties on a deeper level, getting to the very base, the very core of my hurt, my fear, my anger and my pain. This book, like BEING ZEN, helps me to deal with life daily, whether it be with reacting to something as small as being cut off on the freeway to something larger, like depression, self-doubt, and difficulties with relationships. Many times, I must admit, the equanimity my dad speaks of in his books feels out of reach. But I know it is possible to achieve because I have watched him in spiritual practice for over 27 years. My dad still feels pain; he still gets hurt, angry, disappointed and filled with fear. But he relates to all of these things differently than most. His spiritual practice, as so clearly laid out in these books, allows him to experience life in all of its colors and shapes, in happiness or in grief, in peace or in total chaos. The practice is always the same: simply to BE HERE. The tools are out there, but it is up to each of us to put them to use for ourselves. AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER is such a tool.

self-help
This book is excellent for someone who is practicing without a teacher. I found the discussion of how to deal with a "dry spot" in your practice especially helpful. It's difficult for a solo practioner to step outside the self thing and see what's sabotaging your practice. I am thankful to Mr. Bayda for his ability to articulate so well what's going on.

Bringing clarity to our lives
At Home in the Muddy Waters, brings an everyday, practical way to approach our practice and our lives. It's insistence on clear-thinking and precision in looking at what our lives are about, help us to focus on the difference between our conditioned lives, and the free, connected lives we are all searching for.The format is readable, and down-to-earth, with everday examples that ordinary students can relate to. Thankyou, Ezra ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Buddhism   2. Buddhism - Zen   3. Compassion   4. Eastern - Zen   5. Religion   6. Religion - World Religions   7. Religious aspects   8. Spiritual life   9. Zen Buddhism   10. Religion / Buddhism   

Customer Reviews (3)

Horrible
It is soo hard to understand the theorems in this book it's ridiculous. You will only like this book if you already know the material well...e.i. it's useless for you if you want to learn something. My whole class is having trouble with this book. I'm writing this review cuz i'm so angry at this book.

Applause for Martelli's Chaos !
This text is about chaos and discrete dynamical systems, but the organization, presentation and discourse of these topics in this wonderful edition are anything but chaotic. The writing and context of the ideas laid out bristles with personality and clear focus for presenting the student with adequate examples and detail. This book serves as a superb introduction to the area, and is rich with a wide variety of situations and problems that will motivate the novice and still challenge those with background. I signed on to teach an introductory course on Chaos at New Mexico Highlands University (I'm am one of three math faculty at this institution). I spent considerable time searching for a text that adequately addressed chaos and dynamical systems, that was challenging and yet personable and reader friendly. We have a wide disparity of math students at NMHU, particularly with regard to background, ability and vocational aspirations. It was important to use a text, I felt, that did not sacrifice detail, but at the same time did not pre-suppose overly technical sophistication. Most of the texts that I sampled, were quite terse, demanding or pedagogically constipated. When I came across MArtelli's text I was struck by the absence of these defects and then by the simple structure and sequence of topics that patiently build and reinforce concepts. The author's enthusiasm for the material comes through clearly and reaction from students I test-sampled echoed this feeling. In fact, both students have decided to enroll in my spring course - I believe their postiive response to this text was more than a contributing factor. In exchange for their time, I promised I would relay encouragement for all who are considering similar course offerings and a companion text that supports and reinforces the excitement of this area of mathematics. This book is a great resource. Bravo, Mario !!

Text for Mathematicians and Scientists.
The Introduction to Discrete Dynamical Systems and Chaos is an excellent text for those who just start sturying descrete dynamical systems and for those who already have some knowledge in the field. The book can be used as a textbook or as a guide for individual studies. In the first case the instructors will find a set of carefully chosen problems at the end of each chapter and several interesting projects for the students. While the first part of the book can be understood by a person without extensive mathematical background, the second part deals with topics such as nonlinear dynamical systems and chaotic behavior using Banach contraction principle, fractal dimension, etc.

To illustrate the use of dynamical systems the book also describes few very common models: blood-sell population, predator-prey, Lorenz Model, and neural networks.

The appendix on Mathematica and Dynamical Systems can be used by students to work on the sample projects offered by the author or by scientists to model and investigate the behavior of variety of dynamical system. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chaotic Behavior in Systems   2. Differentiable dynamical syste   3. Differentiable dynamical systems   4. Discrete Mathematics   5. Mathematics   6. Science   7. Science/Mathematics   8. Chaos theory   9. Differential equations   10. Mathematics / Discrete Mathematics   11. Mathematics for scientists & engineers   

Customer Reviews (11)

Finally, something we can use
Finally some good old common sense about how to manage change - but common sense is so bloody uncommon.

The approach in this book is so compelling because it is how most of us manage change successfully day to day. Not by bringing in expensive consultants to rip everything apart and start over. But rather, by finding what we are good at and leveraging our strength to make things happen.

We were doing it all along, we just did not have a name for it, a way to think about it, and a set of techniques to systematize it.

no pain, much gain
I've only read part of this book but wish to share that it offers some fresh ideas that all managers should be able to relate to, regardless of their field. Many of the titles in this field are vague, idealistic rantings from academics. On the contrary, I've found this book to be cognizant of the real-world pressures and challenges that managers face.

Too add to what a previous reviewer said, the negative reviews seem more like personal attacks on the author than anything else. They are not substantiated and in my mind, fall short of being useful. My initial impression upon reading them was that the author must have done something right to elicit such impassioned responses. In that sense, maybe an academic's perspective is not so distant as some might think...

Clarity and Common Sense
As someone who has worked in both the public and private sectors (for a number of years heading my own business), I found Abrahamson's book to be a breath of fresh air. He provides a clear, non-dogmatic approach to management that is rooted in real-life situations and behavior. His clear and accessible writing style helped to give this reader the insights needed to effectively analyze management situations and envision their solution. This is a useful and accessible piece of work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Entrepreneurship   5. Human Resources & Personnel Management   6. Organizational Behavior   7. Organizational change   8. Organizational effectiveness   9. Structural Adjustment   

Subjects:  1. Board & Skill Games   2. Chess - General   3. Games   4. Games/Puzzles   5. Non-Classifiable   

Customer Reviews (18)

The Last Thane, one of Douglas Niles' best.
I always felt that Douglas Niles was one of the best Dragonlance writers. His latest book is good but lacks. It has a very exciting storyline and very evil villians and great battle scenes. It gave a lot of insight into the Dwarven realms, more than some other books featuring the dwarves. The end is kind of a quick fix scenario though. But I recommend to read it anyway. P.S. People keep saying that the idea about how after all these years the Hylar dwarves finally come out to fight is ridiculous and that it would never happen. Well, I seem to recall that it was mentioned briefly in Dragons of Sping Dawning that the dwarves of Thorbardin did come out to fight at the end of the War of the Lance. So its not so ridiculous and stop ridiculing Douglas Niles about it.

A So-So Effort
Niles is at his best with well-rounded villians and well-rounded heroes, as in _The Puppet King_. _The Last Thane_, regretably, lacks them and suffers because of it.

The action of the book, and there is certainly a lot of action, revolves around a civil war of the dwarves in Thorbardin and the sudden appearance of a vast army of chaos creatures.

The plot has a great deal of potential, but the characters Niles creates seem one-dimensional, almost cartoonish at times. They seem to be more stereotypes of each dwarven subrace instead of individuals. They lack credible motivations and they are sometimes uninteresting because of it. It is hard to care about the protagonists or antagonists.

Bundled into the mix is a number of highly unlikely events, even for a Dragonlance novel. Some of the circumstances are so improbable, such as the numerous encounters of the protagonist and his gully dwarf friends with an assasin, that the reader loses his suspension of reality.

If you're looking for an action novel and don't want to worry too much about thinking, purchase and enjoy this novel. If you are on a quest to read every Dragonlance novel, it's worthwhile. Otherwise, skip it.

Chaos comes to Thorbardin!!
You don't realize the extent of damage The Chaos War had on Krynn until you read this series. Good Lord! In many ways, the war did destroy Krnn.

Nobody suffered as great a loss as the dwarves. It's truly saddening to read what happened to Thorbardin. It';s amazing the race survived at all. The book had the right amount of plot twists, good heros & villians & the last 1/3 of it is absolutely gut-wrenchingly sad. A great read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy - Series   2. Fiction   3. Fiction - Fantasy   4. Games/Puzzles   5. Literary   6. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Customer Reviews (5)

We need more books on the subject
While the question of connecting quantum theory to classical
mechanics, ODEs, PDEs, etc is a very deep one, and the
author is a main contributor in the subject, the books
lacks of narrative momentum... Readers of, say, QFT a la
Itzkinson-Zuber will be accostumed to this, but I feel a
more focused work on the subject is still to be written.

The Father of the Quasiclassical Approach to Quantum Chaos
Today the Gutzwiller trace formula is the standard quasiclassical approach to studies of the spectrum in quantum chaos research.
The most striking property of classics chaos is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions such that neighboring trajectories in phase space separate at an exponential rate. As result the long time behavior of the system is unpredictable. Instead of looking for exponential sensitivity, the main stream of quantum chaos research is currently concentrated on identifying the fingerprints of classical chaos in quantum systems. If one were to identify unique fingerprints of classical chaos in quantum mechanics, one could use these to define quantum chaos.
The starting point for the Gutzwiller quasiclassical analysis is the path integral formulation of the propagator. From this quantum expression one can deduce a formula that contains a sum over all classical periodic orbits. This is the main contribution of Gutzwiller.
Excellent Book!

Absolute Reference for Quantum Chaos
Organization and presentation of the ideas of modern chaos theory for classical and quantum world without deeper mathematical proofs in perfect fashion meets in this book. Historical, mathematical and physical origins of the chaos and semiclassical quantization problems have appeared as an introductory. Topics covered with great care, If you like to have a good foundation in this field, this book is absolute must. It served as a guide where to go in quantum chaos. Read it word by word and consult many references in nature of classical, statistical and quantum mechanical, differential geometrical and applied mathematics. Excellent book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy   2. History   3. Mathematical Physics   4. Mechanics   5. Mechanics - General   6. Quantum Theory   7. Quantum chaos   8. Science   9. Science/Mathematics   

Customer Reviews (5)

I learned stochastic processes from this book
Hoel, Port and Stone put together a three volume series on probability, statistics and stochastic processes. In 1975 I took the first year graduate course in stochastic processes and my Professor at Stanford Yash Mittal elected this text for the course out of a number of possibilities. This book was particularly good for an introduction to Markov chains, the backbone to stochastic processes. I learned a lot from it and found it easy to use as a text. I then bought the other to books to complete the trilogy. At the time Hoel and Port were at UCLA and I believe Stone was already at Berkeley.

This is an excellent text for a graduate course that stands the test of time. If it has been revised, I am not familiar with the new edition and any possible changes that may have occurred.

Great Books in a row
This is the last volume of a series of three excellent texts by Hoel/Port/Stone on probability, statistics and stochastic processes. The way they write should be the standard for all of other authors. Concise, clear and intuitive. Lots of worked examples and exercises with answers help readers go through those topics. If you are lack of knowledge in probability and want to know stochastic processes or even financial mathematics. These three books can be your short cut.

great books in a row
This is the last volume of a series of three excellent texts on probability, statistics and stochastic processes. The way they write should be the standard for all of other authors. Concise, clear and intuitive. Lots of worked examples and exercises with answers help readers go through those topics. If you are lack of knowledge in probability and want to know stochastic processes or even financial mathematics, these three books can be your short cut. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mathematics   2. Probability & Statistics - General   3. Science/Mathematics   4. Stochastic processes   5. Statistics   6. Chaos (Physics)   

Customer Reviews (3)

Must read for the collegiate
Guiness uses classical and modern literature to take the reader through the topics of the seven deadly sins and seven Beatitudes of Christ. A must read for the college freshman or sophmore getting ready for lit. classes. Provides and excellent framework for interpretation of some of the world's greatest literary minds.

Wonderful!
This book is a must-read! I was skeptical at first because I didn't see the vital importance of learning about the seven deadly sins and seven virtues, but I could not put this book down after starting. I love the way the sins and virtues were compared- I recommend it to everyone, it really opened my eyes. The only word of caution is that it is slow in the beginning, but stick with it and you will be rewarded.

7 Cardinal Virtues, 7 Deadly Sins Contrasted and Compared
Well, this is one of the "lighter" books of Os Guiness. If you've read "The Call," you know Os can pack a lot of content; this book isn't quite as much work.

The book is more a study guide that helps you work through issues about the 7 cardinal virtues and the 7 deadly sins. He is not going for lightweight topics, however. There are a lot of passages where one says "Ouch!" because it hits home.

A good introduction into basic virtues for an age that has forgotten classical education. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anglican authors   2. Christian ethics   3. Christianity - Theology - Ethics   4. Deadly sins   5. Inspirational   6. Inspirational - General   7. Religion   8. Social Science   9. Sociology of Religion   

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent science and theology
I am a physcis student and I was amazed at the science in this book. I am a catholic and was amazed at the theology. THis book offers a goods look at both indivividually and how they mix. I recommend this to anyone and everyone!

Good, though Polkinghorne has better
Polkinghorne writes a book with remarkable ideas though not without weaknesses. He doesn't view religion as our internal response to an external world, but considers science and religion intellectual cousins, each providing answers. He goes some distance, surely to be misunderstood and misused, in showing the malleability of practicing science "an act of intellectual daring" when viewing fact and interpretation, experiment and theory as independent while they are actually mixed up in perspectives we bring to nature. This is more about scientists as humans than science as flawed. Science invites challenge, inherently policing itself, sometimes scientists do neither. Though bias is present, this is not the end point as open publication, debate and test are always available. Science is refutable. He touches upon absurdities proffered by "modern philosophers" who state we invent theories of nature, we do not discover them. As Polkinghorne notes, our theories wouldn't work if they didn't represent part of the truth. Nature continues to impose itself as final judge, regardless of fashionable politics.

Given that unpictureable electrons provide surprises, Polkinghorne is not surprised to find an unpictureable God to do the same. He accepts the oddness of quantum like he accepts the oddness of Jesus as simultaneously man and God. We're not sure how the oddness of say, astrology, with a longer history, many texts and practitioners may fit this view. To Polkinghorne the issue is not fact vs. opinion but interpreting our experience of the way the world really is, without adding "to us", which without the verifiability science bears, may have less to do with reality outside our minds while much to do with what it means to be human. He views God as "faithful". The natural gift of a faithful God being reliability of his creation's operation. Ignoring tribal aspects of the Hebrew God, God is also loving, thus granting independence, which by itself is disarray, so both order and independence in the universe. "Chance is a sign of freedom, not blind purposelessness." (Take that, Creationists.) "Shuffling explorations of chance lead to deterioration and fruitful novelty."

Does a world with concentration camps look like the creation of a powerful, loving God? With this we meet the "free will defense" the potential for moral evil is price paid for the greater good of human freedom. And what about natural disasters like quake fallen churches killing 50000 in 1755 Lisbon, or cancer? Polkinghorne provides the "free process defense", God faithfully letting nature follow nature's laws. Perhaps violating his own reasoning by allowing answered prayers through adjustments to chaos theory's great attractors, he notes, through "free process", the same biochemical rules allowing evolution also enables cancer. It's a package deal. Natural disasters are not gratuitous, but a necessary cost of life, though not alleviating tragedy of either. Disregarding what need an all knowing God would have for experiential suffering, Polkinghorne supplies the relieving Christian view - God is not simply a pitying, compassionate spectator but a fellow participant in the world's suffering, known through the experience of Jesus.

Strong Science, Weak Theology
As one who is searching for a philosophy that is able to reconcile my rational/empirical side with my deep sense that there exists the Divine, the title of this book caught my attention. I was looking for a theology that would enable me to pass through the doors of a church without leaving my intellectual integrity on the doorstep; could this book offer such an insight? Well, there was real promise in the first few chapters.

Upon reading the words, "Faith may involve a leap, but it's a leap into the light and not the dark," I remembered thinking, "Yes, he's onto something here." The author goes on to state that neither religion nor science deals simply with pure fact or opinion, they are both part of the great human endeavor to understand. Again, a resounding "Yes" was uttered from my lips. I also found favor with his assertion that it is not the vocation of science to make "value" statements however science does acknowledges that value exists. For example, to science, sound is vibrations in the air, but to the appreciative mind some vibrations may be perceived as beautiful music. Value perceptions are just as much a part of our reality as empirical evidence. This is an important distinction and this point alone could have been the basis of a very coherent argument for the appreciation of each discipline thereby eliminating their fight for a monopoly on Truth.

He does present some other worthwhile illustrations, for example his analogy of prayer to laser light (you'll have to read it) but for the most part the remainder of the book gets bogged down with age-old arguments of mind-body dualism, "proof" of God's existence, the problem of evil, and the literal interpretation of the Resurrection of Jesus. I remembered thinking on occasion, "where is he going with this and what was the original intent of this book?" He makes some rather obvious contradictions and frequently gets caught in the same "God of the Gaps" logic that he rejected earlier in his writings. The book struggles to stay coherent but looses the battle in the final 3-4 chapters. I was left with the feeling that the author's theology was somewhat naïve and would benefit from a good dose of Alfred North Whitehead. Just my opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity   2. General   3. Physics   4. Religion   5. Religion - Contemporary Issues   6. Religion And Science   7. Religious aspects   

Customer Reviews (9)

Cut the Clutter, Stow the stuff
I believe this book to be very helpful. IF you are not impaired in the ways of organization, then of course this book would have useless ideas for people who already know them. For those of us with this problem of not knowing how to organize, this book is great. It showed me how to organize space more efficiently, gave me a different outlook on how to use different rooms in my home and gave me some resources for what to buy for cabinets, closets and entryways. It is VERY helpful and full of all different advice in the way of organization. IT points out the psychological reasons we hoard things,,,,what type of clutter person you are and with that information helps you fight the habits that got you to the place where you needed to buy the book in the first place. Reading the other reviews, I believe them to unfairly put this book on a low level, seems maybe these people did not need the help to begin with??? It helps...it has major ideas and a lot of them in an easy to grasp format that is easy and pleasurable to read.

cut the clutter don't buy this book
I bought this book while I was living in America and have just gotten around to reading it.I wish I had not ,the pages are badly set out with to many side bars making it a pain to read .Also there is not enough good information in it to make it worth buying.A note to the editor if you produce this book for the British market you want to use another word than Tosser this is not a nice word over here and may offend some people.

TOO CLUTTERED!
This book has too many no brainer solutions, and not enough real problem solving information. I love the beginning of the book with the note from the editor, she writes that this book sat on her desk, under a pile of clutter, for a while before she decided to sit down and read it--was it that bad!? The book itself needs the pages uncluttered, it was so hard to read and was poorly designed. The funniest part was when my husband came in our kitchen one day and saw this book sitting on top of a mountain of paper clutter. In summary if you just throw away or organize your stuff, you want be cluttered--easier said then done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General   2. Decorating - General   3. Do-It-Yourself   4. Home Improvement / Construction   5. House & Home   6. House cleaning   7. Storage in the home   8. House & Home / Cleaning & Caretaking   

Punisher is on the run from Billingate Space Station, as well as other predators that follow: UMCP Enforcement Division director Min Donner aboard a crippled Punisher, Nick's archenemy (and slave to the aliens) Sorus Chatelaine aboard Soar, and the mysterious hired gun, Free Lunch. Corrupt cyborg Angus Thermopyle and ruthless Nick Succorso battle for control of the ship and the situation. Their trail leads to Valdor Industrial, where geneticist/engineer Vector Shaheed seeks to redeem himself by manufacturing an antidote to the mutagen used by the alien Amnioni to mutate human beings against their will. Brutalized yet resilient Morn Hyland, her clone/son Davies, tough officer Mikki, Pup, Sib, and the rest continue their suffering and sacrificing.

Meanwhile, back in Earth space, police and politicians battle for power as UMCP director Dios continues his grim revolution against the Dragon. Assassin kazes, political fears, and provocative bills threaten to paralyze the Governing Council for Earth and Space.

Ships battling in space? Laboratory space stations developing antimutagen antidotes against the aliens who seek to conquer humankind by mutation? Outrage, brutality, betrayal, and secrets? Donaldson lays it all out with sharp dialogue, tense scenes, and zippy action. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A disappointment
Donaldson can tell a story, but this series was weak. Character development is excellent; but theme clarity is muddy; and there is no climax - in fact - there is no ending, just loose ends fairly disconnected from the developed nature of the characters. My recommendation is to re-read the Thomas Covanent Series.

When you thought things couldn't get any more chaotic. . .
Donaldson has returned to the splendid level of maturity and complexity he established as his own in the first Thomas Covenant series. In fact he exceeded all of my expectations. (I had doubts after his "looking glass" stuff and was skeptical of his ability to handle "hard science" science fiction.) But Donaldson pulls it all off with a deftness and sensitivity that only our best writers can achieve. His plotlines are intiricately weaved in this tale and (as I state in my teaser above) just when you think things couldn't get any worse for the human race in general and these characters in particular, Donaldson gives the screw another twist.

His characters aren't just flawed. They are real. Good people do evil, evil people do good; for good and bad reasons alike.

This story still sticks with me (I finished reading it when it was first released), and I consider it his some of his finest (and perhaps *greatest*) work.

His fearless use of mature and complex themes and language distinguish this series from the thousands of !hacks! currently working in this field.

Thank you Mr. Donaldson.

Real people
One of the reasons that I liked the gap series and other novels by Donaldson are that his main characters aren't always good. In most other novels written in this era the main characters are always battling depression and other "bad" feelings but in the gap series the main characters are tough vicious and would eat you alive if you didn't beat them to the punch. The simple fact is that "good" people just wouldn't survive in the worlds that science fiction and fantasy authors create. Most authors depict the main character as someone who at their core is honorable and the simple fact of the matter is honorable people don't stand a chance of a snowball in hell in the situations that they are usually painted in. The concept of you have to use fire to fight fire is hundreds if not thousands of years old and I always find it refreshing to see authors use this concept when depicting characters that have to challenge each other. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction   2. Science Fiction - Adventure   3. Fiction / Science Fiction / Adventure