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If you are at the top and are having troubles, this book is for you. If you are on your way to the top, keep this by your bedside. Or, if you find yourself one of the lost... avoid the New Jersey Devil Consultant and purchase a copy for each of your staff.

Bob has a great talent for simplifying the complex, a hard-to-find talent amongst consultants. His proven record and examples are a rare find among business books. Take a look around the business topics here on Amazon.com and you'll find many books written by leaders who eventually stomped their companies and/or their employees into the ground. OR - you'll find books written in theory, but never delivered on in an actual business.

Bob's refreshing book shows his experience, knowledge of the complex balance of employee leadership, intellectual talent, knowledge management, systems, and process management. Being good at any ONE thing may get you to the top... but you need to know how to balance all to keep there. Bob understands this.

This book will save you time and expense. For once, a book with a Return on Investment!

This book is a must read for anyone in business. Flores' approach to management and writing is straightforward and succinct. His explanations and examples are engaging and applicable across organizational departments. He is arming people with the knowledge they need to 'see through' so much of the unnecessary politics and inefficiencies in corporations. He accomplishes this through his story-telling as well as giving the reader tools to use to achieve efficiency and sanity.

I was looking for a book that would help me to serve my customers better in addition to saving money in my business.

This book is it!

This book should be called "How to please your customer and save money while doing it."

After reading the first three chapters, I decided to put the material to the test and begin some of the work suggested in the book. The results were nothing short of amazing. Using the pre-made templates, and what I learned on building an effective organization, I was quickly able to make small changes within my organization that had HUGE impacts.

Our customer satisfaction ratings went up by over 25% in a MONTH, and we've saved enough money to hire new people. Not bad for an economy that is suffering so badly, I'd say.

I also like Robert's writing style. It's easy to read, and it is assuring to know that there is a "real person" behind this work, whose faced similar business problems and found a way to overcome them.

I'll also mention that we considering hiring a Six Sigma consultant and narrowly averted the disaster that surely would have followed. Six Sigma sounds like a good way for improving a business UNTIL you read this book. Now that I understand what Six Sigma REALLY is, I won't even consider them in the future or other consultants that can't explain to me what it is that they are going to deliver for my business.

This is my kind of book. Easy to understand, practical to use, and results right away. I highly recommend it.

What a joy and relief this adorable, witty book is during these trying times! Anyone who loves Moose on Frasier will just not be able to get enough of this delightful tome, which continues the show's wit onto the printed page. I was simply enchanted from cover to cover. Truly!

This book had me rolling on the floor! It is wonderful to know that a dog with such a difficult beginning can become the star he is today. Ms. Decagny had her work cut out for her when taking Moose on, and it seems her work has paid off. The little Moose-isms in the book alone make it worth reading. Fabulous book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was SO funny. Typical Jack Russell Terrier attitude! I guess my favorite part was Moose's phone call to Connie; it was especially hilarious! The part about Tommy, the Morgan Gelding, and how Connie (reluctantly--ha, ha) parted with Moose at the clinic were really funny. I'm sure all of the stories are true, and so typical of Jack Russells. I AM still laughing & telling everyone about the stories in Moose's book, so I guess it was worth the money! Maybe they should make it into a kids' movie, which I could go see. I just LOVE Moose! He's one of a kind!

An entertaining, honest and balanced account by a woman who not only teaches tolerance via the telling of her life story, but lives it every day.

I felt uplifted as I read about Sherman-Jones' experiences, even by the parts that must have been difficult for her to live through, and surely difficult to write about so bravely. Because of her willingness to share her life so openly in the pages of this book, at times I felt that I was right there, in story with her.

Well, perhaps not while she was wrestling the midget in the pool of Jell-O. :-) But the ability to connect with the reader, and make the story seem, at times, like the reader's own, is the mark of an excellent writer. Sherman-Jones' mastery of this important benchmark makes me eager to see the next book by this first-time author.

My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body is much more than the entertaining slice of life history of Carol Sherman-Jones. Carol, one of Cincinnati's most energetic and in your face personalities is also one of our finest non-gay allies. She takes the reader through her life, thus far, both troubled and triumphant. She offers an honest assessment of both her gifts and difficult life struggles. Carol invites the reader into interesting vignettes of her history, well written and presented in her own colorful descriptions and charming but blunt style. While her writing style is entertaining, the reader will come away feeling priviledged to have been included on the painful road of a woman whose life journey toward recovery has a message of hope and joyful inclusion for all--gay, straight or, well, whatever. Cincinnatians who frequented either or both of Carol's wonderful restaurants will sit back to remember how it felt to be a part of Carol's social family. Romances started and ended there. Friendships were developed and our communtities learned the news of one another while intersecting with fellow travelers and partyers. Carol learned to make a place for herself in the world and then opened the door to the rest of us to join the celebration. Thanks, Carol! Cheryl Eagleson Co-Producer of Alternating Currents, Cincinnati's GLBT Public Affairs Radio Producer

"I found My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body uplifting and fun-clearly it was written from the heart. Carol Sherman-Jones is a woman I have to meet."
Jill Duval
Publisher, New Mexico WOMAN

(This refers to the National Geographic Reprint edition)

This is truly a great book, full of the amazing adventures of an incredible explorer. You have to admire Hedin's determination and stubborness, although sometimes I wonder about his planning. It seems like every trip all his animals die, and the men are on the verge of starvation. And as for his trips in the desert, I would have thought the concept of "take some extra water" would have occured at some point!
Hedin is a fine writer, and his descriptions are not only accessible to the average reader, but often quite poetic as well.
Nevertheless, I only reluctantly give this a full 5 stars, because I feel that National Geographic missed a great opportunity to make this an almost perfect book, and it wouldn't have been that difficult to do. As a previous reviewer mentioned, some good maps could have helped. There's almost no excuse for NG not to have included some decent maps of Central Asia in their edition. Furthermore, one tends to forget (although Hedin mentions in the text), that he also took photographs on many of his travels. These might have been included as well. (To see some, refer to the Photos section of the website of the Sven Hedin Foundation, "http://www.etnografiska.se/hedinweb/htmsidor/organi.htm"). Aside from the simplistic drawings that are included, Hedin also did many detailed sketches and potraits on his travels. Now one can assume that none of these were included in the original, and this is only a reprint, but nevertheless, it is a missed opportunity. The introductory chapter by A.Brandt also adds little insight, and might as well have been left out as well.
However, despite the lost opportunities, this book is highly recommended.

This is a tale wonderfully told of an explorer's quest to fill in the blank spots on the map of Asia. Not only does Hedin present a clear and highly entertaining view of his travels, but he also gives us a portrait of his character. He shows us that he is a man with high goals and is undeterred in achieving those goals, even when all odds are against him. He shows us that he is also a very caring man, very much concerned about the welfare of his men and his animals. He also is a man that is awestruck by nature and is very concerned about not unduly intruding upon it or unnecessarily destroying it.

But most of all, this is an adventure story that is just plain fun to read.

A suggestion to readers who are not very familiar with the geography of central Asia would be to have on hand some good maps as the ones Hedin draws are quite limited and often fail to give the perspective that may be desireable.

I concur with NDylanRay@aol.com. This book is exceptional. I could hardly put it down. You feel the excitement and intensity of his adventures, you begin to understand the force that drives him (and you respect him for it), and you meet the people and the places that make Turkestan and Tibet 100 years ago like no place that you could ever imagine.

I mostly read westerns but this book captured my attention and I didn't put it down till the last page was completed. Besides a very good discription of the life there it is full of humor and reads very well. I highly recomend this book.

Bob Brantner's book is a joy to read! As he describes his harrowing experiences flying small commercial aircraft up in Alaska, I reflected on my own experiences: (a) as an aviation meteorologist trying to keep crazy pilots alive, (b) as a pilot with enough hours in general aviation to know only what it's like in GOOD weather... still a challenge, and (c) as a white-faced-with-terror passenger in twin otters jumping around New England in the bad weather of winter. Mr. Brantner's ability to capture the essence of all these things is superb, and I found myself fascinated with what goes on behind the scenes and at the controls of flying in the extremes of Alaska. I couldn't put it down!

Perhaps what I liked best, though, was the author's dry sense of humor and wit - understating hilarious hijinx and describing the quirks of the native Alaskans, their oil-soaked fish diet, and their own low key humor. It made me long for a return of "Northern Exposure" to TV!

This is a great story... made better because it's all true. I'm sure I'd enjoy flying with the author(and I'll show more respect toward commuter aircraft pilots!) Bob Brantner has great potential as a writer and I'll look forward to his next effort. Well done!

JTM

The stories in this book range from humorous to frightening and even informative. They are all entertaining.

Well written for any age group. A must read for potential pilots.

The Doolittle Raid has always been a favorite chapter in history and Ross Greenings account of flying the Hari Kari-er (#11 off the deck of the Hornet) is an incredible new addition. More remarkable is his experience in the N. African and Italian air campaigns resulting in being shot down, capture, escape, capture again and eventual liberation. Because Greening was an illustrator, the book is full of his original work done during the war. In this regard, the experiences and parallels between Greening and Private Robert Knox Sneden of the Civil War are remarkable. Both recorded their respective combat and prison
experiences in journals and illustrations. The printing of "Not as Briefed" is excellent and Washington State University Press has done an incredible job. One can read 50 to 100 books a year, but it is only every 2 or 3 years that one finds a real gem. "Not as Briefed" is one of those gems. It is a simple and humble recounting of a remarkable life. Kudos to WSU Press and the family of Ross Greening for publishing such an historical treasure.

The unpublished manuscript of this book was discovered by the author's neice many years after the author's death. The neice, obviously captivated by her uncle's writing and World War II experiences was motivated in spending 5 years putting together this incredible biography.

Her uncle, Ross Greening, was #11 on the Doolittle Raid. After surviving that assignment, we was transferred to the North African/Italian theater of operations where his B-26 was shot down and his story of evasion and escape from the enemy is what makes Hollywood Movies but don't wait for this to be made into a movie. It is too long and detailed for Hollywood but is a heck of a page turner. It is well written and reads like a novel. But as you read, remember this isn't fiction. This stuff really happened.

Greening was an art major from Washington State U and uses these skills throughout the book with hundreds of illustrations of the events of this story.

If you are at all interested in the human side of war, you will love this one.

I enjoyed this book very much and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys WWII stories. This book was an easy read and was filled with exciting and touching events. The personal perspective that Ross gave to the war and his situation made the book very informative. This is a book that you will read more than once.

As I read this book I thought I was traveling "Full Circle" with Michael Palin on one of his PBS global travel specials. Palin unlike this author however doesn't get shot at by sniper fire in French Morocco, get nearly shot out of the sky in a bombing run over hostile German controlled airspace , or narrowly escape a hair raising attack by a German Messerschmitt while crossing an airstrip in Tunisia. In addition to the shooting and action in this book the author brings you with him to the many differing locals he was assigned to in North Africa, Italy, India, and China and richly and extensively describes the people, places, sights, sounds, and even smells that he encountered.

This book has strong emotional elements as well. The emotions of love, lust, and guilt are woven into the fabric of this book. The author lets you peer into a window of his inner thoughts and feelings exposing the authors mental anguish over falling in love overseas, having impure thoughts and deeds all while being married to another woman back in the United States. You get a sense the author regrets not having allowed his heart to fully take him wherever it would have led him. The author effectively conveys the pain of having loved and lost, emotions most readers can identify with.

One thing that strikes you as you read this book is this is the real story of the real experiences of a medical doctor assigned to a fighter group in WWII. This book is in diary form and you get all the specifics be they good, bad, or mundane but you can bet you will have a good feel for what WWII was really like for many servicemen after traveling with the author for his 2 year tour of duty. Also note that this book is not designed to give the big picture. You find personal experiences and day to day life in this book, not geopolitical pontificating.

One last thing that struck me even before the author stated as much was the shear magnitude of the loss of life in just his corner of WWII. One man comes, one man goes and on and on until even the reader becomes numb to it all. I don't know if the author intended that or not but the book effectively made that important point.

If you are from the baby boom generation., generation X, or generation Y, you should take the time to learn what sacrifices our fathers and grandfathers generation made to stop Hitler and facism and secure our freedom. This book will certainly put you on your way to a better understanding of daily life for many in the war to end all wars.

As a young WWII flight surgeon, Dr. John A. Woodworth chronicles his experiences during the invasion of French Morocco, front line action in Tunisia and Italy and his adventures in India, China and Burma. His love affair with the French widow Odile - trysts in an exotic land, separation due to the exigencies of war and reunion on the eve of departure for home - seems made for the movies, but is nonetheless a poignant reminder of enduring humanity in the midst of a worldwide conflict. This book is a picture of a bygone era, chronicled by a master storyteller and yielding a momentary and unforgettable glimpse of places and times which exist now only in the memories of the brave young men who served our nation and preserved our heritage.

A noteworthy contribution to the history of World War II and a tribute to the 33rd Fighter Group.

IF YOU ARE A WORLD WAR II BUFF, IF YOU LIKE THE HUMANITIES, IF YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AND THAT LOVE HEALS ALL, YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK. A FACTUAL, DOWN TO EARTH NOVEL BY SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE TO SEE THE HORROR, LOVE AND COMPANIONSHIP FORMED WHEN MEN FACE ADVERSITIES BEHOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW THEY COOP WITH THEIR INNER FEARS AND FEELINGS IN THE AFTERMATH. RECOMMENDED READING BY ANYONE INTERESTED IN HUMAN NATURE WHEN MAN FACES MAN AND/OR MAN FACES HIS DESTRUCTIVE SELF. WILL LOVE CONQUER ALL!! DR. WOODWORTH BELIEVES SO, AND PROVES HIS BELIEVE IS TRUE. DOES HE RETURN A CHANGED MAN? YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE FOR YOURSELF, BUT, I KNOW DR. WOODWORTH PERSONALLY, SO I HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER MANY READERS. HE IS TODAY A MAN FILLED WITH LOVE AND THE JOYS OF LIFE, AND A LOVE FOR THE MANY LIVES HE HAS SAVED AND BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD!!

As the US government prepares for it's invasion of Iraq and the discussions and debates opposing the imperialist aggression increase, this new offering from Pathfinder stands out like a beacon.

The book details events surrounding what is widely known as the Cuba Missile Crisis, when the US administration led by President John. F. Kennedy pushed the world to the edge of nuclear war in an effort to overthrow Cuba's revolutionary government.

A year before the events in question, Cuban armed forces defeated an invasion by a counterrevolutionary force trained and armed to the teeth by Washington at the Bay of Pigs. Realising that direct US military invasion of Cuba was their only viable option, Washington began to lay the groundwork for such an action. In turn, Cuba began preparations to defend the first free territory of Americas, which included accepting a Soviet proposal to deploy missiles on the island.

After a period of negotiations between Washington and Moscow, Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev agreed to withdraw the missiles without consulting the Cuban leadership. A week after the announcement Washington sent UN secretary general U Thant to Cuba demanding that UN "inspectors" be allowed to "supervise" the withdrawal of the missiles.

"Anyone who tries to inspect Cuba had better arrive in full combat gear!" was Fidel Castro the Cuban Prime Minister's reply.

As Cuban author Tomás Diez Acosta so amply illustrates throughout the book, there was no bluff in Castro's words. It was based in the confidence the Cuban leadership had in the hundreds of thousands Cuban workers and farmers in and out of uniform mobilised and trained - ready to defend their country.

As the book explains, this is the central reason why Washington was forced to back off from its invasion plans.

It wasn't the 'reasonableness" of the U.S. and Soviet governments that ended the "Cuban missile crisis" forty years ago.And it wasn't the "greatness" or "iron nerve" of the Kennedys and their imperial henchmen of both capitalist parties. It was the will to resist of the Cuban people, to defend to the death their nationhood and their socialist revolution.It was their political consciousness and confidence in themselves and in THEIR government and revolutionary leadership.In this book, besides the exciting blow by blow account of events that will leave you breathless, is a true picture of the "new human being" that Fidel Castro speaks of and that Che Guevara spoke so often of, in flesh and blood, facing down without a flinch the empire's threat to immolate them, and the world, in their mad desire to destroy the Cuban revolution's shining example of what we, the working people, can do if we decide to act in a revolutionary way and determine our own destiny. The Kennedys and their bipartisan Demo-Republican henchmen and their military thugs , when they realized that the Cuban people's resistance would cost them almost 20,000 casulties in the first TEN DAYS of an invasion, were forced to stand down their forces. The cowardice and duplicity of the Khrushchev Stalinist (NOT communist) bureaucrat leadership is well examined here too.Finally, first hand accounts of the equally unflinching actions of the U.S. Fair Play For Cuba Commitee , told by a leading socialist militant who with her co-fighters later helped lead the anti-Vietnam war movement, rounds the picture out. As Bush and the Democrats prepare the next in their series of wars to defend the Sacred Market System and the Almighty Dollar, fighters for fundamental social change young and old, workers, farmers, students, etc. here in the Belly of the Imperial Beast REQUIRE THIS BOOK ASAP.

Killingly funny and deadly serious at the same time. Reading this through the prism of the G7's latest drive to prepare the bombing of Baghdad is electrifying. These pages lay out so simply, so factually, that war was averted because the Cuban people faced down the world's most powerful government. As quotes from US government documents explain, fearing that, if left to its own devices, the Cuban revolution would become too popular to defeat, Washington manufactured hysterical propaganda out of whole cloth about the nuclear threat (sound familiar?) from Cuba. The Cubans, sandwiched between the Soviets' manoeuvrings and the US government's plans, behaved with such aplomb. The transcript of Castro's meeting with the UN secretary-general is priceless -- Castro is so flawlessly polite and so totally unbending in his determination that no UN personnel will inspect anything on Cuban soil and that he will address the Cuban people without delay to explain everything, that the poor diplomat is reduced to quivering about how his wife wants him to take more Sundays off. Read this to see what real politics is all about -- all the "negotiators" had to keep coming back to the one immutable, undeniable, glorious fact that the Cuban people were ready, willing and able to give invaders such a good fight, they didn't dare make the trip.

As always when reading books by Jamie Samms or hearing the teachings of Twylah Nitsch, we find the gifts that we need too. The Medicine is always pure and healing.

This book gives a wonderful perspective on the relationship we have to The Earth. The story of Creation is revealed through the ancient teachings of the Senecas. This story is a creation myth at its best. This story allows the reader to see from the perspective of Mother Nature herself. Here, all of the world of information about history is available not through reading or the internet, but through the wonderful worlds of truth that exist within each being. All of the creatures of The Earth are loved equally and completely by the generous and divine Earth Mother. The book gives explanations for why we have different races of humans and explains the gifts of each. This book is easy to read. I recommend it for anyone who is curoius about why we have gone astray in the world today. Also, it would be a great tool to share with children, who are all naturally connected with their inner wisdom. Remember to share this one with a friend.

This book is a must for anyone interested in the spiritual ways of the Seneca's as told by the granddaughter of the last recognized medicine man of the Senecas. It's also her story. The story of how a stone person revealed her future birth and the challenges she would face in life as she took over where her grandfather left off. Included in the book is the language of the stones, a basic guide for revealing a personal message a particular rock might hold for you.

Max McLean makes the New Testament come alive with emotion. His passionate reading holds my interest and brings the stories a reality that other cassettes lack. The volume is annoying, however, because it alternates between too loud and too soft -- and I have to continually adjust it. Also, the background music is a bit distracting. All in all, though a good purchase.

This dramatic audio presentation is a fresh approach to discovering the biblical authority and wisdom of the New Testament through hearing the words of scripture spoken outloud. Listening to narratives is not new to anyone, however, the availability of audio recordings today of artistic and spiritual merit through advanced technology are new. Several times I have been transfixed listening to the narratives spoken by Max McLean while driving in my car in heavy traffic as well as during the quiet times I have had sitting down in my favorite chair, listening to the CD recording at home. In spoken dialog, he takes on the persona of the person speaking, and the reader begins to sense flesh and bones and emotions behind the words. Max's voice engages your attention and you desire to know and hear more. You ask yourself, "What does this mean?" I recommend this recording for all ages because it is a wonderful, enriching way to learn. At times I have followed along in the bible seeing the written word at the same time Max was speaking the words outloud. For any serious student of the bible, the recordings will add depth, insight and meaning to scripture. Just as some readers enjoy finding text in books or in poems that seems to jump off the page, listeners of Max McLean's can find joy in experiencing spoken words jumping out at their ears, making them want to hold their breath as they lean forward to hear more.

This is the best audio bible I've ever heard. Max McLean's dramizitation supersedes Alexander Scourby's King James version (no disrespect intended). McLean puts you in a time machine and takes you to the streets of Jerusalem to walk with Jesus. He makes you feel the passion in Paul's letters (especially the eighth chapter of Romans). You will find yourself rewinding your tape frequently because you will be hearing things that you missed in your reading. McLean's unique, dramatic style is very helpful for scripture memorization as well. This is one of my most prized biblical resources. GET IT!