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I found this book to be very helpful for my Korean experience. I am currently teaching in Korea and bought the book a few months before I left to prepare. It gives you inside information from the Korean obsession with appearance to lesson plans and ideas. It is a little bit too much based on people travelling to Seoul but overall very helpful, highly recommended.

Going to Korea to teach was a big decision for me, if not a bit scary, and coming across this book made a difficult transition much easier. From tips on where to begin the job search, to helpful classroom hints, to the ins and out of everyday living in Korea, "Korea Calling" became an invaluable tool for me during my year of teaching there. Teaching Engish Korea is a great adventure, grab a copy of this book and DO IT!

Land As Far As The Eye Can See: Portuguese In The Old West by Donald Warrin (Professor Emeritus, California State University, Hayward, Department of Modern Languages and Literature) and Geoffrey L. Gomes (History and Political science, Chabot College, Hayward) is a superbly presented, comprehensive, academic history of the men and women of Portugal who helped settle the American West frontier. Black-and-white photographs and illustrations add a visual finishing touch to the carefully researched biographies of individual Portuguese immigrants, set in the context of broader historical, social, and national trends. Land As Far As The Eye Can See is a fascinating study of a unique portion of the American West's history, particularly the often-overlooked states of Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Idaho, and New Mexico. A first-rate reference and fascinating reading material for anyone with a scholarly interest in the Old West, Land As Far As The Eye Can See is recommended for Western American History studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

It has been exceedingly difficult to find information about the Portuguese in the West as we have researched our geneology. My mother has looked for books like this for years. We had hand-written personal stories (some with pictures) that Mr. Warrin carefully validated. What exemplary scholarship! I doubt that we will find copies for the grandchildren in the used bins...

In this time of shortening days when everything but us hurry up humans is sensibly quieting down, what a pleasure and a treasure to sit down in a comfy armchair and open this book. Turning the pages is stepping into a contemplative garden and wandering the paths. Letting the colors and shapes and scents and sounds take you in. A beauty feast - massaging your worried mind, snatching speedy thought, soothing your bustling spirit.
And when, a timeless while later, you close the book and stand up in your feet again, you are changed.
Restored, refreshed and more in love with life.

How does a book do all this?
I don't know.

That is part of the delightful mystery and what I love about it.

Clearly, these two authors have been having a good time. Working hard, paying attention in their own lives to what it is that creates harmony and balance. Playing with rock, water, plants, and light. Listening deeply to the voices that seem to encourage us to stop arguing with reality and relax back into our natural sanity. Now, with gorgeous photographs and wise words, they are sharing with us what they've discovered along the way.

I suggest "reading" Landscape as Spirit once through just for the images. Turning the pages slowly and letting the gardens enter and speak. Then, a second time, for the words - inspirational and practical, for the professional gardener and layperson alike.

Thank you to Mosko and Norden for what you have given birth to and your generosity of spirit in offering it out into the world.

Mosko is a Zen teacher and Landscape Architect and this book seeks to explain his philosophy by showing and describing how the teachings and practice of both disciplines relate to each other and with the external world.

Most people when they think of Zen and gardens can only think of the immaculate stone and gravel gardens of Japan. Mosko shows that the true understanding of the basic principles of harmony and balance leads to the creation of gardens that delight the eye and the soul.

Taking each element of the garden individually, Mosko explains the spiritual balance between the opposites and the harmony of that balance which, when translated successfully into a real garden, results in an immediate sense of 'rightness' when the garden is experienced. This 'rightness' is beautifully captured by Noden's photographs. The testament to Mosko's brilliance is that the gardens are 'right' for a spectrum of clients not just 'right' for Mosko. The superficial disparity between The Adobe and Flowers in Space lessens the closer you look and you can see the underlying principles of harmony and balance are exactly the same for both.

The beauty of this book for me is that I have found it wildly instructive and inspirational despite having little or no knowledge or understanding of 'Eastern' religion. I found that certain phrases and design concepts would arise in my mind long after I had read the book, infusing me with a desire to express those thoughts in my work.

This book is a must for anyone considering a contemplative garden and a very worthy reference for anyone wanting to design a garden of any sort.

When I immigrated to the USA my first priority had been to learn English and do it quickly. I had to find a job in a new language environment, I could read a little but I could not speak English at all. I had tried quite a few different methods; my progress was slow and unsatisfactory until I came across the Language Bridge method. I recommended Language Bridge to my friends and relatives. All of them started to speak English fluently much faster than their friends who used traditional methods of learning English.  I think that this is a unique method that restores the talent to acquire a foreign language in every adult. If you want to know how it is achieved, read carefully the information at http://www.language-bridge.com I will recommend Language Bridge to any person who needs to learn English fast and use it in everyday life.

I used this book to learn English and I think it is terrific! It uses a very unique and effective method. Everyone I know who used this book, never wanted to learn a foreign language any other way. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a foreign language.

Learning languages in a classroom is hard work. Just think how many problems you had grinding through diagramming English sentences in the 8th grade, and, if you are like me, English is your primary language. Now envision yourself in college, faced with two years of French, German, Russian, or Spanish. You spend, at most, five to six hours per week going over phonetics, grammar, vocabulary, and idioms of a language at lightening speed, without any means of significant outside reinforcement. What is worse, after one year of dipping your toe into the swamp that is a foreign language, the second year instructors expect you to speak, write, and read that language. Like most people, I started out studying French with a lot of vigor, flipping through flashcards faster than a gambler drops quarters in a slot machine. By the time I got to the second year, my early efforts rarely paid off: flashcards and random reading did help me to navigate written French fairly well, but speaking and listening to the language was still an excruciating task.

Unless you are majoring in a foreign language or have the means to live in a foreign country for at least six months, it is best to accept the fact that you will not speak a foreign language. What you can focus on is learning to read that language because it is much easier to recognize words on a written page than it is to pluck them from your brain in the course of a conversation. This is where a great dictionary comes into the picture. Not only will an excellent lexicon help get you through those daunting two years, it will also help you impress people when you read Baudelaire in the original. Certainly, you can be a cheapskate and pick up a five-dollar piece of crud that will get you through an introductory class. If you are like me, however, and love to use a sledgehammer when a tack hammer will do the job, welcome to the LaRousse Grand Dictionnaire. Sure, it is pricey, and you have a better chance of fitting a corpse in your backpack then this hernia inducing book, but if you want to actually use the scraps of French you learned in class (and even improve your reading skills) this is the dictionary for you.

I love this dictionary! First off, there are some great color maps of the world in here, with every place name clearly marked in French. Then it takes countries and breaks them down into "administrative districts" (read: states) and gives you those in French as well. But that's not all! Then we get maps of "patrimoine," or national heritage. Where the heck is "Mur d'Hadrien," you ask? Why, it is Hadrian's Wall, located in England! And as we all know, the Romans built Hadrian's Wall to keep obnoxious French waiters out of the empire. LaRousse even has a map of gay old Paris included, in case you want to see where all those protestors are marching. Seriously though-this dictionary has some great stuff between its covers.

Since this is an advanced dictionary, you will find many words that cruddy little paperback dictionaries do not include. Even better, after the phonetics and definition comes many helpful phrases that word appears in. A great example is the verb savoir, meaning "to know or to be aware of." What follows is an entire page of possible uses of savoir, such as "Je sais un moyen d'y parvenir," which translates as "I know a way to do it." The entries for common French words, such as etre, avoir, and faire, are just as comprehensive.

Also included is a table of 116 conjugated French verbs, which isn't too bad, although that number falls far short of what you would need to really read the language. As an added bonus, apparently for complete incompetents, is a list of irregular English verbs. Yep, this is a great dictionary.

I cracked a few jokes in this review about the French, but this really is a great addition to your library. This "Grand Dictionnaire" will speed you on the way to reading the language of a culture that produced some of the greatest literature, art, and cuisine in the history of the world. This dictionary will not only help you translate the words in a sentence, but also helps you achieve insight into what you are reading. There is no greater joy than getting the emotion behind the words ("Hey, not only do I know what that means, but the author is being sarcastic!"). LaRousse is the way to go.

This new, top-of-the-line Advanced Dictionary has been specially developed to become the dictionary of first resort for students, teachers, and serious general users. Distinctive panel entries and highlights have been added, along with 2,000 new words and meanings from everyday life, the Internet, and technology. It is highly recommended. Buy this book first!

This is a book about human beings, and what behaviouir they will justify - and will try to get away with - if they are allowed.

There are so many striking aspects to this book. It's hard to believe that women can suffer so much abuse, and men can continue to dish it out, and men don't have to face the consequences, and women's suffering isn't acknowledged. This is graphic stuff, and it sure isn't sex and violence for entertainment.

Another striking element is how utterly reasonable the authors' presence is, as they painstakingly take us through these criminal offences. And they write as one; you can never tell one author's style from the other's. It is real synergy.

The book reinforces a powerful message. We have to treat each other with respect and integrity; and when we don't, we should be held responsible for our actions.

Written in a straightforward, non legalistic style, this book is a very thorough and thoughtful analysis of why the "Reasonable Woman" standard should be applied to both male and female defendants and victims, in situations involving sex, sexism, and aggression.

Each chapter starts with a study of an actual court case, which the authors then analyze from the point of view of both the Reasonable Man standard which is used in most courts, and the Reasonable Woman standard that they advocate.

They offer compelling arguments to support their contention that the Reasonable Woman standard not only results in truer justice, but at the same time elevates society's standards of conduct.

For centuries, it has been said that "women civilize" a culture. This book convinces the reader that the time is ripe for the "Reasonable Woman" to civilize our justice sustem.

Our company recently hosted a presentation from David Peterson, one of the authors of Leader as Coach. His audience was a small group of HR managers and Training consultants. He provided us with a no nonsense, credible approach to coaching managers and leaders. The title of his presentation was quite true to that title, providing us with a clear vision of the state of the art and insights into the state of the practice.

David and Mary Dee's book, Leader as Coach, is the foundation for one of the clearest and most well-reasoned approaches to Coaching I have seen after a decade in this business. But don't stop with this book. Go on from here to Personnel Decisions International's Development FIRST and Supervisor's Handbook

This book has been both inspirational and motivational for me. I love the quotes and have used them when sending memos to people involved in my Masters active research project. The few colorful pictures are beautiful and representative of reaching high for the stars. The texture of the paper used is similar to a magazine's. I almost felt I was reading one, which felt more like leisure reading. The book is short, easy to read, and to the point. I've taken much of the advise while I've engaged as a leader in my project. I've made efforts to become a better listener, give positive feedback, inspire people to take risks, and built a bond of trust. I learned that I have to model the good habits I'd like others to practice. The strategies suggested are a must for people in the business world and adminstrators or leaders in education. The book is practical for anyone who assumes a leadership role and does not know how to begin the process. Thumbs up!

An excellent choice for managers and supervisors of either gender. This book is filled with self-assessments, exercises, tips, and techniques that will help anyone improve their leadership skills.

Most of the information is gender-neutral, but some sections such as Predjudices Against Women as Leaders," and "Working with Men" provide insights that either gender can use.

Read it straight through, or focus on an area of concern such as leading a team, planning and goal setting, or coaching. Regardless of your approach you will find what you need in this easy-to-read book!

Comprehensive, yet short and easy to read. This book provides many useful worksheets to help you evaluate your leadership skills. Topics include: team building, managing conflict and difficult people, time and goal management, using stress positively, communicating with diverse personalities, and motivation tips. The book gives you a quick inventory of your skills. It then provides some practical, useful steps for improvement. I find the strategies helpful for my own development and for coaching supervisors and managers.

Parrish impresses her reader with not only the grasp and knowledge of her material, but with also a certain spice that is often missing in non-fiction. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Hollins culture. This is most definitely a must for the Dillard and Smith fan, but even more so a must for the reader who enjoys exquisite writing.

The author provides an historical overview of the development of private Southern women's schools from finishing schools to respected institutions of higher learning. Primary in this change at Hollins is the influence of Louis Rubin on both the writing program and the writers that program produced, with many quotes from the students about their mentor. Parrish also gives many humorous and interesting anecdotes about Lee Smith, Annie Dillard and the other subjects of the book during their formative years at Hollins. She shows how their college experiences carried over to their writing both then and through the years since graduation. For Lee Smith and Annie Dillard fans, this book is a must-read.

Frederick Douglass was a slave on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, not too far from Baltimore where I live. His accounts of the treatment of slaves is indeed frightening. It is very important to note that when Frederick was young he was sent to live in Fells Point Maryland as a house slave. The wife of his owner thought it good to teach Frederick the alphabet. After Frederick learned the alphabet the woman showed her husband. He was furious with his wife, and told her that it you teach these ... to read they will want to know how to write. If they know how to wright, they might start thinking they are equal with white folks. He then ordered her to stop teaching Frederick anything 'that could interfere with his chores'. Unfortunately the damage was already done. Frederick became obsessed with reading and taught himself to read by studying newspapers in the streets and paying white kids to teach him. Slowly we see Frederick, through his own religion convictions, developing a liberation philosophy through education. Knowledge was his key to freedom, and it eventually led to his escape to the North.
One of the key points of this narration is that the slave owners used methods of controlling slaves which are very similar to the techneques of social control employed today in charming the masses. For instance, Frederick noticed that the slave masters made the slaves drink on holidays and observed them strictly to make certain that all of them spent their 'free' time drunk. They were always on the look-out for slaves that exhibited critical thinking attempting to hold conversations with their fellow slaves about their condition. Reminiscent of the fabled or not Willie Lynch manual on how to make and break a slave, these slave masters certainly knew what they were doing. The institution of slavery was highly developed, almost a science unto itself. Escaping this was the main theme in the first half of Frederick Douglass's autobiography. The second part deals with his efforts to bring slavery to an end all together by raising peoples consciousness to the inhumanities of the practice. I am indebted to Frederick Douglass for bringing me closer to the reality which African Americans live through day in and day out. Overall one finds it very difficult to account for all of the valuable contributions this work can bring to the human heart.

This book, written in Douglass' later years, not only lifted my spirits but did a great deal to reestablish my faith in humanity. This was a man who had every opportunity, and reason, to be bitter and/or vengeful. He, instead, chose to fight, with his intellect and his golden tongue, for what he, and others chained in slavery and social subservience, rightfully disserved as a member of our human race. He was a man of conviction and inner strength who taught himself to write with an elegance that I have never seen equaled. I strongly recommend this book.