Get-out

Everybody has dreamed of dating better people. But after reading Updating, the dreaming is over and it's becoming a reality. Having the typical "You gotta show me" mentality we have in Missouri, I needed proof. Not to sound arrogant, but I read Updating and now I'm convinced that I can get the best -- and I know how to do it. The author gives studies which back up everything she says. And one of them is that people always underestimate their ability to attract.

As she wrote, because of many reasons, especially lack of self-esteem, we SUBCONSCIOUSLY shy away from making a 100% effort to go after what we want. We only go after who we think we deserve. It's so true. Now I know where to find and how to appeal to the men I want -- and know I deserve. My self image and my love life have improved spectactularly. Read this book and you will soon be hanging with a better class of people too.

I thought Leil's "How to Make Anybody Fall in Love With You" was tops. But "Updating" is even better because it's not just how to make ANYBODY fall in love with you. She tells you where to hunt, and how to get, a spectacular partner.(Way out of your league?) What I like is that "one size doesn't fit all." In different sections, she gives you get realistic and researched techniques to win a different type of superior man or woman. Do you want someone who is:
1) Very rich?
2) Famous?
3) High class and discriminating?
4) Gorgeous?
5) Creative and interesting?
6) Ethical and honorable?
She tells you what type of person each is looking for, and why they respond to different approaches. "Updating " tells you where to find each particular type and how to win them over. I happened to want a beautiful and refined woman (they really ARE different than average women,) and her unusual techniques worked. I am now dating a classy 10!

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The first guide to CompuServe is still the best. No other book comes close to matching the depth of its coverage, nor have any other authors presented the subject with such clarity. Five well-worn editions of this core text sit on my shelves, each an improvement over the last.

Children and baths are like children and bed: hard to get `em in, and even harder to get `em out. My usual refrain is to come out before they turn into raisins, because they`re too small for prunes. Of course they identify with Shirley. When her mother tells her it`s time to come out it inspires her fantastic journey through the plumbing (we spend the longest time over that illustration,) and her aquatic adventures. No great revelations here, but the idea and whimsical illustrations never fail to captivate my dirty little monkeys of five and seven years of age.

Unfortunately for me I actually bought this book. It [bites], just like their website crown dot org. They don't give good advice about how to get out of debt, not at all... they just admonish people who are IN debt. I have a friend who's written a really good book about getting out of debt... sensible, easy to follow information. It's called "Debt Free - One Paycheck at a Time". Look for it on her website called onepaycheckatatime dot com, but since I'm building her website (for free) it won't be up until mid January. Too bad, her course is great! I'm doing it now and very grateful that she took the time to write it. But THIS book by Larry Burkett stinks. I am going to take it back to the Christian book store where I bought it and ask for my money back. Make a note of Kim's website, when it is 'up' and you can buy the book, you'll be glad you did. It will be worth whatever she's gonna charge for it. 19.95 I think.
Seriously. I get no funds from her sales. I just know she knows what she's talking about.

I had few problems with the main crux(es) of this book, but not based on the bitterness that reviewer Beth obviously has. The book proposes broad underlying principles which, if followed, will definitely leave a person/family in a far superior position than they would otherwise enjoy. I would ask reviewers that criticize the book for its inapplicability if they consistently violate some of the principles it espouses and if perhaps this just might have some bearing on their present financial condition. I don't speak from a position of having arrived at a place of superiority; being presently deep in debt, my finances represent the antithesis of the principals promoted by Mr. Burkett. The book has merely allowed me to see some of the errors in my thinking that has led me into making the bad decisions that resulted in my indebtedness, and I'm now on the way out.

The form of the book is its downfall - hoaky, irritating stories of couples with financial problems comprise the bulk of the material. Sometimes, these real-life stories can be helpful, but I think much of this could have been kept to a minimum. Mr. Burkett seems to have "padded" the book in this way to make what could have been a book half its size more meaty. But overall, a good read with Biblical principals, although I'm still a little skepital about the controversy of the "tithe".

Money. Is there a way to escape dealing with its hold on us? Only with God's help, and Burkett succinctly demonstrates and explains God's financial plan and how He expects us to approach money management.

Burkett, founder and president of Christian Financial Concepts, provides a thorough line by line guidebook to eliminating debt-all debt.

He shows us real life examples of couples who have come to him for counseling, (some so extreme that you would think there was absolutely no hope) and by applying God's principles brought them back to peace with God and their finances.

This book is a must-have reference book for those who are interested in studying God's view on money management or those who hope to counsel others.

--- reviewed by Robin Rider for Christian Bookshelf

For a book on how to get out of debt, this book offers very little on how to do that. Someone needs to go through this book and correct all the math errors ... don't rely on the figures. You'll love this book if you want lots of Scripture and preaching. But there are much better books if you want to get out of debt.

This book is by a Pastor who really cares about the community in which he lives in. He learned this valued info and passed it on to his congregation so that they too would be Out of Debt and in to Praise. Not only did he share this info with his flock he also shared it with over thirty thousand other households in his community because of a vision that he has for his community. The book is great and has some very good info.

I'm a grad student and a friend of mine gave this to me as a gift. I don't consider myself a very religious person, and I was rather skeptical of it at first. However, I found it to be inspirational and even informative. While it's very clear that the author is not a financial expert, I don't think it's his intent to come off that way. This book is definitely not for the super-intelligent wall street invester, but for the average joe who's got bills. A lot of scripture, but it supports his argument in a way that makes sense and is very encouraging even for a non-Christian. What was most helpful to me were the ten steps to debt freedom, which are practical and easy to understand. The debt reduction chart is also good as a model to help the reader to organize a plan to pay back debt and prepare for saving and investing. I honestly don't see how his math was off, other than the fact that some of the interest rates he discusses have changed. Overall, this is a good book, I think especially for young adults, college students and other people in my age group who are having a ball making debt. A surprisingly simple and valuable read.

As an instructor at the University of California, Irvine where I teach a Freshman year experience course and was disappointed and offended by this book.

This book offers on its cover: "Almost everything you need to know to get the most out of your college experience, except the diploma". While adequately identifying issues faced by college students this book falls woefully short on content and substance. For example, Clary devotes a mere 5 sentences to discussing final exams, 6 sentences to defining "skinny and fat food",one paragraph on "college dating rules" and one paragraph on cramming. To illustrate, her advice on "skinny and fat food" runs along the lines of: "...if you only eat skinny food, you're likely to remain on the thin side, while a diet of fat food will probably lead you down the fat path."

I also found Clary and the editor's(Becker Mayer) decision to include in a highlighted box a comment that is outrightly racist. She described "words of wisdom" from "an unusually insightful" high school teacher who forewarned her in college she would encounter: "Some guy with a thick Far Eastern accent" who would "walk up to the front of the room and lecture for the entire hour without ever looking up from his papers. You won't understand a word". She stated that this described half her college experience and closes by saying the advice from the "unusually insightful" teacher were "Words of Wisdom".

Being a future college student, this book really gave me some information and tips about living in dorms, managing my money, sex, what I may or may not need to bring with me. It was very easy to read and I just found it extremely helpful!

Get Out Of Debt, with a tital like that I expected information to help me 'get out of debt'. There is one short chapter that deals directly with this subject 'Five Easy Ways to Get Out of Debt' which is not enough. All through the book they refer to their website for further information, but all of this info costs you. The rest of the book deals with basic financial management, which is good. But for real, useful information on getting out of debt, I recomend you go to The National Foundation for Consumer Credit or The Federal Trade Commission. These are true 'Not for Profit' organizations.

I'm so glad I bought this book. It's packed with information that I needed to deal with my debts. Once I got the book it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from by back. For the first time in a long time I can finally sleep through the night. Next time a friend tells me they are having money problems, I'm going to buy them this book as a gift.

First off, this book is supposed to be a collection of "random notes for AC/DC obsessives," which a good deal of it really is. The problem is, even though this book is aimed at "AC/DC obsessives," the author is a man who merely believes that AC/DC used to be a pretty good band. He makes it very clear that he isn't a tremendous AC/DC fan, and that he has pretty much given up on the band since Back In Black was released. This wouldn't be such a big deal if he had stuck to writing articles for rock magazines, where being strongly opinionated is a good thing, but this is a book which is mostly going to be read by huge AC/DC fans such as myself. Calling much of AC/DC's work "rubbish" as Howard Johnson has in this book is not exactly the most endearing way to present his writing. If he wanted to write a book about AC/DC, he would have been better suited sticking to the Bon Scott era, because apparently everything Brian Johnson has ever sung on is total garbage, save for Back In Black. There are plenty of fans out there who believe that the time Bon Scott spent with AC/DC was the best six years of the band's existence, but to write an entire book from this viewpoint is just obnoxious when the book is to be presented to "AC/DC obsessives."

So now I've got that off my chest--on to the rest of the book. Fortunately, only about a quarter or so of the book is actually written by Johnson--the rest is either interviews with the band or fan stories. The fan stories are pretty interesting for the most part, especially the ones where fans visited key areas in AC/DC's career, such as where Bon lived during his years with the band, and the place where he sadly lost his life. Mostly the fan stories are a good read. Where the book really shines, I think, is in the band interviews. Every current member of the band has at least one fairly in-depth interview in the book, including some past members such as Dave Evans. These interviews are what make the book worth getting for the serious AC/DC fan.

However, you're likely better off going for "AC/DC: The Definitive History" if you're uninitiated or a big fan of all eras of AC/DC, not just the Bon Scott era. On the other hand, if you're a fan who believes the band was only great when Bon Scott was behind the mic, you'll probably enjoy this book. But personally, I listen to every bit of AC/DC because it's all AC/DC, and in the end that's what matters most. "AC/DC: The Definitive History" shares this viewpoint and presents the material in a much livelier, more fan-friendly fashion.

The title of this book, however, is great...and it's likely what I'd say to Howard if I confronted him on the street.

Let's face it, if you've read one AC/DC book, you've pretty much read them all. Then only difference is what year they were published. This one IS different, though.
First off, let's make it clear--this is not really a book focusing on AC/DC. This book assumes that the buyer already knows about the band, the history, the music. It doesn't mess around too much in the bio department, opting only for little sidebars about present and past members of the band.
This book is really more about the fans for the fans. Random notes, as the title says. The book goes over various fans' experiences, from internet site webmasters to people who knew the band when they were fresh faced and living in London in the '70s. The book has testimonials from fans not only about meeting the band, but about excursions made to places important in AC/DC history, like Bon's final resting place in Freemantle or old haunts in various areas of London.
All of these essays and notes are intertwined with the author's own experience listening to the band throughout the years. It's clear the author is not a manic fan of the band, but it is apparent that, even though he feels the band's best days are behind them, he still has a great respect for them and finds them entertaining still. Some people may find the author's views out of place in the book, but I think it provides a good contrast to some of the notes in the book about the more fanatical followers. It illustrates that there are many different kinds of AC/DC fans, and they're all welcome to rock along together.
Over all, this is a refreshing book. Instead of beating the same old AC/DC anecdotes into the ground, the author went out on a limb and created a book aimed at and about people who love the best band in the world. I think it works!

'The Alignment Effect' is a review of issues related to the "business technology disconnect."

The highly anecdotal chapters are nicely written and include cameo references from a variety of credible people. Unfortunately, the result is an informal hodgepodge of IT assessments and claims that lead to uncharted waters, which would likely lead to results more pernicious than the problem.

There are many books that integrate portfolio management, project management, and IT planning with a dose of knowledge management and collaboration that help accomplish the claimed results without entering the over-simplified world that this book presents.

My comments on each major section:

Section 1 -- A wordy regurgitation of the fact that IT doesn't always get everything right the first time. This is clearly an attempt to build credibility, but fails to me, since this problem has been well known since the 70s.

Section 2 -- A totally informal section, purporting to be "principles," yet failing to deliver any real framework for understanding or action. It doesn't even clarify or regurgitate, I'm not sure where this stuff comes from. I don't sense any deep understanding of IT or its issues. It reads well, but says nothing useful.

Section 3 -- This tries to turn the essence of section 2, whatever that could be, into action, apparently to make the book a practical guide. It tries to give an enlightened holistic sounding end-to-end view, and fails, leaving only something more like the cuttings from Pulp Fiction or Memento. The coverage of business models is more like how to organize a simple table of contents and document your business model. The real point is business model documentation, not definition. The book shows know understanding of a "business model" in any sense from marketing through finance. The discussion of process optimization is thin and useless, hundreds of books are available that cover process design and implementation quite well -- skip this section. The conversion of all this into "automation" goes into a toddler-like realm of simplicity, and not in the positive senses that might connote.

Section 4 -- On to Governance, another hot buzzword. Loosely speaking, this section tries to build on the earlier sections to talk to modern governance issues. This is the dangerous section. There is nothing to base this section on, the book isn't a new framework or idea, not even a good regurgitation of present knowledge. The governance section does elucidate goals of governance reasonably, but suggests a governance approach that will be as unresponsive to real technology issues as the absolute worst of IT departments might be to business issues. At best, this section would help swing the pendulum the other way, though it would more likely just cut it off.

Sadly, the book has good style, presentation, and writing, but lacks useful or coherent content. The few reasonable ideas that appear are endlessly repeated, suggesting the author doesn't believe the reader gets it the first five times. More likely, the author has nothing else to say.

The book is timely, but misses the mark. There are many solid books in this arena that are based in workable practices, yet remain high accessible to a broad audience. This book seems highly rushed to me, like the author had an idea and the book came out 30 days later. Somehow the style is good, but the content lacks research or forethought.

Professor Roger P. Ellenhurst
California University Coalition

Hoque gives great information on what troubles IT today. The Alignment Effect is quite fun to read. I think he gave me a sense of the IT situation in most corporations, beyond the few places I've been in my career.

If I'd gained a sense of how to fix things, I'd give the book 3 or 4 stars. Unfortunately, I didn't get any sense of how to change things. The lack of suggestions to drive change is a shortcoming and left me empty and feeling partly like I wasted my time.

I liked Sarv Devaraj's book on the IT payoff much better. It is dry and harder to read. On the plus side, it gives me an idea of what to measure and change first.

A quick pass through this book gives you a sense of issues for IT departments. Credibility is down, budgets squeezed, half finished projects. IT is in the dumps these days.

I get the feeling Faisal Hoque thinks IT departments area stupd. They should be closely monitored by business leaders at all times. I agree.

The book gives you a good sense of issues. It falls short on presenting solutions.

It nicely covers IT governance. It is a good intro or refresher for governance and hits the right points for me.

Gerri Hirshey reveals in We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock that the press coverage of women in "rock" in 1997 was one of the reasons she wrote this book. Her point is to establish that women were always there in "rock." [Hershey's use of the term "rock" is elastic enough to include Mariah Cover and Celine Dion among others.]
The full title of her book is We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock. After reading the book, you may feel the full title of the book should be: We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock and the Clothes They Wore And the Way They Did Their Hair and Makeup.

If you're interested in hearing about the evolution of the Ronettes hair, then this is the book for you. Hirshey also manages to get Ronnie Spector on record discussing the very important musical issue of "eye liner" at length.

Hirshey appears defensive early in the book when she explains that clothes and make up are so very important. Why even James Brown has told her about the first outfit he wore on stage. That may be so but neglects to mention the outrage of Rolling Stone readers when Hirshey's Rolling Stone Interview with Tina Turner graced the magazine in the eighties. Readers used to a comprehensive discussion of the musician's recordings (past and present) were distressed to find nothing on music but everything on clothes. Hirshey breathlessly panting over the skirt Tina wore to Live Aid demonstrated the obvious limitations of her reporting. Surely, any other RS interviewer bringing up Live Aid might have asked about the humanitarian nature of the concerts themselves or about how you connect with an audience when you are one of many performers and your on stage time is so brief.

Leave it to Hirshey to focus on Tina's skirt and set the record for all time worst Rolling Stone Interview. (One wisely left out of the book The Rolling Stone Interviews: The 1980s.)

Her focus on fashion at the expense of music should cause her to feel defensive when writing a book on music. More to the point, her glaring lack of music history should embarrass her. I stopped counting factual errors in this book after I reached one hundred. But I was left with the clear impression that Hirshey knows little about popular music (rock, pop, soul or whatever).
More importantly, I was left wondering whether or not The Atlantic Monthly Press bothers to employ a fact checker?

Two examples out of a over a hundred:

1) On Dusty Springfield, Hirshey tosses out that the "finest example of what would become known as 'blue-eyed soul' was her 1968 album, Dusty in Memphis." That will certainly be "news" since Dusty in Memphis came out in 1969.

2) Writing on Carole King, Hirshey notes the song writing partnership with Goffin at the beginning of King's career. Hirshey's wrong that Goffin & King wrote only for girl groups.
(Even if one omits later hits for The Byrds, Aretha Franklin and the Monkees, the fact remains that from the start Goffin & King wrote for Tony Orlando, Bobby Vinton, etc as well as for girl groups.) But more distressing is the fact that three times she mentions Goffin and never once gets his first name correct. His name is "Gerry Goffin," not "Jerry Goffin." A Rolling Stone contributing editor should know better.

A larger issue is the coverage of women. Please note, there's no evaluation of music, no serious discussion on anything. She does "shout outs" -- as though she were writing a gossip column (Rolling Stone's Random Notes?) and not a history on women in music. While "giving her props" in this book supposedly on music, she can shout out three songs co-written by Valerie Simpson but never manage to name Simpson. The Mamas and the Papas are also ignored (Cass Elliot gets two shout outs -- both having to do with her weight). While ignoring these and other women in a book supposedly about women in music, she manages to work in multiple shouts outs to Elvis, Johnny Cash and James Dean. (Dean qualifies for this book how?)

A book concerned with establishing the fact that women have always been a part of popular music needs to do a better job covering the women; and when setting history right is the goal, a writer needs to have the facts right. Hershey fails on both counts. Anyone with even a basic understanding of popular music in the last forty years will find this a frustrating read as Hershey mangles facts and ignores a large number of women who contributed to popular music to instead note the "importance" of Marlon Brando wearing blue jeans.

It took me a couple months to get through this book. Although there are many interesting clips [from the author's magazine interviews over the years], the book does not hang together. It appears that the author attempted to weave the stories together into some kind of themes, by decade: but there is really no "greater insight" provided. I would have preferred to read an anthology of more in-depth commentaries on a few female artists. I also found Ms. Hirshey's ornate writing style to be difficult reading.

really good. Hirshey still rocks. The first half of the book is the best half, but the book as a whole is fine stuff.