Accounting, Costing, and Cost Estimation in Welsh Industry: 1700-1830

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How to OD and Live to Tell About it

Not quite there...IMHO

How to Od... and Live to Tell About It: A Practicioner's Guide to Organizational Development
William Becker
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401053335

Customer Reviews:

How to OD and Live to Tell About it.......2006-11-08

Read this book...I strongly recommend you do... William
Becker's book is not a theoretical work. It is about the experience
of OD, about the essential conditions that must be adhered to in
order to do it professionally...This is a practical book, with practical
suggestions, helpful lists, and about 40 pages of sample forms,
questionnaires and processes that Becker has found useful
and is happy to pass on to other OD practitioners

Professional, competent, high-integrity, high-skilled practitioners
are relatively rare. Fortunately William Becker is one of them and
his book provides a clear and important blueprint of what OD, done properly, really is. If you are involved in OD it is worth reading."

Not quite there...IMHO.......2006-08-03

First to dispel any strange thoughts before they get loose...the OD in the title of this book stands for Organizational Development...but you hopefully knew that already! It was the clever title that attracted me to this book but I have to say right up front that the content was not half as clever as the title.

Much of the content is collected from various other sources and practitioners with any experience will find it familiar. It is interspersed with anecdotes from Mr. Becker's experiences labeled as cases. The book recommends a 7-action model for OD consulting:

1) Determine your degree of readiness
2) Initiate the discovery process
3) Determine whether alignment is by compliance or commitment
4) Diagnose the three domains and your client's degree of readiness
5) Write the Rx and validate commitment
6) Facilitate solution implementation
7) Intervention follow-up and personal reflection

The model seems valid and familiar, yet I could have wished for more detail or recommendations with regard to tools, methodologies, and exercises for each of the steps. The use of a single case through each of the steps rather than bouncing between multiple unconnected cases would have made the book more readable and may have reduced confusion.

The content seems correct but adds little to the repertoire of an experienced OD practitioner and is incomplete as a beginner's reference. To be sure, the book included a relatively valuable appendix with several welcome tools including sample client questions, an operational report card, and a values checklist.

At 155 pages, the book is not a long read but in truth I cannot recommend it if you are looking for a high value OD reference.

Customer Reviews:

Flawed Nutritionally.......2003-02-08

Robert Pritikin does an excellent job promoting both the Pritikin foods and his Longevity Center, but his science leaves a bit to be desired. Pritikin endorses a diet of 75-80% carbohydrate for everyone regardless of their individual biochemistry or metabolic distinctiveness. There is no mention of the importance of essential fatty acids. It is a well established fact that essential fats be part of our diet, otherwise, why would they be called essential. Our bodies don't manufacture them, so they have to be obtained from the foods that we consume. Pritikin puts quite a bit of emphasis on the "enemy" cholesterol. The fact is that 80% of all heart attack victims have normal cholesterol levels and cholesterol is only a marginal risk factor for heart disease. Pritikin talks about the benefits of whole grain bread which for the most part is merely colored white bread. It is still refined flour, and marginally better than white. His knowledge of the distinction between organic sodium from natural foods and inorganic sodium (NaCl) from table salt and how it is metabolized in the diet is an embarrassment. Furthermore, eggs and butter have been proven to be nutritionally based foods with vital nutrients. Eggs, which Pritikin stigmatizes as a cause of coronary heart disease, has been vindicated and is heralded as a valuable, complete source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, lecithin and many other nutrients. His endorsement of microwaving foods is a good reason why nobody should consider the Pritikin Longevity Center, if in fact that's the way they prepare their meals. Lastly his statement about aerobic exercise being only effective when performed for 20 minutes or more is rediculous and indicates his lack of knowledge in exercise physiology. Yes, I agree some people have benefited short term with an ultra-low fat diet, but long term this is not a sensible program.
Dr. Glenn B. Gero, [...]

The definitive explanation of the Pritikin Program.......2000-02-06

Superb. This book covers every aspect of the Pritikin program, from diet to exercise to relaxation techniques.

The book is divided into three parts. An introductory part is followed by a detailed discussion of nutrition including fats, cholesterol, salt, protein, fiber, and carbohydrates.

The final section goes into detail, almost 300 pages, about how to follow the Pritikin program. A chapter on attitude is followed by the classification of foods into three categories ("go, caution, stop"). Next is a discussion of what foods to buy and stock in the kitchen, followed by over a hundred pages of menus and recipes. The next two chapters explain how to stick to the program in difficult situations like restaurants, holidays, and trips. An excellent chapter on exercise is followed by a discussion of stress-reduction.

Even though this is not Robert Pritikin's latest book, "The New Pritikin Program" is still the best and most complete explanation of what the Pritikin Program is.

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The New Pritikin Program: The Easy and Delicious Way to Shed Fat, Lower Your Cholesterol, and Stay Fit
Robert Pritikin
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UVF7RU

Book Description

The latest volume in the highly acclaimed series addresses atomic collisions, assessing the status of the current knowledge, identifying deficiencies, and exploring ways to improve the quality of cross-section data.Eleven articles, written by foremost experts, focus on cross-section determination by experiment or theory, on needs in selected applications, and on efforts toward the compilation and dissemination of data. This is the first volume edited under the additional direction of Herbert Walther.

Key Features
* Presents absolute cross sections for atomic collisions
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* Contains a guide to data resources, bibliographies, and compendia

Book Description

This book is devoted to the interaction between elemental metals and (in)organic ligands in different reaction conditions. Metals could be activated for further reactions as cryosynthesis, electrosynthesis and tribosynthesis, some of them with or without ultrasonic and microwave treatment. The kinetics of metal dissolution in various non-aqueous media is discussed in detail.

Many methods are used nowadays to synthesize coordination compounds. Metal complexes are obtained mainly by the direct interaction of the components (the ligands and a source of the complex-forming metal), as a result of ligand and metal exchange, and under the conditions of template synthesis, which also include the method of nascent reagents. In these methods the source of the metal is either its salts or carbonyls. At the same time, it has long been known that coordination compounds may be obtained as a result of direct synthesis from zero-valent metals. Methods for the synthesis of complex compounds under the conditions of gas-phase reactions, oxidative dissolution of zero-valent metals in non-aqueous media, and in the solid phase have been developed. These methods have become the basis of a new field in synthetic chemistry - the direct synthesis of coordination and organometallic compounds from zero-valent metals.

Particular aspects of the above problem have been described in a series of reviews and monographs. However, on the whole these main parts of the direct synthesis of metal complexes has not been dealt with in the review and monograph publications on coordination chemistry. So, the main objective of this book is to analyze, discuss and generalize the existing information in the area of direct reactions leading to the coordination and organometallic reactions.

Some methods of direct synthesis have been developed in the former USSR (in particular, a lot of works on cryosynthesis, pioneered (1972-1973) and recent works on electrosynthesis) but, in spite of their novelty and/or wide applicability, they are practically unknown elsewhere due to the language barrier. Thus, another objective of this book is to acquaint the readers with the mentioned achievements.

Every chapter contains the tables which describe all the reported data on direct reaction between metal atoms, metal particles or bulk metals with (in)organic ligans. There are some illustrations also (for example, the scheme of the reactor for gas-phase reaction between metal small particles and &bgr;-diketones).

Book Description

DarwinÂ's On the Origin of Species stands as a cornerstone of modern biology. Unfortunately, many readers of this important work have difficulty following DarwinÂ's arguments due to the nature of his writing and to the mass of evidence included in the work. Instant Origin is designed to help the reader follow DarwinÂ's thesis by focusing on the major points and important evidence. It also illustrates why DarwinÂ's ideas still hold such sway and why Darwin is considered as important to biology as Einstein is to physics.

The Origin Of The Mysteries And An Instant In Heaven

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The Origin Of The Mysteries And An Instant In Heaven
H. P. Blavatsky
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

THIS 18 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy Part 3, OCCULTISM, by H. P. Blavatsky. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564594157.

SECRET ORIGINS (1986) 1-50,Ann 1-3,Sp, 20-Different, Untold Origins Of DC Characters!, Instant Gift - Instant Collection

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SECRET ORIGINS (1986) 1-50,Ann 1-3,Sp, 20-Different, Untold Origins Of DC Characters!, Instant Gift - Instant Collection
Roy Thomas & others
Manufacturer: DC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000W5TCPM

Product Description

Untold Origins Of The DC Universe Characters ! 1986 - 1990 Highlights: Origins Of: The Manhunters, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Karate Kid, Clayface, Green Lantern(s), Flash(s)...More, More, More!!! A great overview, an instant collection of 20 different issues from the series.

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This book deals with the phenomenological theory of first-order structural phase transitions, with a special emphasis on reconstructive transformations in which a group-subgroup relationship between the symmetries of the phases is absent. It starts with a unified presentation of the current approach to first-order phase transitions, using the more recent results of the Landau theory of phase transitions and of the theory of singularities. A general theory of reconstructive phase transitions is then formulated, in which the structures surrounding a transition are expressed in terms of density-waves, providing a natural definition of the transition order-parameters, and a description of the corresponding phase diagrams and relevant physical properties. The applicability of the theory is illustrated by a large number of concrete examples pertaining to the various classes of reconstructive transitions: allotropic transformations of the elements, displacive and order-disorder transformations in metals, alloys and related structures, crystal-quasicrystal transformations.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent textbook !.......2004-11-20

This is an excellent book for people wanting to use the Landau theory formalism to model the properties associated with phase transitions in material science.

Landau theory is a phenomenological framework that was originally designed as a description of second-order (continuous) phase transformations. Although the conventional approach was developed only for continuous phase transformations, Landau theory was generalized to encompass first-order phase transformations, in particular displacive reconstructive transitions, which include martensitic phase transformations.

This book is a very comprehensive and self-consistent text in the field; it also discusses several examples in a very thorough way. The basic ingredients of a Landau model consist of an order parameter, which embodies the atomic configurations through the transformation, and the thermodynamic potential, which is a function of the order parameter. The Landau theory allows for inclusion of temperature and/or pressure-dependent properties of the different phases and it describes, for instance, typical stress-strain curves, hysteresis, ...

Diffusionless Phase Transitions in Oxides: And Some Reconstructive and Martensitic Phase Transitions (Key Engineering Materials , Vol 101-102)

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Diffusionless Phase Transitions in Oxides: And Some Reconstructive and Martensitic Phase Transitions (Key Engineering Materials , Vol 101-102)

Manufacturer: Trans Tech Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reconstructive Phase Transitions - Density-Wave Theory of Phase Transition in Crystal

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Reconstructive Phase Transitions - Density-Wave Theory of Phase Transition in Crystal
Pierre Toledano
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MHM4BO

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Not exactly what I was expecting

Fun, but tedious

Absolutely unimpressed...

Bridget Jones as a Victorian?

Romance novel posing as chick lit

The Corset Diaries
Katie MacAlister
Manufacturer: Onyx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Blow Me Down (Signet Eclipse)

ASIN: 0451411129
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Book Description

No woman in her right mind would consent to wearing a corset for a month. Especially a "skinny-challenged" woman like Tessa. But dreams of being debt-free dance in her head at the offer of appearing in a reality TV show. "A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke" is about real people pretending to live on an English estate, circa 1879. And Tessa's leading man-a real-life Duke-is so handsome she can barely breathe, with or without the corset...

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly what I was expecting.......2007-09-05

When I read the back of the book for a synopsis, I was so excited because I loved watching reality TV shows that take modern people and put them in a different time period (i.e. Manor House, Regency House Party, 1900 House, etc.). Also, I was excited about it being about an American girl and a British guy getting together. I really thought I was in for an enjoyable read.
What I got was a heroine, Tessa, that was somewhat bumbling and would have been funny other than the fact that she was very annoying with her brashness and always getting involved too much in the relationship of the hero, Max, and his daughter, Melody. I felt there were times when it was better for her just to say nothing at all such as when she was "sticking her" nose in the discipline of Melody. She had only known Max and Melody for such a short time, and here she was putting her "two pence" in.
Also, about not knowing Max long, well she sure jumped in bed with him very quick, and like one of the reviewers said before, she then proceeded to tell him he would not want to touch her because she was on the larger side. I really never saw a chemistry between the two...a very forced relationship on her part. Her actions would have been a turn off to anyone. I just found it very unrealistic that she would vomit on a guy's shoes on the day she first met him, and then shortly after he would be so taken with her.
Also, Max was a bit reserved, and this is another reason I found it hard to believe that he would be so taken with Tessa and her brashness. Now this might be a classic "opposites attract," however, there was nothing really there to indicate such.
My disappointment with the book was also heightened due to me often times forgetting they were even doing a costume reality TV show. This was one of the main reasons I looked forward to reading the book because like I said I love those type of shows. To be honest, this same story could have been put into another setting and no one would be the wiser because there was no real great emphasis on the time period. I am not saying things such as corsets, side saddle riding, manor balls, and upstairs versus downstairs contention were not mentioned, but it all took a backseat to Tessa's brambles.

Fun, but tedious.......2007-07-24

I picked up this book because the story idea seemed interesting, as did the idea of a plus sized heroine. While initially the story was intriguing, the story could have easily been 100 pages shorter. The story seemed to lag about mid-way through the book, and the author decided to fill the pages with sex. Other things that bugged me was the heroine's lack of self respect at times when it came to Max. Her whining about her weight eventually got old, especially when she kept complaining about it even after bedding Max. Some of the situations didn't seem believable, especially since she was so willing to jump into bed with Max even after getting furious with him.

I would have liked to see the last few chapters take place after the show was over, since the lead character would have had to deal with their new fame (both hers & his), as well as the "morning after" that always comes with reality show relationships. Such as it is, I found that I really couldn't imagine their relationship lasting after they returned to real life.

Absolutely unimpressed..........2007-03-07

And as a plus sized woman, kind of insulted. If I should ever decide to act like the heroine (Can we even call her that?) in this book, I hope someone will take me out back and shoot me. I think the only thing I found endearing about her was her little "episodes" in the beginning of the book, because no one can help feeling for someone put in that type of embarassing situation.

What can we say about Tessa... She's a plus size woman with gorgeous hair, and I think that's about all she has going for her. She's brash, rude, immature and I hate to say it, pretty unlikeable. She spends all her time pushing herself on Max (our Hero), offering unwanted and unasked for advice about his daughter when they've known each other 24 whole hours, and bumbling around like an idiot the rest of the time. She constantly tells Max not to look at or touch her flabby boobs, huge behind, pouchy tummy, dimply thighs and unattracive nether regions. Yet the first night after she finds im bathing, she's confident enough to tell him how absolutely yummy he is and exactly what she would like to do to all those bulging muscles and sinewy body parts. Of course, she won't sleep with him or french kiss him, but everything else is fair game. Now, come on.

As for Max... in the beginning, I really liked him. But I was hard pressed to believe he had any real feelings for Tessa. I felt like he was bullied into the relationship and pretty much had no choice or no say. He never made any advances unless she had pushed him first. Suddenly they're getting married, and I don't recall him even asking her. So by the end I had decided he was pretty much weak and unimpressive.

Their relationship... Forced. By her on him. She accosts him in the tub. She pushes him to show all. She throws herself at him. He gives her a wham bam thank you ma'am, gets up, and LEAVES!! And what does she do?? Runs after him, throws a few choice expletives, and in under a minute and a half, is professing her undying love for him. And no, he didn't even have to offer any apologies... Matter of fact was quite proud of the insult he'd just given her. They argue, she chases him down, they don't talk about anything, and end up just having sex. All the time. He tells her he loves her when she's mad at him... Totally unbelieveable. He makes a slight declaration, and suddenly they're getting married (this is just automatically assumed and jumped on by her) He isn't even the one to tell his daughter about the proposed wedding. He conventiently forgets, and TESSA has to tell her!! Along with everyone else, because he mentions it to none of them, either. Not a soul!!

I could probably go on quite a bit more about how much I disliked this book. I almost put it down less than half way through, but I kept telling myself, it HAS to get better than this!!

My final feelings... I could have cared less what happened to Tessa. Max was pretty much just in it for the sex. And I honestly felt that the way Tessa was portrayed, the author certainly doesn't like plus sized people much. Why on earth would she write about them?? Much as I typically enjoy KM's writing, I think she should leave the fat chicks alone and stick to the skinny Barbie's and their dragons.

Ugh... I need to go wash my eyes.

Bridget Jones as a Victorian?.......2007-02-02

I found the floundering female meets arrogant stud story to be old and overdone. Bridget Jones did it first and much better. The author spent countless lines of text describing the act of blinking as though it was significant enough to register disbelief and get so much attention. The alleged conflict was the man's fear of his daughter riding a horse. The heroine spent the entire book convincing him that life would be horrible if this child didn't ride horses. Nevermind that everyone kept getting hurt on the horses. More and more pages were devoted to her convincing him of horseback riding and him storming off in anger. This was not enough of an issue of conflict to carry an entire book.

The story was a good premise. I would have enjoyed learning more about how modern people would survive in a Victorian setting. Why were the cameras not on them all the time like they are in most reality tv shows? How would that have changed things if all behaviors were on film? How would their modern lives be forever changed as a result of what showed up on the film? I think that would have made for a more interesting source of conflict than this incessant need to get everybody on horses.

One last thing.....I think they need to fire the editor for this book. There were some very glaring typos throughout the book.

It was a somewhat entertaining read, but the heroine was such a twit making stupid mistakes, I really stopped caring if she ended up happy or not.

Romance novel posing as chick lit.......2006-08-10

I thought this would be witty, clever chick lit, but it was a just a typical romance novel with a predictable, time-worn plot. (Chubby American poses as wife to rugged Brit for a TV show, and they fall in love, meet with obstacles, but have a happy ending.) Just okay, not particularly good.

Average customer rating:

another delightful Katie howl!

The Corset Diaries

Manufacturer: Onyx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739442686

Customer Reviews:

another delightful Katie howl!.......2004-12-19

Last fall, I stepped into a hole in the back yard and twisted my knee. At the time, that was so painful, I did not notice I cracked open the sternum of my ribcage. I woke in great pain during the night and had to be rushed to hospital. The immediately solution was stuff me into a corset to where I could not breath - crushing my ribcage. Surprisingly, you get "sort of" used it as the weeks pass, but you really are amazed at the women that lived their whole lives in that fashion. It's small wonder they swooned!

So, recalling how bad it hurt to laugh with a corset, I am eternally grateful that Katie Macalister waited until I was out of the bloody thing to release the Corset Diaries. Had I read this while trussed up like a turkey, I would have been in serious trouble! I would so hate to have my demise on Ms. Macalister conscience! And I fear that would have been the result. This book is just such a howl.

Katie's is a brand of humour that makes one feel good. It's a special gift. Her books won't change the world, solve the rain forest problem or go down into the history of literature, but they are sheer fun. And this one is another special gem from a very talented writer.

It's a funny, witty, sexy, Benny Hill - Monty Python bawdy romp. Some people don't get Brit humour, so they miss all the fun. Sorry for them. The rest of us shall delight in this tale of Tessa, a less than stunningly perfect, 39-year-old who takes on the chore of acting the role of Duchess for a week, corset and all. Frankly, I felt for Tessa when her heart goes pitter-patter over her leading man Max - her "Duke". Rapid breaths in steel stays is just dangerous! Its wickedly sly dialogue charms us as "Duchess" Tessa adjusts to life as it was over a century ago. Stocked full of charming characters, it's a delight from start to finish.

Katie's brings her special touch to this amusing story. Still, I am so glad I read it now, instead of four months ago when my brush with a corset left deep impression on me - figuratively and literally!!

Keep spinning the magic, and we shall keep laughing!

2004 Reviewers International Organization's Award of Excellence Finalist and 3rd Place Winner

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The Corset Diaries

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GROE40

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