Matsuri, World of Japanese Festivals is a masterwork of photography. Vilhar's eye and skill with the camera captures the exquisite detail that exemplifies traditional Japanese culture and sensibilities. Like a door into historic fantasy, Matsuri gives both the well-travelled and arm-chair travellers a chance to immerse themselves in a world of beauty and ritual that took Vilhar and his wife Charlotte Anderson nine years to collect for this presentation. Well worth the price, I only wish there were a companion book of text to describe the ritual festivals in greater detail.

Vilhar and Anderson, a husband-wife photographer-writer team, have put together a superb book. Through mainly visual images and pithy explanations/picture captions, they have encapsulated Japanese matsuri (festivals). The Japanese have festivals for everything and Vilhar has collected a good mixture: Gion, of course (Kyoto's most famous festival), kites framed by Mt Fuji (for Children's Day), young geisha, etc. Nobody today is doing better work in Japan/on Japan than Vilhar & Anderson. The only "problem" with this book is that it was too short. I, for one, would pay more to get more.

Matsuri - Shrine festivals, which catch the spiritual essence of Japan. This book is a MUST, if you have ever visited to or are interested in Japan.The photographs are just amazing (how did Vilhar get these shots?) and the captions very informative. I am living for >10 years in Japan, and Matsuri is one of my favourite books. Order two: one for you and one for your best friend!

These ten inspiring biographical accounts of 19th century Texas women who changed history are straightforward, well-researched, and so well-written that I would recommend the book even to young readers, though there is more than enough here to engage a curious adult. Of particular interest are the stories of Cynthia Ann Parker, raised by Comanches, Sara Estela Ramirez, a Mexican-born poet, and "Texas" Guinan, a nightclub owner and silent film star. Andersen's admiration and compassion for her subjects is evident, though she is careful to present the facts of their lives in an unbiased and impartial manner. More Than Petticoats is an important contribution to the existing literature on women's history and a must-read for anyone interested in Texas, feminism, women's suffrage, civil rights and pioneer history.

Greta Anderson provides a glimpse into the lives of ten women that possessed a true pioneering spirit in pre 1900 Texas.As opposed to some historical accounts that can get bogged down in facts, this book represents history in short stories that make for an enjoyable read. It is wonderful to find a book like this that can tell the tale of history through the eyes of a woman.Greta successfully puts flesh on the bare bones of history.I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the role of women in history, particularly women of the south. I was inspired by this book and would love to see a second book containing more stories about the women of Texas.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others. For me it was a quick, refreshing, and interesting read. I still think about the characters and stories months after finishing the book. For my 12-year-old daughter, the book was inspiring. Of the many stories, the most inspirational for her was Sophie's refusal to be fired as the railway doctor because she was a women. The book tells the stories of many strong women, and I was struck by the variety of ways in which women can become leaders and role models. I hope more books like this will be written so that women's history can be preserved.

Ms Anderson probably wrote this book to make a buck after Burt dumped her but who cares? I really enjoyed this honest, down to earth book about her relationship with Burt, her life and loves and most of all, I LOVED the many wonderful photographs. She's quite a lady too. Not once does she cry out, "poor ol' me". The book is honest and goes straight to the point. In other words, she doesn't moan and whine throughout it. She says it as she see's it. I like that. I'd recommend this book, definitely.

Loni Anderson proves that she is not another dumb blonde in this humorous, entertaining biography. She talks about family, friends, and her memories so fluidly you feel as if you had been there. She recounts her life from teenage beauty queen to a single mother and struggling actress and to her fame on WKRP. After all Burt has done to her she does not trash him, choosing to focus more on her feelings about the divorce and concern for her son, this definately a book to read if you are a fan of Mrs. Anderson or think she's just like her character on tv

I started reading the book, and could not put it down. Your courage, strength, and love for your family and freinds is what I admire most about you during your time growing up and till present. At times I would cry for you for what Burt put you through, my views has changed toward him, and yes i did follow both you and Burt from the start, had no idear what hell be put you and "Q" through, you too much of a lady to put up with him on the whole and now that chapter is written and closed, you can now say at last I have peace. Loni you book was well written and yet sad, I still feel sadness but i know that you're now happy.

Good luck.

The founder of The Natural Step has written what is partly a history of its foundation and growth, partly an explanation of the principles by which it operates and partly a guide to the future of the move towards sustainable operation. It is also partly autobiographical and gives a fascinating insight into an extraordinary career.
Of interest to those concerned with sustainability, to systems thinkers, business strategist and to the general reader who seeks to understand the underlying principles that are elsewhere so well concealed in complexity. Robèrt's genius is in two fields: the first is in revealing the easy to understand (but less easy to apply) principles that provide a guide to moving toward sustainability, and the second is in developing and applying a form of dialogue that invites people into the creative process.
The Natural Step is an international movement which provides education and support for commercial and government organizations seeking to move to sustainability. It does this by providing a framework, a process and case and other materials for assessing sustainability and developing a strategy to move towards full sustainability while maintaining or enhancing commercial viability.
It offers a proven methodology for moving toward sustainability, which is valid at every level from the global to the personal, and is applied in a way that recognizes the requirements that the business (or whatever) remain viable at every step. This book by its founder is a valuable addition to an important literature.
While the whole book is useful, Chapter 2 (Systems Thinking and Consensus), the second half of Ch. 5 on Communication tools, Chapter 6 (The System Conditions for Sustainability), and Chapter 10 (The TNS Framework) are vital to understanding the principles and their application. The metaphor of the tree and branches in chapter 2 is absolutely fundamental to understanding the approach - get away from arguing specific detail (the 'leaves') and focus on the few driving principles ('the 'trunk and branches') that drive the complexity in the leaves.
Each case study makes a particular point. If you choose only one, Ch. 11 the McDonald's case is the one to go for, but each is carefully constructed to illustrate a specific principle.

The recipient of the year 2000 Blue Planet Prize (aka the Ecology Nobel), Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert has offered the world a delightful peak at his decade-long adventure in making visible the possibility of a just and sustainable future for all. Beyond skillfully describing the beginnings of the idea of The Natural Step and its framework's scientific basis, he also shares some remarkable stories that express his deep social consciousness and longing for a world that works for everyone.

He lets the reader know, among other things, that
--his heroes are Greenpeace activisits
--participants at the World Economic Forum at Davos (to which he was invited) for the most part seemed unaware of the plight of the world's poor
--the apathy and helplessness that most people feel with regard to our global dilemma may be one of the most serious problems we face in resolving the dilemma
--the economic paradigm must change
--new business leaders may be key to shifting current mass media reluctance to cover issues of social and ecological sustainability
--and so much more!

The materials in the Appendixes are worth the price of the book itself. Invaluable in understanding the core values of The Natural Step, applying its framework, and learning how the agricultural sector (one of many, by the way, who have explored this approach to strategic planning) in Sweden arrived at consensus on developing a sustainable future, the back matter will fascinate as much as the growing pains and other stories in the main portion of this singular, thought-provoking publication.

Essential reading for anyone concerned about our common future.

Anyone who has heard Karl-Henrik Robert speak in person will want to read this personal account of the evolution of TNS to date. He writes boldly and brightly - from his heart. I enjoyed it immensely and gained further insights into how to share The Natural Step story with others. Buy it!

NOBODY WANTS BARKLEY is the second in my series about Barkley the dog. In it I used my own background in obedience training and did some research on how the 4-H dog training program works. I already knew about farmers and sheep because my father raised sheep. I loved writing the scene about the dogs knocking over the table of refreshments.

This book was wonderful because Barkley just wanted a friend and whith out knowing it he got into allot of trouble. I recomend this book to who ever love dogs.

No matter how hard he tries he can't stay out of trouble, he only wants a freind.

Obo is the name of a young monkey, and Bob Anderson'sdelightful book for children, titled OBO, is the story of how Obodiscovered Paradise. While still very young, Obo heard a beautiful bird singing. He asked the bird where it was from. When the bird told him it lived in Paradise, Obo decided to search for that wonderful place. And that's just what he did when he got big enough to do so. As he searched, he asked each jungle animal he met whether or not it knew where Paradise was... Anderson filled his book with wonderfully detailed drawings of all the plant and animal life Obo encountered in the jungle. The final picture is a gathering of ninety-nine creatures around a watering hole. A poster of that scene is available upon request from the publisher. OBO ends with a glossary describing nearly forty jungle dwellers. Each animal has a small picture, followed by a pronunciation guide to its name. He also includes a brief description of the creature's habits. Young and old alike will enjoy Obo's search for Paradise, and their own search for all the creatures hiding in the jungle. Sandra I. Smith, Reviewer

Obo, the story of a monkey searching for Paradise, manages to take the reader there as well. The author and illustrator, Bob Anderson, has captured a distinct quality of fantasy in his drawings, allowing adults and children alike to immerse themselves in this lush world. The true beauty of this book is in the minute detail and realism found in the pen and ink drawings and in the author's dedication to lush environmental atmosphere. This book is a must-have for families with children of various ages.

I had the rare opportunity of seeing this book in its original manuscript form and although I have not yet seen the final in-print version, I can say that it is a treasure! The illustrations are intricate, mysterious, and sophisticated, and I can only assume that they will be equally appealing to adults as well as children of all ages. The story is timeless with a universal theme which is dealt with on multiple levels in such a way that small children who are being read to will enjoy it while also offering enough interest and humor to encourage young readers and adults to enjoy it as well. The drawings and glossary at the end add a nice extra touch which really pulls the whole work together as an excellent learning tool (again, for both children and adults).

Although Alita is my cousin, I still choose to write a review for her book. First of all I just want to congratulate her for finishing it. I found the book to be inspiring, motivating, and uplifting. It makes you believe that there is always someone out there watching over you. The testimonies in the book reach out and touch you spiritually. I also like how she ties in her life with some of the testimonies. I encourage everyone to read this book. When you finish it, you feel a sense of spiritual healing.

Although I am the editor who worked with Alita Anderson on this project, I still feel objective enough to make the argument that this is a book that will inspire and motivate you, because it did those two things for me each and every day that Alita and I poured over these heart-felt testimonies by people like you and I---People who were merely on a quest to find peace and healing in a world that doesn't often give such gifts. Each testimony offers the reader with a different "take" on what it means to be healed. The healings are of the body, the mind, and the spirit. All of these seekers were people who were trying to get to the other side of hurt, pain, dispair, and sorrow. Now who among us can't relate to that? I promise you that after reading "On The Other Side," you will never be the same again.

"On the Other Side" in an excellent book. I highly recommend it. Through the stories of ordinary people we see the extraordinary gifts that are ours in this life- healing and love. It allows us to reaffirm faith in a higher power while confirming the power of idealism, hope and determination. To be frank, it illustrates the power of human revolution in the age of cynicism. This book is an easy read with wonderful artwork created by the author. As her debut contribution to the literary world, Alita Anderson is bound to make her mark! I wouldn't be surprised to see this work featured in Oprah's book of the month club in the near future.

The title of the book is interesting not only for its reference to Marx's famous statement but because Raymon Aaron was such a giant among intellectuals. This book, written in 1955, is a perfect indictment of the follies and inconsistencys of Marxist thought and intellectual fawning over the Soviet Union. Twenty years later, when I went to college, I had the same ideas but not Mr. Aaron's impressive prose and aplomb in destroying Marxist discourse. I wish I knew of the book back then. An excellen indictment on the longest folly of the 20th century.

Although Aron's treatise was published many decades ago as a brilliant and unsurpassed analysis of French intellectual culture, it has direct relevance for contemporary fads and foibles of Western cultural and intellectual life. Much of what goes on in the academy today becomes lucid when read within Aron's analytical framework. This book should be read by all who care about the education of their children.

Aron's book deserves recognition as one of the classic works of 20th century intellectual history. Written 40 years ago during the battle of ideas between communism and liberal democracy, "The Opium of the Intellectuals" provided profound insight into the mind of the communist intellectual. Aron, a renowned French historian and philosopher, wrote this devastating critique of French radicals (such as John Paul Sartre) during the height of the Cold War. Unlike Albert Camus in his famous book "The Rebel", Aron fires his guns without mercy and exposes these intellectuals' penchant for irrationalism and extremism.

The book's title was derived from Marx's famous quote "Religion is the opium of the people". Marx's belief was that religion diverted people's attention from misery on earth by promising a glorious afterlife. Aron explains communism served this role for radical intellectuals who eloquently rationalized and apologized for communism's barbarism because its promise to deliver utopia on earth. In a nutshell, communism replaced Christianity and other established religions as a new faith, but one grounded in the secular world, not in the heavens. As in all religions, faith is paramount, not reason. Communism's monstrous crimes and wholesale destruction of the individual did not bother these radicals because they believed in the ultimate "means / ends" justification. Since only communism could deliver humanity to the promised-land, it was privileged by its goal, thus any crime could be rationalized as the part of the twisted path to salvation.

This masterpiece illustrates the dangers of radical intellectuals who take a wild leap into political fantasy for the sake of an idea. Fredrich Hayek, the famous Austrian economist, summarized it best 50 years ago when he stated "The distance between a single-minded idealist and a fanatic is just one step".

This book gives you tremendously helpful and candid facts/ideas about working with Oracle's Designer/2000, similar to a friend giving you some very good advice before you attempt a big journey. However, for all new purchasers of Designer/2000 Version 2, the book is downlevel and needs to be updated for the new version ASAP! Except for having to compensate for the differences in versions, I have found this book to be indispensable. My copy is already very worn and I've only owned it two months!

A really great text on Designer/2000. Takes you in logical and consistant fashion from very fundamental concepts into detailed application design. Gives excellent examples and step-by-step instructions for navigation through the various components of the tool and their interaction. I recommend this text for both tyros and experienced Designer/2000 gurus. My copy is rapidly becoming underlined and tabbed. Too bad there is not a hard cover edition, as I predict that my copy is going to get a lot of usage.

Author Carrie Anderson is first and foremost a Teacher (note the capital T). She and co-author David Wendelken (also a trainer and consultant) have performed a rare service in the publishing world: they've written a computer text filled with good humor that doesn't fall into the trap of being "cute." And it's certainly NOT for "dummies!" "The ORACLE Designer/2000 Handbook" may not carry the official imprimatur from the folks in Redwood Shores, but it is an uncanny distillation of the essence of the Designer/2000 system. Follow the authors' advice and leverage their wisdom and you may find yourself not only more productive, but easier to get-along-with at work! Tackling ORACLE's market-leading CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tool can be a daunting effort. While manuals and on-line documentation are usually adequate for the quick answer, A&W's guide puts the product and its capabilities under objective scrutiny. Poking gentle fun at some of the more mundane aspects of application development, the authors go far beyond the features of the system. This leads the reader to want to experiment and test what's said--not just take it on face value. The experienced user may wish to start with the excellent appendices that supplement the many practical how-to's in the handbook. A frequently asked detail is the use of the system's Application Programmatic Interface (API). A&W not only explain its use, but include clear and concise examples of programs that are downloadable from the authors' web pages at publisher Addison-Wesley Longman.: http://www.awl.com/cp/anderson-wendelken.html -- In addition, there is a terrific bibliography that reads like a Who's Who of structured design and methodology. If you're using, or planning to use, ORACLE's Designer/2000, I would heartily recommend adding this excellent book to your CASE bookshelf, though you may want to consider buying two: one to treasure and one to use every day in the privacy of your cubicle. Gerry Jurren

Paris Reflections, Walks Through African-American Paris is a comprehensive walking guide through the streets of Paris. Written by Christiann Anderson and Monique Wells, two African-American women who have adopted the city as their home, the book is a well documented history of African-Americans and others of African descent who have lived, worked and played in the famed City of Lights.

As one reads through the book, the authors' love and appreciation of the city is evident. In Paris Reflections, readers follow six fascinating walking tours of the city and are treated to a treasure cove of information, the obscure as well as the familiar, from important dates in Africa-American history in Paris to profiles of colorful personalities who have lived and worked in the city. Well written and easy to read, Paris Reflections, Walks Through African-American Paris is a valuable resource for both travelers and non-travelers as well.

Congratulations on work well done. While there are thousands of writings on Paris, add this to your list of Paris reading. While this work is uniquely geared towards a personal experience of Paris through the eyes of African Americans, it is a must have for anybody planning a cultural tour of the city of Paris. I congratulate Ms. Anderson for her enlightening and beautiful book!

One recent Saturday afternoon, I set out, copy of Paris Reflections in hand, to do an actual walking tour of the Latin Quarter in Paris. My aim was to familiarize myself with some of the Black American history meticulously detailed in the book. I wasn't entirely convinced that this journey would be that enjoyable.

What followed was an afternoon of sheer delight, as I rediscovered some of the incredible beauty of this area, with the added bonus of a perspective of celebrated Black Americans from a different era. While their very haunts may have changed or even be totally nonexistent, the monuments and neighborhoods themselves are still intact, to be seen just as these personalities saw them.

I applaud the authors for what must surely have been a labor of love. One pet-peeve, however, is the lack of photos of the basic points of interest encountered during the walks. But, otherwise, the discovery process as presented in this book in this most beautiful of cities is worth the price of admission alone. I enthusiastically recommend this offering!