This was the book that helped me the most during my review for the neonatal nursing certification exam.

This text is complete, extending to family issues as well as the neonate. An invaluable resource in the NICU, or on the shelf of a neonatal provider. Ms Kenner and her associates have produced a life's work of priceless reference!

I had never heard of Hugh Kenner until a local radio station replayed the Massey Lectures ( a radio lecture series on the Canandian Broadcasting Corporation) on which this book is based. They entranced me so much that I went out and bought this title.

Kenner expounds the merits of travelling and meeting people as a way of both learning and shaping your life and work. He starts by looking at the "Grand Tour", the visits to Europe by the English (and later North Americans, including Kenner's father) and links in Homer and "The Odyssey", Aristotle, Gibbon, Wordsworth, Milton and Dante before moving on to his own trips Elsewhere when he visited first Ezra Pound and then T.S. Eliot. These allow Kenner to tie in Yeats, James Joyce, Henry James and many others.

Kenner shows how all these writers were influenced and educated by their own voyages and exiles and how the movement of people shaped modern literature, among others.

The book is marvellously written and incredibly engaging. It sent me delving into my shelves and visiting libraries to find poems or prose by the authors he mentions. It once again focused my mind on my own desire to see England and Europe.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literature or wants a marvellous excuse to travel and find their own Elsewhere Community.

"The Elsewhere Community" examines the role of "elsewhere" in learning. One learns by going (or being) elsewhere -- geographically, with other people, in another frame of mind, or with other types of literature. One learns by being around what one doesn't know -- something else.

And among other things, this is a fascinating account of Hugh Kenner's own voyage to elsewhere. In 1948, driving from Toronto to New Haven (via New York and Washington) with Marshall McLuhan, Kenner went to visit Ezra Pound, then incarcerated at St. Elizabeth's hospital for the mentally ill in Washington. That visit led to Kenner's subsequent career as one of the leading critics of our time. For fifty years, Kenner has explained Modernism and its leading writers (Pound, Joyce, Beckett, T. S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, and others) to us with his comprehensive intelligence and wit. This book is perhaps the closest we will come to having Kenner's autobiography, and it's a treasure.

Early on in their friendship, Ezra Pound told Kenner that he had "an ob-li-ga-tion" to visit the great people of his time. And so began Kenner's trips to Europe to meet the writers he has explained so eloquently. The stories of his experiences with these people (with Beckett and Eliot, for example) are always revealing. Kenner has always amazed readers with his power to see and to hear things that the rest of us might miss. His eye misses nothing, and his ear is musical in its ability to catch just the right inflection and the meaning beneath it. Some of these stories have appeared in Kenner's earlier books, but here they are presented not to Explain Literature, but rather in the form of five radio scripts. They are warm, personal, fascinating, and charming.

Read this book, whether or not you know Modernism. If you don't know Pound, Eliot, and Beckett, you'll want to after you read this. And you'll want to read more Kenner. Above all, you'll want to discover and explore your own "elsewheres."

This book is a treasure.

This was one of the best books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. The stories were so descriptive it felt like you actually witnessed it. I have always been fascinated with aliens, ghosts, the paranormal and the supernatural. If you are like me then this is definately the book for you!

I'm a skeptic about many things, but some things just can't be explained or ignored. This book grabbed me and made me wonder about some events in my own life that were both profound and beyond explanation. I hope they write a follow-up! Skip Knowles

K.C. Kartchner was my grandfather, and I barely knew him when he passed away in 1970, when I was eleven years old. However, this book, K.C.'s unfinished memoir, paints a vivid picture of his youth, as well as the historical, religious, and geographical context whence he sprung. His early career as an intinerant fiddler, which began around the time his father was serving a Mormon mission (during a crucial period in K.C.'s life when he sorely needed fatherly guidance), made him a sort of "rock musician" of his day. In that framework, it is much easier to understand some of the later events of his life. In any case, he had some interesting adventures.

Sara Hardaway is engaged to the divorce lawyer, Raymond Bergeron. They have been going together for about three years

Now what man in his right mind would hire another to put the make on his intended?? Bergeron has been taking care of so many divorce's that he is highly suspecious of most all females -- or is it a guilty mind?

P.I Will Riggs has worked with Bergeron by tailing or having his operatives test the fidelity of the spouses of Bergeron's clients.

After Riggs meets Sara their normal life styles take a plunge and not for the better. One of Rigg's operatives is killed and Sara is attacked and Bergeron is on the run. Whopping good action! Great secondary characters and a great story on the run.

Highly Recommended --M -- Makes for a good read!

Well-written essays, concise, and enlightening. Some of Kenner's points blew my mind--and I've been reading Joyce for 20 years (already). Definitely worth a shot.

I love this book. A lot of my fellow 2nd year nursing students bought it after they saw mine. My only complaint is that there is only pathology; no wellness or risk for diagnoses, like ineffective breastfeeding; it is only by diagnosis. It has come in very helpfully for care plans.

I found this book to be a system-by-system guide that gives concise, clear-cut information for the clinician. Easy to find information, including assessment, signs/symptoms, management, and long-term outcomes for the neonate.

This is the second book by this author that I've read and I loved it. Its not a direct sequel but two of the supporting characters from the first book "The Cat's Fancy" Deena and Hoop are just as wonderful in this book.

The heorine is a Superheroine, or at least a would be Superheroine. Zoe Smith is from a race of people that in ancient Greece were know as the Gods. She half human and half superhero. Her mother was human and her father a Protector(superhero).She has super powers like x-ray vision and telekinesis(she's still working on this). She has very heightened senses so that even eating is a challenge. Her mother doesn't know her secret and in oder to become a full fedged superhero she must tell her.

She has to do this before her 25th birthday which is approaching fast. If this wasn't enough pressure she soon meets up with a mortal man who drives her crazy. George Taylor P.I. is on a case that he despises. He is broke and needs the money so he accepts the job and meets Zoe. He is knocked for a loop. He is longing for a a normal woman who wants to settle down, he thinks he has met that in Zoe but soon finds himself choved into a world that he can barely comprehend. He has always been the protector and now has to let Zoe protect him and this causes some conflicts.

There is also a element of danger thrown into all of this by Zoe's cousin Mordi, who is also a halfing and approaching his 25th birthday. He needs something Zoe has but doesn't know she has and he will do just about anything to get it. The struggle over good vs. evil is wonderfully written and kept me at the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, touching and action packed. I can't wait for the next book in the series. I hope there are several more.

Being a half-breed should have some merit, but elementary school librarian Zoe Smith realizes that with all that comes responsibility as outlined by the Venerate Council of Protectors. Apparently half of her heritage is from a Protector while the rest comes from a mortal requiring Zoe to either register as an outcast or forfeit her superpower heritage. Zoe chooses to save the world with her powers.

Meanwhile private detective George Taylor seeks a missing magical stone for a client. His investigation leads to Zoe, who seems eerily seems to be the center of weirdness on the planet. While George vows to learn the truth, Zoe needs no powers except her heart to tell her he is the one for her. As they fall in love, they team up to take on a malevolent attempt for world domination.

APHRODITE'S KISS is an amusing fantasy romance along the line of "Mom and Dad save the World." The story line is fun as Zoe behaves as if she is the Greatest American Hero except that she knows George is her other half. The romance adds spice to a fabulous tale that shows Julie Kenner saves readers who enjoy uniqueness in their novels from April showers.

Harriet Klausner

A heroine whose senses are so ultra-sensitive, she's almost orgasmic just eating a chocolate bar........she's also got x-ray vision and can see thru things, including men's pants! A heroine who has a very important decision to make before her 25th birthday.....you see, Zoe Smith is a halfling.......her mother is a mortal, her dad a Protector (from Greek and Roman mythology) and that makes Zoe a "goddess"....If she decides to become a complete mortal, she'll lose all memory and association with her dad and half-brother, Hale..... If she decides to become a Protector (rescuing mortals from various perils, such as fires, car crashes and the likes) she must pass various tests without any advanced notice...AND she must tell her mortal mom, who, years ago, left her husband when she found out he was a Protector! As if Zoe didn't have enough problems, enter George Bailey Taylor, ex-cop, now turned PI...........as soon as Zoe saw him, her insides were turned all around.....she knew she wanted him, but how could she possibly make love to a man, especially a mortal, when she practically burns at the slightest touch! Imagine the heat emanating when making love! Besides having to make these difficult decisions, Zoe had another job...........unbeknownst to her, the fate of the entire human population was in her hands! Could she save the world?? Could she get her man?? Could she learn how to levitate objects properly?? This book had everything...zaniness, romance, tenderness, unique plot, laughter on every page, best group of characters (including Deena and Hoop from The Cat's Fancy) who could play off each other, thrills,plenty of action, and villains!! ........It reminds me of the great screwball comedies of the 30's....only better (and funnier!) It's the work of a genius (or, at least, of an author who must have been a great stand-up comedienne in another life) This author hasn't disappointed me yet....for some reason, even though she writes romantic comedies, her characters not only keep me having to cross my legs from laughing so hard, but they also warm the cockles of my heart......I find them unforgettable, likeable and certainly not the run-of-the-mill type of heroes/heroines!! I do believe that the author, herself, is not an ordinary author...she, too, is exceptional! Julie Kenner is one extremely talented woman, whose books I just can't get enough of....I truly and highly recommend this book to one and all! If we had a 10-star rating, I'd want to give it at least a 15!!

Victor Niederhoffer is an interesting character. A champion squash player in his youth, he acquired a PhD in statistics from the University of Chicago, then embarked on a spectacular second career as a hedge fund manager, one of the most successful in the business - until getting demolished in 1997 in the Asian crisis (and then whacked again after 9-11). "Practical Speculation" contains the collected thoughts of this sadder but wiser warrior and his co-author, Laurel Kenner.
The book falls into two parts, one critical the other constructive. In the first, the authors take aim at several targets. Their criticisms of financial journalist Alan Abelson, who took a bearish position throughout the 90s are well on the mark. The advice of most pundits is barely remembered by their readers from one column to the next, so it is good to see a case where years of opinioneering are clearly laid out and contrasted with what actually happened. The results are not flattering for Abelson. Anyone who had acted on his utterly erroneous views and shorted the market starting in the early 90s' would either have gone broke or given up in despair well before the long-predicted bear payoff finally arrived in early 2000.
The criticisms of Warren Buffett and Alan Greenspan are not so well-aimed. While investors can be judged on whether they make or lose money, there is no similar objective criterion for evaluating the performance of a central banker. Did Greenspan cause the Nasdaq to crash? Is it ever appropriate for the central bank to attempt to deflate incipient bubbles? There is no clear answer to these questions, consequently it is hard to make definitive criticisms. The authors' claim that Greenspan was "albeit unintentionally, a part of the meme that led to the World Trade Centre attack" is both muddled and silly. Generic observations concerning the puffery of corporations and analysts, as well as the vacuousness of the media, will not come as news to any adult.

Niederhoffer and Kenner are on firmer ground when they go after technical analysis. This metastasizing hydra of ill-defined and untested methods is a paradigm example of the medieval mentality that pervades the markets. Although clothed in the trappings of analysis, with a bow-tie of a scientific-sounding name, technical analysis lacks the defining feature of a scientific enterprise, namely the evaluation of clearly-defined and testable propositions. Truth is established on the basis of anecdote and rumour. The practitioners of the various methods have made millions. Or they know someone who has. Niederhoffer and Kenner back-test a number of propositions, to predictably disappointing results.
In the more constructive second half of the book the authors explore various other possibilities for exploiting the markets, including a two-year lag in stock prices, a lag between real estate values (REIT) and stock prices, the volatility index (VIX), Value Line ratings and even a link between the number of home runs in baseball and the level of the market. While the authors caution against several well-known statistical pitfalls they also miss a few points. Markets are not time-homogeneous. There are very few market statistics which appear to be constant over time. The correlation between the Dow and the Nikkei, for example, might have one value over one five year period, and a different one over the next five-year interval. But neither of these is necessarily a good estimate of the "true", that is time-invariant, correlation, because there probably isn't one. The value produced by the combined ten-year interval isn't a better estimate, it is just the time-average of a moving target. To paraphrase the usual disclaimer, past estimates of correlation are no guarantee of future values. The Nikkei and the Dow, after sharing a rising trend for decades diverged suddenly in the 1990s when the former crashed while the latter soared. Similar abrupt deviations from expected correlations are what sunk Long-Term Capital. Statisticians call this "change of regime." Traders call it getting hammered.
A further problem with the authors' more "scientific" approach is how to deal with conflicting signals. Suppose you have tested both the VIX and the index-REIT correlation and are satisfied of their predictive power. What happens when one of these indicators says sell and the other says buy? You have to follow one, but which one and on what basis? You're then right back in with all the other ,.. er, technical analysts, who don't have any sound empirical justification for what they are doing.
Occasionally the authors veer off into what is more or less mumbo-jumbo, such as Niederhoffer's confused engagement with Richard Dawkins' already murky notion of the meme. The chapter on "market thermodynamics" is little better. The authors also claim that we can gain valuable lessons about the market from tennis, chess, fishing, even welding, but the only thing these various examples prove is that our state of understanding of the markets is in disarray. And consider these "lessons" in reverse. Does anyone imagine that they will become a better tennis player by reading stock charts or consulting Alan Greenspan's biography?
Niderhoffer and Kenner's core belief appears to be in the inexorable upward long-term tendency of the markets. This is certainly reasonable, but it can hardly be called speculation. "Practical Speculation" read closely is really an argument against speculation. There is no edge. All you can do is get a diversified portfolio and sit on it. Sound advice certainly, but hardly what the title advertises.
Finally, it has to be added that this is not a well-written book. The authors are continually changing person from "we" to "one of us" to "I" and the plethora of references to various extraneous topics does little except give the impression that they are trying to showcase their wide general knowledge. The best observations are of a negative kind, and contain little that has not been said before. "Practical Speculation" contains little about speculation and not much that is practical. Worth reading only if you have nothing better to do.

Given the accomplishments of Victor Niederhoffer I find it
difficult to understand how he could have written such a terrible
book.

The authors have structured the book into two parts: the first
part is supposed to tell you about all the lies, propaganda and
negative thinking that you, as an investor are subject to. The
second part is supposed to give you a foundation for "scientific"
investing. The book fails miserably in both sections. There is
only a single decent chapter, "How to Avoid Spurious
Correlations" in the second half of the book.

The opening chapter is titled "The Meme" and is an unreadable
rehash of the history of the market (and the world) from
1997 to 2002. I find it hard to understand why this chapter
was included. Things get a little better after this, but not
much. The authors attack "value investing" in a shallow fashion
without addressing any of the newer work that has followed
Graham and Dodd. They also attack technical analysis, which
is certainly an easy target. They have a whole chapter that
attacks an editor of Barron's, who apparently guilty of the
thought crime of holding consistently negative views about the
market.

Except for the single chapter on statistics, the second half
is no better than the first. The authors provide no help for an investor
who seeks to build a portolio and understand its risks. There
is a chapter that equates the laws of physics with the market,
but is nothing more than analogy.

There is a vast literature on investing. Save your money and
buy another book.

by Rich Bubb, 6/1/3
During and after reading Practical Speculation, I was struck by many emotions. In other words, almost everything I knew and had been previously told about investing was stripped down to the simple truth and laid bare for examination. And the picture was not pretty.

Initially, I felt trepidation and felt that the journey I was going to be Learning-Through would be formidable. In context it was. In content it was. In level of understanding presented by the authors, it couldn't have been simpler. But is that not the hallmark of superior authors intending to cultivate knowledge in their readers? (BTW: Laurel and Victor also write a weekly column on moneycentral.com titled: The Speculator.)

After shredding sycophantic trading and investing voodoo and hoodoo practiced by the most hyped and ballyhooed Wall Street has to offer, I am eternally in their debt for their opening a window through which one can see the reality of investing and the Market. Not investing without a hope of making a return, not investing without a hope of comprehensibility, and not investing based on hocus-pocus bs. You can easily get that type and level of impostor-knowledge in ill thought out books, websites, and seminars almost anywhere these days. For instance, their chapter on Earning Propaganda delineates in a straightforward manner what works, with the data to back it up, on page after eye opening page (sources always included for those so inclined to do their own checking, and you are welcome to do so. And get into the habit of checking, you'll wonder how you stumbled along without it after a while!). The chapter on what works, and what does not, regarding Technical Analysis lays bare the truths to look at, and demystifies TA to such a degree, it is amazing to me that many Wall Street charlatans are not tarred and feathered by their now severely poorer followers.

At one point I remember I was thinking, "OK, so what does work?" That was so succinctly answered on page 105ff that I started memorizing. No, I won't tell you what it is. Read it for yourself. You were just told where the gold is, mine it yourself.

The beauty of this volume of knowledge is summed up not at the end of the book, but at the end of nearly every convention shattering chapter. Every shattered myth, bar none, is exposed and debunked; illuminated with evidence, data, facts, intelligence, and honesty.

When I was starting "The Finale" chapter, I had an intuitive sense I wouldn't be reading a generalized summation of everything previously explained. I did not. Taking it to another level sounds cliche, but the authors succeeded exponentially to redefine Finale. If the message were musical notes, the resulting crescendo and lucidity of vision are symphonic. For instance, there is an email from "the indefatigable Dr. Brett" that is [IMHO] Beyond Brilliance (see page 350-351) on "Revisiting Complexity in Trading Systems." You cannot find this level of genius anywhere all in one text, at any price. And note the email title begins ith "Revisiting", as in "go there again". [One wonders what the Initial Visit was like?]

With chapter titles like: How to Avoid Spurious Correlations; The Future of Returns; The Periodic Table of Investing; Market Thermodynamics (one of my favorites); and News Flash: Computer Writes Stock Market Story, and others throughout, the buyer of this book has nothing to fear. Why, there right on the back cover is a money back guarantee by the publisher of Bottom Line Personal. Checkout "Product Details", then "Look Inside This Book!" on this [Amazon's website], then look at middle of pic of back cover. Seen one of those on ANY OTHER book on investing lately? Heard that at an investing seminar lately? Read that anywhere on a subscription service investment website lately?

Disclaimer: I am NOT a stock market professional. Just a Pedestrian Investor, a very appreciative one.

Thanks Laurel & Vic!