I have read two or three of Levinson's books and they got me through a period when I was self employed. However, as good and useful as the ideas are, not enough is mentioned about having to do the actual work. It's easy (for me at least, and obviously for Levinson) to think up good ideas but one has to actually do the work and many ideas sound good and like they should work but when you get to working, the work to payoff ratio isn't enough or there are serious mental blocks to doing the volume of work necessary. Sure, write a book and get royalties forever sounds wonderful but how many people actually write that book, market it aggressively, etc.?

As a person who is mentally done with working for other people and on other people's timelines, I find this book very inspirational and helpful. While obviously not every idea in this book will work for you, several of them should get your mind open at least a crack as to how creatively you can manipulate your own talents and interests into ways to earn money independently of someone else. However, the book is merely a starting point. Mr. Levinson provides ideas for work, basic ways to market your offerings, and some potential pitfalls just to keep you in reality. The rest of the details will have to come from yourself. So if you are looking for a comprehensive guide to starting your own business,the hows and the wherefores, this isn't it. But it's a great tool for lifting your mind out of the corporate gutter and realizing there are may other opportunities out there for you as long as you have enough spirit, determination and belief in your own sense of entrepreneurship.

This book was wonderful. I enjoyed Levinson's philosophy regarding "jobless earning" and feel that anyone who is unhappy working in a typical 9-5, is looking for more freedom regarding work and the type of work they do, or is simply interested in earning extra money will do well to read this book. It contains numerous and wonderful ideas about ways to earn extra income, and the philosophy behind these "earnways" is a wonderful gospel that should be preached from the "mountain-tops". I loved this book. I really did.

I got this book back in 1982 ... I enjoyed the ideas and thoughts brought up on astronomy. Now, much of the information is out of date. I see there is a newer version and I look forward to seeing what is in the 1999 version.

I first heard of Professor Jay M. Pasachoff when I decided a few years ago to write a book, then develop it into an original fictional film project about the 27th Century. My first stop in my endeavor was to go to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to find out what unlimited funds and seven hundred years could buy me in ship design. Then, I wanted to know what I would find once I got there so that I could write a great story that would be considered contemporary fiction in the 27th Century. I searched all of the space and science magazines. Nothing. Then I went to the library. Very little. Then, I went to the Internet. A little more. Then I went to the bookstore. Then I opened a book edited by Professor Pasachoff, called "Stars And Planets." There is absolutely no better roadmap to the stars in the known Universe - and I have looked everywhere for the best.

Then, only recently, I became aware that Professor Pasachoff actually has a "textbook" out called "Astronomy: From The Earth To The Universe."

I became intrigued and based on a very good recommendation, I decided to buy it...

Two days after I opened this hidden treasure for the first time, I am finally able to put it down long enough to tell everyone about it.

There are now two books that I totally recommend to everyone who is interested in seeing reality through the eyes of God as best as humans can perceive that reality. One is the Bible, and the other is this very book by Professor Pasachoff. I have learned more about the Universe from this book than I have through three decades of "Star Trek." No collection of books or videos can match this organized presentation, a single-source "greatest hits" assembly of the thoughts of our best scientists and pictures from our best instruments (including many from the Hubble Space Telescope).

This is a well-illustrated, brilliantly presented book that has almost a thousand pages, all friendly to the novice amateur astronomer (or movie producer).

The only pitfall is that it removes the need to build advanced, expensive spaceships to actually explore the wonders of the Milky Way Galaxy. Why bother, when all humanity really needs to do is read this book?

I used this book for an astronomy course I took, and it helped me wonderfully in developing a foundation on the subject. This book covers just about everything in astronomy, and the updated edition fills the reader with the excitement of how rapidly astronomy is advancing. A wonderful book as a study aid and as a reference.

The title is of course from Act 5, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, in which Armando says "The sweet war-man is dead and rotten; sweet chucks, beat not the bones of the buried: when he breathed, he was a man." In this case, the buried is David Warwick, an anthropologist in Papua New Guinea, circa 1950, who is nominally in charge of native welfare and protection of indigenous customs. When he dies, apparently by suicide, his young wife comes from Australia to uncover the truth about the husband she barely knew.

Jay (actually a pseudonym of Geraldine Halls) packs plenty of Conradian themes into this brooding slim tale. When Stella arrives from the mainland, she finds that every white person is either lying to her or on the verge of a mental breakdown. Gone from the protective cocoon that has shielded her for her entire life, she finds herself wholly capable and unafraid to journey to the heart of darkness, to the village that holds the secret of her husband's death. It's a very dark examination of the human psyche, with plenty to say about colonialism, racism and sexism. One would be hard-pressed to tell it was written fifty years ago.

This is such a rich mystery, one that loops back on itself. Although one reading satisfies all the criteria for a great mystery, a second reading reveals how sly the author is in conveying what is a very dark vision of human motivations. I won't give any more away. Suffice to say, the atmosphere, the plotting, the insight into the psychological motivations and motives of the characters, and the knowing presentation of the British operations in the Territories gives this an all-too credible feel. On first reading, the horrible secret may seem dated, but on the second reading, with all the plot and character machinations truly revealed, the secret becomes all too appaling. This book was very hard to find in the stores, by the way. Enjoy!

This book is part mystery, part cultural clash, part un-romanticized love story and part sociological thriller all rolled into a lovely, haunting read set in Papua, New Guinea. Although written in the early '50s, it's rather complex and has a very contemporary feel. After reading this book I wanted to find anything else Ms. Jay has written but alas, her other books seem to be unavailable in the U.S. Someone should make a movie out of this great little novel

In this book, Dr. Liebowitz provides an overview of contemporary thought about how organizations can acquire and maintain intelligence. The book provides some good ideas on how one might actually go about improving the OI where one works. However, the tools provided in the book (almost 1/2 the content) are not available electronically - most unfortunate, since they represent about half the value of the book.

We have been talking about intelligence of people, employees, (also it may be how intelligent are the computers or other machines.) I, myself, have not heard 'organizational intelligence' as much as the former ones. This is a very good book for business success especially for the managers. It lets you think your company as a human body. You make this human brain work properly. The other point which I found useful is, nearly half of the book consist of surveys, and questionnaires. This gives the theories a path to reality.

Jay Liebowitz, gives us an outstanding framework for developing knowledge management strategy in any industrial sector that manages knowledge workers, like in telecommunication operators where managing the network demands quick responses to downtimes, and such as quick response is only achievable when learning processes are created. That is the invaluable gift from Jay in his book.

This 2001 edition of more than 200 pages covers all aspects of 1970s collectibles. It's loaded with large, sharp, full color photos of every type of collectible from the era. Major chapters run from nostalgia, fads, smiley faces, cookbooks and fashion, to Watergate, TV, Muppets, Holly Hobbie and Punk and New Wave. There's plenty of text provided, along with item values. Many of the long forgotten items of the period brought back pleasant memories of a simpler time. Enjoy, enjoy.

Take a trip down memory lane. The author, Michael Jay Goldberg really did his research when he created this awesome 70's book! His writing style is funny and informative. I really enjoyed this book a lot!

If you LOVE the 70s like I do then this is the book for you. It's filled with tons of groovy color photos and lots of info (not to mention memories!!) Sections of book on records,kitchenware(my fav). hippie drug paraphenalia,bicentennial and yep nixon collectibles.much more a funky section on mushroom collectibles. I recommend this groovy book. Let's hope Mr Goldberg publishes more especially on kitchenware!

"Sanshiro" is a coming-of-age novel, Meiji Japan style. This is definitely not one of Soseki's better known novels, especially in the United States, but it still has an appeal and sharpness that transcends time and cultural barriers.

"Sanshiro" is in many ways both different and yet similar to Soseki's most famous work, "Kokoro." Both include tales of heartbreak and tragedy, along with social commentary on Japanese society. For whatever reason, Sanshiro struck me as a much more "modern" book than Kokoro. Using the word modern on a book written 100 years ago may seem odd, but reading Soseki's comments on Japanese society at the time (end of the 19th/beginning of 20th century Japan), then considering the ultimate result of the Meiji cultural "revolution" (the emphasis on Western science and Eastern philosophy which led to militaristic ultranationalism), and then again the state of Japan today and it is clear that Soseki's comments are not outdated.

Similarly, Sanshiro's Mineko is a much more modern, "Western" young lady than her counterpart in Kokoro. Unlike Kokoro's Ojosan, who didn't seem to have a thought of her own, Mineko is beautiful, intelligent, slightly haughty, and has a mysterious appeal about her. She is not some trophy to be captured, but a person to be respected in her own right. I found myself verbally assaulting the annoyingly clumsy Sanshiro when he missed opportunity after opportunity to get to know Mineko better. Of course, when he finally develops some guts it's too late. The blame for this unhappy end falls on Mineko as well, as she is one of Sanshiro and Yojiro's generation's "unconscious hypocrites" in the words of Soseki. Mineko knows that she has found a fellow stray sheep in Sanshiro, yet she ultimately abandons him.

Soseki's writing is again a joy to read. Every time you encounter a passage that seems to start getting a little monotonous, he throws in a paragraph that seems absolutely brilliant. The characters are similarly memorable. I liked Kokoro a bit better, but Sanshiro is still an excellent book that has aged well.

I rate this irony laden story on par with Soseki's most important novel, 'Kokoro.' Joseph Conrad's novels had to travel to Africa and the East Indies to establish the parameters within which the Japanese lived their daily lives as they grappled with the effects of Western Rationalism upon a nonindustrial society. Fortunately for world literature, Soseki Natsume was up to the task of documenting this transitional period with grace, wit, and sensitivity. Soseki's books generally are either serious ('Kokoro') or satiric ('Botchan,' 'I Am A Cat'), 'Sanshiro' is both and it is the better for it.
After graduating from a provincial school Sanshiro enters Japan's greatest university and encounters a number of Tokyo sophisticates, among them westernized girls, famed artists and writers, jaded academicians, dedicated scientists and his best friend Yojiro a lovable, well-meaning scoundrel who constantly throws his shy and self-effacing compatriot into the thick of things. Because there are so many elements that make up this heady mix, the reader has the choice of processing the story on many different levels. At the very simplest level it is about first love and disappointment, but it is also a commentary upon the effects of the new on the old, East meets West, the city vs. the countryside, the traditional and untraditional, youthful idealism and middle-aged disappointment. This probably sounds as though it might be tedious or pedantic, but really Soseki's treatment of the themes is gentle and a delight to read. For instance, when one of Sanshiro's heroes is disgraced by a well-meaning plan that goes awry, Soseki blunts the pain by riffng on the inscrutability of the 'philosophical smoke' streaming through his victim-hero's nostrils as he puffs on his pipe. A stream of smoke by which Sanshiro's roguish friend claims to read emotions. Also, when Soseki lampoons the intellectual conceits of his characters, he does it in a way that the reader must seriously consider each proposition before the joke becomes apparent. As to the pain of disappointment in love, this is always sad and heartfelt yet Soseki is able to ameliorate it by leaving the subject and the object of the heartbreak ambiguous as if either side may have been responsible.
This is imagined, but one begins to suspect that Haruki Murakami was influenced by this novel and even appropriates some of the themes found in it for his own: mysterious and alluring women who flit in and out of the story, odd scientific and philosophical theories as props, central character as passive witness. It is fun to imagine this and one begins to find other coincidences too. Anyway, it is just a thought, perhaps brought on by the coincidence that Jay Rubin, the translator who does an excellent job of bringing this text to life, also translates for Haruki Murakami.
Readers, this is one of the finer Japanese novels that I have encountered. The author often had me smiling, laughing, cringing, sighing and rooting for the various characters in this well told story.

Soseki's first attempt at a serious (as opposed to Botchan), full-length novel is a wonderful story of a country boy, Sanshiro, in his first year at Tokyo University studying literature. During the year he falls in love and unwittingly gets involved in university politics.
Set in the early 1900's, the book examines Japanese society moving into the modern world. Sanshiro is trapped between the traditional Japan of his home, the modern world of Tokyo, and the academic world of the University. He falls in love with a modern woman, but has difficulty relating to her because he has little experience with woman and because of his traditional upbringing.
My droll description by no means does the novel justice. As a coming-of-age story, it is superior to Western classics such as This Side of Paradise and The Catcher in the Rye. It is an utterly charming novel that shows Soseki's fine sense of humor as well as his skill and insight in critiquing Japanese society and man entering a modern world. Soseki's simple, elegant writing style survives even through translation. It serves well as an introduction to Soseki's works, which later are darker psychological analyses.

Jay Rosenbaum is for some people just an ordinary conservative rabbi doing his job. A year spent with him by the author reveals another aspect of the man who struggles with trying to get his congregation to live an observant life and enjoy the full spiritual richness of Judaism.

We get the opportunity to witness the day by day ups and downs in the life of Rabbi Rosenbaum's family as well as congregation. Rabbi Rosenbaum has his own hopes and dreams for his congregation but will they follow along with him? Or will they resist any changes and insist on staying at their comfort level? The Rabbi has a great challenge ahead of him which I found most intriguing in this book.

Rabbi Rosenbaum's story is the story of the current crisis in American Judaism. Through the tracking of his one year we see the intrigues and infighting going on with the congregation. The issue of declining membership and inter-marriage permeates through the story. Another great issue is that of clergy burnout. The Rabbi puts far more into his commitment than the congregation's leadership is willing to compensate him. Yet through it all, Rabbi Rosenbaum maintains his hope and desire for his people to become a true community of Jewish faith.

His struggle with faith becomes your struggle.A congregational trip to Israel confronts him and them with their true sense of spirituality. I enjoyed the tension of the Rabbi and the members who had to make a stand as to what they wanted for their lives.

While reading this book you will gain a deeper appreciation of the work of the Rabbi, the need for Judaism to serve the needs of its new generation without compromises and the need to find ways for Jews to survive in an enticing American secular culture. Rabbi Rosenbaum shows us a little light in which these issues must be confronted and resolved if Judaism is to be a relevant force in the 21st century.

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish congregation very similar to the one Wilkes described, and I always wondered about the "priestly" status of the typical Conservative rabbi. In the Conservative movement, rabbis are generally observant of traditional Jewish law while their congregants are often not even aware of it. I've always figured that was a lonely and frustrating life. Wilkes did a great job of showing me exactly how lonely and frustrating it can be.

Now, that may not be true for every Conservative rabbi, and Wilkes does a good job of pointing out the occasional rewards that go with the job, but in general, I'm amazed anyone would choose that kind of a vocation.

While other religions sometimes differentiate between clergy and laypeople (most notably Catholicism), Judaism has always taught that anything the rabbi is expected to do, his congregants are as well. But when those congregants are otherwise committed to a busy American lifestyle, the rabbi often lands the thankless task pointing out their Jewish responsibilities.

In one of the most touching threads running through this intricate book, Wilkes describes the rabbi's struggle to organize a congregational trip to Israel. The congregation has many families who are willing to come along but only -- it seems -- if their rabbi doesn't accompany them.

The rabbi, to his great dismay, discovers that the families don't want the rabbi along to enforce standards of Jewish observance like the Sabbath or kosher laws. They want spirituality, sure, but on their own terms, not "his."

This book describes with eerie precision the "observance gap" between clergy and laypeople in the Conservative movement that has led me -- and many other Jews -- to look for spirituality within other movements of Judaism.

I can't even begin to imagine the extent of the research Wilkes must have done, but he's managed to get every detail of this book exactly right... you find yourself forgetting it's not written by a Jew.

There are many touching moments in this book, particularly when Wilkes focuses on the rabbi's chaotic family life and the sacrifices which, he fears, will all amount to nothing. Yet it ends on an optimistic note, leaving the reader with the possibility that it will be alright after all, for the rabbi, his family, and for all Jews, wherever they may find themselves.

Disturbing, yes, but eminently worthwhile for its unique insight.

Paul Wilkes' report of a year spent with Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum in Worcester, Mass is compelling and gritty. The book is honest and gritty and displays both the good and the bad aspect of the Rabbi's life. The book is easy to read, honest and really makes you think.

I thought that this book had mostly all the stuff you needed to know in the way of repairing your Chevy Lumina or your Monte Carlo, but it did leave some things out, that I could have used to make my Lumina perform even better

this book is really neato

uh, this book was like good and stuff

This is an important book to read if you are preparing a child to be at the birth of a sibling. There's information about why and when and how to prepare. And there's also important information about choices in childbirth, including many of the controversies, things to avoid, and things your doctor might not tell you. Clearly there is a NEED for a book like this to have been written. I'm thrilled that I could use the information as a guide to help me prepare my daughter to be a part of her sibling's birth, especially allowing the choice to be hers, including planning for her to choose NOT to be there. (Although she WAS, and speaks of it matter-of-factly, and also fondly...) My lowered star rating has to do with my opinion about the printing and publication of the book itself. I would LOVE to see the book reedited (for things like spelling, punctuation and word usage! ) retyped, and republished "more professionally." It was an effort to be able to focus on the CONTENT...

This book is an important read whether you're considering having your children at the birth or not. The straight birthing info it offers is invaluable. It's very straightforward and factual. If you are planning on having your other children there, it's essential. It gives very clear guidelines and suggestions on how to handle the whole situation. The birth stories at the end are great because you get to hear what kids actually thought about attending the births of their siblings.

I read this book because I was considering having my own child at the birth of our second baby. It was so touching! It provided great information on how to decide if YOUR child should be at a birth and how to prepare him/her. It also included guidelines for how to pick any other person you might want to attend (why or why not to include different people). I am now convinced that every member of the family has the right to welcome a new member into the world right at birth.

It also included some very intense issues about birthing choices (what your doctor never told you!). It made me question many of the "wrong" ideas I had about childbirth and allowed me to see birthing as a totally natural, normal, healthy family-oriented event. BRAVO!

This book is strange. So much work has gone into making such a comical, irreverent guide to religion that nonetheless seems to want to be earnest and informative. I love it. It's better than "The Life of Brian."
My favourite bits have to be the "The Devil Makes You Do It" sections, in which the reader is told not to do quite obviously offensive and blasphemous things. At times one gets the impression that the humour is intended eg. page 198 "When you get to heaven, leave your irritation with your eartly co-workers at the pearly gates before entering. No one wants to hear about it!". Quite. But then you get to page 233 and are warned to "Be careful what you say about the Satanic Verses of the Koran. Novelist Salmon (sic!!) Rushdie wrote a book about them that elicited death threats from fundamentalist Muslims!" It is both shocking and hilarious that the political, cultural and personal crises causes by the fatwah on Salman Rushdie are turned into a little aside about not offending those naughty Muslims. Who is this man writing for?
The false, pathetic "erudition" is also amusing eg. "Don't be fooled by the Biblical subject matter and literary treatment of the early 19th-century angel tales by Byron and the others. In her book "England's Amorous Angels" (Atlanta-Maryland University Press of America, 1990), scholar Gayle Shadduck claims that this literature represents the first "pulp fiction" written in English!" So, this woman is a scholar, hence we should respect her opinion without any evidence for doing so whatsoever and no knowledge of what her arguments were. If this is Stevenson's opinion, too, why does he not just say so instead of trying to fit in a thoroughly needless reference?
I had a good laugh with this book although at the end of the day, it does disturb me a little that it is ultimately so soulless. It reduces religion and mysticism into disconnected, pointless snippets that lose any genuine power or meaning. Surely a belief in or sense of Angels is not anything one should have to swot up for (unless you are doing a theological study, in which case you would hardly need a simplistic book like this).

Jay Stevenson, Ph.D., M.A. says that "everyone wants to know if angels are real." His book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Angels, answers every imaginable question about angels, except whether they're real. He says he isn't psychic nor has he had direct experience with angels--he simply finds angels to be "a fascinating and uplifting subject." He adds that "angel stories and angel theology include some of the most beautiful and profound notions around."

Dr. Stevenson starts with an overview of what people think about angels in general. He then discusses the Jewish angels, citing references from the Old Testament and related writings. From there, he moves to the Christian angels and the angels of Islam. He also discusses the role of angels in many other religions and philosophies. He finishes with "New Age" concepts of angels and their function in contemporary society.

Artists have long portrayed angels in their work. Dr. Stevenson has chosen the angel art of William Blake, Gustave Dore, and Albrecht Durer to illustrate his book.

Appendices include a reading list for those wanting more information, a list of movies about angels, a glossary of angelic terms, and a "Who's Who in Heaven," which provides a brief description of each angel.

As Dr. Stevenson says, "angels have been, and still are, a part of all faiths and cultures." The Complete Idiot's Guide to Angels is an excellent reference for readers interested in the origins of angel lore and the interactions between angels and humans, whether historical or contemporary.

Jay Stevenson, Ph.D., M.A. says that "everyone wants to know if angels are real." His book, The Complete Idiot's Guide To Angels, answers every imaginable question about angels, except whether they're real. He says he isn't psychic nor has he had direct experience with angels--he simply finds angels to be "a fascinating and uplifting subject." He adds that "angel stories and angel theology include some of the most beautiful and profound notions around." Dr. Stevenson starts with an overview of what people think about angels in general. He then discusses the Jewish angels, citing references from the Old Testament and related writings. From there, he moves to the Christian angels and the angels of Islam. He also discusses the role of angels in many other religions and philosophies. He finishes with "New Age" concepts of angels and their function in contemporary society. Artists have long portrayed angels in their work. Dr. Stevenson has chosen the angel art of William Blake, Gustave Dore, and Albrecht Durer to illustrate his book. Appendices include a reading list for those wanting more information, a list of movies about angels, a glossary of angelic terms, and a "Who's Who in Heaven," which provides a brief description of each angel. As Dr. Stevenson says, "angels have been, and still are, a part of all faiths and cultures." The Complete Idiot's Guide To Angels is an excellent reference for readers interested in the origins of angel lore and the interactions between angels and humans, whether historical or contemporary.

Sandra I. Smith Reviewer