Someone said "patronizing" and I've got to agree. But . . . the content is there.

The 60 Second EMT reads in parable style, that is, it's a collection of moralistic patient care stories that remind us of what we should already be doing out there. And, it reads down to us. But the message is right on. So . . . I'd recommend this book to new EMTs; and I'd love to see it rewritten with the help of a novelist. Then this style of delivery might really succeed.

Although it's been over two years since I've read (and re-read) this book, I still remember it as being a very useful review. Although its story format is unique, it really doesn't detract from the very valuable lessons that this book has to teach. This is a must-read EMS review for all EMS personnel.

The 60-second EMT is a great book to use as a refresher or to reinforce what the textbooks and classroom have hopefully taught you. The book emphasizes the important and sometimes elusive signs and symptoms that our patients may present with in an easy to read format. The author's story-telling approach is(not a list of tables and endless paragraphs like a textbook)addresses each type of patient (respiratory, geriatric, chest pain, pediatric, abdominal pain, toxicological, etc.)and then offers a practical "60-second assessment" approach for each one in both ALS and BLS treatment algorithms/modules. I encourage every EMS professional to read this book. Whether you are new to the field or have "put in a few years" I think you will find that you learn something new or remind yourself of something you haven't thought of in a while. Enjoy!

This book is designed to do something that simply should not be done. While the mathematical inadequacies of the American public are conceded here, teaching people sixty tricks is hardly the solution. Furthermore, if someone cannot divide by 4 in the normal way, how is it possible that they will learn to do it by dividing by 2 twice? The rules of division are the same in both cases. If someone understands the rules of arithmetic, then all of these tricks are superfluous.
Even if these sixty special cases are thoroughly learned, that is, memorized, the amount of mathematics digested will be minimal, as no generalizations are made. For example, one of the tricks is the rapid multiplication of any one- or two-digit number by 101. But the reasons for this are never explained, so the end result is the reader knows only one particular operation on a small set of numbers.
The accountant or bookkeeper that wishes to increase their ability to compute on the fly may find this book of interest. But, to all others, the message is simple and direct, spend your time learning the general rules of arithmetic!

...

I have to admit I hated the first rapid math book he wrote.Besides that,this book is way more better than the first.I gave it three stars instead of five because you have to memorize all of the addition ,subtraction ,mutiplication, and division tables.I wish he would teach rapid math tricks to remember your tables.You'll keep saying to yourself "If only I knew my facts this trick would be alot easier." I hope he reads this.

I am a long retired teacher and supervisor of mathematics. In addition to having taught math for many years, I have also written and published materials covering the same subject. I am now using this book with an eight year-old math whiz and find it valuable to introduce him to rapid calculation and then an analysis of why it works (largely based on our place-value system of numbers. The various methods are interesting but most of them are not very practical for everyday calculation since most are special cases rather than general applications. For successful use they also require instant recall of the basic number facts and there is no hint as to how this can be accomplished. Barring that prior requirement not many math phobes will become highly skilled arithmeticians in 30 days using this or any other book.

Though this book is listed as out of print, it is evidently considered public domain and is available for perusal online at both the Department of Defense & National Defense University Press websites.

Hitler and his leaders are not credited with the creation of this military concept. However, I am not sure what "A Reader" from New Orleans means by claiming in his review the Blitzkrieg is *not* depicted by the book's authors as an example of Shock and Awe in action. Nor am I certain how anyone can read this book now without recognizing its current implications. To quote from the book itself:

"Fourth is the 'Blitzkreig' [sic] example. In real Blitzkreig [sic], Shock and Awe were not achieved through the massive application of firepower across a broad front nor through the delivery of massive levels of force. Instead, the intent was to apply precise, surgical amounts of tightly focused force to achieve maximum leverage but with total economies of scale....

"To the degree that this example of achieving Shock and Awe is directed against military targets, it requires skill if not brilliance in execution, or nearly total incompetence in the adversary. The adversary, finding front lines broken and the rear vulnerable, panics, surrenders, or both. Hitler's campaign in France and Holland and the seizure of the Dutch forts and the occupation of Crete in 1940 are obvious illustrations. The use of Special Operations forces in significant numbers is an adjunct to imposing this level of Shock and Awe.

"....The lesson for future adversaries about the Blitzkreig [sic] example and the United States is that they will face in us an opponent able to employ technically superior forces with brilliance, speed, and vast leverage in achieving Shock and Awe through the precise application of force.

"It must also be noted that there are certainly situations such as guerilla war where this or most means of employing force to obtain Shock and Awe may simply prove inapplicable. For example, the German Blitzkreig [sic] would have performed with the greatest difficulty in the Vietnam War, where enemy forces had relatively few lines to be penetrated or selectively savaged by this type of warfare."

(Blitzkrieg is misspelled throughout the book on all but one occasion, so my confidence in the editors at National Defense University Press is not the highest; I have a few doubts about the fact checkers, too.)

The book behind the catchphrase is certainly worth a look, but no amount of Pynchonesque curiosity can change the fact that it's rather queasy reading.

Shock And Awe were the foundational concepts put forth by Hitler's military leaders as a new and lethal way of rapidly overwhelming opponents. Setting aside considerations of the violence visited on civilians and non-combatants or the damage done to infrastructure, Hitler suggested that inducing "shock and awe" through his "lightning war" system would lead to rapid military victories. WWII showed that, at least at the level of individual battles, he was right. The authors suggest this is a powerful strategy for any nation that wants to absolutely and rapidly overwhelm its opponents, and doesn't much care who gets killed in the process. Interesting reading, although it rambles a bit and blitzkrieg is often misspelled. Good instruction to any military that wants to undertake fascistic extranational adventures.

This book is a brilliant analyziz of 21st Century warfare. The argument that Hitler conceived shock and awe has no merit. De Gaulle, not Hitler, conceived the idea of lightning war. The concept was based on the military technology available in the mide 20th Century. By contrast, the shock and awe concept is based on military technology available in the 21st Century. The concepts are compleyely different. The argument that shock and awe is "fascist" also has no merit. Fascism is a political system, not a military strategy. Unlike fascism, the purpose of shock and awe is to decapitate dictatorial regime, cause minimum collateral damage to noncombatants. and install a democratic regime.

From a design point of view, this book is poorly organized and typeset. For example, the photo captions are of the same typeface (and point size) as the body of the text, making it hard to identify which is which. The indenting is strange (as well as inconsistent and wasteful) and the photos are too small. Also, typical of recent IU Press titles, the dust jacket design is pretty lame. At least the book is decently bound and printed (in Canada), justifying the steep price.

As for content, I found the information new and up-to-date. Many of the photos have been published elsewhere, but others have not. I found the maps mediocre--the legend is elsewhere in the book and not having memorized it the maps were not very beneficial.

This is not one of Middleton's better works (but it is not entirely his fault).

Being disappointed by many other North American books about rapid transit, this one has lots of illustrations (unfortunately it is entirely in black and white). It also covers smaller systems like the Newark City Subway or the Cleveland rapid transit. I can recommend it to anybody who is interested in metros beyond the well-documented NYC Subway.

Peter Derrick's book covers the "Dual Contracts" era of subway construction in New York, when numerous lines were built between 1910 and 1931 by the IRT and the BRT /BMT. Derrick focuses on the interactions between executives of the then-existing subway companies and municipal politicians. Only a few paragraphs cover the "Independent" subway system, which was built after 1931.

Endnotes, bibliography, etc., comprise 155 pages of this book, or nearly a third of its pages. There are eight maps and 24 period photographs. There is nothing in this book about station design, track layouts, operating procedures, or rolling stock. In fact, the book ends when construction began. It was a worthy endeavor of historical research to document the political deal-making of this period, but some readers may be disappointed that the author's interest was solely in the back-room political gamesmanship that preceded construction

No other historian has identified so important a piece of NYC's history on which so little is known, and written so lucidly about it. This is not just enjoyable history. You cannot understand New York City today without reading Derrick's book.

The greatest city of the modern era had its pivotal moment early in the 20th century with the decision in 1913 to double the size of its subway system: the largest public-works expenditure in the Western Hemisphere to that date. This decision, a dozen years and more in the making and led by Manhattan Borough President George McAneny, was propelled by the inability to resolve the problems of disease, crime, prosititution, overpopulation and poverty that overwhelmed Manhattan's Lower East Side, spilling into more affluent neighborhoods throughout the city. Getting employees out of impoverishment and to their jobs was now an impediment to development and modernization. The vision that turned farm lands into an urban center was a leap into the unknown and Derrick meticulously details this exciting chapter in NYC's history, a chapter that when fully understood, reveals how issues get resolved and great accomplishments propelled. In comparison, the highway system of the Robert Moses era was but an anxilary event.

One of the worst books I read. It uses many pages to explain what to click and how to proceed without giving any meaningful and indepth information. Also, the click guidance is incorrect since it applies for a different version of jbuilder. It is supposed to be a textbook (with excercises) to teach university 101 courses. Thanks God I am not in Mr Liangs's class.

This book does not explain the concepts involved. Instead, it dives into examples. Further, these examples introduce concepts that are not essential to the subject being discussed, leading to further confusion.

Might be ok as a work-book, if you take it, sit at JBuilder, and run each example. However, if what you want is an overview of concepts, this is not the book for you.

The typos are irritating too.

After my first Java class using Dr. Liang's other book "Java Programming using JBuilder 3" as text in the summer, I was able to write an applet to convert a C++ client program to Java using I/O stream, Socket and Swing before the fall quarter started. How was I able to learn these advanced Java features and used them in such a short period of time?

The answer is: during the quarter break, in front of my own computer, I followed each sample in this book to teach myself subjects such as JavaBean, Advanced Swing, Socket, RMI and CORBA.

Sample in this book is not only easy to set up and follow but also can produce very exciting results. For example, by following samples for Socket or RMI, beginners can easily set up two computers to play games with each other or by following samples for JDBC, SQL commands can be issued to manipulate popular databases in a remote setting.

Last thing I want to say about the book is considering the purchase price of JBuilder Enterprise version in the rank of thousands of dollars, this book is a real bargain because it comes with JBuilder Enterprise version on a CD for three months' free use.

In the interest of accuracy to serious readers, I feel it necessary to respond to Roxanne Marcianti's review here. Ms. Marcianti makes a number of charges and assumptions which have no basis in fact. First, not a single sentence of "Forever and Five Days" is "padded" and the book contains not a single passage of "fictionalization." Everything in the work has been meticulously researched and documented with hundreds of hours of taped interviews, court transcripts, police reports and other proven methods of journalistic research. Furthermore, Ms. Marcianti's charge that I did not interview the two perpetrators in this book is simply careless reading on her part. The book's "Author's Note" makes quite clear the sources of all the material in "Forever and Five Days," including stating that the perpetrators were interviewed extensively. Apparently, she didn't bother to read it, or chose to ignore it completely -- which, by the way, makes her "review" libelous in that it maliciously ignores the facts. I would suggest Ms. Marcianti apply the same standards of research and accuracy she expects in my books to her own reviewing skills.

I just finished this book yesterday and it is set in my old hometown of Grand Rapids. It is interesting to read of places I know of and it is truly a interesting book that leaves you to come to some of your own conclusions as there are two sides to the story

At first I hesitated buying this book in a store because the cover had the rather cheesy, slap-dash look of inferior true crime books. It has been several years and dozens of other true-crime books since I read this one but the story and writing quality still stand out in my mind.

I laughed at all the five star reviews and then wondered how much each of those people were paid to say such things! I am even more suprised that this book made it to get published. Please do not even think about buying this, you will be sorely disappointed. My only regret is not having run across this page earlier--they don't tell you this while you're in the med school bookstore, they just want to sell something to you. Oh well, chalk it up to experience. I hope I was able to help some people out there avoid making this disastrous purchase.

I can't believe these misguided, poor reviews. I used this book and one other to study for step 2. I scored a 238. I found classic presentations pertinent, comprehensive, and just right for a few quick days of study. I truly wish I'd had this book before starting my clinical years. Students hungry for useless detail would certainly be disappointed by the brevity of this text, but one must remember the intent of the authors, that is, to provide a precis of the "classic" or textbook presentations for all subspecialties - things the USMLE loves for step 2. And no, I didn't know any of the authors in med school, even though I am from California.

This book provides an excellent, quick overview for review before the boards.... Let's face it, almost all of Step II is about classic presentations of disease, and that is EXACTLY what this book focuses on!

For all the people who are looking to improve their academic skills, stay away from this book. Although the Princeton Review is a great company that has helped me pass many standardized tests (I.E. AP Tests and SAT II tests), this book does not follow up to the quality that other books in their series have. I bought this book hoping to make my summer reading easier and more enjoyable, yet this book (Reading Smart) did the complete opposite. It decreased my levels of comprehension significantly and barely increased speed. The exercises were a drudgery. Although the book tried to feature interesting examples, they did not turn out to be so.

I am going to try to return this book and get some money or store credit for this book. For all prospective buyers of this book, I have some advice. I would suggest that instead of buying this book, you spend your money on something that you enjoy for the same price. This could be a music CD, video, or great book that you want. It will be much more enjoyable to do that than to try to improve yourself on this technique merely from a book. This is not to say that self-improvement techniques don't work, just that this particular book was not that great. I am going to look for other ways to improve myself academically through possibly audio tapes or other alternative methods of improvement.

-Thank You for Reading My Passage and Good Luck for Anybody Who Seeks Self Improvement

I bought this book thinking it was a speed reading book. I quickly found that it describes the different styles of writing and how to dig the information I need out of a piece of writing. Some speed reading basics are covered. How to read newspapers, poems, short stories. How to question the source of the writing, what the author is trying to communicate. Is it an opinion or a fact? A must read for beginning students and those starting research. A great place to start for those going back to school like me.

Reading smart was a great book. The book described different techniques on how to read differing types of literature from short stories to plays to articles. It's well written segment on how to use fixations and saccades to read faster has greatly improved my own reading speeds. But it's most helpful asset was its segment on reading comprehension. My levels increased from 50% to 90% and that was a great, GREAT surprise. For results, I suggest this book.

This book made me quite skeptical at first. It made claims of reading speeds in excess of two and three thousand words per minute. After finding out that these speed are only attainable after the overview technique I regained confidence in the book. It contains valuable advice and information on the use of techniques contained within its' covers. The skills an individual can expect to develop from this book are; faster, more efficient reading, higher comprehension and retention, better note taking, and better preparation for deadlines. These skills are essential for any student and individual in a professional occupation. Based on the benefits I have received, I would recommend this book not only to anyone wishing to improve these skills, but also to any educational curriculum.

The techniques shown in this book as well as the effort you put in to using them. There are alot of success stories, but they are motivating and, well, it's the perfect way to practice what you are taught! I liked it.

I am an advocate of "right-brain" thinking but had never considered using this approach for reading. I had never seen the way I currently read as linear. This technique opens a whole new fontier in learning for me. It has helped me considerably in a very short time. The advise for studying and note-taking are real time savers.

I learned Sign Language several years ago so the idea of letting your mind grasp the concepts rather than reading each word out loud appeals to me in the same way that I believe Sign Language is actually a faster way to communicate rather than speaking each word.