I thought this book was about a hitchhiking experience, but was suprised to find the author taking buses or riding with his photographer from New York City into PA, then from Ohio well into Wyoming. I found his writing style to be rambling and uninteresting, and was unable to keep reading after 100 pages or so. Had he truly hitchhiked, and kept to stories about hitchhiking, he probably would have written a great book.

I did enjoy many parts of this account of the author's adventures hitchhiking (and driving with his photographer) across the U.S. I have a few criticisms though: 1 -- he spends chapters talking about the great photos the photographer is supposedly taking, but the photo section only has a measly 13! What happened to all the photos????? 2 -- there are many grammatical and typographical mistakes. In fact, the reader before me must have been bothered because he/she circled all of them. 3 -- after a while, it is easy to lose interest in his account. I'm not trying to nitpick, as I did like the author's dry wit and detailed recounting of American cities and sights. However, this book is definitely not as interesting as many other travel/adventure books I've read. It doesn't try to be pretentious or draw grand conclusions about life (thank goodness) which makes it more palatable, but it's still not a great travel book. The prose kind of dries up in the second half.

Very entertaining!! After 25 years of the same old same old, Tim Brookes decides to revisit his past, and hitch-hike across the country and back, the same way that he did in 1973 when he was just 20 years old. Some of the random encounters he has leaves one to wonder, are we really in control, or is there something out there that pulls people to each other. A great book all around!

This book is poorly written. Nothing new at all. Conceptually weak. This book is very difficult to follow, it doesnt flow very well. There is also little documentation and no formal references listed anywhere.

The book is a list of crisis situations and scenarios, most of them backed up with recommendations based on the authors' experience. The recommendations might be useful when taken individually, however, they do not fall together in a general framework. In my opinion, the book lacks a systematic, or processual approach. There is no justification available for the organization of the book and of the chapters: if the book itself is a long list, what is the logic behind it? What were the criteria upon which the construction of the list was based? In other words, why discuss these topics, and not others? It might appear that the chapter titles are meant to offer a typology of crisis situations, at least in the first part of the book. If this is so, this taxonomy should be explained and justified.

The book also lacks theoretical rigor, because the authors fail to provide and stick to a rigorous definition of their domain of study. They do not define nor distinguish between risk communication and crisis communication, thus overlooking to draw the fine but important line between these two types of communication.

My main dissatisfaction stems from the fact that the authors take a cookbook, list-like approach to crisis communication that is not backed up by some fundamental theoretical principles with general applicability in crisis situations. I would have liked to see a framework for evaluating and managing crises, rather than a long list of things to keep in mind.

However, there are still a lot of things to learn from the book: one can be prepared for a number of situations that are likely to come up in certain types of crises and can find some basic advice on how to deal with them; the case studies provide nice illustrations. The book is easy and pleasant reading, informative and entertaining, but I don't consider it a major enlightening contribution to the field of crisis communication.

Communicating in Crisis is both a concise theoretical formulation and a practical guide to managing the crises that corporate and other enterprises inevitably face. Responding to a need long recognized in departments of corporate communication, Drs. Ogrizek and Guillery have produced an in-depth analysis of the field and a step-by-step approach to preventing full-scale, uncontainable disasters and corporate relations fiascoes, from which companies may never recover.

The book is based on a wide range of examples and case studies, including an alleged worm infestation of McDonald's hamburgers and the worldwide recall by Perrier's of 160 million bottles of mineral water when word spread that the product had been contaminated by a toxic compound. For every instance cited, an appropriate communications strategy is suggested that would gain public trust and support, as well as keep business going. In addition to product use, the authors discuss industrial and institutional crises and the kinds of endemic panic to which enterprises are subject.

Communicating in Crisis is indispensable for anyone involved in the management of an organization, whether it is privately or publicly held, and for courses in corporate communication and corporate risk.

Contents Foreword, Stephen A. Greyser Introduction · What Is Crisis Communication?

1. Product Risk and Crisis Communication · Rumors · Product Contamination · Accidents · Boycotts · New Risks and New Product Crises

2. Industrial Risk and Crisis Communication · Major Technological Accidents · Setting Up or Expanding an Industrial Site · Industrial Waste Management

3. Institutional Risk and Crisis Communication · Corporate Identity Crises · Media/Legal Crises and Scandals · Industrial Restructuring · Financial Communication in Times of Crises · Internal Crisis Communication

4. Major Collective Fears and Crisis Communication · Terrorism · Major Health Fears

5. Communicating in a Crisis · Major Principles · Developing Scenarios · Communicating with the Victims · Internal Communication First · Crisis Communication and the Media · Symbolic Communication

6. Crisis Unit Organization and Operation · Unit Organization · Unit Members and Their Roles · Working Methods · Managing the Postcrisis Period

7. Training and Preparing for Crisis Communication · Case Studies · Setting Up a Crisis Unit · Simulation Exercises · Preparing for Crisis Prevention and Avoidance

Conclusion

References

Michel Ogrizek, a medical doctor by training with a background in social/cultural anthropology, is Director of Corporate Relations worldwide for the Unilever Group.

Jean-Michel Guillery, a medical doctor, is an expert consultant in the prevention and handling of risk..

I can't believe anyone can write so poorly. I am stupider for reading this book. I am thankful that I didn't have to pay for this garbage; unfortunately, I received it as a gift. I no longer speak to my brother! I feel sorry for anyone that reads anything from this author. If anyone thinks about reading this book go to your library and save your money. The late charges will be punishment enough.

I thought this small collection of stories was fascinating and extremely well written. I was particularly taken by the dialogue and powerful scenes describing the Rocky Mountain landscape. This is a talented writer. Hope to see more.

Better than Berlitz, but that's not saying much. Get Fodors or Rough Guide

Best for background research before you go, the Insight guides are strong on giving a feel for the culture and people. For me, the short chapters on hunting, fishing and golf were not as interesting as the very good essays about how the Scottish church moulded the temperment of the people, and the bit about Scottish painters. A variety of topics like these are covered in the first 150 pages, the next 160 or so goes into the various locations, with a sense of the area combined with acutal landmarks, their description, location, hours of operation. The books are jammed full of photographs of decent quality. A different approach than the Eyewitness guides, worth looking at both before you go.

The only use for this book that I can think of (besides expensive kindling) is to look at pictures of what "natural" gardens in various climates can look like with a good designer. There is very little to be learned from this book. There are few plant lists, the diagrams are weak at best, and very few design principles are explained. Your money would be much better spent elsewhere.

Inspirational book which catches the mood of the moment in garden design. Contemporary in style, taking cues for planting style and garden features from the natural surroundings, the gardens are designed for long term establishment and low maintenance. John Brookes creates a further layer of fascination by including projects from around the world which illustrate different cultural, climatic and floral influences. The design principals are easy to follow and could be applied wherever you and your project are.

Conceptual plans are shown which reveal the development of the designer's ideas and how he has resolved design issues. These plans are simple, informative and would inspire even the "artistically challanged" to have a go. The major step by step process of realising the concept is explored and details as to how "special effects" (such as creating a wild flower meadow)are actually achieved are highlighted.

I have recommended this book to many of my clients just to stretch their immagination as to how to build on the natural beauty of their surroundings as a starting point to transforming their garden.

Very new-agey, not traditional Native American religion. I didn't read it all, I stopped reading when she starting espousing mormon beliefs about Jesus being Quetzecoatl and how he came to America in a conoe to spread the good word. It's like she just picked up the book of mormon, copied it, and added "native" words like "earth mother" and "sky father" to it. Very cheesy. Little too far out, even for me.

Here is a book of joy for a cynical world. The author does not deny the very real problems we face as individuals and as a global community, but offers solid practices that everyone can take to transform the planet. Full of wisdom and humor, it is also a book that speaks to the spirit in a very personal way. Her words invite you to believe that humans truly can walk in beauty and peace on the Earth instead of behaving like viruses with shoes. Join the last Ghost Dance and feel the joy!!

Like Michael Brooke's other book on skateboarding, 'the concrete wave', this new one is another missed opportunity. I really wanted to like this book and I applaud Mr Brooke for getting off his backside and having a go but I'm afraid it doesn't cut it. For starters the information contained on each skater is just too superficial and the writing itself is simply terrible. Secondly, the photographs themselves are often sub-standard, is that really the best picture of Per Welinder that could be licensed? One look at the photo credits reveals nothing by Glen E. Friedman and anyone who knows anything about skate history knows thats a bad thing. Finally, the art direction leaves a lot to be desired, just look at the Tony Alva page!!!
I'm sorry to dis this book, especially since I've had it on order with Amazon since I first came across it a couple of months ago, but it it just isn't good enough. Skate history deserves better.
And how can anyone write a book called 'Skate Legends' and miss out Jay Smith?!!
Peace.

As a person that started skating in the mid 70's, this book does bring about a rush of memories. From chapter one , the 60's, through the last, the 90's, this book has it. The big names in skating, the roles they played in its formation and what they are doing now in the skating arena. Along with the informative text on each skater throughout the decades, there are great pics. The pics show the evolution in skating style and fasion but most importantly show what has kept the skating world growing. So whether you are an older skater or younger skater this book is a must. Plus, this is a great companion book for "The Concrete Wave" which is Michael Brookes first book.

A Brush With Magic is an amusing but rather slight expansion on a Chinese myth. Liang, the protagonist, is found as a child on the river with a brush as his only possession. However, this is no ordinary brush-- whatever Liang paints with the brush comes to life.

During his childhood, he meets a court artist who has a picture of two girls, one brushing the other's hair. Thinking the one with the kind face is the princess, Liang is seized with a desire to go to court and wed the princess.

In the interim, he meets a runaway girl called Lotus who is escaping her impending marriage (as the 100th wife) with the emperor who is naturally greedy and fat and cruel. Liang finds that, to his shock, the princess is beautiful, but cruel as well.

In his attempt to rescue Lotus from the emperor's evil clutches, Liang is forced to realize that the brush does not contain the magic-- the magic comes from himself.

A Brush with Magic certainly has its moments, and has any number of imaginative touches (such as Monk-Li, one of his creations with the face of a man, the body of a monkey and an unsatiable appetite for bananas), the characters were undeveloped and the whole story somewhat predictable. Enjoyable as a quick yarn, but move on to Lloyd Alexander's The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen for a more satisfying Chinese mythology-based story.

I found the book usefull and full of good infromation. But... the book is not consistant in adressing the skill level of the reader. One moment it goes into great detail for the layman's comprehension. The next moment the book may give short diagnostic instructions, that only someone with a greater knowledge & skill level would undersand. Since the book is the size of a typical paperback, less than an inch thick, space limits it's content. The book would be better if it was more consistant with it's depth of explinations. And/or a terminology and skill glossary

The author presents dozens of circuits for audio surveillance devices many feature obsolete components like 741 operational amplifiers. They have such poor stability and noise poor performance that they have not been used for many years. Others use design techniques that were abandoned long ago such as transmitters made from one-transistor oscillators.

Basic physical principles are ignored. A diagram of a laser for eavesdropping through a window shows a collimated beam passing through a simple convex lens without being spread. The laser beam bounces off the glass at at an angle defying explanation.

Who can remember vidicon TV cameras? This old design is featured as one of two main types of cameras.

The section on countermeasures misses most useful techniques for finding bugs. For example, if any of the circuits shown in this book were hidden under a board room table a nonlinear junction device location technique would be most commonly used to discover it. This technique is not discussed by the author, however.

[exerpted from a review for Security Management all rights reserved]

This book is definitely not worth the money. I expected alot more detailed circuit designs and instructions. This book is mainly an overview of the types of circuits used, with maybe 1 or 2 designs present. Again don't waste your money.

Although interested in electronics for many years, I thought that devices for electronic surveillance were complicated until I read this book. The book has loads of circuits diagrams that are easy to build, with a good write-up on how they work. Despite the physically small size of the book (only just over one hundred pages), this goes to show that size is not everything!

There is no waffling or unnecessary photos of obsolete or irrevelant material, and is an excellent reference guide for any person interested in electronics. Excellent.