This is a great book for system admins. I've noticed in my reviews of other popular WinXP books that they spend a lot of time telling you how to work the right mouse button, and what a "window" is. This book takes the tech perspective, and has a ton of tips, tricks and secrets you won't find in the other books. As the editor of the largest Windows XP newsletter out there, ... , I give this book a "two fat thumbs up". It doesn't get much better than that!

Loaded with details, "Con-glom-er-ate" is a must read for not only lovers of the Illinois Central Railroad, but for those individuals who want to know what it was like when conglomerates reigned supreme in the business world. This book covers the 21 year term of William B. Johnson as Chairman and Chief Executive, first of the ICRR, then of IC Industries.

We learn of Mr. Johnson's roots as a lawyer, then of his days at the Railway Express Agency (REA), then culminating in his call to run the Illinois Central Railroad. From his early days at the IC, Johnson had a vision for the first land grant railroad (1851) in the country. Knowing the tide was shifting away from railroads as a profit center, Johnson takes a newly formed company called Illinois Central Industries, to places only he imagined. Making acquisitions and divestments, Johnson creates a $5 billion dollar company from what was a modest $300 million railroad. By the time Johnson retires, IC Industries is a complex company consisting of food and consumer products (Pet Foods, Pepsi Cola Bottling), automobile services (Midas), real estate (Illinois Center), manufacturing (Abex) and transportation (ICRR).

We are offered behind the scenes insight into negotiations, planning, Presidential meetings, and much more. No stone has been left unturned in this in depth primer of the modern conglomerate. The reader is carefully guided along from year to year, just as Johnson carefully guided IC Industries through the years.

Loaded with facts and contributions from many of Johnson's faithful Executive's, this book is a must read. I'm proud to say my father worked side by side with Mr. Johnson the entire 21 years, and then finally retired after 40 years of service with the ICRR and IC Industries. Even so, my knowledge of IC Industries increased as I read this book. The following year, in 1987, Mr. Johnson suffered a stroke and retired from the job he loved so much. However, as we learn in "Con-glom-er-ate", this is by no means the end for Mr. Johnson.

Wonderully written by Frank J. Allston, this book will amaze you with the knowlege, skill and daring of a man called William B. Johnson.

Elizabeth Johnson presents a very well written and easy to read introduction to Christology for the new student of theology. She clearly explains the Christological definitions at the early Church councils, showing the errors that plagued the early church.

She presents a clear explanation of the meaning and implications of both: Ascending Christology and Descending Christology.

There is also a clear trace of the developments in Christology from the 50's up to the present time with Liberation and Feminist theology.

Johnson writes in the end, "Out of our own experience of salvation, our own telling of the story, our own praxis and prayer, we must name Jesus Christ again and claim him again for our own people, so that a living christology will be handed on to the next generation into the twenty-first century." I found these words to be encouragement for the reader to apply the story of Jesus of Nazareth to our everyday lives.

This is a MUST reading for any student of theology.

I keep this book around all the time, and refer to it as need. Just as the book states, it's for the consumer and very reader friendly.

Anyone working in the logistics and delivery field must read this book and keep it in your library. The book is all-inclusive so you don't need lots of others. This may help justify the high price.

Cornel West & Philosophy: The Quest for Social Justice is easily the best book on Cornel West that I have read. The author, Clarence Johnson, takes his readers through West's thought on a really broad variety of matters and shows how they can best be seen as united (of at least all branches from the same tree). Johnson begins by explaining that West is best thought of as a prophetic pragmatist. This allows Johnson to see apparently quite diverse aspects of West's thought (including such things as West's critique of the silent acquiescence of black in Clarence Thomas's nomination to the Supreme Court, West's apparently shifting positions during the time he was leaving Harvard, Wes's views on the black/Jewish conflicts, West's blending of theological and humanistic values, and West's peculiar form of Marxism) as all part of a coherent philosophy. Nowhere in the literature on West-and certainly not in West's writings themselves-is there nearly such a good statement of West's views or one that organizes them into such a readily comprehensible structure. So, for someone who is looking for a good clear understanding of what really drives West's sometimes apparently unconnected views on so many matters, this volume cannot be beaten. And because it is so well-written and clearly organized, everyone-including those with no training in philosophy or political theory-will have no difficulty in getting a firm grip on West's take on our current political situation and his views about where we should go from here. Furthermore, because it sheds new light on so many areas of West's thinking, even those who are well steeped in West's thought will learn a lot from this volume.
But Johnson is no mere expositor of West's thought. He also is a critic and a very good one. For what Johnson does is first try to find the best defense he can of West on any given position and then attack that position. There are, so far as I can see, no cheap shots in Johnson's critique of West. Rather, what the reader finds is a fair-minded discussion of some very serious flaws in West's position. I found it very helpful to have someone take on some of West's positions in a way that shows both their weaknesses and how one might go about correcting them to build a better, more sustainable, philosophically well-grounded position on America's most pressing problems. I hope Johnson will write more on these matters. We need to hear more from him about how America should address and redress its racist past, cleanse itself of its current racism, and go on to build a society where each is treated with dignity and where governments at all levels show everyone equal concern and respect and take measures to ensure that all have access to adequate basic goods so that each person has a decent chance to lead the sort of life that she judges is both rewarding and fulfilling.
One final observation. The book contains an absolutely excellent short summary of how deeply embedded racism is in the thought of some of the western establishment's most cherished thinkers, such as Locke, Hume, and Kant. Johnson shows how deeply racist such thinkers (particularly Kant) were while still allowing that some of their best ideas are of use to those who seek to uproot racism. Even if one had no interest in West or his ideas, the book would be worth reading for this penetrating analysis of how deeply racism affects the thought of thinkers who have done so much to shape the post-Enlightenment world. (I only wish Johnson had discussed Adam Smith's views here as well.)
So, I give this book my highest recommendation. It is the best available introduction to West's thought, teaches us all something about the strengths and weaknesses of West's ideas, and is just a joy to read. (Scholars of West will be glad to know that everything is properly cited, there is an fine bibliography, and a first rate index. Everyone will be amazed that Johnson packed so much material into a scant 182 pages of clearly written insightful text.) I eagerly await West's response to Johnson's fine volume.

Johnson has obviously used solid research in his narrative. In fact he recommends several other sources, a couple of which are out of print. The book is clearly not revisionist. Rather it seems to provide a balanced perspective on both the Spanish and Aztec beliefs, personalities and cultures. The attention to detail is exceptional, while providing a narrative which flows well and is very interesting.

Albert Ellis, the third author of this book, is well known for his atheism and attacks on religion even to me, a school teacher. He's notorious. Leaders of my church have used him as an example of the dangers for religious believers in the secular world of psychology! What a surprise to see his name on a book about counseling religious people! It is clear that Nielsen and Johnson have had a mellowing effect on Ellis (though he apparently maintains his atheistic views). Their book provides a clear description of this therapy and a well thought through explanation for why it will work and how to use it with religious people. The book is, evidently, intended for counselors, and I'm only an interested observer, but it gave me confidence that religious people like me can find an approach that will respect my beliefs and not feed me a bunch of psychobabble and mumbojumbo. I found myself thinking that this could work. Most heartening about the book was finding that these psychologists took an honest look at religious principles and were even willing to look at scripture to help their religious clients get better.

This coverage of an aspect of early American history and culture will delight readers researching this era. Kenneth Scott's Counterfeiting In Colonial America reviews the law enforcement system of the times, liberal attitudes toward counterfeiters, and the prevalence of counterfeiting during the times. From individuals who made a high art of the practice to how counterfeiting transcended social and political boundaries, this provides an intriguing coverage.

I found this book to be pretty slow at first and was not getting much out of it, until I got about half way through. It has some very powerful excercises later on, and the effects that it has had for me in just a few short weeks has been fantastic. It has really helped me to reorient my life at a time when I really needed it. It's a great book, and I highly recommend it. Anyone can benefit from the excercises and improve his/her self-esteem.