The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Hardcover)

by Richard Dawkins (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 480 pages
* Publisher: Free Press (September 22, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1416594787
* ISBN-13: 978-1416594789
* Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Textbook Description
In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time.

The Greatest Show on Earth is a stunning counterattack on advocates of “Intelligent Design,” explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist “argument.” Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence: from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from natural clocks that mark the vast epochs wherein evolution ran its course to the intricacies of developing embryos; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics. Combining these elements and many more, he makes the airtight case that “we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection.”

The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is menacing as never before. In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom. Dawkins wields a devastating argument against this ignorance, but his unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master’s vision of life, in all its splendor.

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution Review
Dawkins has written another very intelligent, hugely entertaining and informative book. It is a shame he had to write it. It is incredible that it is necessary to spell out the overwhelming evidence for evolution, which in the 21st century should be obvious to everyone by simply using common sense. Dawkins does it very well though, and his many examples and enthusiasm for the subject makes it a fantastic read even when you don’t need any convincing. Having the evidence presented this way does makes it easier to argue against the idiots that wouldn’t understand the objective truth if their lives depended on it. In any case, read it and enjoy it, this book can only enrich your life and appreciation of what’s truly beautiful.

I bought the audio book and the book. I listened to the book and it is great to hear Dawkins and his wife read, they are great readers and have excellent voices. The illustrations in the book are very helpful so that’s why I bought the book too; but you don’t necessarily need the illustrations for the audiobook. The book itself is an air tight case for evolution by natural selection. Being someone that is well read on evolution, I found out even more outstanding evidence by reading the Greatest Show on Earth. It debunks some of the ubiquitous misconceptions, and lays out the most convincing evidence from molecular genetics. The book purely lays out the science behind evolution, so even the religious reader would not feel like Dawkins is being overly antagonistic. This is an excellent book that needed to be written.

This is a seminal work in the evolutionary canon. The opening section on the distinction between the lay vs. scientific definitions of the word theory, while ridiculous that it has to be made, is crucial. Those who argue that the book lacks a formal ‘disproving’ of ID or Creationism obviously are COMPLETELY missing the point. Would a person writing a book to explain the scientific evidence for the heliocentric model be expected to refute the geocentric model? Would a person writing a book to explain the scientific evidence for germ theory be expected to refute the humoral theory of illness? Etc

This is another great work by Richard Dawkins, very well written and argued, with many fine illustrations. Carl Sagan, in The Demon-Haunted World, called science our candle in the dark. There are people who are afraid of this candle’s light and want to extinguish it, this book is an attempt by Dawkins to protect it. Buy it, read it, think and wonder!

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Outliers: The Story of Success (Hardcover)

by Malcolm Gladwell (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 320 pages
* Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 18, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0316017922
* ISBN-13: 978-0316017923
* Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Textbook Description
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of “outliers”–the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Outliers: The Story of Success Review
I found Outliers a very enjoyable read. It’s central idea is conventional wisdom: There is no such thing as a self-made man. Everyone benefits from or is hurt by the place and time they were born. But the examples that Mr. Gladwell finds to illuminate this point are interesting. Children benefit immensely from the month they were born in when it comes to organized sports and school (the reason is relative age). Korean Air flights kept crashing in the 1990s because Koreans aren’t forceful enough in dealing with their superiors. There is a surfeit of examples in this book but they are all interesting. This book is for someone who prefers “fun” reads to more challenging materials.

Well written and researched. Malcolm Gladwell examines why certain statistical portions of the population (outliers) achieve or do not achieve success. For instance, he explains why the people of a small town in New York have long lives and low crime despite greasy foods, smoking and alcohol consumption. He also states the obvious of why people, like Bill Gates, achieve their success, namely the time of which they were born and the over 10,000 hours of practice. A good read for anyone looking beyond the fallacies of dumb luck, talent or education alone.

This book does not live up to the standard set in Blink and Tipping Point. While I enjoy reading Gladwell, I was disappointed with Outliers. It is a short book with a few good stories and some little “truth gems” sprinkled throughout, but other authors have done better work on the same subject. In particular, I would recommend Colvin’s “Talent is Overated” for a more in depth treatment of “Outliers” or people who have become successful. Gladwell focuses more on the element of luck and opportunity, see the chapter on his own family in particular, while skimming over the other factors like hard work, deliberate practice, coaching and mentoring that play at least an equal role in anyone’s success. It is an interesting read, but probably better to break it up and publish the separate chapters in the New Yorker.

Outliers is an interesting, but ultimately unimportant book. Serious readers have already pointed out the selective use of cases and the generally unemperical approach to what is vaguely described as research. Readers seriously interested in the subject of this book would do well to acquaint themselves with research methods and the importance of differentiating between anecdotal evidence and more scholarly approaches to the development of a fundamental thesis. Lively discussions at book clubs are likely (and useful) but generalizing from a few case studies provides little of value in establishing important causality links.

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Biology with MasteringBiology (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

by Neil A. Campbell (Author), Jane B. Reece (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 1393 pages
* Publisher: Benjamin Cummings; 8 edition (December 7, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0321543254
* ISBN-13: 978-0321543257
* Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds

Textbook Description
The best-selling biology textbook in the world just got better! Neil Campbell and Jane Reece’s BIOLOGY is the unsurpassed leader in introductory biology. The book’s hallmark values–accuracy, currency, and passion for teaching and learning–have made Campbell/Reece the most successful book for readers for seven consecutive editions. More than 6 million readers have benefited from BIOLOGY’sclear explanations, carefully crafted artwork, and student-friendly narrative style.

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life, The Chemical Context of Life, Water and the Fitness of the Environment, Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life, The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules, A Tour of the Cell, Membrane Structure and Function, An Introduction to Metabolism, Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy, Photosynthesis, Cell Communication, The Cell Cycle, Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles, Mendel and the Gene Idea, The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance, The Molecular Basis of Inheritance, From Gene to Protein, Control of Gene Expression, Viruses, Biotechnology, Genomes and Their Evolution, Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life, The Evolution of Populations, The Origin of Species, The History of Life on Earth, Phylogeny and the Tree of Life, Bacteria and Archaea, Protists, Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land, Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants, Fungi, An Introduction to Animal Diversity, Invertebrates, Vertebrates, Plant Structure, Growth, and Development, Transport in Vascular Plants, Soil and Plant Nutrition, Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology, Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals, Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function, Animal Nutrition, Circulation and Gas Exchange, The Immune System, Osmoregulation and Excretion, Hormones and the Endocrine System, Animal Reproduction, Animal Development, Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling, Nervous Systems, Sensory and Motor Mechanisms, Animal Behavior, An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere, Population Ecology, Community Ecology, Ecosystems, Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology.

Biology with MasteringBiology 8th Edition Review
I completed my B.A. in biology over 30 years ago and got this book for self-study and to catch up with progress in topics outside of my work experience. The sections seem well written and illustrated. Since this is an introductory text it has sidebars and interviews meant to interest the intro student. I’d leave those out, if only to make the book less massive.

The order came very quickly. The product was in great condition. I did not know it was NOT hardcover, however so I has to purchase a new textbook.

This was my first experience at ordering books online. My daughter is going to college and this book was much cheaper than I could get it in the bookstore. I also liked to have the 14 day return policy in case it was the wrong book. The book was in excellent condition and came in the time it was promised.

This book has a great layout, and it has a great website that coincides with it. It’s easy to read and not very complex. Obviously, some Biology prerequisite should be in order if using this book, but other than that, I say it’s one of my better textbooks this semester, if not the best.

This book is a good biology text book — it’s pretty easy to read and has interesting examples and real-world applications of some of the concepts. The MasteringBio website, though, is AWESOME. It comes with an e-book version of the text book, so you don’t have to carry it around with you (good because it is huge and really heavy). It also has quizzes and mini tests that you can take online to see if you understand the material. The best part in my opinion though is that there are all kinds of animations and interactive learning tools that make the material super easy to understand. I absolutely recommend it!

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Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality (Hardcover)

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty (Author)

Textbook Details
*Hardcover: 336 pages
* Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (May 14, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1594488770
* ISBN-13: 978-1594488771
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

Textbook Description
Is spiritual experience real or a delusion? Are there realities that we can experience but not easily measure? Does your consciousness depend entirely on your brain, or does it extend beyond?

In Fingerprints of God, award-winning journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty delves into the discoveries science is making about how faith and spirituality affect us physically and emotionally as it attempts to understand whether the ineffable place beyond this world can be rationally —even scientifically—explained.

Hagerty interviews some of the world’s top scientists to describe what their groundbreaking research reveals about our human spiritual experience. From analyses of the brain functions of Buddhist monks and Carmelite nuns, to the possibilities of healing the sick through directed prayer, to what near-death experiences illuminate about the afterlife, Hagerty reaches beyond what we think we know to understand what happens to us when we believe in a higher power.

Paralleling the discoveries of science is Hagerty’s own account of her spiritual evolution. Raised a Christian Scientist, she was a scrupulous adherent until a small moment as an adult triggered a revaluation of her beliefs, which in turn led her to a new way of thinking about God and faith.

An insightful examination of what science is learning about how and why we believe, Fingerprints of God is also a moving story of one person’s search for a communion with a higher power and what she discovered on that journey.

Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality (Hardcover) Review
After reading this book nine or fourteen times, I think one’s spiritual experience is real unless it is considered a delusion by mental experts who are experienced in this type of angiosymmetric behaviorism. The main thing to realize is that the author is dreaming, and we are part of that dream. This means that our lives are not measurable unless God has also made a ruler to measure it. Another amazing thing I learned from the book is that God also has fingerprints, although I don’t understand why an omnipotent creator would need them.

Fascinating book about a subject few have braved. Hagerty’s journalistic approach to the science is perfectly woven with her personal story of faith. While discussion of science often looses its appeal after page 2, her great storytelling is at its best and you find yourself staying up late reading more and more – you can almost imagine sitting in a room with her as she tells this riveting story – with her dog at her feet!

This book will give you lots to think about- whether you are religious, spiritual, agnostic or atheist. The author does conclude that “brokenness is the best predictor of spiritual experience”, meaning that a large portion of those who have a spiritually enlightening experience, or are ‘touched by God’, arrive there via a process. One is broken down and then at some low point is ‘touched’ and the author states that people of all belief systems perceive ‘otherness’ in a similar way(having to do with darkness, distance and then a light and ensuing peace). She uses former addicts and alcoholics or those ill with serious and sometimes fatal diseases as examples. What I liked about this book, aside from the fact it is very welll written and organized(I imagine quite tricky given the breadth of the subject matter and the anecdotal nature of many of the references), is that the author was very open minded in looking at the question. She considers the scientific evidence both for and against the existence of some greater force at work in the universe, as well as anecdotal evidence, opinions of doctors, scientists, philosophers- even such famous atheists as Dawkins, and religious clergy of all sorts. She crosses all lines of faith and religion.

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Fingerprints of God (Kindle Edition)

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My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey (Paperback)

by Ph.D., Jill Bolte Taylor (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 224 pages
* Publisher: Plume; 1 edition (May 26, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0452295548
* ISBN-13: 978-0452295544
* Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

Textbook Description
On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain.

A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain–the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side–swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey Review
This book was very good at explaining the authors experience in having and recovering from a stroke. Her insights were useful in helping me understand my own thinking, particularly with respect to spiritual experiences I have had. My childhood friend is currently in the hospital with a stroke, and I think this book may be useful to his daughter as he recovers.

Dr. Taylor has conveyed an interesting and unique view of the brain’s ability to recover from a stroke. Because of her background of studying the brain’s function and her knowledge of the various aspects of her experience as related to her injury, we get a unique view of the healing and how it affected her cognitive ability. As I have had family who suffered from dementia, I was hoping to gain some insight into the mind of an injured brain. Dr. Taylor has written a unique aspect of a stroke victim’s inner world but it really didn’t help me to see a general view of strokes affects as everyone apparently is so different in the areas of damage.

I ordered this book for a family member that has suffered a brain injury. I saw Jill bolte Taylor on the Oprah show and thought that she delivered a strong message, something that all healthcare workers could benefit from, so when this happened to my family member I thought it would be a good comfort to her and her family to read this book.

I read this book in one afternoon and found it to be full of great insights into the brain and how we have the power to direct its impact on the life we want whether we’ve suffered a stroke or not. The final chapters on choosing to live “right brained” are especially enlightening, but if I were looking for a primer on stroke recovery, this is “Stroke Therapy Lite.” Nonetheless, her suggestions on how to be when working with stroke victims are very perceptive and I trust many hospitals/recovery centers will be changing protocols in this area. Jill, in being given a second chance to do life right is indeed “being the change she wishes to see in the world.” (Gandhi) We could all take her insights to heart.

Dr. Taylor’s book gives interesting, though at times annoying and under-informed, insights into the human brain. As I’m currently doing my graduate studies in Psychology, I found the book to be very interesting, though the first person perspective and narrative are a bit jarring (unexpected) at first. There’s interesting discussions about the right side of the brain and it being the gateway to enlightenment. Though I’m not sure one can achieve nirvana by reading the book, it makes for interesting reading on our neurological circuitry and provides interesting, if not controversial, perspectives.

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My Stroke of Insight (Kindle Edition)

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A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Whittle) (Paperback)

by John Kenneth Galbraith (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 128 pages
* Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 1, 1994)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0140238565
* ISBN-13: 978-0140238563
* Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
* Rating:

Textbook Description
World-renowned economist Galbraith, the bestselling author of The Affluent Society, reviews great speculative booms of the last three centuries, including the junk-bond follies of the 1980s. With wisdom and wit, he shows how the lessons of history can help us avoid financial calamity. “Entertaining in its instructiveness.”

A Short History of Financial Euphoria Review
This book explains how bubbles develop and crash; it was written in 1990 and it foretells our current mess. It is well written, prescient and ironic. It is worth reading now as is his book on the crash of 1929. The small book is written in simple terms without complex theory –his point is that bubbles are driven by greed –they are predicitable and tied to human nature. Regrettably, they can not be regulated away. Too bad we all did not read this before this current disaster.

How appropriate this book is, given the recent real estate bubble burst. It is a short study of the historical bursting of bubbles. John Galbraith is a renowned economist, and admits he can’t predict when bubbles will burst, just that they will. The language you hear during the upward trend of bubbles is exactly the same – that “it” will never go down. People get into a frenzy or euphoric state and ignore that fact that the bubble will ultimately burst, as it always does. This book was written prior to the Stock Market crash of 1987, the dot com era, the more recent real estate bubble, which ultimately is the root of our current economic woes. This was a very quick read and I enjoyed it tremendously. A friend of mine lent me his copy to read a few years ago, and the recent crash of the real estate market led me to remember how much I enjoyed the book that I bought it for myself to reread.

A brief interesting, dare I say entertaining trip through the idiotic financial euphoria of the past…boy am I glad we aren’t that stupid anymore, he said sarcastically. Tulip Mania and the South Sea bubble provide two of the cautionary tales. Of course, these idiotic things only look idiotic after sobering reality smacks investors in the face. Indeed one of the sure signs of euphoria is the absence of public doubters. Galbraith’s short little book poses a significant challenge for purveyors of the Rational Market theory. If markets are rational, how can the bottom fall out of the market in a panic?

The last page of Galbraith’s book denotes that the mania of financial speculation always recurs and is inescapable in human history (P.110). Economists and policy-makers usually attribute the cause of a financial debacle to external influences such as ineffective regulatory mechanism to contain bubble-led investment activities and weakening in economic growth (P.85). By reviewing the major financial debacles of the last three centuries, Galbraith researches on common features of financial debacles of the last three centuries, Galbraith concludes that there are at least two key factors that trigger the debacle: the extreme brevity of the financial memory and the specious association of money and intelligence (P.13). This book is not lengthy but presents all classic cases since the 17th century including tulipomaina in Holland, Banque Royale in France, South Sea Company in England, and spectacular financial debacles in the US. To Galbraith, people have a very brief financial memory of no more than 20 years (P.87) This 20-year cycle from illusion to disillusion makes them forget lessons of the past and continue to invent highly-leveraged financial instruments without self-scrutiny and sanity. Moreover, people blindly believe that money is the measure of the intelligence that supports it (P.14). They applause acolytes of speculation and exclude any adverse opinion in order to justify the circumstances that can make them rich when a mood of optimism and excitement pervades in the financial market. The Schiller’s dictum of crowd insanity has been inherent in human history for centuries (P.5). The renowned scientist Issac Newton has remarked that he can measure human motion but he cannot measure human folly. This book was published in the 90s but Galbraith’s insights of financial insanity are still relevant to institutional and individual investors nowadays who tend not to be a scapegoat of the next financial crisis.

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The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. (Hardcover)

by Daniel Coyle (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 256 pages
* Publisher: Bantam (April 28, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 055380684X
* ISBN-13: 978-0553806847
* Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
* Rating:

Textbook Description
What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? In this groundbreaking work, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle provides parents, teachers, coaches, businesspeople—and everyone else—with tools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others.

Whether you’re coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism.

Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research gathered on journeys to nine of the world’s talent hotbeds—from the baseball fields of the Caribbean to a classical-music academy in upstate New York—Coyle identifies the three key elements that will allow you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance in sports, art, music, math, or just about anything.

The Talent Code Review
This book details, better than any other I have read, the scientific research behind exceptional human achievement. In addition, it distills the common methods of practice, coaching and motivation used in nine “talent beds” around the world. The book is very enjoy able to read and is full of immediately useful advice, all of which is backed up by solid scientific research. If you liked Talent is Overrated, Outliers or Mindset, you will love this book. It is a well-written and important addition the genre of books that are based on the current research on exceptional human achievement.

Well-written, engaging, lots of “wow, I never thought of that” moments followed quickly by “but I should have… makes a ton of sense.” Only problem is the book makes me realize much of what I’ve done to develop certain skills was wrong; but at least now I know.

An excellent book with substantial insight into what “makes talent”. Very well written and researched. Highly recommended.

How do people get good at something? Wait a minute, that’s the not the right question, how do people get great at something? Well, frankly, there has been a significant amount of research on the matter of human performance and the development of skill/talent. Author, Daniel Coyle, has looked at the research and he also went on a road trip to what he calls “talent hotbeds”, places where great talent has been produced out of proportion to their size and perceived stature; for example, a Russian tennis club, a music school in Dallas, a soccer field in Brazil, and others.

I’m sure we’ve all met a lot of people in our lives who are very good at what they do, but perhaps think they’re a little better at it than actual reality. They never seek mentoring because they don’t think they need it; unfortunately, most of them do need mentoring. This explains why true greatness is so rare. Not only do “the great ones” have to be exceptionally proficient at what they do, there must be relevence in their abilities; to attain “relevent greatness” in a world filled with self-absorbed people who are only “great” at getting in the way; that’s the tricky part!

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The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. (Kindle Edition)

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The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention (Paperback)

by Dawson Church (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 395 pages
* Publisher: Elite Books; 2nd edition (April 15, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1604150114
* ISBN-13: 978-1604150117
* Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Your genes don’t control your health or happiness outcomes; in fact many of the choices you make turn genes on or off. Author Dawson Church applies the insights of the new field of Epigenetics (epi=above, i.e. control above the level of the gene) to healing.

Citing 417 scientific studies, he shows how consciousness – in the form of beliefs, altruism, optimism, meditation, emotions, and energy psychology methods like EFT – can trigger the expression of DNA strands. He focuses on a class of genes called Immediate Early Genes or IEGs. These genes turn on within a few seconds of a stimulus. They can be triggered by thoughts or emotions (”I loved that unexpected gift of roses Bill gave me” or “I’m so mad about what Uncle John said at the Christmas party”) as well as spiritual experiences, and acts of kindness. Many IEGs are regulatory genes turn on other genes that affect specific aspects of our immune system, such as the production of white blood cells that destroy attacking bacteria and viruses. Epigenetics thus influences our health every day.

He coins the new term “Epigenetic Medicine” to describe healing techniques with epigenetic effects. He also summarizes the science behind the infant fields of Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine, both of which offer promising epigenetic medical therapies, and describes examples of the powerful personal breakthroughs being achieved by therapists, doctors, athletes, and entrepreneurs practicing these techniques. The Genie in Your Genes shows that there is a sound theoretical framework, based on credible experiments, for understanding these astonishing results, and predicts that the insights of Epigenetic Medicine will dramatically advance the fields of both medicine and psychology in the coming decade.

Best of all, The Genie in Your Genes demonstrates that, by taking control of our consciousness and using it to influence our genetic expression, we can sometimes bypass years of therapy, as well as harmful drugs and invasive surgeries, to, in effect, do continuous genetic engineering on our own bodies. This can produce both immediate relief from long-standing anxieties and neuroses, as well as “miraculous” healing of pain, autoimmune diseases, and other symptoms.

The Genie in Your Genes Review
Dawson Church’s new book, “The Genie in Your Genes,” is going to be a huge best-seller, changing for the better tens of thousands of lives. It’s all in the book! It reads well. It’s logical, intuitive and overwhelming. It is a triumph of deduction and reasoning, linking together science, genetics, behavior, moods, electromagnetic physiology, belief, consciousness, and how to use this knowledge to achieve peace, happiness and success.

Dawson’s logic and scientific command are relentless. And they beautifully extrapolate into an explanation of the effects of thought, attitude, emotions and their outcome. His book is a clear map to understanding a path to well-being. We may have genetically inescapable blue eyes, but we can voluntarily decide whether we are going to smile or frown with those eyes, and the consequences of that behavior will affect us and effect change. As an orthopedic surgeon schooled in anatomy and surgical approach and reconstruction, I cannot explain, for example, the 1000 year ancient “science” of accupuncture and the stimulation of healing energies. But I have seen its physical manifestations. My patients will occasionally ask if I will pray with them before an operation, and I readily do. And I also ask them to imagine themselves later, healed and happy, walking and doing what they would love to do. With success! Now Dawson Church has found a way to explain and quantify this experience.

Once in a great while, an expansive book traces the connections between seemingly disconnected fields of science to produce a brilliant new synthesis. This work, linking genetics, electromagnetism, medicine and social change, is a monumental feat of scholarship and imagination, and provides a fascinating glimpse of the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. It points the way to a radical leap in our understanding of healing–and indeed the nature of human beings.

I am an EFT practitioner and have people travel from around the world to our retreat in Sedona. Most have never heard of EFT but after being introduced find answers they have searched years to find within themselves. Genie in your genes does an awesome job of explaining how EFT and other energy healing techniques work. Just as hard as explaining how the electricity travels to your outlets in your house, how energy travels through our body is a mystery to most. I have been teaching Reiki and energy healing for over twenty years, and this is one of the best books for explaining energy and quantum healing avaialble. Read it with an open mind and find the mystery to heal your life.

I’ve only read the first few chapters so far but I’m hooked. I am a firm believer that you can’t attach either total or the majority of “the blame” on any one factor when it comes to the human body and mind. The fact that so many doctors of high caliber endorsed this book was my incentive to purchase it, rather than borrow it from the library. Not an easy read but not difficult either – I really enjoy books that open my mind to new concepts!

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The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention (Kindle Edition)

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Daily Five, The (Paperback)

by Gail Boushey (Author), Joan Moser (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 136 pages
* Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers; 1 edition (January 1, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1571104291
* ISBN-13: 978-1571104298
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
* Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Do you love teaching but feel exhausted from the energy you expend cajoling, disciplining, and directing students on a daily basis? If so, you’ll want to meet “The Sisters”, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. Based on literacy learning and motivation research, they created a structure called The Daily Five which has been practiced and refined in their own classrooms for ten years, and shared with thousands of teachers throughout the United States. The Daily Five is a series of literacy tasks (reading to self, reading with someone, writing, word work, and listening to reading) which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals.

This book not only explains the philosophy behind the structure, but shows you how to carefully and systematically train your students to participate in each of the five components.

Explicit modeling practice, reflecting and refining take place during the launching phase, preparing the foundation for a year of meaningful content instruction tailored to meet the needs of each child.

The Daily Five is more than a management system or a curriculum framework; it is a structure that will help students develop the habits that lead to a lifetime of independent literacy.

The Daily Five Review
The ideas and lesson procedures discussed in this book are very beneficial to teachers who incorporate balanced literacy components throughout their daily curriculum decisions. The discussion of muscle memory and how to build the students’ stamina for longer periods of independent work are clearly laid out for the reader. A sample schedule that shows how to include daily lessons in the beginning weeks of school to build this stamina are detailed in the appendix. I would recommend this book for any teacher who wants to improve students’ independent work time.

This book is a wonderful resource for any teacher who has wondered what the other kids will be doing while you have reading conferences or small group instruction during your literacy block. Step by step, detailed lessons for the first 5 weeks of school will get your students working independently WITHOUT the need for you to create and plan an endless menu of center activities. The students will be doing what we need them to do most – reading and writing! This is a quick and easy read, with lots of classroom examples, and lessons for teaching your students to be independent withing the first 5 weeks of school. Get this book!

I am a first grade teacher and wanted to improve my literacy program by getting away from using worksheets during centers. This book offers great practical ideas including lessons and charts to use for “reading to self”, “reading to someone” and “listening to reading” which I will implement in my classroom. I currently have a fairly successful Writer’s Workshop and do a lot of making words activities but the book offers ideas in these areas as well. So many books just deal with concepts of literacy but this one breaks the teaching procedures into easily followed steps that I am excited about trying out with my next group of students. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to create an authentic learning atmosphere in a classroom and get away from a “packaged” curriculum so every student can work at their reading/writing level independently.

I purchased this book and read it within a few hours. This book is cleary written, conscise, not full of jargon, and truly written for the classroom teacher to implement effectively. I teach 1st grade and can easily transition my students into this routine. The authors offer practical advice regarding teaching of behaviors, management, assessment, and references for further reading and research. What a refreshing change from dense, heady teacher-reading! An ASSET to any professional library (literacy teacher or elementary teacher).

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The Daily Five (Kindle Edition)

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Spanish for Dummies (Paperback)

by Susana Wald (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 432 pages
* Publisher: For Dummies (December 15, 1999)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0764551949
* ISBN-13: 978-0764551949
* Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Is speaking Spanish nothing more than a bad high school memory for you? Are the phrases “Yo quiero Taco Bell” and “Hasta la vista, baby” the extent of what you can say in Spanish?

Whether you need a quick primer for an upcoming business trip or want to build on a basic understanding of the language, Spanish For Dummies can help. But the book is more than just a language text full of cool phrases and useful vocabulary — it’s also a cultural guide for those moments when you really need to know how and why things are done.

Part of what makes this book so valuable is its whole-language approach to Spanish. Instead of burdening you with endless vocabulary lists and tricky grammar rules, Spanish For Dummies gives you the tools to take your Spanish on the road. Focus on everyday situations and hone your small-talk skills that help you with basic communication in Spanish. What’s more, the authors have scattered throughout the book tidbits that contextualize the language so you understand the people, places, and things that are unique to Spanish-speaking cultures. An audio CD enables you to hear Spanish as it’s really spoken by presenting dialogues between native Spanish speakers.

Spanish for Dummies Review
Thank God I didn’t have to pay for this book. It’s overloaded with information that I didn’t find helpful in actually learning to speak Spanish. Even a retired person, such as myself, began to grow impatient with the abundance of information that was not directly related to speaking Spanish. If you really want to get to the “meat” of Spanish vocabulary and grammar, you would do much better by purchasing “Spanish Grammar for Indepedent Learners.” It is expensive but I think it’s much better than Spanish for Dummies. But even with Spanish Grammar for Indenpendent Learners, you will still need private lessons or a good Spanish course. If you like learning on your own, Pimsleur is excellent. It’s my favorite because the Spanish is very formal, you’d have to go to Spain if you wanted to learn Spanish more formal. If you don’t like the formal Spanish and just want to learn Spanish for communicating with employees, customers, co-workers, or for dating, then you may prefer Learning Spanish Like Crazy.

I wish I had purchased this book before, because it’s A LOT better than the textbook used in my college Spanish class. While it’s true that this book, alone, will not make you fluent in Spanish, there is no one book that will do that. What this book will do is act as a great tool to help your Spanish fluency along.

In keeping with other books for dummies, Spanish for Dummies is easy-to-read and understand. You get a quick grasp on Spanish basics and many conversational interactions that are also available on a CD that is included. I would also recommend purchasing the handy pocket-sized Spanish Phrases for Dummies that is great for travel. For more intensive practice in speaking Spanish, check out Transparent Language software.

I am a huge fan of the Dummies books, I think they are great! This was a wonderful, very useful book, during college Spanish 102 for my daughter. She was able to use it more than the recommended books, and this one cost a whole lot less. A great addition to the Dummies books, thanks!

The book is easy to understand and the Spanish words spelled out phonetically so that the user may pronounce them without difficulty. Like most of the Dummies books, this is laid out in a way that is easy to use. It also has a CD in the back so the words and phrases can be actually heard to improve pronunciation.

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