Archive for August, 2008

Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)

Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman) At a time when access to health care in the United States is being widely debated, Nortin Hadler argues that an even more important issue is being overlooked. Although necessary health care should be available to all who need it, he says, the current health-care debate assumes that everyone requires massive amounts of expensive care to stay healthy. Hadler urges that before we commit to paying for whatever pharmaceutical companies and the medical establishment tell us we need, American consumers need to adopt an attitude of skepticism and arm themselves with enough information to make some of their own decisions about what care is truly necessary.

Each chapter of Worried Sick is an object lesson regarding the uses and abuses of a particular type of treatment, such as mammography, colorectal screening, statin drugs, or coronary stents. For consumers and medical professionals interested in understanding the scientific basis for Hadler’s arguments, each topical chapter has an accompanying source chapter in which Hadler discusses the medical literature and studies that inform his critique.

According to Hadler, a major stumbling block to rational health-care policy in the United States is contention over the very concept of what constitutes good health. By learning to distinguish good medical advice from persuasive medical marketing, consumers can make better decisions about their personal health and use that wisdom to inform their perspectives on health-policy issues.
Customer Review: A MUST READ!
If you want to save yourself from being labeled with a disease you don’t have and take medications you don’t need, then you must read this book.

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) Experience the mysterious and magical world of numbers as never before. This unique book investigates mathematical marvels such as why daisies always have 34, 55, or 89 petals, why the world’s phone numbers appear in pi, and other patterns and paradoxes that will make readers look at numbers in a whole new way.
Customer Review: A Totally Cool Book like the title claims!
This book really is cool and worth the money. I ordered through Scholastic and paid a little bit less. My intent was to be able to teach my 8-year-old, 3rd grade daughter some cool principles, tricks, games for math so she could improve. She’s (surprisingly, right) not interested in the book really. I think she’s just a little bit too young for it. But I loved the book. When we work over the summer, I will do a little bit at a time with her: Prime Numbers lesson, history of number systems, etc. Little chunks should help improve her understanding and I think ALL kids should be exposed to the lessons in this book early.
Customer Review: my PhD rocket scientist loves it too
It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you were interested enough in mathematical books to click this review you should buy this book. My PhD engineer liked it, and so did my fifth graders.

Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America’s College Campuses

Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America’s College Campuses Today’s college students are fascinated by religion but they are also more sexually active than previous generations. How do these young people reconcile their spiritual longings with sexual freedom on campus?
Based on dozens of face-to-face interviews, Sex and the Soul explores the sexual and spiritual lives of today’s college students. Donna Freitas crisscrossed the country, visiting a range of America’s colleges and universities–from public to private, Catholic to evangelical–to find out what students had to say about these highly personal subjects. Their stories will not only engage readers, but, in many cases, move them with the painful struggles these candid young women and men face. Indeed, the book uncovers aspects of college life that may unsettle some readers, especially parents. Many campuses, for instance, are dominated by the hook-up culture of casual sex. Moreover, a surprising number of students see little connection between sex and religion. Indeed, these observations hold true even at Catholic schools. Only at evangelical colleges is religion an important factor when deciding whether or not to engage in sex. But Freitas’s research also reveals that, even at secular schools, students are not comfortable with the prevalence of casual sex, and that they do want religion to speak about what they should do and who they should try to be–not just what they should avoid doing.
Sex and the Soul will offer readers the chance to hear college students speaking honestly about extremely sensitive topics, in a book that will be of great interest to students, parents, clergy, teachers, and anyone who wants to know what’s happening on today’s college campuses.
Customer Review: Timely, Brilliant, Fair, Poignant
This is a carefully researched and elegantly written book on the relationship between sexuality and spirituality on US college campuses. It is pretty well known among scholars that high school kids are quite religious in the US. When they go to college they start turning away from the religions of their parents, often toward more generic spirituality. Why does this happen? Freitas thinks sexual experience might hold the key. In other words, as college students start experimenting sexually they push away from religion, since religion is in their view “anti-sex.” That’s the argument, or part of it. But at the heart of the book lie stories about these students. Kids at evangelical, Catholic, and secular schools struggling with faith and sexuality. It’s brilliantly done. It’s sad in many ways to see the binds that “hookup culture” put young people in. It’s balanced in that there are things in here that will infuriate (and delight) conservatives and liberals alike. And it’s timely. Makes me wonder what the next generation is in for heading off to college.

Stock Investing For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Stock Investing For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) The Dummies way to score big in the stock market Stock Investing For Dummies, Second Edition covers the basics of investing for individuals and households that want to watch their savings grow. Simple, straight-forward, and honest, this friendly guide covers all the categories of stocks, teaches readers how to analyze stocks, and offers invaluable resources for developing a portfolio. Investing consultant Paul Mladjenovic offers wise advice and proven tactics for beginners who want to get in the game without risking their shirts. Whether the market is up or down, readers will benefit from sound, practical investing strategies and insights that have helped generations of investors profit from the markets. Paul Mladjenovic (Englewood Cliffs, NJ) is the owner of PM Financial Services and a Certified Financial Planner and investing consultant with nineteen years of experience in investing.
Customer Review: Exactly what the title implies.
Like it says, it’s stock investing for dummies. Not only will you get explanations for key terms that you will encounter, you also will be taught how to look at numbers on a balance sheet, and decode what story the balance sheet is telling you. The way this book is written is very novice-friendly, you won’t have to worry about being lost or not being able to understand some words. I can see how the more “advanced” investors might flip through the pages going “I already know that….” But like the title says, It’s for dummies. If you know nothing about investing and want to know more, this is a great start. However, If you want to take it to the next level, I recommend a successful mentor.
Customer Review: stock investing for dummies
This book is just what I needed. I started to be interested about the stock market but was totally clueless what it’s all about. While I dont like the title,the truth of the matter is I’m a real dummy on this topic. The book really helped a lot. It explained things in a very simple manner. It really gave me the basics of what I need to know. The only thing that I want to add… Can we please pick a better title? LOL