Books for/about - General Custom

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Authors: Michael Pollan

ISBN: 1594200823
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Summary: Thought-provoking
This was a great book - very interesting and thought provoking.

The premise was that Pollan wanted to eat different types of meals and find out exactly where the food came from. The first section is his meal at MacDonalds and then following the path of factory farmed animals and commodity corn. The second section was pasture-raised animals in which he profiled this amazing farm that tries to mimic the natural diets and styles of animals - really inspiring to hear about this farmer fighting against the goverment to raise his animals naturally, and then he creates a meal that he hunted and foraged for himself (though did I miss something - he baked bread and made pasta but didn't mention growing the wheat!).

The book was well written and I think will encourage people to really think about where their food comes from.

Summary: Is it Truth or Fiction? Representative Examples, Please.
Pollan's book lacks balance. He uses two farmers in Iowa (who between them farm <1000 acres) as exemplary of all corn farmers -- overfertilizing, using either new equipment they cannot afford or old equipment that damages their hearing, wearing out the soil, etc. My midwestern farm-raised parents laughed out loud, countering with as many stories of well managed farms whose founding family owners are doing quite nicely, thank you, without raping the land.

In the section on pastoral farming, he uses the example of a farmer who will not ship product from Virginia to New York because of the inherent conflict of using fuel to ship 'truly organic' food such a long way, but who invites Pollan to drive down and pick some up - which would use proportionally more fuel than Fedex'ing the damn chicken.

The historical and scientific discussions are interesting, and (no pun intended) food for thought, but the lack of factual basis inferred by Pollan's generalizations makes the veracity of these discussions difficult to accept.

Summary: Wonderful!
This book is not only full of valuable information but it is a meditation on the philosophy of eating. Michael Pollan is able to, without judgement, show us why eating closer to our food source is a valuable practice. I recommend it highly and have purchased several copies for friends. It is truly an amazing book!

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The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

Publisher: Regan Books
Authors: Neil Strauss

ISBN: 0060554738
List Price: $29.95
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Summary: What a story and the best part is that it's true!
Wow what a fascinating read, it left me wanting more. Not only was this a great story it also will improve your game. Neil Strauss goes into detail on methods he uses to pick-up women. However this book is not an "How-To" book, it is more a memoir of Neil's past two years, but it will help you improve your game.
The most amazing thing about this book is it is all true and while your reading it you tell yourself, "Wow this really happened", and it really makes the book that much more fascinating.
However, I really hope the never make a movie out of this book I think that would be a complete shame and would ruin the PUA world. A movie would reveal PUA routines to everyone and also make women more aware of their tactics and it would really ruin the game. A movie would really just be too revealing.

Summary: A fascinating must read!
This is one of the best stories I have every read! I think that it will teach almost every man out there at least a few valuable lessons about women, relationships, sex and life. I completely agree that this book can become a great starting point for a movie.

The story is about the fascinating transformation of an "average frustrated chump" into a first class pick up artist. It is never easy to go through such profound understanding about yourself, the girls in general and what you really need and want to have/achieve in life. However, Neil has successfully found the answers to these tough questions in less than 2 years. It is true that the childhood of all those wannapickup hot girls had been difficult. However, how many men in the world have had perfect and cloudless childhood? I guess, not many. That's why I see Neil's story as an example, at least for me, that you have no right to use such misfortune from your past as an excuse for not being successful with girls.

He proves to the reader with his personal example that if there is a will there is a way no matter whether you want to pick up girls, find the love of your life as he did at the end or open your mind for greater understanding of life. Additional exceptional book that surpassed my expectations is "Scientifcally guaranteed male multi-orgasms and ultimate sex". I highly recommend both bestsellers.

Summary: Secret Society Amazing to read about
This is the story of how an AFC(average frustrated chump) turns into a great PUA (pick up artist). The story is linear and intreaging. A must-not-put-down read full of things that seem too good to be true, but you cant help to not believe. An amazing story of these pickup artists: ups and downs.

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	The Places in Between Publisher: Harvest Books Authors: Rory Stewart
ISBN: 0156031566 List Price: $14.00 Amazon Price: $10.78 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 3 Reviews: Summary: Interesting...to a point The parts about the book where the author describes his encounters with Afghanis are the best parts of the book. It is a western perspective, of course, but given that there are few accounts from anyone on present-day Afghanistan, his point of view is more progressive and enlightened than I expected and few outsiders have seen the country the way the author has seen it. Of course, that is what the book is primarily about and on that level it is very good. However, I could not help but be distracted by my growing dislike for this author as the book went on. It's his point of view and his memoirs so I think it is relevant for this review. The journey to replicate Emperor Babur's original journey by foot, across mountain passes and desert, in the middle of winter in a war-torn, devastated country seems really self-indulgent and frankly, extremely foolish. He took a sick dog with him; Book dedication aside, the author has the audacity to be 'disappointed' by the hospitality he received. As a guest he created an obligation for others to put him up each night in their poor villages, feed him and the dog what very little they had and/or accompany him on these walking jaunts in the middle of snowstorms. Some of the things he did are absolutely confounding and while the whole story was fascinating, he is quite annoying. Summary: A Classic Of A Different Sort Travel/adventure books are read for many reasons; excitement, curiosity, the desire to be along on an adventure one can never make for oneself. But rarely, rarely do you expect to be deeply moved. Rory Stewart's ability (and simple courage) to get on the ground in Afganistan and literally put his life at risk day after day sets him apart from most writers of this genre. What takes this book to a whole different level though is his ability to allow us to connect and gain some glimmering of understanding for people drastically different from us. The problem many readers will have with this book is the adventure Stewart goes through is very grim. I don't refer here to the horrible weather conditions he experiences in crossing the Afghan mountains in the middle of winter, but to the people and social conditions he experiences on his trek. Misery and suffering are everywhere. Violence is casual,arbitrary, and sudden. Ethnic, tribal, and village societies are complex. Common, everyday interactions are intricate and frequently leaden with potential danger. Tragedy and physical destruction abound. His description of poverty stricken villagers destroying an archaelogical site of immense importance in order to sell artifacts at ridiculously low prices to distant antique dealers is heart breaking. Stewart survives with his wits and luck, barely. He recounts human greatness and depravity, simple life-saving kindness and sadistic cruelty. This is the best writing I have come across on Afghanistan. I can't recall another travel/adventure type book which has affected me as deeply. You are to be pitied if you can't be moved by this book. Yes, Stewart was crazy to do this, but the book justifies him. This is a classic but not one with the ingredients for widespread popularity. I will put this alongside Newby's "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush", the two books reflecting the tragedy and comedy of the human condition in Afganistan and in all of us. Summary: Simply Amazing This book opened my eyes to a world that I couldn't being to have understood before reading it. It's beatifully written and insightful without being heavy-handed. It will change your understanding of the world you live in. Highly recommended. Summary:

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Pro .NET 2.0 Windows Forms and Custom Controls in C#

Publisher: Apress
Authors: Matthew MacDonald

ISBN: 1590594398
List Price: $49.99
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Summary: Excellent Windows Forms and Custom Controls Coverage
This book covers everything you need to know about Windows Forms and Custom Controls. It is very thorough and well written.

The code samples work well and are well organized.

It doesn't cover the smart client gamut, like data storage, communication, or architecture in context to smart client applications. Which is ok. No book currently out covers smart client properly, but windows forms are the front end to smart clients so it would have been nice to have them placed into the smart client context.

And just to clear up the review below. Turn to page 94 for all the classic common dialogs. Mathew didn't miss anything in this book. Relate to Windows Forms UI development.

He also emphasizes using proper UI architecture and getting business logic out of the UI and develops his samples accordingly.

Summary: The controls and nothing but
Don't buy this book if you need to learn ADO.NET, file access, the common language runtime, or any other "starter" .NET topic. This book isn't a general introduction to writing a Windows application. (If you want that, read Jesse Liberty's fairly good "Programming .NET Windows Applications" instead.)

This book is a drill-down, no-holds-barred, VERY comprehensive look at programming advanced WinForms interfaces. It gives the full details on every control, complete with great advice for customizing and extending them. (Custom controls are a major theme in this book.) There's excellent content here that just can't be found in the MSDN, like tips for using layout engines, mixing web and windows contet, and multithreading an interface. This book was written with support from Microsoft's Windows Forms team, and it shows--the content on many subjects is several degrees more comprehensive that any I've seen before.

All in all, this is a stand-out choice for professional developers who already know .NET and C#.

Summary: Disappointing
Fails to mention existing Dialog Boxes that have been around since .NET 1.1. In one example shows how to make a dilog that lists all folders on the machine. I guess he didn't know about the FolderBrowserDialog.

Fails to mention using the config file to store application settings and gives an example of how to store them in the registry.

Makes no mention I can find regarding the project properties window where application settings can be entered.

Still, the book does have good material regarding Windows forms design.

I think this book uses text from an earlier book, which would explain the ommision of the items listed above.

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Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era

Publisher: Abbeville Press
Authors: Jim Heimann

ISBN: 0896595722
List Price: $439.50
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Summary: A Real Treasure!
This is one of those books I can't recommend highly enough if you love old Hollywood or the flamboyant architecture and graphic design of Hollywood in the 20's - 50's. I picked it up on a cut-out table in New York about 10 years ago and have come to appreciate it as one of the best books in my library - in fact it's one of those books that is always getting borrowed from friends who are graphic designers or work at ad agencies looking for inspiration.

Jim Heimann deserves much praise for assembling what is obviously a huge labor of love with lots of great photos and illustrations that you will never see anywhere else - everything from cocktail napkins and matchbooks to beautiful interior photography and paparazzi pics of the stars at play.

Also I'd like to disagree with the review - I actually found the writing in the book to be pretty engaging. It's fairly straightforward and to the point., luckily since there is a lot of history to cover.

Anyway it's an amazing book that I would highly recommend.

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	Love Smart: Find the One You Want--Fix the One You Got Publisher: Free Press Authors: Phil McGraw
ISBN: 0743272099 List Price: $26.00 Amazon Price: $16.38 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 1 Reviews: Summary: Who is this Dr. Phil Guy? Psychotherapy and counseling are extremely precious to me. The help of trusting and loving professionals within these fields empowered me to pick myself up from the depths of despair and become a contributor to the human race. Therapy is also my life, my career, and my unique and passionate purpose in this Universe. It is what I have been called to do and I intend on doing it to the best of my ability. Thus, when I see someone misrepresenting therapy it is my first inclination to do my part to point it out and hopefully bring some resolution to the issue. This is the main purpose of this short, but vital article. My hope is to point out the distortion of therapy that I observed and reveal the truth. This article is not in any way intended to put someone down or cause any conflict; it is simply an expression of truth. Personally I am not an avid television viewer, however as I was reading a few nights ago I hear a voice, a seemingly judgmental, sarcastic, and somewhat demeaning tone that sent shivers down my spine while at the same time causing me to feel nauseous. It just so happens that my wife was watching the Dr. Phil Show who was supposedly conducting a therapy session in front of the world. I am not very knowledgeable about Dr. Phil, his background, certainly am not a frequent viewer of his "Therapy" show, haven't read his best selling books, however I certainly know that he is not conducting what I know therapy to be. Therapy is not sarcastic, it's empathetic and compassionate. It's definitely not judgmental; it consists of unconditional positive regard for the participant. It's also not demeaning in nature, it's based on an equal relationship of respect and honesty between two human beings on the journey of life. A therapist is not an actor or a celebrity with the purpose of entertaining others for ratings. I personally despise making judgments, but when I hear a professional, doctorate level therapist judging human beings based on their job, being on welfare, categorizing people as "normal" and "abnormal", I must take a firm stand and express my concern. Dr. Phil is not the type of therapist that the world needs as a role model. I'm sure he's a wonderful man, a caring soul, and a great human being, however from what I observed I do not believe he is a good therapist. Therapy is precious and necessary to help transform this struggling Universe. It's about life and death, not ratings, money, or fame. It's important to always be cognizant of the fact that therapists are people desiring to help other people. They are not idols to be worshipped, Gods to be prayed to, or movie stars to be entertained by. Therapists are special people with a unique purpose to fulfill in this world. Lets applause ourselves and our personal growth as human beings, rather than applauding and feeding the ego of Dr. Phil and whoever comes next. For those who ask what is therapy? Here is my answer. Therapy is - a journey growth between two human beings; confidential; based on honesty between both individuals; a process of taking complete responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; non-judgmental; a process of continuous growth; based on a strong relationship between both individuals; an educational experience that focuses on specific learning in the therapeutic environment in order for this learning to be applied in everyday life; will bring out the limitless human potential hidden inside; requires commitment and dedication between both individuals; will provide compassion, hope, and support along the journey of life; will help you become the human being you were meant to be; consists of a human relationship not manipulation of psychological techniques; Above all Therapy is a GIFT! Summary: My Happy Ending I personally have fallen in love with this book. Dr. Phil is a genius beyond compare. Even Oprah failed to find me the love of my life. We are now living together and have a healthy sex life. I never would have known that my own preteen cousin would be the perfect match for me. Summary: Excellent, sound and valuable! I watch Dr. Phil's show only from time to time, so I am not his "fan". Anyway, I keep an eye on books which may further improve my marriage and keep love as passionate and live as possible. I thoroughly read this book and it is an enjoyable and easy to understand read. Dr. Phil's advice is sound (after all he is a man and gets straight to the point). I believe that we all need more books on relationships written by men because they offer additional and very valuable perspective. I am sure that singles will be pleased to read "Bag 'em, tag 'em and take 'em home". The system looks sound and doable. I personally enjoyed his refreshing ideas to spice up an already established relationship. He has a unique and very charming approach to love, romance and blissful relationship. I absolutely agree that respecting and loving yourself is the first and most important step in respecting and loving someone else. So his book will empower you very well if you need encouragement. He shares that men more or less are interested in (high quality) sex. I guess it is not a big surprise. However, it seems that being very good in bed is more or less crucial in order to manage with the competition and keep 'em satisfied. That's why in addition to his excellent book, I highly recommend scientist Ritz' bestseller "Scientificlly guaranteed multi-orgasms and ultimate sex", which turned our sexual life into outstanding. Summary:

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The Layguide: How to Seduce Women More Beautiful Than You Ever Dreamed Possible No Matter What You Look Like or How Much You Make

Publisher: Citadel
Authors: Tony Clink

ISBN: 0806526025
List Price: $12.95
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Summary: Useful, but rather depressing
The pickup artist has come of age. No longer relying on a hairy chest and a medallion to seduce the opposite sex, a thriving community has appeared on the net, exchanging the latest psychological tips and tricks that lead to a woman's bed. But these people aren't geeks. When it comes to seducing women, they are the real deal, only granting grandmaster pick up status to acolytes after the 1,000th babe has been laid.

And here lies the depressing fact about this book and the inevitable controversy that it has aroused (Germaine Greer having claimed that such men are rapists - seems like some feminists don't want to abandon notions of 'sexual ownership', 'faithfulness', 'duties'.etc at least not when it comes to men). The book is a thoroughly exhaustive anaylsis of what it takes for a man to get a woman into bed, compiled by men who have certainly 'been there and done it' many, many times. They know what works and what doesn't. And for all the complex psychology of 'neg hits', 'NLP patterning' etc, basically the recipe for success is that you have to show the lady you are a dominant caveman. When it comes to seduction, nice guys finish last, something to be avoided when you apparently have an average of 30 seconds to demonstrate to a potential pick-up that you can swing the club harder than any rival Fred Flintstone in sight. It appears deep down, women still want the hairy chest after all.

Feminist critics of the pick-up culture, incapable of any self-criticism as they are, tend to miss this point. Instead of focusing on why such macho men want to have sex with every good looking woman they see (and why shouldn't they?), perhaps they should ask why nearly every good looking woman would rather have sex with men who heed well tested advice such as 'Always be in Control (rule no.1)' and 'Never be Mr Nice Guy (rule no.7)' than men who read Germaine Greer or buy flowers. Feminists (and women in general), constantly make misandryst generalisations about men being inherently aggressive, dominant etc, forgetting that whatever essential nature men might have, if we have it at all, it is because women have spent our evolutionary history choosing it as an attractive sexual trait. And judging from this book, there is little prospect of hope for our evolutionary future. In fact, as women become increasingly financially independent of men, they are correspondingly free to choose sexual partners on solely primitive criteria (whereas before at least a man with lots of money was likely to have reached his position as Alpha male through, to some extent, a high IQ and not simply agressiveness or having the biggest biceps).

'Love between the sexes is a war', declared the gloomy Swedish playwright Strindberg. If you want to sharpen your armoury in order to have sex with lots of beautiful woman, this book is essential reading. For those who wish to understand the degradation of contemporary feminism into little more than a sexual trade union for embittered middle-aged women, then also read this book and the controversy that has surrounded it.

Summary: best paperback on learning to pickup women
read this a while ago... it gives jokes ...lines tells strategy and explains that it all about confidence, I read loads and never write reviews..... this and 'The game' by Neil S. are two must reads. Best book for a beginner was david D'angelo online Ebook double your dating. But this is Defo the best paper back.

Summary: Good Information That is Available for Free On the Web
When I say "good," I don't mean that as a moral judgment, because, yes, this is sort of a "lowlife's guide to getting some," as are the others like it. Nevertheless, the techniques given are still effective, which has to make detractors wonder, "If the guys deploying these alpha routines are lowlives, what are the women who respond so favorably to these hotshots?" I mean, if women fall all over themselves for alphas, then that's what they get, well, who's hurt?

The ultimate shallowness of this lifestyle aside, you have to see the humor in all these guys strutting around Being Alpha. I mean, how many alphas can a single nightclub hold? Can't you just see them butting chests with their wingmen:

"Dude, you're SO ALPHA!"
"No, man YOU'RE alpha!"
"No way, you are just so...just SO alpha, I can't wrap my mind around it!"
"Man, no, seriously, listen to me, you are Uber-Alpha."
"Hey, let's go get some chicks."
"Yeah man, let's totally deploy our Outer Game and score some HBs."
"Totally. I'm with you."

Yes, it's hard not to sneer.

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Gallatin Canyon: Stories

Publisher: Knopf
Authors: Thomas Mcguane

ISBN: 1400041562
List Price: $24.00
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Summary: Tom McGuane's Gallatin Canyon
This is the best book McGuane has written in twenty years. The storylines wind through untrod mental terrain even though the landscapes may seem familiar. The writing is elevated to a point that the reader immediately understands that a master craftsman is at work, and not just a storyteller. The closest comparison that comes to mind is Cormac McCarthy, both in style and context (stories about outdoor men hooked on the view yet stranded without love.) And yet, that is not quite fair either because the flavour is distinctly McGuane, rich in verbal wit, and many perceptive insights into the characters he created.
For a long time, I thought all of McGuane's novels could have been called "Something To Be Desired": books about characters who understand that fulfillment is responsibility that comes from desire. This gave his earlier works a kind of Bellow quality. In some respects McGuane never really moved away from this, but his work fell down at times when he tried to vary from what he did best. This new collection of stories, however, hits the nail on the head. The stories are saturated with humour and wisdom-a teenager becomes the family's "miracle boy" when he allegedly revives his grandmother from impending death, a college friend in trouble with the law shows up in Montana looking for help that doesn't quite come, a spiteful daughter ruins her father's failing chances of companionship in his later years, a sailor visits a soothsayer hoping to make sense of a tragedy years before, and so on. McGuane's writing has become more suited to a shorter focus- "Some Horses","The Longest Silence" and perhaps he should stick with it. The result here is highly palatable, a tribute almost to the locales of his earlier stuff without being a photo album. McGuane has this time paid it forward.

Summary: A True Gem
Whether you appreciate McGuane's nonfiction stories such as "Some Horses" or "The Longest Silence" or prefer his vivid storytelling found in his fiction classics like "Ninety Two in the Shade" or "The Bushwhacked Piano" - you'll find "Gallatin Canyon" a captivating and entertaining read. McGuane's reflections on the American West, provide insight into this often misunderstood culture and landscape and challenge the reader to explore the human relation to their environment and circumstance. The selected stories of Gallatin Canyon, provide a myriad of views on modern western culture, and are worth every penny paid. Highly recommended.

Summary: PURE McGUANE - PURE PLEASURE

Thomas McGuane (The Cadence of Grass, The Longest Silence) is recognized as one of America's preeminent literary figures. "A writer of the first magnitude" said the New York Times Review of Books. The reason for this praise is evident in Galatin Canyon, his first collection of stories in some time.

The ten tales included in this volume all showcase McGuane's impeccable prose, his dazzling use of imagery, and his insight into the human condition.

With "Ice" a boy who delivers newspapers for what is probably the Detroit News discovers who he can be one evening as he skates alone on frozen
Lake Ontario. He has suffered from a number of fears but on this particular night we read his thoughts: "I believed that if I let coming darkness turn me back, would never be any good and the fog of cowardice would forever envelop me."

The title story introduces an unnamed businessman and his girlfriend, Louise. He is hoping to close a deal on a small car dealership he owns. She is a comely woman whom he wants to marry, while at the same time he fears losing her. In order to close the sale the pair must go to Idaho. Further, it's going to be a bit tricky as he's received a better offer for the dealership and , according to his attorney, he can only sell for the best offer if the original buyer, Rigby, backs out. Therefore, his plan is to antagonize Rigby, anger him so that he does welch on the agreement.

They're driving by way of the Gallatin Canyon, although he doesn't wish to do so, saying the route is too narrow and there are too many trucks. Their journey reveals their relationship.

Pure McGuane - pure reading pleasure.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

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