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Time and Trouble
Nursing Home Murder
When in Rome
Tell No Tales: A Marti Macalister Mystery (Marti Macalister Mystery)
The Best Kept Secret
Search the Dark (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries (Paperback))
The Irish Cottage Murder: A Torrey Tunet Mystery (Torrey Tunet Mysteries (Paperback))
A Comedy of Heirs (Torie O'Shea Mysteries (Paperback))
Bird Yard
Big Easy Backroad
Vintage Murder
Death Takes Up a Collection: A Sister Mary Helen Mystery (Sister Mary Helen Mystery)
Snipe Hunt (Professor Simon Shaw Mysteries)
A Gift of Sanctuary (Owen Archer Mysteries)
The Doctor Makes a Dollhouse Call
Roots of Murder (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
The Company of Cats
Boy in the Water
Murder on the Lusitania
Drag Strip: A Sierra Lavotini Mystery (Sierra Lavotini Mysteries (Papeback))
Jitter Joint
Hot Six: A Stephanie Plum Novel (Stephanie Plum Novels (Paperback))
An Eye for Gold
The Lake Effect (Milan Jacovich Mysteries (Paperback))
Skeleton Key: A Gregor Demarkian Mystery

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next

Average customer rating:

Honest and Alarming
Stringent attack on string theory
The Phantasies of Physics
very interesting
Fascinating!! Thrilling!! Reality!!! Ugly Face Of Current World!!

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
Lee Smolin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law
The God Delusion
The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design
The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions

ASIN: 0618551050

Book Description

In this groundbreaking book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that physics—the basis for all other science—has lost its way. The problem is string theory, an ambitious attempt to formulate "a theory of everything" that explains all the forces and particles of nature and how the universe came to be. With its exotic new particles and parallel universes, string theory has captured the public"s imagination and seduced many physicists. But as Smolin reveals, there"s a deep flaw in the theory: no part of it has been proven, and no one knows how to prove it. As a scientific theory, it has been a colossal failure. And because it has soaked up the lion's share of funding, attracted some of the best minds, and penalized young physicists for pursuing other avenues, it is dragging the rest of physics down with it. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin charts the rise and fall of string theory and takes a fascinating look at what will replace it. A group of young theorists has begun to develop exciting new ideas that are, unlike string theory, testable. Smolin tells us who and what to watch for in the coming years and how we can find the next Einstein. This is a wake-up call, and Lee Smolin—a former string theorist himself— is the perfect person to deliver it.

Customer Reviews:

Honest and Alarming.......2007-06-11

Smolin's book "The Trouble With Physics" is a very candid account of what the author percieves to be "wrong" with physics as it is being practiced in today's large research universities. Smolin's writing is clear and matter-of-fact. Although he makes his opinions known he is not mean to those with whom he disagrees. In particular, Smolin takes aim at the current diadem of theoretical physics research, String Theory, and attempts to shed light on the true nature and promise of the theory. The result is a penetrating indictment of the theory, as well as of the academic system that currently supports it.

Smolin's main contention with String Theory is that it has produced no unique, testable predictions. Not only this, but recent developments in the field suggest that there may be as many as 10^500 different string theories thus making it unlikely that the theory could ever be falsified (for perspective, it is estimated that there are 10^80 atoms in the entire universe). Essentially, string theory can be taylored to fit any experimental data and, thus, can never be proven wrong. This bothers Smolin because he holds tightly to the notion that the goal of physics is to find the one TRUE theory. String theory, it seems, bastardizes this goal in the same way that epicycles cheapened the goal of astronomy before the Copernican revolution.

Furthermore, we are told that String Theory is not even really theory. It is more of "hunch" or a "conjecture" That is, while some of the consequences of the theory have been ascertained, the mathematical structure of the theory remains unkown. Furthermore, no one really has any idea of what the structure might look like, or how it might be rigorously developed. As a result, millions of research dollars are being poured into the elucidation of a project which has made no unique testable predictions, offers no practical applications, and in which only one person (Ed Witten) has made any significant advances over the past 15 years.

In spite of all this, what I found most shocking was the pure dysfunctionality of the physics community. The ideological bickering, and the petty struggles for power and prestigue are all reminiscent of the infighting that occurs between the fanatical factions of several well known religions. But this will occur in any setting in which highly opinionated human beings vie for control of limited resources. Its sad, and perhaps unavoidable, but Smolin believes it can be better than it currently is. I believe that he is right and hope that people in positions of power at our major research universities will take his criticisms to heart.

Stringent attack on string theory.......2007-06-06

Lee Smolin perceives 5 big problems in today's physics: quantum gravity, the foundations of quantum mechanics, the unification of particles and laws, the values of the free constants and dark matter and dark energy.
Of those 5 problems string theory proposes a solution for only one of them: the unification of particles and laws. However, the theory cannot be tested with our current technology. For the author it is a dead end, because a theory which is not subject to experiment can never fail, but can never succeed either. Into the bargain, string theory is background-dependent and not background independent like Einstein's general theory of relativity, where the geometry of space is not part of the laws of nature.
Lee Smolin launches a frontal attack on the dictatorship of string theorists in universities, because they are grabbing nearly all funds for fundamental research and are making a laughing stock of its opponents.

He proposes 3 basic ideas for a successful approach of quantum gravity: space is emergent, everything in the universe is discrete and causality is fundamental for its description.
A far better theory than superstrings is loop (formed by field lines) quantum gravity, which is background-independent. The theory could mean that the universe existed before the Big Bang. But, its main problem is to find a way to unfreeze time (to represent time without turning it into space).

Lee Smolin's book is a goldmine for those wanting to know more about the current state of physics.
Making us more humble, he tells us that we only know 4 % of the universe, because 26 % of it is dark matter and 70 % dark energy.
He explains clearly the gauge theory (all properties of a force can be determined by symmetries) or the importance of spontaneous symmetry breaking, proving that the properties of the elementary particles depend in part on history and environment.

This book is a must read for all those interested in the world we live in.

The Phantasies of Physics.......2007-05-30

It's been more than 40 years since I sat in a physics classroom. My impression of physicists was that they were totally confused and hyperactive, so I opted for the math major. The mathematicians didn't know what they were doing either, but they did not let it bother them. (For more on this see "Constructive Analysis" by Bishop & Bridges.) I preferred a more laid back, friendly environment. Anyway, the motto of science now seems to be, "If you know what you are doing, it's not research."

In the 1960s and 70s I encountered nonlinear resonance in celestial mechanics. It stabilized the dynamics, in some cases at least, but destroyed the perturbation theories that had served so well for centuries. Numerical integration triumphed, except, of course, in France. The problem was a race between decreasing numerators and decreasing denominators ("small divisors"). So it is difficult to see how such ad hoc mathematics can ever prove anything about string theory or anything else. Incidentally, Jurgen Moser claimed to have proven that the perturbation theories of classical celestial mechanics did converge, but even if this is true, it is not relevant to anything. This is one of the few places where Smolin provides a little mathematical detail and it is rather amusing. But then physicists do something called "renormalization," which means, I think, they discard all the terms with singularities (or infinities, as Smolin calls them).

My thought many decades ago was that the cause of quantum behavior must be nonlinear resonance. And if the physicists didn't know that, they soon would. But it seems physicists read only cosmology, not celestial mechanics. However, check out Prof. Snoke's essay:

http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00001504/

The process Smolin describes is really a blind search in a multidimensional space with a weird topology. The only people who would do such a thing must be both brilliant and stupid at the same time. There are a lot of people with high IQs who are otherwise dysfunctional. This seems to describe those willing to pursue a career in academic physics, where the rewards are modest and the political bickering is petty and intense. Smolin calls this "sociology" and it incudes the whole craft of "grantsmanship," as well as what he describes. A good source on this is the science journalist Daniel Greenberg ("Science. Money, and Politics").

What can I say? Thanks, Prof. Smolin for reintroducing me to the arcane, esoteric, confusing, and amusing world of theoretical physics. I think it will make a much better retirement hobby that doing crossword puzzles. My next read will not be the Woit book ("Not Even Wrong..."), but Carver Mead's "Collective Electrodynamics," the primary reference in Snoke's essay. He clains that the whole of physics since 1930 has been a vast wasteland, but he has tried to take the first steps to redeam this once productive but ever confusing discpline. Let's cheer him on and also wish Smolin the greatest success. My suggestions: if you can do it with ODEs, look at Picard-Chebyshev. If you need PDEs, try kindred approaches using orthogonal polynomials instead of finite elements. After all, this may not be the "best" of all possible universes, but it likely is the most dynamically stable. All the rest have disappeared.

very interesting.......2007-05-30

This book is not an easy, light read for the beach. However, it is very interesting to someone who is curious about the current state of physics and research. I appreciated the effort the author made to make the book accessible to a lay person who is not a physics scholar.

Fascinating!! Thrilling!! Reality!!! Ugly Face Of Current World!!.......2007-05-26

I am a doctor, but I also have very much interest in mathematics and physics, especially about the history. I remember I have already bought a book about string theory about 2 years ago, and already found that the writer is too arrogant and I considered him " mad'after finishing reading the whole book!! I do not want to comment about the physics part as this would be discussed by those true " physicists ". I just want discuss one thing that this book raise out reflecting the current thinking in our world. That is , you cannot be humble and hard working does not always pay you off. Take my career, I am basically a clinician and my duty is to see patients everyday and try to help as much patients as possible. But there is no use!! Because the more patients you saw, the more likely you would make mistakes, the more chance you would meet unreasonable patients and unreasonale relatives and you would recieve more complaints!!! On the contrary , for those doctors who just seeing a few patients, publishing a lot of papers, appears in television frequently they get the most benefits. Especially when they go to private practice, they have tremendous advantage!!! the layman would not know who are the good and the bad ones!! In their mind they would think those doctors who always appear in the television must be good and authorative in this aspect. Far from truth, I tell you.
For those people who has serious medical problem and want to seek an advice from a doctor, either private or government, I think the best way is to ask an opinion from another doctor they trust and ask whether the doctor they intend to seek advice is reliable , because only within our circle, we know which one is good and caring and which one is just knowing publishing papers but not know much how to treat a patient!!!

The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money (First Time Books(R))

Average customer rating:

the berenstain bears trouble with money
awesome book, awesome lesson
Trouble with Money
great book

The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money (First Time Books(R))
Stan Berenstain , and Jan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Berenstain Bears and the In-Crowd (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Pressure (First Time Books(R))

ASIN: 0394859170
Release Date: 1983-09-12

Book Description

To earn coins for the Astro Bear video game, Brother and Sister Bear find ways to work for money. How they find the middle ground between being spendthrifts and little misers makes for a funny, realistic story.

Customer Reviews:

the berenstain bears trouble with money.......2006-02-02

i think this book is a really good book and i think that they have a problem with money and that they are really bad at that and i am to and my mom like tells me the same thing and it is cool just to have something that relates to my life and my mom tells me no don't spend all your money and stuff like that and that means i have a TEXT TO SELF and i love to read and it is cool. thats all i wanted to say. p.s. i love the bereanstain bear books they are so cool and i just love them and they are so cool i wish i could be a good writter just like you but you are a really good writter and if i could be like you i would but i am glad i am diffrent than everybody i love your books.

awesome book, awesome lesson.......2005-12-28

the illustrations are what got me interested in this book when I got it from a book club as a kid. It teaches a good lesson about money and how to not act spoiled, and the idea that money should not make you greedy

Trouble with Money.......2005-12-10

I like this book because it showed me not to spend all the money i receive for special occassions on things that i may not need but i want very badly. It showed me that i need to be very careful with money and that spending it on everything isn't always a good choice.
Alyssa Seifferly

great book.......2000-07-09

This is an excellent book it really helps kids learn about money. The illustrations are perfect for my four year old

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends (First Time Books(R))

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!!!!!
Learning to be a friend
Great conversation starter!
Caite's book
Wonderful!

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends (First Time Books(R))
Stan Berenstain , and Jan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Berenstain Bears and the Truth (First Time Books(R))
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The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room (A First Time Book)

ASIN: 0394873394
Release Date: 1987-01-12

Book Description

The new cub in the neighborhood, Lizzy Bruin, is the same age as Sister Bear--and she's also just as bossy. After a fight threatens their budding friendship, both cubs learn that you can't always have your own way if you want to have friends.

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!!!!!.......2006-11-15

This book is great. It shows that even the best of friends can fight at times. Also to take turns and there are some things that cannot be done alone. Also to be forgiving of each other.

Learning to be a friend.......2006-06-22

Sister and Lizzie are best friends and do everything together. But sometimes Lizzie can be just too bossy. And sometimes Sister wants to do everything her way. When the two cubs start playing school, it comes to head over who gets to be the teacher. This story teaches forgiveness and understanding that to be a good friend it's about giving, not just taking.

Great conversation starter!.......2006-03-30

I kept the Berenstain Bear books from when I was a kid and now my 6 year old read them. The are all great books to start a conversation with your child about the topic.
In this one, a very familiar situation arises between young friends (both want control and get in a fight. Mama Bear talks with Sister and asks her to consider her friend's feelings. Then the situation is resolved when the friend comes over to return a favorite toy.
These books aren't meant to offer coping strategies or tell the kids how to handle the situation but they are great to help get a conversation started between parents and kids and start the problem-solving process in the child.

Caite's book.......2006-02-14

Friends sometimes can be mean but you can learn how to get along with them.just like in real life.

Wonderful!.......2005-12-15

The world lost a real gem of a writer when Stan Berenstain passed on November 29. Together, Berenstain and his wife, Jan, and eventually their two sons, created books featuring lovable but flawed characters who tackle just about every real issue that faces families.

All kids (and most adults) have some trouble when it comes to making friends and maintaining friendships. It's not always easy! This book can help open up a good dialogue with your kids about what friendship means, how to be a good friend, what to do when you have problems with friends, and so on. It tells the story in a gentle way that kids will find not only informative, but entertaining and even funny, as well. Wonderful!

1 & 2 Peter: Courage in Times of Trouble (MacArthur Bible Studies)

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1 & 2 Peter: Courage in Times of Trouble (MacArthur Bible Studies)
John MacArthur
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Daniel: God's Control Over Rulers and Nations (MacArthur Bible Studies)
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Ruth & Esther: Women of Faith, Bravery, and Hope (MacArthur Bible Studies)
The MacArthur Bible Studies: Mark (MacArthur Bible Study Guides)

ASIN: 0849955459

Book Description

These study guides, part of a 16-volume set from noted Bible scholar John MacArthur, take readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. With probing questions that guide the reader toward application, as well as ample space for journaling, The MacArthur Bible Studies are an invaluable tool for Bible Students of all ages.

Small Time Operator: How to Start Your Own Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, And Stay Out of Trouble! (Small Time Operator)

Average customer rating:

Good Basic Textbook
Good Information for the Entrepeneur
The umpteenth edition, still going strong

Small Time Operator: How to Start Your Own Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, And Stay Out of Trouble! (Small Time Operator)
Bernard B. Kamoroff
Manufacturer: Bell Springs Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Small Business Taxes Made Easy: How to Increase Your Deductions, Reduce What You Owe, and Boost Your Profits
Minding Her Own Business: The Self-Employed Woman's Essential Guide to Taxes and Financial Records

ASIN: 0917510259

Book Description

Most people dream about someday owning a business, but dreams are often no match for the reality of the red tape and regulations involved in actually getting a business up and running. Small Time Operator shows the way. The most popular start-up guide ever written, it covers every aspect of small business ownership, including getting the proper permits and licenses; financing; choosing a location; creating an effective business plan; whether or not to incorporate; recordkeeping; setting up a bookkeeping system; hiring employees; insurance; federal, state, and local taxes; dealing with the IRS; franchises; doing business on the internet; and much more. This new edition has been updated to reflect current changes in the tax code and business management principles. Clearly written and fun to read, the book breaks down the seemingly complex process of opening a business into a simple step-by-step procedure — and helps turn the small business dream into reality.

Customer Reviews:

Good Basic Textbook.......2007-05-16

The book covers some business basics which makes it handy and useful for those venturing into new businesses but with limited background on how to start and run a business. The areas covered include the start-up process, marketing the business, bank accounts, bookkeeping, cash-flow forecasting, tax returns, business plans, legal entities, financing, import and export and insurance. The book is written in a simple and easy to follow style. Therefore I recommend it to budding entrepreneurs as it provides valuable advice that should help you start and nature a successful small business.

Those with some business background will likely find the book to be too basic and can therefore pass this one.

Good Information for the Entrepeneur.......2007-05-07

A great resource for anyone who is setting up or running a small business.
Has good practical information that the typical small business owner needs.

The umpteenth edition, still going strong.......2007-03-25

I've bought and given away several copies of previous editions of this book over the years. I just ordered this new edition because previous editions have been full of practical advice on setting up a business and giving it a good start. It's also a lot of fun to read, believe it or not! Check out reviews on amazon of the previous editions.

Average customer rating:

Repackaging of 2 older Videssos novels

The Time of Troubles I
Harry Turtledove
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Time of Troubles II
Bridge of the Separator (Videssos)
Krispos the Emperor (The Tale of Krispos, Book 3)
Krispos of Videssos (Tale of Krispos, No 2)
Legion of Videssos (Videssos Cycle, Book 3)

ASIN: 1416509046

Book Description

The uneasy peace between the Empire of Videssos and the nation of Makuran was crumbling. War came, and the King of Makuran lay dead on the field of battle. Worse, a power-mad minister had seized the throne and the rightful heir had disappeared. Abivard, son of a Makuran lord who also had fallen in the same battle, realized that his only hope of saving his family and his land was to find the missing heir, though that would mean he would be branded traitor and become the target of every armed man who served the usurper-and of his nation's most powerful sorcerers.Note: The Time of Troubles I was originally published separately as The Stolen Throne and Hammer and Anvil.

Customer Reviews:

Repackaging of 2 older Videssos novels.......2005-10-10

With this book and The Time of Troubles II, the 4-book Time of Troubles novels are being republished. Volume I contains The Stolen Throne, which is told from the Marukaner Abivard's point of view, and Hammer and Anvil, which moves to the Videssian Empire six years later. Abivard starts off his novel as a diqhan, a landholder in the frontier area, who ends up helping the rightful King of Marukan regain his throne. In order to defeat the usurping King, Abivard must join forces with the Emperor of Videssos, and a price will be paid for that cooperation.

Hammer and Anvil has protagonist Maniakes, who leads an insurrection against the bloodthirsty Videssian Emperor (who gained the throne by murdering the previous Emperor, the very one who helped Abivard in the previous novel).

Once again the books closely follow the history of the Byzantine Empire, with magic overlayed here and there. This is the same formula, history meets fantasy, used in the Darkness series (which retold World War II as a sword and sorcery epic) and the Peachtree trilogy (The US Civil War). Turtledove, as always, does it well.

I can't give the book (the two novels) five stars because the characters are too similar to Turtledove's other heroes: logical-thinking straight-talking types married to women much like themselves. The characters observe repeatedly that war kills people, that women do battle in the birthing bed, and that people are people the world over. The books are enjoyable but don't make the leap to profound.

Average customer rating:

A repackaging of two older Videssos novels

The Time of Troubles II
Harry Turtledove
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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The Time of Troubles I
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ASIN: 1416508996

Book Description

Abrivard, marshal of Makuran, has been given an impossible task by his King: destroy the mighty Empire of Videssos. Even as he pondered how to obey, Videssos's legions are on the march, attacking Makuran first. Abrivard finds himself fighting a defensive war, putting his great battle skills to the task of driving the invaders from his home, the land of the Thousand Cities. But even as he struck back at the invader, he realized that force of arms alone would not carry the day, for Videssos's powerful sorcerers were the stuff of legend, and a strong sword are could not stand against a potent battle spell which could strike the mightiest warrior dead from miles away . . .

Customer Reviews:

A repackaging of two older Videssos novels.......2005-10-10

With this book and The Time of Troubles I, the 4-book Time of Troubles novels are being republished. Volume II contains The Thousand Cities, which is told from the Marukaner General Abivard's point of view, and Videssos Besieged, which is told by his counterpart (and foe) the Videssian Emperor. Abivard has come up in the world since the first book in the series (see Time of Troubles I for The Stolen Throne). Now the General to King Sharbaraz, Abivard finds his problems have gotten more difficult. While he has successfully invaded all the Westlands of Videssos, he cannot find a way to cross the sea into the capital. Meanwhile the Videssan army is now striking back, using their navy to place troops wherever they wish. King Sharbaraz expects Abivard to win more and more battles while offering fewer resources and troops. And his wife Roshnani, while always offering able counsel, contines to urge big changes in Marukan society.

Videssos Besieged is again told by now-Emperor Maniakes, who is losing support as the war continues to falter. Tax revenues are almost non-existant with the Marukan army occupying most of the West, and the Kubrati invading from the North. Now he's losing the support of the priests and the people for committing incest; he married his first cousin and he's quite happy about it. Turtledove shows us his background as a technical writer in spending far too long describing a magical spell in forging a document that's just a fantasy version of cut and paste using an actual (squeak!) mouse.

Once again the books closely follow the history of the Byzantine Empire, with magic overlayed here and there. This is the same formula, history meets fantasy, used in the Darkness series (which retold World War II as a sword and sorcery epic) and the Peachtree trilogy (The US Civil War). Turtledove, as always, does it well.

I can't give the book (the two novels) five stars because the characters are too similar to Turtledove's other heroes: logical-thinking straight-talking types married to women much like themselves. The characters observe repeatedly that war kills people, that women do battle in the birthing bed, and that people are people the world over. The books are enjoyable but don't make the leap to profound.

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Grownups (First Time Books(R))

Average customer rating:

A change of perspective.
The Trouble With Children
The Trouble With Children
Trouble With Kids
Predictable

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Grownups (First Time Books(R))
Stan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Pressure (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the In-Crowd (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Homework Hassle (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game (First Time Books(R))
The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare (First Time Books(R))

ASIN: 0679830006
Release Date: 1992-03-10

Book Description

Illus. in full color. Brother and Sister Bear's parents always seem to be nagging them about something, so the cubs decide to show how their parents annoy them by creating a play entitled "The Trouble with Grownups." Then Mama and Papa put on their own role-reversal skit, and everyone winds up learning something about themselves.

Customer Reviews:

A change of perspective........2002-09-09

The book opens with Papa and Mama Bear in grumpy moods. Papa yells at Brother for taking the sports section of the paper, Mama yells at Sister for talking on the phone too long, Mama and Papa yell at the cubs for playing with their food and for not giving them notes from school on time. The cubs go to school the next day and have to prepare for the Parent's Night Talent Show. After talking with their friends, they decide to put on a play called The Trouble With Grownups, which is the hit of the night. The show reminds the parents what it was like to be a cub. In the morning, the parents switch roles with the cubs so that they can see what it's like to be a parent. At the end they remind the cubs that they will probably be parents someday too, which gives the cubs something to think about.

The book never explains why Mama and Papa are so grumpy. However, most children can probably relate because people don't always explain why they are in a bad mood. However, Sister Bear's creation of a bowl from mashed potatoes for gravy was a brilliant example of creativity and it seemed more confusing to me that she got yelled at about it.

As a sidenote, I enjoyed this book a little more than I thought I would because it also briefly explains all the work that goes into putting on a play.

Overall, this is a good book for both parents and children to read together; it may help children see what it's like to be an adult and it may help parents remember what it's like to be a kid.

The Trouble With Children.......2001-04-27

The Trouble With Grownups is a good childrens book that every child must read. It will teach them the importance of respecting their parents and show them that even though they may think their life is hard.Their not alone parents also can have a ruff time. In this book brother and sister bear learn this and learn how they've been acting. Their parents start acting like them to show them what it would be like the other way around. I to read this as a child and I to learned my leason. Kids have it to easy these days maybe if they read this book it will teach them the importance of parents and respect.

The Trouble With Children.......2001-04-27

The Trouble With Grownups is a good book that every parent should read to their child. Brother Bear and sister bear feel that their parents are to hard on them and let them do nothing. Like most kids they don't relize that it's hard being a parent to. Brother Bear and sister bear get a taste of their own medicine when their parents start acting like them. Finally the cubs relize what things their parents can go through. I think this is a good book because it can teach a child the means of respect in words they can understand. This is a fully illistrated well written book. I to read this as a child and it help me understand the importance of parents and respect. Every child should pick up this book and read it because maybe it will teach them to me a little better to their parents.

Trouble With Kids.......2001-04-27

The Trouble With Grownups is a book that teaches you about the hard leason every child has to over come, that yes sometimes their parents will say,"No" or "Don't Do That." This book is a great book to read to your child. It will help them understand that parents have a hard time as much as children do. It is a fully illistrated book that has a great story that can capture the child's imagination. I to read this as a child and it helped me to respect my parents and family. The greatest part in this book is when the parents turn around and start acting like children, to show the cubs how hard it is to be a parent. Maybe, if every parent did this we would have more respectful children. All in all this is a great book to read and highly recomend people to read the other Berenstain Bears books.

Predictable.......2001-03-15

This presents the kind of "moral lesson" familiar to those who have read other books in the series. (The moral is presented as a rhyme on the title page: "Grownups and cubs get quite a surprise when they see themselves through the others' eyes.")

The book opens with some very grumpy parents getting angry (and petty) with their kids: Brother: "What eating him?" Mother: "...and furthermore, I'll thank you not to refer to your father as 'him.'" Five pages later, Father "roars" at brother, "Food isn't supposed to be interesting...it's supposed to be food."

The kids, who "had no doubt that their parents loved them, [but] they were a little difficult to get along with sometimes," then enact a play to show their parents what it all sounded like to them. Fine, and there's a few nice lines about getting costumes ready, but then the adults give their kids the same medicine they received: The next day, wearing oversized version of Brother and Sister's clothes, they complain, scream, jump up and down, and leave things strewn all over the living room. Yes, sinking to the children's level is ALWAYS a mature, adult way to handle your kids. (Please note sarcasm here.)

It's not exactly harmful, nor does the book pretend to be a parent's guidebook, but I found this version of "perspective-taking" contrived and annoying. The book isn't very clever, and the pictures are flat and lacking in imagination. Only for a real Berenstain Bears fan.

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A book of hope........
Touchable

Sami and the Time of the Troubles
Florence Parry Heide , and Judith Heide Gilliland
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

A ten-year-old Lebanese boy balances his life in a war-torn city.

Customer Reviews:

A book of hope...............2003-07-30

My boyfriend lived in Lebanon during the time frame of this book. This book was close to the life he knew then. I bought the book for my sister's Arab American child. It is often difficult to find children's books with an Arabic theme. This is a wonderful one.

Touchable.......2000-06-02

This book will help children put themselves into Sami's war ravaged world. They will feel the angst of civil war and worry about Sami's safety in a book that makes readers feel as if they could reach out and touch the rubble in the streets of Lebanon. The book portrays the intermittent bombing and roller coaster of emotions faced by those who lived through the civil war. A wonderful mix of history and fiction which must be read.

The Time of Troubles: A Historical Study of the Internal Crisis and Social Struggle in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Muscovy

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An essential work for history lovers

The Time of Troubles: A Historical Study of the Internal Crisis and Social Struggle in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Muscovy
S. F. Platonov
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Sergei Feodorovich Platonov's Time of Troubles is a classic study of the years 1598-1613, a turbulent and decisive period in Russian history. Available for the first time in English, this work will be a valuable tool for students of the medieval as well as modern periods.

Platonov, himself a tragic victim of the regimentation imposed on Soviet cultural life in the 1920s, was born in 1860 and attained immense public and professional recognition in Russia as a leading historian. In his work he synthesized,, to a high degree, two major traditions of Russian historiography: the St. Petersburg "school," which emphasized the collection and rigorous use of primary sources, and the Moscow "school" with its socioeconomic and geopolitical approaches. Time of Troubles represents the finished product of a lifetime spent in research, writing, and teaching. In broad terms it treats nearly a century and a half of Russian history (1500-1648); in detail it scrutinizes developments in the Muscovite State from 1598 to 1613. Some of the major issues covered in this volume are: the growing consolidation of Muscovite absolutism and the formation of a national state; the expansion of Muscovy to the west and southeast; the demise of the boyar class and the rise of the service-gentry; the emergence of serfdom as the social basis of Muscovite society; the cataclysmic end of one dynasty, the House of Rurik, and the beginnings of another, the House of Romanov. For Platanov--who devoted most of his career as a scholar to the study of these dramatic years--the epoch marked nothing less than the great divide between medieval Muscovy and modern Russia, witnessing the downfall of an essentially patrimonial regime and its replacement, after fierce struggles, by a more modern state founded on a new constellation of social groups.

Customer Reviews:

An essential work for history lovers.......2002-05-25

This book is written by Russia's late expert in the country's history, which is one of the reasons why this book is important to every medieval history student.
It's quite easy to read- cause the author divides the book into many small chapters, which cover only one subject at a time. This is a huge asset, since many history book tend to rush from one subject to another- leaving the reader confused and irritated. So for those who don't like the thought of a dry treatise- don't worry it's very accesible!!!!
The author's knowledge is evident, it's written with security and straight-forwardness without unneccesary complications. There's no specific point of view, from which the book is written, so it gives a good, thorough review of this remarkable era in Russian history. Good for non-experts in medieval history- but also nice for historylovers!!

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