Customer Reviews:
Much more than a catchy title. .......2006-05-02
It was the title of this book that initially drew my attention, in fact I purchased it without ever opening its cover.
The book deals with change and though originally published in 1996 remains a valuable read today. Real world examples support reasoning and are most interesting.
Systems, rules, tradition and simple laziness lead many to misapprehend the need for change. It seems that these persons actually find comfort in their efforts to avoid the chaos of change. Certainly, it is true that change will happen whether or not we embrace it. This book offers a message designed to put leaders in charge of change and, from my way of thinking, offers reminders of traits necessary for all workers in our economy who must have the skills to cope with what seems to be an increasing rate of change.
A great book for managing change........2004-04-08
This book is an excellent tool to get people thinking again. Businesses that realize that by embracing change, they can differentiate themselves from their competitors have a distinct advantage. Those that don't or are slow to come around are in deep trouble.
One of the tools in the book that I found very insightful was the Change-Ready Assessment. The Change-Ready Assessment is a survey that every organization should use to evaluate new and old employees' ability to adapt to a culture of change.
Real-life examples make this book a winner!.......2003-03-30
Robert J. Kriegel is rapidly becoming one of my favorite
business authors . . . I've previously enjoyed two of
his other books, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
WITHOUT WORKING SO HARD and IF IT AIN'T BROKE,
BREAK IT . . . so I figured it was time to get hold of
one of his earlier efforts, SACRED COWS MAKE THE BEST
BURGERS--written with David Brandt.
I was definitely not disappointed!
Kriegel and Brandt examine why people cling to outmoded
beliefs, practices and processes as if their lives depended
on them . . . but more importantly, they present ways to
inspire a desire to bring in the new.
I particularly liked the use of real-life examples . . . although the book was written in 1996, it is still amazingly current; i.e., most of the ideas the authors present still make sense today . . . also, they can be applied to virtually any size or type of organization.
There were many memorable passages; among them:
* But you'll actually do more and better by learning to slow down when everything around you is speeding up. John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach who won an unprecedented 10 national championships, offers this advice: "Be quick, but don't hurry. If you hurry you make mistakes."
* You may not be a beginner, but you can learn how to think like one. Take real estate agent Michael Young, for instance. He was his company's most successful agent in northern California but he couldn't make the leap from
selling houses in [one price range] range to those[in a higher price range]and up.
"I don't get it, " he said. "I'm using the same prospecting strategies, making calls in the evening to people at home, giving them advice and telling them about the market, and I'm in the same marketplace. But it's not working."
"Think like a beginner, forget your old strategies, start fresh," we advised him. "Look at the business like you're a novice. What can you do to break into this market?"
Instead of competing with other brokers, Young spotted an untapped opportunity in the high-end market. He discovered that many listings expire before the house is sold. So he developed a strategy for buying old listings and sharing commissions. The technique brought in so much business that he formed the Michael Young Company in San Francisco. Now brokers
call him unsolicited.
Want to know something? We're all in the same position as Young. You may think your market is the same as it was last year. But it's not. Everything is changing: people's life and work styles, their jobs, their expectations, their attitudes, their family situations-everything. And technological
advances have only accelerated the situation.
With business in a perpetual state of flux, we need to keep reinventing our game plan every six months. To do that we have to look at things through fresh eyes.
* [Sam] Walton had 10 rules of success, most of which revolve around giving great service, top-quality products, and treating you people right. But it's his 10th rule that sets him apart from his competitors. Walton called it the most important one: Break the rules.
If all of your competitors are doing it one way, Mr. Sam used to say, "do it exactly the opposite," and that's where you'll get the edge.
Unfortunately managers haven't read this book.......2001-11-26
Its very good book and managers should read this book like taking oath before taking management job. No offense, but very few managers have ever read this book or similar book, at least those under whom I have worked for
Involved in Change Control or Project Management? Get This!.......2001-05-23
Don't let this book's title through you off. Give it a chance, because it does a great job of detailing how an organization can change and make business processes work better.
Kriegel and Brandt show ways in which remaining caught up in a given mode of thinking about one's business can often lead to missed opportunities for growth and success. It offers an interesting array of anecdotes that can assist in expanding one's thinking about the everyday processes we take for granted. An excellent resource for managers and others who feel their organization is caught in a rut and going nowhere.
This book can guide managers in the steps needed to eliminate outdated business practices and routines that drain time and money. It offers ways to redesign the rules of an organization and instill a capacity for change in their management teams and employees. A good resource that shouldn't be overlooked by anyone involved in change control or project management.
Book Description
In The Little Book of Hindu Deities, Pixar animator Sanjay Patel brings to life Hinduism's most important gods and goddesses in fun, full-color illustrations, each accompanied by a short, lively profile. The stories of Hindu mythology cover everything from love and jealousy to petty grievances and epic battles, with characters ranging from monsters and demons to noble warriors and divine divas. Find out why Ganesha has an elephant's head (his father cut it off!) and why Kali, the Goddess of Time, is known as “The Black One” (she's a bit goth).
Customer Reviews:
Fun & Educational for everyone.......2007-10-04
I am going to echo the other praises here. What a lovely book to give to any child. It is colorful, entertaining and educational. I could even see this as a really cool coffee table book.
Wah Wah Ramji!.......2007-09-19
This is an entertaining and educational book concerning the Hindu Pantheon. Although it has the appearance of a children's book, this is actually aimed towards a teenage audience and regardless of your age this is just a great introduction and pictorial glossary of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Anyone that's attempted to take on the Bhagavad-Gita or heaven-forbid the entire Mahabharata without having at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Hindu Pantheon will no doubt find themselves confused.
This book isn't written for children as the language is about middle school to high school level, not to mention the many Hindi words the book introduces. The book is easily laid out as an easy resource guide that you can turn to whenever you need a refresher concerning a particular god, goddess, or avatar. Each pair of pages is an illustration of the god or subject being discussed with the description on the other.
Table of contents
10 Introduction
14 Ganesha
19 Trimurti - Hindu Trinity
27 Manifestations of Shiva
39 Mother Goddess (Mahadevi)
52 Ten Avatars of Vishnu
74 Hindu Epics
83 Demigods
102 Nine Planets
123 Animal Gods
132 Chronology of Creation
The 'Samurai Jack' style illustrations are well done and add a personality that is easy to identify with. Using this book will add a element of fun to your studies of Hindu literature or perhaps just help you to know just what the heck they are always talking about in those Bollywood movies. Whatever your purpose, the only time you will be disappointed with this book is when you turn the last page.
best living room book ever ;-).......2007-08-17
Everyone that comes to my place falls in love with this little book, children, adults and "even" hindus, we always have a great time going through the wonderful illustrations and reading it aloud.
I sometimes think of keeping a spare one at home to lend/give/trade/sell.
the best little explaination of a complex religion.......2007-07-16
Looking for an introductory text on the Hindu pantheon I stumbled on _The Little Book of Hindu Dieties_. While a bit corny (the illustrations are reminiscent of "Hello, Kitty" and the stories behind them are geared towards a younger audience), this book is more than an encyclopedic of the major Hindu dieties - it is also explains the Hindi epics Mahabharata (including a separate section on the Baghavad Ghita) and Ramayana in addition to several demigods, the Indian solar system, and animal gods. In short, it is a fabulous introduction to Hinduism's major dieties and literature - quite an achievement, and worthy of 5 stars.
The Best Little Book about Anything!.......2007-05-12
Sanjay Patel's illustrations are so amusing. That's the only reason to purchase this books. It helps to play with imagination. Hindu Gods and Godesses are full of symbolism and Sanjay Patel is able to explain a lot of it through his text. Although, the descriptions of the deities can be a little corny, and it is a little iffy - if that's what you want your child's first impression of God. But it is a cute book overall.
Book Description
The church is the hope of the world when it's working right...and therein lies the problem. Most aren't. This has led both Christians and non-Christians to give up on the church entirely; it has led many others to give up on all existing churches-and maybe even start new ones. But all church can and should be transitioned to a new life. A church is never beyond hope.
This book will provide principles and practices that can lead to a resurrection of any church, in any setting. It will provide the inspiration and information needed to lead a church successfully through the necessary changes of tradition and culture without compromising God's timeless truth. When this happens, the church will once again be what God intended...the hope of the world.
Customer Reviews:
Tipping Sacred Cows into a Golden Calf.......2007-10-08
Brad Powell, Senior Pastor of North Ridge Church in Plymouth, Michigan has written a new book about how to take your tired, old church and make it new again. Change Your Church for Good: The Art of Sacred Cow Tipping (W Publishing Group, February 2007) is 316 pages of church transition strategy illustrated by Brad's own success at transitioning the historic Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan into North Ridge Church of Plymouth, Michigan.
The principles Brad articulates for team building, vision casting, and making progress toward change are positive and valuable. They aren't necessarily biblical, however. But that isn't to say they are necessarily unbiblical either. Except maybe for the rather bizzare story of God almost speaking audibly to Brad and telling him to transition the church to fit himself and then to relocate the church from Redford to Plymouth, "a community that will then be a perfect fit for both of you [Brad and Temple]." I haven't been able to locate a verse for that one.
The formative years of my spiritual life were spent at the Temple Baptist Church of Detroit. In his book Brad variously characterizes the church that formed my spiritual life as "irrelevant," "bound by tradition," "declining," "unhealthy," "dying," "Southern-cultured," "defensive," and possessed of "a lot of anger and conflict."
From 1976 when I first began riding the bus to Temple, to 1989 when I left to take my first pastorate in northern Michigan, this irrelevant, bound by tradition, declining, unhealthy, dying, Southern-cultured, defensive church with a lot of pent up anger and conflict faithfully proclaimed the word of God from its pulpit and in its Sunday School classes, faithfully trained teenagers and young adults in soul-winning visitation, and remained committed to the timeless truth of God's word in the midst of a changing culture and declining city. I owe my spiritual life to a church Brad Powell dismisses as "irrelevant." Temple Baptist Church was certainly relevant to me. And history bears out that prior to 1991 Temple was significantly relevant to many who owe their spiritual lives to its ministry.
Brad has always dismissed the history of Temple Baptist Church as irrelevant, which is surprising since his own success at North Ridge is due in large measure to the foundation laid by others throughout Temple's long history. For 40 years Dr. G. B. Vick labored as the faithful pastor of Temple, yet Brad can only say of this great leader and pastor that "he managed the ministry with consistent excellence and relative success," (italics mine) even though, as Brad characterizes Dr. Vick, he was not the communicator or innovator the previous pastor was. Brad has spent his entire ministry at North Ridge building on the foundation other men laid, especially those of this mediocre leader, Dr. G. B. Vick.
There is no question that Temple was in decline and dying when Brad arrived in the early 90s. Brad and I fundamentally disagree as to why. He points to "banjos playing in the basement" to illustrate the church's cultural irrelevance. I would point to the failure of the church's leadership to biblically deal with sin, both among themselves and the members of the congregation. Temple died because the Spirit abandoned it, not because the culture found it irrelevant.
I would argue that Temple's problem wasn't its inability to connect with the culture. It had succeeded in connecting with the culture for 70 years before Brad arrived. The gospel has always been and always will be foolish to the culture, but that doesn't make the message irrelevant. It's not preaching, or hymns, or traditional Sunday School, or soulwinning visitation, that kill a church. It's sin left unconfronted that kills a church. The pastor who immediately preceded Brad resigned because of a "moral failure." God knows, plenty of others should have hit the altar that day with confessions of failures, moral and otherwise, of their own. But rather than point to spiritual decadence as the source of Temple's decline, Brad blew past that and focused on "banjos in the basement" as the culprit. And, of course, if indeed the decline were due to "banjos playing in the basement" and stern looking "arms crossed ushers," it would be easier to convince the people that the problem was "relevance" rather than sin.
But if the problem is spiritual, well the answer to that problem is a different one altogether. Dealing with a spiritual crisis doesn't require abandoning the historic biblical principles that got you where you are by throwing them into the same pile with banjos playing in the basement. A spiritual crisis requires repentance and confession and a recommitment to those historic principles. But if your goal is to tip sacred cows (like banjos, organs, and arms-crossed ushers) into a Golden Calf, some things that really aren't sacred cows (like expository, evangelistic preaching and worship music with a solid theological foundation) get labled sacred cows so as to faciliate your goal of Golden Calf forming.
Brad diagnosed cultural irrelevance as the disease that killed Temple and he presecribed a heavy dose of cultural capitulation as the remedy. It worked. And in a culture that values quantity more than quality, relevance more than spiritual depth, the fact that it worked is all that matters. For Jesus' attitude toward quantity over quality see Matthew 7:21-23 (note the words `many' and `knew' and you tell me what Jesus values more: what you produce or who you know - numbers or relationship?).
SOME VALIDITY, SOME URBAN MYTH.......2007-06-10
I read this book and have attended Northridge dozens of times. I grew up in Temple Baptist and spent 3-4 days there until 1982. My parents met at Temple Baptist in the early '60's. My grandmother attended in the 1940's. Needless to say, I know a lot about the history of Temple Baptist.
It was indeed culturally irrelevant by the time I left in 1982 as it was stifling and ultra conservative. Northridge is now transformed into a place where new Christians and seekers of God, Christ & the Spirit will be able to connect and find God, healing & worship. It is definitely a place to launch into Christianity although the waters can be shallow.
There are only two items I do not like about the book. One is that it is poorly written. It reads as if Brad dictated it. It needed better editing.
The other item I do not like is the information that the membership declined since 1955. This "fact" has been picked up all over the web. Although this is true, the contextual information that is left out is that this was partly intentional by Temple Baptist.
In 1955 Detroit had virtually no suburbs. As the suburbs began to spring up, Temple Baptist financially launched and encouraged dozens of suburban churches to support neighborhoods. It was understood that their membership numbers would decline due to losing members to the new churches that Temple launched. This was the primary reason for losing membership from 1955 - mid 1970's and not cultural irrelevance. I think that this was important information which was left out of the book.
Otherwise, this book is an important guide for how churches can attract people seeking or needing Christ that would otherwise never set foot in a church. They can't find Christ if churches don't try to reach them by connecting with our modern culture.
Great Book .......2007-04-28
Are you in a church with a 175 year history? Traditions that are blocking the spread of God's word. Is your church in decline or simply not growing? This book builds on Rick Warren's concept of purpose driven. Our church is currently going through some major transitions. Pastor Powell's book has been a great encouragement.
Read this Book.......2007-03-14
I know first hand the remarkable place that Northridge Church is and the remarkable changes that occurred due to Brad's vision and leadership. I never really felt at home in church until I attended Northridge and truly realized that God could be revelant to my life and the way I live it. If you care about growing your church and making it relevant to the masses you MUST read this book.
The book flows well and is a true eye opener.......2007-02-28
I just finished reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone that cares about their church, and the mission of THE CHURCH. God, through Brad, changed a dying and irrelevant church into Metro Detroit's most dynamic and effective church body. This was only possible because the members caught his vision for reaching the lost, and offering them the hope and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ. For those that know of NorthRidge, it is an opportunity to see what happened behind the scenes in those turbulent years of transition, and to see the spiritual and emotional struggles that Brad and his leadership team endured. For those that are new to the story, it is an opportunity to learn from their struggles to move your church to where it should be. If we are not reaching the lost, we are not obeying Jesus' command. To reduce the book to a few sentences: most churches are ruled more by tradition and customs than by the Word of God., are directed more by illogical fears and selfish motives than by Christ's Command to "Go into the World", and are more focused on insiders than on the outsiders, erecting walls to hold out the "undesirables" rather than trying to desperately pull them from the flames. The book is a solid Eye openener that will have you re-evaluating everything your church does to see if it is done because it makes us feel comfortable, or if it is done to pull in as many of the lost as possible "without compromising God's Word." People are hurting everywhere. No one is exempt, and the Church needs to be the one offering the "One" that provides true healing. Brad and NorthRidge are getting it right, that is why I now go there, and why so many thousand others go each week. If every church had the heart and drive of NorthRidge, this world would be a much better place.
Average customer rating:
- A new "Lo!"
- Excellent overview of current "Sacred Cows"
- cowtipping at it's finest?
- This cow has the staggers
- Amazing!
|
Kicking the Sacred Cow: Heresy and Impermissible Thoughts in Science
James P. Hogan
Manufacturer: Baen
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ASIN: 1416520732 |
Book Description
Galileo may have been forced to deny that the Earth moves around the Sun; but in the end, science triumphed. Nowadays science fearlessly pursues truth, shining the pure light of reason on the mysteries of the universe. Or does it? As best-selling author James P. Hogan demonstrates in this fact-filled and thoroughly documented study, science has its own roster of hidebound pronouncements which are Not to be Questioned. And those who question them may face a modern-day Inquisition. Among the dogma-laden subjects he examines are Darwinism, global warming, the big bang, problems with relativity, radon and radiation, holes in the ozone layer, the cause of AIDS, and the controversy over Velikovsky. Hogan explains the basics of each controversy with his clear, informative style, in a book that will be fascinating for anyone with an interest in the frontiers of modern science.
Customer Reviews:
A new "Lo!".......2007-08-26
Charles Fort (1874-1932) was one of America's more entertaining eccentrics. For thirty years he pored and pondered over newspaper reports of the unusual, the anomalous, the unexplained and the downright hinky. From time to time, he would gather up his clippings for book publication: "The Book of the Damned" (1919), "New Lands" (1923) and "Lo!" (1931). The title of the last derived from Fort's notion that scientists were forever pointing up at the skies and exclaiming "Lo!"
In the 1930s, the pulp magazine industry opened up a new niche by publishing what would come to be called science fiction. The Street and Smith entry into this new market was called "Astounding Stories of Super Science." (It would evolve into "Astounding Stories," "Astounding Science Fiction" and finally "Analog.") Shortly after Fort's death, Astounding discovered him and the magazine loved what it saw. The new science fiction fans, a virtually all-male demographic ranging from age 10 to 25, loved the unusual, the anomalous, the unexplained and they were themselves, often as not, downright hinky. Month after month, the magazine ran hefty chunks of the books sandwiched between tales of time travel, scantily-clad space women and tentacled invaders. The fans ate it up.
Fort's material was popular but finite in volume. Eventually it ran out, but the taste for the stuff was so firmly established among the readers that Astounding regularly ran "hard science" articles along with the fiction--and so did the other pulp SF mags. Contributors to the hard science sections included some of the most illustrious names in American science fiction: Willy Ley, Fletcher Pratt, L. Sprague de Camp, Robert S. Richardson, Hal Clement and, of course, Isaac Asimov. Many, indeed most of these articles were informative, well-researched and otherwise admirable examples of popular science reporting.
On the other hand, that Fortean hinky-factor never entirely disappeared. Magazine science fiction fans of a certain age will remember the ominous syllables of "The Dean Machine" with either a shudder or an uproarious laugh.
Jim Baen of Baen Books was once upon a time the editor of Analog. James P. Hogan is a science fiction writer. The whole tone and feel of "Kicking the Sacred Cow" is exactly the tone and feel of those old "hard science" articles.
Hogan clearly believes in a dichotomy in what the world calls "science." There are theorists and there are engineers. Here is his credo: "Science really doesn't exist. Scientific beliefs are either proved wrong, or else they quickly become engineering. Everything else is untested speculation." [Page 1 of the mass paperback edition]
Introductions and prefaces are really very useful things. It's a pity that more people do not read them. In the introduction to this one, Hogan very kindly tells us what the book is all about: "This book is not concerned with cranks or simple die-hards, who are entitled to their foibles and come as part of life's pattern, Rather, it looks at instances of present-day orthodoxies tenaciously defending beliefs in the face of what would appear to be verified fact and plain logic, or doggedly closing eyes and minds to ideas whose time has surely come. In short, where scientific authority seems to be functioning more in the role of religion protecting doctrine and putting down heresy than championing the spirit of free inquiry that science should be." [Page 8]
From that, it is plain to see that Hogan has donned his armor and has settled himself on his destrier in preparation for a joust with all manner of scientific dragons. Among those dragons are mathematical and observational cosmology, the theories of relativity, the astronomical catastrophism and historical revisionism of Velikovsky, global warming, DDT, AIDS and Darwinism.
Now that is a wide range. I certainly haven't the knowledge to comment with any expertise on all those subjects. Off hand, I can't think of anybody that I would regard as equally authoritative on cosmology, the effects of DDT on ecology and "intelligent design." After reading this book, I am depressingly positive that James P. Hogan is not.
I should make it clear that some of Hogan's ideas sound reasonable to me. I think that his screed against the banning of DDT, for instance, is pretty convincing. On the other hand, his defense of Velikovsky is hilariously wrong-headed. (An attitude, I am sure, Hogan would toss right back at me--in spades!) In between those extremes is his attack on "orthodox" cosmology in which he advances a number of theories that smite it root and branch without ever managing to take note of the fact that each of those theories contradicts all the others as firmly as they do the Big Bang.
So far, so good. There are unquestionably a few grains of gold among the dross. Many books in this general category of writing can't offer even as much as that.
Read this book not as a declaration of war but as an amusing set of notions ranging from "could be" to "not a chance".
Three stars.
Excellent overview of current "Sacred Cows".......2007-06-13
By some of the other reviews it's obvious Mr. Hogan has rattled some cages. Similarly to other books challenging current orthodox dogma, especially in the area of evolution, this one causes fits in those whose world-view is threatened by its claims.
From other sources I am familiar with most of the issues Hogan reviews in this book. He gives a good overview. He's probably not right about everything, but I suspect he's right about some of it. My only complaint was the sections are too short; I would have liked to see more depth, especially in some areas.
Overall a good, thought-provoking read for those who aren't afraid of a look at "out of the box" ideas.
cowtipping at it's finest?.......2007-05-17
if you don't have enough spare thoughts, this will generate a few. the topics covered are large, and his discussion is generally thorough, coherent, and convincing, although i feel much is left out of his entire argument on ecology.
if you are not careful, you may find your paradigm shifting gears before you are ready. you certainly will be more well-versed in your understanding of the issues. whether you are cognizant of the red-shift and it's pertinence to the theories of origins of the universe, or looking at non-darwinian evolution, you will surprise yourself in here.
it didn't sound like it would be fun, but it is. have fun.
This cow has the staggers.......2007-02-04
Staggers is another name for a condition similar to Mad Cow disease and I suspect the author may have a passing contact with some tainted meat. It would take another book to point out all the flaws in this book but I'll make just a few observations.
1) For most, if not all, of Hogan's suppositions to be true it would be necessary for not just one or two or even a hundred scientists to be in on the fix, but tens of thousands of scientists, technicians,graduate students in dozens of countries to be working in concert.
Nobel prize winning biologists (James Watson for example) engage in bare knuckle brawls(of an intellectual nature, but with all the profanity of any sailor) over points of biology and theory.
No matter how big the scientists reputation there's always a graduate student or colleague ready to take him or her on. Science isn't static or even polite. It's dynamic and competitive. For Hogan, science seems to be composed of sheep and particularly docile and stupid ones at that.
2) Chemistry, Physics, Biology and all of the myriad sciences are interconnected. In order for Hogan's book to hold water, rather than sinking like the Titanic, all of science would have to be completely rewritten to account for his "facts".
3) I'll mention one of the names mentioned in the dedication, Peter Duesberg. Duesberg appears to doubt the HIV/AIDS connection.
According to "Prism Online May 1995" Peter Duesberg is quoted as saying: "If you get infected by an infectious disease, you will get sick within weeksÑmonths at the latest," Duesberg says. The latency period, according to Duesberg's theory, is much better explained by a build up of toxins in the bodyÑspecifically drugs.
There's just one problem with this. Duesberg is wrong. Several diseases leap to mind quite readily that don't fit this simplistic profile. Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Presumed
Ocular Histoplasmosis.
People can be infected with tuberculosis for may years, yet remain symptom free. After infection with the mycobacteria that causes leprosy the incubation period can range from six months to forty years.
Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis starts with mild flue like symptoms after exposure to Histoplasma Capsulatum and years (10-20) later can cause an auto-immune reaction
in the retina or lungs. The "Presumed" in the name comes from the fact that the exact connection is still not confirmed.
Messy, convoluted and complicated but that's how the world works.
Duseberg and Hogan appear to believe that A must always proceed directly to B and that any deviation or anomaly instantly overrides all preponderance of evidence.
Further, anyone who ignores the anomaly must be guilty of suppression or conspiracy. Certainly politics and dogma can override good science. Witness the communist
rejection of Darwin or Einstein's failure to accept quantum mechanics. However empiricism won out as it always does. Hogan seems not to understand this.
Amazing!.......2006-11-11
Hogan has a hit! This book exposes the great lengths to which science will go to hide what they KNOW to be the truth, and perpetuate the lies they hold onto in the name of pride. The issue of evolution, the truth of Velokovsky, the facts about aids...It is all here. I agree...this book should be made available to every middle school student as required reading in their schools.
Average customer rating:
- Thinking Optional?
- I don't know what science is, but this book is not
- Should be required reading
- It is food for thought
- Yes, please think -- really think -- about what this book says
|
Kicking the Sacred Cow
James P. Hogan
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0743488288 |
Book Description
Galileo may have had to recant his opinion that the Earth moves around the Sun, but in the end, science carried the day. Nowadays capital-S Science fearlessly pursues truth, refusing to bow to dogma, shining the pure light of reason on the mysteries of the universe, and expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. Or does it? It makes a good public relations release, but as bestselling author James P. Hogan demonstrates in this fact-filled and thoroughly documented study, science has its own roster of hidebound dogmas and ex cathedra pronouncements which are Not to be Questioned. Acceptance of evolutionary theory is usually treated as a battle between enlightened Darwinists and ignorant fundamentalists, but Hogan shows that there are many problems with the standard theory of evolution that have nothing to do with religion. Other dogma-laden subjects he examines include: global warming, the big bang, problems with relativity, radon and radiation, holes in the ozone layer, the cause of AIDS, and the controversy over Velikovsky's cosmology. In each case, Hogan explains the basics of the controversy in his usual clear, informative style, making for a book that will be fascinating for any layperson with an interest in the frontiers of modern science.
Customer Reviews:
Thinking Optional?.......2007-06-28
As a long time reader of science fiction and a reader of Hogan's previous work, I approached this book with relish and I was not disappointed.
I find it interesting that many of the negative reviews that I read seemed to have been written by persons who made up their minds prior to reading the book. I could be wrong, but their comments tend to support the views that Mr. Hogan expressed in the book. -There are no sacred cows in science (or there should not be), and any substantive subject should be examined from all angles before any final pronouncements are made.
I will not attempt to defend or garble the arguments made in the book, but I am intrigued by the venom that they inspire. I can only ask the following question, make one observation, and give my thoughts on the book:
1) Has it ever been recorded that one instance where, "Everybody knows," was right?
2) James Hogan does not present any of his arguments as the last word in science, he does not pretend to have all of the facts; he only attempts to reopen the discussion and our minds.
3) The book is worthy of study, well written, presents countervailing opinions to scientific 'fact', and it chaps the backside of every person who lives in an immutable and dogmatic (spoon-fed) -world. I highly recommend it to anyone who really wants to think about the greatest issues that face humanity in our time. It is an argument for free thought and scientific rigor and it exposes the modern blacklisting of persons who dare to question conventional wisdom. It isn't easy and it challenges us to use our own minds. Read it and make up your mind AFTER you read it.
I don't know what science is, but this book is not.......2006-12-02
Hogan questions several "mainstream" scientific beliefs in this book -- global warming, evolution, AIDS and more -- all get blasted.
Unfortunately, while Hogan understands the critics' arguments very well and reports them in a convincing way, what he failed to do is to check what the mainstream has to say about those arguments and what the critics do in reply.
All too often, the mainstream says "interesting theory, but what about [several problems with the critics' theory]", and the critics respond to that with ... silence.
The low point of this book was, for me, his view of the AIDS (non)controversy. To recapitulate: the critics say that there's no virus, just malnutrition and/or drug use, so antiviral therapies don't work -- and neither do condoms or needle exchange programs. This, IMHO, might have been a viable alternate theory in the 1980, but these days there's ample evidence from all over the place (including genetics, epidemology and statistics) which says that this idea does not make sense any more.
Or, put differently: if you're a policymaker and you don't believe the mainstream virus theory to be correct, you kill people. Unfortunately, Hogan (along with all the other AIDS critics) ignores the mainstream evidence. Worse: he seems to think that standing firm in your belief, opposed to mainstream science, is more important than peoples' lives.
While I applaud Hogan's principles, I think that applying them to real-world situations requires a hard look at the facts and a willingness to admit that you're wrong if confronted with contradictory evidence. Mainstream science does that all the time, and if Hogan had looked a bit more closely he'd have found ample evidence of it. The people espousing "alternate" theories, on the other hand, mostly don't.
I'm not going to go through a detailed examination of the other arguments Hogan exposes in this book. However, WRT those where I do have detailed knowledge. I say:
Sorry, Mr. Hogan -- your book's intent is laudable, but your critical look should have extended to the critics' PoV. As it is, your book just replaces one set of dogmas with another.
Sometimes, the sacred cow kicks back.
Should be required reading.......2006-11-03
This book is amazing, although I have not completed it yet. Many commonly understood ideas are countered with unbelievable evidence and presented in such a way as to encourage further research. Although, Hogan sites an amazing list of sources for his facts and comments that counter what is commonly thought of as fact. Years of media, political, and educational bias has locked many of us into believing things that are simply theories, with no evidence of them being correct.
The book really tackles items very thoroughly. His descriptions are great, even though several of the items are very advanced. I would like this to be a must read by all teachers, politicians and people in the media. If not, then all students should read this so they can not grow up with the bias that many of us grew up with.
It is food for thought.......2006-10-24
In re the "ozone hole", I was subjected to the indoctrination required for AC service. My BS detector blew up! It read like a very poor grade of propaganda. Not knowing what actual science was involved, I later researched it to find that it was all about Dupont profits. No real science involved. Hogan confirmed this thoroughly, with references.
in re AIDS, if they haven't actually isolated the virus, as Hogan states, it can't be assigned responsibility for AIDS, placing the whole AIDS establishment as outright liars that should be prosecuted. If the side effects of the no. one drug is breakdown of the immune system, someone should hang. Talk about the tail wagging the dog!
In re Evolution, I am not religious. I can see natural selection still at work around us. But he does give me pause for thought, as I always wondered how something as elaborate as DNA could "just happen". No one has explained that to my satisfaction. To ascribe it to Evolution and not look harder is scientific laziness. There is more to learn.
In re global warming, In fact if there is global warming, it is more likely to be from the huge amounts of waste heat humans dump from every thing we do. Nearly all energy use ends up as heat, so the air should warm up! The fact that the actual measured rise of sea level is so small as to be insignificant says look elsewhere, something is actually cooling the planet off! As he spells out, global warming as represented is politics, not science.
Yes, please think -- really think -- about what this book says.......2006-07-30
The book says, among other things, that HIV probably doesn't really cause AIDS, and that AIDS probably isn't really infectious at all -- it's just a collection of diseases that high-risk populations have anyway. Do you really think that's true? This same belief by the leader of South Africa allowed AIDS to run unchecked there for years, with devastating results.
The discussion of 'Intelligent Design' essentially says "Stop thinking! Accept that life is just so complex we can never understand how it could have come about!" Just the opposite of the stated purpose of the book. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Arthur C. Clark, another science fiction writer.) We should absolutely question Darwin, but simply replacing serious investigation with "God works in mysterious ways" is a bit of a leap -- don't you think?
My impression is that Hogan is subtly playing to conspiracy theorists and fundamentalists. Yes, question everything -- including him.
Customer Reviews:
Who is conning who?.......2007-05-24
This is a well written and very readable book. It is, however, based on a seriously flawed premise which will become obvious to the discerning reader.
Their premise is that all medical research and testing that utilizes animals is totally useless as applied to humans, is immoral as it mistreats the animals, and wastes incredible sums of taxpayer funds that could be used for "real" research.
Since I have neither a medical nor scientific background I am not qualified to evaluate claims made by the Greeks as to the inappropriateness of specific tests or procedures. I will leave the scientific exposure of their statements and conclusions to those qualified in these fields. It is my understanding that just such a scholarly rebuttal is currently in the works.
I am, however, reasonably qualified, as are many millions of readers, in recognizing a "con" wherein we are supposed to believe that there is a huge conspiracy consisting of many thousands of professionals, doctors, scientists, graduate students and suppliers to the research industry, our neighbors, friends and relatives, that is lying to us about the effectiveness of animal research just to make a quick buck.
If we follow the principle of "Occam's Razor", paraphrased as "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one", it is far more likely that the spinning of the facts here for a quick buck is by the authors.
eperimenting on animals is not only futile, it verges on being criminal.......2005-09-09
This book is an excellent overview of the history of (the failures of) animal expiriments. I would recommend it to lawmakers, politicians, teachers and students, and ... well everyone in general. It gives concrete examples and all in terms that do not require medical or biological background yet well documented for those who wish to verify the sources.
It does not appeal to our emotions (no horrifying pictures, nor stories of the suffering inflicted on animals) but rationally clarifies and exposes the uselessness of experiments on animals (unless we are trying to find a cure for cancer for rats).
I would summarize their concept thus: "Experimenting on animals to understand humans is like having race car technicians study bicycles to understand race cars."
Solid expose of the money-based medical research machine.......2004-12-26
I worked for a biotech company for several years and can attest that what the Greeks are saying is true - it's all about the money, not the medicine. This book is not the easiest read, but it does methodically reveal both the faulty logic in play as well as the very powerful economic motives that really drive medical research. I recommend this to anyone considering donating money to any charity or organization for the purposes of "finding a cure" for any disease. Our tax dollars are mostly funding useless ego-enhancing science projects for which many animals are being tortured and killed. Whether you care about animal suffering or care more about where your tax dollar go, you will find reason to question the status quo in this book. Lazy science, easy money, none of it advances the cause of relieving human suffering via medical treatment.
The Greeks should hit the Lab!.......2003-10-18
The Greeks believe computer models and in-vitro work with isolated cells can solve our health problems. Perhaps they are right. But then, I suggest they hit the Lab and show this line of research is feasible. If they can do so, GREAT! I am pretty sure they will then get the attention of Washington to shift funding to such models. Until then, let Science work of us and wait patiently for the Greeks to cure cancer on their PC, or by drawing on the back of their napkin.
Regarding their qualifications: I quick search on www.pubmed.gov shows that "Anesthesiologist Ray Greek and veterinarian Jean Swingle Greek" (as they present their credentials) have produced a total of 0 (yes, that's a ZERO) pieces of research and 8 opinion letters sent to various scientific journals arguing against animal research.
It seems weird that someone without any research experience can write such a book...
best book on the subject--clear, cold-blooded logic.......2003-07-14
This book stands virtually alone as a well-reasoned defense against vivisection (a.k.a. animal research). The authors make no appeals to emotion. They do not deny that animal research is sometimes cruel. However, compassion and cruelty have nothing to do with their argument.
Greek and Greek-a medical doctor/ veterinary team-argue that animal research hurts people. They point out the countless ways in which animals differ from humans. Veterinarians know that, although the same drugs are used in multiple species, these drugs behave differently and achieve different results in different kinds of animals. Mammals are alike only on the level of gross anatomy. Biochemically, even rats and mice differ enormously, to say nothing of humans and mice.
Tracing the history of western medicine, Greek and Greek show how animal models for disease became part of the expected protocol. They show how these models have hindered doctors and scientists far more than they have helped. They point out that nearly all major breakthroughs in medicine have been initiated not by study in animal models, but by autopsy and clinical studies. Careful observation of human beings by doctors and caretakers has, time and again, led to medical breakthroughs which are later "confirmed" or "substantiated" by animals research. The vivisectionists then claim the laurels for these discoveries when the animals were, in fact, superfluous. Greek and Greek also point out the tremendous harm that animal models have caused. Such models lead to a sense of false confidence that drugs will not be harmful or that the risk is low. In fact, the recall rate for drugs is 50%. Fifty percent have adverse, unexpected side affects after they are loosed on a population that has trusted in animal models. 50% is the toss of a coin! Millions upon millions of dollars are poured into animal tests yearly.
In addition, animal models have slowed the recall of harmful drugs. Thalidomide is one of many examples. This drug causes hideous birth defects in humans, but no birth defects in rats, mice, most rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals. Doctors realized that the drug was causing birth defects and warned the company, but thalidomide could not be recalled until an animal model was found in which the drug caused birth defects! So thalidomide remained on the market, causing children to be born with flippers, until an obscure species of rabbit was found who also produced deformed kits when given the drug. Only then could thalidomide be recalled!
Greek and Greek show how the idea of the animal model is based on greed and bureaucracy, not good science. They explain that, while scientists of the past were primarily wealthy people doing a hobby they enjoyed, today's scientists are required to continually produce statistically significant results in order to keep their jobs. Just to graduate with a PhD requires a candidate to perform meaningful research. Under these conditions, the temptation to reach for something quick, easy, and difficult-to-disprove are enormous. Rats and mice fit the bill. They breed rapidly, are easy to house, and it takes a long time to show that the result of research in rats does not actually have any useful application for human beings. Clinical students in human beings, on the other hand, can take decades. In addition, human beings are far less corporative than rats, and there are limits to what you can legally do to them and what they will allow you to do. The catch, of course, is that clinical studies in human beings actually produce useful results, whereas animal models very often lead nowhere. Yet university professors anxious to keep their jobs and young students desperate to get their degrees continue to reach again and again for cheap and easy research models. In addition, huge companies manufacture expensive equipment for miniature surgeries on rats, dogs, cats, birds, mice, monkeys, goats, guinea pigs, rats, and all manner of other beasts. These creatures require all manner of housing, some of it vary expensive, and human-type surgeries on them require very specialized and expensive instruments. Animal models are a multimillion dollar industry.
With today's technology, even many clinical studies could be circumvented by using invetro methods. Human cells can be cultivated on a Petri dish or in a test tube and then exposed to various drugs. There is no reason to keep using the clumsy and inaccurate barometer of four-legged creatures.
Greek and Greek fill much of their book with one example after another. Their research is superb. I began the book as a skeptic and ended it as a believer. I have a degree in biology, and I could find nothing wrong with their research. I passed the book on to one of my college biology professors. He was impressed and decided to start including the material in his ethics course.
Whether you are a member of the medical community or merely a consumer, I strongly recommend this book. Whether you agree with all of the Greeks' conclusions or not, they certainly make some valid points and have taken pains with their research. Read the book.
Customer Reviews:
From The Back Cover: .......2006-10-03
Explains the diversity of the world's gastronomic customs, demonstrating that what appear at first glance to be irrational food tastes turn out really to have been shaped by practical, or economic, or political necessity.
Why do cultures abhor some foods?.......2004-12-02
This is a fascinating exploration of why Middle-Eastern cultures don't eat pork and what not. It will blow your mind.
Customer Reviews:
Refreshing and Challenging.......2003-03-05
Bill Easum has a truly refreshing perspective on 21st century church life. His challenge to systematically undo any structure of the church that doesn't serve a functional purpose is revolutionary, but much needed. I've bought this book for the entire administrative board at our church and have asked them to read it and share their feelings in the coming month. If you're a pastor of church leader of a church that is stuck in the "way we've always done it," get this book for your entire leadership team and try doing it a different way!
Thought provoking book.......2001-07-29
In this book, Dr. Easum brings to light all the baggage that many Christians carry with them from or may be placed on them by "structured religion and its practices". He tells why Christians are reticent to be apostolic to the world. He shows the existing structures in the Church that keep the members from spreading the message of salvation, and tells how to break out of the old molds and norms to reach people's hearts in our modern world. I always thought it was better to do in Christ's name first and ask for forgiveness later if I was wrong than to seek permission from a church committee or Pastor. This book gives insight into how to be an active Christian in your community as well as in Church.
Discover Your Spiritual Gifts and Get Fired Up!.......2000-10-20
If you feel called to Lay Ministry, you need this book. If you are frustrated with the slow, do-nothing bureaucracy of your church, you need this book. If you or your Pastor spend all of your time "running the church" instead of doing God's Work, you need this book. It will get your wheels turning in the right direction. Easum does a great job of showing how many churches have lost the joy of a spiritual relationship with God and exchanged it for the tedium of overcomplex committee structures. He advocates a new model of ministry by enlightened lay members being nurtured by their clergy, solving problems, setting goals and developing their own strategies to do the work that Christ has led them to do, without the stifling, controlling structures that can hold them back. The idea that it is better to err on the side of being too permissive seems dangerous, because it is. It endangers the inbred fear of change that chokes the spiritual life out of a congregation. Many well established clergy and older church members will be afraid of the ideas that this book offers, they need to be understood, too. Those over fifty will have a hard time understanding how anything can work without a rigid structure. Structure was and is an integral part of their world and served them well, but the spiritual needs of God's people cannot be met by structure. Those needs can only be met by inspired ministry which is free to respond instantly to the pain and suffering that modern society still cannot cure. The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is that Easum needed a better editor. There are a few inconsistancies and unfinished ideas that should have been cleaned up and some scientific terminology that would have benefitted from more careful review. They are occasionally distracting but can in no way dampen the enthusiasm I have for the great ideas that Easum puts before us. He has given me words to express my frustration with the current state of many "main-line" churches, including my own. We can work out our own solutions if we can find and use our Spiritual Gifts as God intends for us to.
Groundbreaking insights for church leaders.......2000-04-21
Churches ought to be structured to empower rather than to control. This is the idea at the heart of this book. As simple as it sounds, to apply the principles Easum talks about requires a reinvention of the decision-making systems, ministry structures, and atmosphere of the church. He warns that making this change takes a church about five years of sustained effort.
In my work as a church consultant, when I find a church that is ready to take on this challenge, I assign this book (actually selected chapters of it) as reading for the staff and leadership team.
I find this book exhilarating, but it doesn't do everything. Easum admits to not enjoying (actually, to despising) how-to writing. This is not a how-to book. Rather, it outlines the concepts, and some readers are left thinking, "This is great, but how do I do it?"
Well, I think Easum has come upon the right way to answer that question. Recently he has merged his consulting firm with that of Thomas Bandy who is a how-to person. In their seminars, Easum presents the theory and Bandy follows with the nuts and bolts. So, if you like Easum's ideas, follow this book with reading a couple of Bandy's books, and you'll have the practics to go along with the theory.
This is not a book for the timid or traditional, but if you want to unleash God's power through the people of your congregation, reading SACRED COWS is a good place to begin.
The author has a lot of wisdom........1999-09-06
I borrowed the book from my pastor and read it quickly as I could not put it down after I started reading it. I have been a member of a church for about 25 years and have served on committees, attended meetings, and been part of planning committees and have found this book to be so true. "This is the way it's always been done." I like the permission giving idea. We all need to use our gifts to further the kingdom. We need to do ministry as God leads and use the gifts we have been given.
Book Description
Contemporary concerns about food such as those stemming from mad cow disease, salmonella, and other potential food-related dangers are hardly new-humans have long been wary of what they eat. Beyond the fundamental fear of hunger, societies have sought to protect themselves from rotten, impure, or unhealthy food. From the markets of medieval Europe to the slaughterhouses of twentieth-century Chicago, Madeleine Ferrières traces the origins of present-day behavior toward what we eat as she explores the panics, myths, and ever-shifting attitudes regarding food and its safety. She demonstrates that food fears have been inspired not only by safety concerns but also by cultural, political, and religious prejudices.
Flour from human bones and pâté from dead cats are just two of the more unappetizing recipes that have scared consumers away from certain foods. Ferrières considers the roots of these and other rumors, illuminating how societies have assessed and attempted to regulate the risks of eating. She documents the bizarre and commonsensical attempts by European towns to ensure the quality of beef and pork, ranging from tighter controls on butchers to prohibiting Jews and menstruating women from handling meat. Examining the spread of Hungarian cattle disease, which ravaged the livestock of seventeenth-century Europe, Ferrières recounts the development of safety methods that became the Western model for fighting animal diseases.
Ferrières discusses a wealth of crucial and curious food-related incidents, trends, and beliefs, including European explorers' shocked responses to the foodways of the New World; how some foods deemed unsafe for the rich were seen as perfectly suitable for the poor; the potato's negative reputation; the fierce legal battles between seventeenth-century French bread bakers and innkeepers; the role of the medical profession in food regulation; and how modern consumerism changed the way we eat. Drawing on history, folklore, agriculture, and anthropology, Ferrières tells us how our decisions about what not to eat reflect who we are.
Books:
- Sarah's Quilt: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine and the Arizona Territories, 1906
- Savannah by the Sea: Book 3 in the Savannah Series
- Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court
- Textbook of Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management
- The Anatomy of Motive : The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals
- The Babes in the Wood
- The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House
- The Creation of Feminist Consciousness: From the Middle Ages to Eighteen-seventy (Women & History)
- The Day Before Midnight
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Biggest Brother : The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers
- Sous Vide and Cook-Chill Processing for the Food Industry
- Scientific Computing
- Victorian Lace Today
- Bargaining With Uncertainty: Decision-Making in Public Health, Technologial Safety, and Environmenta
- Woman's Best Friend: Women Writers on the Dogs in Their Lives
- The Story of the Synagogue: A Diaspora Museum Book
- Skyscraper Rivals
- The enchanted world of alpine flowers
If it Ain't Broke...Break It!: And Other Unconventional Wisdom for a Changing Business World
How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard
C-Zone: Peak Performance Under Pressure
Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers: Ministry Anytime, Anywhere by Anyone
Think Out of the Box
