Hammond, John

Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do

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Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do

Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
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A Good Teacher in Every Classroom : Preparing the Highly Qualified Teachers Our Children Deserve
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Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading: Preparing Teachers for a Changing World (Jossey-Bass Education)
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition

ASIN: 0787974641

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Based on rapid advances in what is known about how people learn and how to teach effectively, this important book examines the core concepts and central pedagogies that should be at the heart of any teacher education program. Stemming from the results of a commission sponsored by the National Academy of Education, Preparing Teachers for a Changing World recommends the creation of an informed teacher education curriculum with the common elements that represent state-of-the-art standards for the profession. Written for teacher educators in both traditional and alternative programs, university and school system leaders, teachers, staff development professionals, researchers, and educational policymakers, the book addresses the key foundational knowledge for teaching and discusses how to implement that knowledge within the classroom. Preparing Teachers for a Changing World recommends that, in addition to strong subject matter knowledge, all new teachers have a basic understanding of how people learn and develop, as well as how children acquire and use language, which is the currency of education. In addition, the book suggests that teaching professionals must be able to apply that knowledge in developing curriculum that attends to students’ needs, the demands of the content, and the social purposes of education: in teaching specific subject matter to diverse students, in managing the classroom, assessing student performance, and using technology in the classroom.

Harvard Business Review on Decision Making

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First, decide which decisions are most important rather than merely urgent.
Best Decision I've ever made
Effective Decisions
Theory and Practice - advice from the leading minds.

Harvard Business Review on Decision Making
Peter Ferdinand Drucker , John Hammond , Ralph Keeney , Howard Raiffa , and Alden M. Hayashi
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
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Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions

ASIN: 1578515572

Book Description

The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series is designed to bring today's managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. From the preeminent thinkers whose work has defined an entire field to the rising stars who will redefine the way we think about business, here are the leading minds and landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for ambitious businesspeople in organizations around the globe. Harvard Business Review on Decision Making will help people at all levels understand the fundamental theories and practices of effective decision making so that they can make better decisions in their personal and professional lives.

Customer Reviews:

First, decide which decisions are most important rather than merely urgent........2007-05-14

Much of the contextual material in this volume is out-of-date, given the fact that the eight articles originally appeared in the Harvard Business Review years ago (1965-2001). However, I think the core concepts remain sound and provide a valuable frame-of-reference for understanding the advances in decision making that have occurred during the last five years. For example, Peter Drucker suggests a sequence of six steps: classify the problem, define it, identify possible answers, determine which is "right" rather than acceptable, build into the decision the action(s) necessary to implement it, and then test the decision's validity and effectiveness. Yes, these are obvious steps. However, but the number of well-publicized bad decisions that have been made in recent years (e.g. Adelphia Communications, Arthur Andersen, Enron, Kmart, and Tyco) suggests the implications and consequences when decision-makers ignore one or more of these steps.

No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of the eight articles. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify which subjects are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. One of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from the fact that a variety of perspectives are provided by a number of different authorities on the same general subject. In this instance, "advances [to date] in strategy"

Readers will especially appreciate the provision of an executive summary that precedes each article. They facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of key points which - presumably - careful readers either underline or highlight. Also of interest is the "About the Contributors" section that includes suggestions of other sources to consult. Here are questions that suggest key issues to which the authors of these articles respond:

How to make and then measure an "effective" decision? (Peter Drucker)
Comment: Effective executives do not make a great many decisions. They concentrate on what is most important.

What is a rational method for making trade-offs? (John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa)
Comment: Making wise trade-offs is one of the most important and difficult challenges in decision making. Needless to say, the more alternatives you are considering and the more objectives you're pursuing, the more trade-offs you'll need to make.

Why is humility essential to effective decision-making? (Amitai Etzioni)
Comment: Only fools make rigid decisions and decisions with no sense of overarching purpose, whereas the most able executives practice more humble decision making that offers the benefits of flexibility, caution, and the capacity to proceed with partial knowledge.

What are the most common interpersonal barriers to decision making and how to overcome them? (Chris Argyris)
Comment: One of the most common observations in company studies is that executives lack awareness of their own behavioral patterns as well as the negative impact of their behavior on others.

How to analyze the nature and extent of the given problem? (Perrin Stryker)
Comment: Even veteran managers are likely to be very unsystematic when dealing with problems and decisions, and their hit-or-miss methods often produce bad decisions based on erroneous conclusions.

What are the hidden traps in decision making? (John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa)
Comment: Bad decisions can often be traced back to the way the decisions were made - the alternatives that were not clearly defined, the right information was not collected, and the costs and benefits were not accurately weighed.

When to "trust your gut"? (Alden M. Hayshi)
Comment: Our emotions and feelings might not only be important in our intuitive ability to make good decisions but may actually be essential because they can help us to filter various options quickly.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out the recently published Harvard Business Review on Making Smarter Decisions as well as other titles in the Harvard Business Review Paperback Series such as those on Becoming a High-Performance Manager, Change, Corporate Strategy, Decision Making, Effective Communication, the Innovative Enterprise, Leadership, Leadership at the Top, and Measuring Corporate Performance.

Best Decision I've ever made.......2005-07-23

Don't let the title mislead you, this book won't make decisions for you. I will however, give you the ability to make use of your most powerful business tool: a convincing guess. Many times I would stumble blindly through the veil of uncertainty, only to arrive on the otherside; lost, confused, naked, and too sore to sit down. But, now, after digesting these powerful articles, I can make my way through uncertain times; clothed in conviction and sitting on a soft pillow of apathy.

Effective Decisions.......2004-10-08

Being an effective manager requires being a good-decision maker too, having ability of using factual and quantitative information to analyze what is the most efficient decision to reach a well-defined objective. Making good decision by applied management science approach is the benefits that managers expect to learn combining with past experience to decide on what should be done. However, in the real-reality (as opposed to virtual reality, as a model), many decisions can be made under the highest-level conceptual understanding. In addition, a better understanding of decision making can be broken down into six sequential steps according to Drucker (pp. 2-19)

1. Classifying the problem in order to tell if it should be solved based on either principles or pragmatic concept. The problem can be categorized in three groups. The first group is the generic problems; for example, in a manufacturing organization, it may happen the situation like total amount of products decreasing. At this stage, the product control or engineering group will look at what is going on in a production line. To illustrate, the coupling in the pipe carrying steam or hot liquids, rather than the problem of production processing. This kind of problems frequently happens. The second group is a unique problem for the individual institution. The third group is a truly unique problem which happens out of exception. The truly unique events are rare and have to be treated individually. Unlike truly unique events, the other two groups require a generic solution. They require a rule, a policy, or a principle. Once the right principle has been developed, all manifestations of the same generic situation can be handled pragmatically by adjusting the rules to each specific case.

2. Defining the problem. After classifying the problem is generic or unique, it is quite easy to define what the problem is about that we are dealing with. However, it is the most important part of the whole decision process because sometimes the definition of the problem seems plausible but incomplete. In order to avoid this kind of carelessness, Peter F. Drucker suggested all of the decision makers check this process, defining the problem, again and again against all the observable facts and discard a definition the moment it fails to encompass any of them.

3. Specifying the answer to the problem to see if the decision is on the boundary conditions or not. A decision that does not satisfy the boundary condition is worse than the wrong definition of the problem. Therefore, before picking up the optimal solution, a decision maker has to deeply think about a question, "what are the objectives the decision has to reach?" Clearly thinking about the boundary conditions will help decision makers identify all of the possible decisions which can satisfy the needs.

4. Deciding what is right, rather than what is acceptable, in order to meet the boundary conditions. It means before paying attention on making decision acceptable by the compromise, adaptations, and concessions, we have to let the solution fully satisfy the specifications. However, if a decision maker does not know what will meet the boundary conditions, the manager cannot distinguish the difference between the right and wrong compromise. As the right and wrong compromise, Peter F. Drucker had an interesting description. The right compromise is like an old saying, "Half a loaf is better than no bread." In the contrast, the wrong compromise is like, "half a baby is worse than no baby at all." From this interesting description, it is easy to realize that deciding the right decision is more important than choosing the acceptable one.

5. Building into the decision the action to carry it out. Converting the decision into action is the most time-consuming steps in the decision-making process. It is true that we will not know the decision is the most efficient or not if we put the decision into practice. There are several questions that have to be answered before committing the decision, "Who has to know this decision?", "What action has to be taken?", "Who is to take it?", "What does the action have to be so that the people who have to do it can do it?" From those questions, it is obviously that an appropriate person who carries out the decision must have enough capabilities of adjusting his/her behavior, habits or attitudes once a decision becomes effective.

6. Testing the validity and effectiveness of the decision against the actual course of events. The feedback of decision action is the important information for a decision maker in order to realize the result of the decision model also for the future model building. However, information should be built on the direct exposure to reality, rather on decision makers themselves. Above all, six steps of decision process are the stepping stones for decision making. Although a good decision may be made under the decision-making process, sometimes the decision will still fail because of the mind of decision makers. The way the human brain works can destroy the choice we make. In the article, "The Hidden Traps in Decision Making, (pp. 143-67)" John Hammond, Ralph Keeney, and Howard Raiffa list nine psychological traps that may affect a way that a decision maker makes business decision.

1. The anchoring trap makes people give inappropriate weigh to the first information we receive. In business, for example, although it seems the decision that a manager predict how much product need to be produced by taking the former sales reports as a reference is reasonable, the old sales numbers become anchors because it may let a manager put too much attention on past event but not give enough weigh to other factors. Under this situation, it can lead to a poor forecast.

2. The status-quo trap means people may have biases on the situation we feel comfortable with so that we will not choose other alternatives even they are better. In order to make decisions rationally and objectively, a decision maker always have to keep in mind that the decision will be acted under the status quo and never consider status quo as the only alternative.

3. The sunk-cost trap is another serious biases. People always believe that successfully past decision even though it does not work anymore at the present. In order to put the suck cost away, a decision maker can listen other people's viewpoints and those people must to be those who did not experience the earlier decisions.

4. The confirming-evidence trap makes people find out the information to support an existing predilection, rather than to conflict it. On the other hand, people will try to discount the opposing information. In order to avoid the confirming-evidence trap, a decision maker can set up a clincher, let other people argue it, and listen people's advice.

5. The framing trap happens at the beginning of the decision process. When it occurs, the decision goes wrong because a decision maker has already misstated the problem.

6. The Estimating and Forecasting Traps have three minor traps,

a. The overconfidence trap makes people overestimate the accuracy of the forecasts.

b. The prudence trap causes people to be overcautious when people make decision under uncertain or risky situation.

c. The recall ability trap leads people to give incorrect weigh to recent, dramatic events.

The book rightly emphasizes the facts that a good decision not only relies on clearly defining the alternatives, collecting the correct information, and so on during the decision-making process, but also relate to the benefits and costs which are weighed accurately. Furthermore, the background, the experience of a decision maker will be one of the factors which affect the decision making. Except the factors of individuals, the economic circumstances will influence the decision and its action too.

Theory and Practice - advice from the leading minds........2003-08-12

There are several books from the Harvard Business Review that follow this simple format - essays on critical topics by the leading minds in the field compiled into a short book of around 200 pages. One of these critical topics is Decision Making. That topic is the focus of this book.

There are hundreds of books on management, strategy, leadership, etc. but not many are purely dedicated to treating the subject of Decision Making from a theoretical and abstract perspective. This book contains 8 short essays presenting different theories by people by Peter Drucker.

The first chapter starts off with an impressive treatment of The Effective Decision. It is impressive because of the wisdom packed into these few pages and the aptness of the title. The author (Peter Drucker) dispels the myths about the most effective decision makers being the ones that can think fast and manipulate a large number of variables in their heads. Instead he explains that the best decision makers are the ones who focus on impact instead of technique. He then systematically explains a simple process to follow to achieve the same results as the highly successful executives.

The book then moves on to topics dealing with how to make trade-offs, humble decision making (which is nothing but accepting that your first impressions may be wrong and be open to changing the direction of your thoughts as more information becomes available), interpersonal barriers, hidden traps, when to trust your gut, and analyzing problems. The essay on interpersonal barriers was very familiar to me as I had experienced the situations described several times in my own career.

The book is simple - it has no pictures, just some tables once in a while and some blank paper at the end of the book to takes notes. The size is small like a novel but very potent! When I first saw this book at a bookstore, I didn't think much of it. But I picked it up because of the Harvard Business Review name on the front cover. I couldn't put it down once I started reading the first chapter and immediately purchased a few books in this series.

These books and especially this one can be described in only one word - potent. They are like text books or Ph.D papers except they are very practical. These are some of my favorite management/business books but they are difficult to digest. Since they are abstract in nature, one has to read them very slowly and read them with total concentration. The authors don't spend time painting a picture in detail and trying to get you excited. They get straight to the point and finish it in less than 20 pages. If you read these books like you would read other books, you are likely to miss the point.

This book in particular is very unique as there aren't that many books dedicated to just Decision Making. Enjoy learning from the masters! Good luck!

Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
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Must Buy

great, easy read

Practical!

Your success depends on how good are the decisions you make

Teacher & Engineer

Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
John S. Hammond , Ralph L. Keeney , and Howard Raiffa
Manufacturer: Broadway
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0767908864
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Amazon.com

Have you ever hired someone only to regret your decision two months later? Or looked at your financial portfolio and wondered why you bought the stocks you did? In Smart Choices, authors John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa take the guesswork out of the decision-making process and offer a systematic approach to making the right choice. Most of us have problems making decisions, because we've never learned how. The authors write: <blockquote> Despite the importance of decision making to our lives, few of us ever receive any training in it. So we are left to learn from experience. But experience is a costly, inefficient teacher that teaches us bad habits along with good ones. Because decision situations vary so markedly, the experience of making one important decision often seems of little use when facing the next. </blockquote> Smart Choices outlines eight elements involved in making the right decision, from identifying exactly what the decision is and specifying your objectives to considering risk tolerance and looking at how what you decide on today influences what you may decide in the future. The book is full of real-life situations and scenarios that effectively illustrate each element of a good decision. If you think the topic of making the right choice is mundane or a simple matter of common sense, then think again. Smart Choices will relieve you of the regret that so many of us carry because we didn't know how to "think it through." --Harry C. Edwards

Book Description

Where should I live?
Is it time to switch careers?
What is the best course of action for me?

Decisions shape our experiences, from choosing which job offer to accept, to buying the right car, to selecting a good accountant. How do we know which choice is the smart one? How can we be consistent and confident in our decisions? In this book from the three leading authorities on decision-making, readers learn how to approach all types of decisions with a simple set of skills developed by professors from Harvard, MIT, and the University of Southern California.

Combining solid research with common sense and practical experience, this user-friendly guide shows readers how to assess deep-seated objectives, create a comprehensive set of alternatives, determine likely consequences, make tradeoffs, and grapple with uncertainty. Not only will readers learn how to make decisions, they will learn how to make the smartest decisions. For anyone caught at a confusing crossroad–whether you’re choosing between mutual funds or deciding where to retire–the Smart Choices program will improve your decision-making abilities immediately, and make your life more rewarding and fulfilling.

Customer Reviews:

Must Buy.......2007-04-02

This is an excellent book, i was amazed by it's clearity and reasoning. Chapter 6 is simply one of the best chapters in any book ever. Chapter 6 even has a letter written by Benjamin Franklin advising a friend on the steps to make in order to arise at the best decision.

great, easy read.......2007-01-16

This book is very understandable and easy to follow. I'm using it for a class but am taking notes to pass on to friends and family because I think the information is so valuable and anyone can benefit from it.

Practical!.......2006-08-01

With so many choices, choosing a book can be a daunting task. I'm glad that I chose to get Smart Choices and it was a great decision. This book shows in practical terms how to make the right decisions by defining the problem and exploring the various alternatives and their consequences. If you can't decide when you must, be guided by this book's authors and enjoy the basics of decision-making. Highly recommended!

Your success depends on how good are the decisions you make.......2006-07-15

Making decisions is a fundamental life skill. Most of us dread making hard decisions. In real life tough choices almost always involve high stakes and serious consequences, they may involve numerous and multiple complex considerations, ..and they expose us to the judgment of others. The need to make a difficult decision put us at risk of anxiety, confusion, doubt, regret, embarrassment, loss, you name it.

In this book the authors explain in a practical, and easy to follow language, decision-analysis techniques and stratagems for the benefit of the rest of us. They provide substantial, straightforward explanations of fundamental concepts (risk tolerance, sunk costs, desirability curves, etc.).

In the step-by-step procedures they combine expertise, solid investigation, practical experience, and common sense, to help the reader understand what they want to accomplish, identify creative choices, evaluate risks, clarify any existing doubt, and establish reasonable transactions. This book won't tell you what to do, but how to do it.

Teacher & Engineer.......2006-04-24

This is one of the books I would recommend my friends to read when they are facing with a difficul decision.

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans, the Middle East and the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC

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The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans, the Middle East and the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC

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Binding: Hardcover

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The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC
The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 3: The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC
The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 4: Persia, Greece and the Western Mediterranean, c.525 to 479 BC
The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 2, Part 2: The Middle East and the Aegean Region, c.1380-1000 BC
The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 1, Part 2: Early History of the Middle East

ASIN: 0521224969

Book Description

Volume III of The Cambridge Ancient History was first published in 1925 in one volume. The new edition has expanded to such an extent, owing to the immense amount of new information now available, that it has had to be divided into three parts. Volume III Part 1 opens with a survey of the Balkans north of Greece in the Prehistoric period. This is the first time such a survey has been published of this area which besides its intrinsic interest is important for its influence on the cultures of the Aegean and Anatolia. The rest of the book is devoted to the tenth to the eigth centuries B. C. In Greece and the Aegean the main theme is the gradual regeneration from the Dark Age and the emergence of a society in which can be seen the beginnings of the city-state. During the same period in Western Asia and the Middle East the Kingdoms of Assyria and Babylonia rise to power, the Urartians appear, and in Palestine the kingdoms of Israel and Judah flourish. In Egypt the country’s fortunes revive briefly under Shoshenq I. The final chapter in this part deals with the languages of Greece and the Balkans and with the invention and spread of alphabetic writing.

A Stitch in Time: Lean Retailing and the Transformation of Manufacturing--Lessons from the Apparel and Textile Industries

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Very Informative
Review of A Stitch in Time
A welcome in-depth look at the effects of the IT revolution

A Stitch in Time: Lean Retailing and the Transformation of Manufacturing--Lessons from the Apparel and Textile Industries
Frederick H. Abernathy , John T. Dunlop , Janice H. Hammond , and David Weil
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover

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Apparel Manufacturing: Sewn Product Analysis (4th Edition)
The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing
Apparel Product Development (2nd Edition)
Merchandising: Theory, Principles, and Practice
Textiles and Apparel in the Global Economy (3rd Edition)

ASIN: 0195126157

Book Description

The textile and fashion industries have forever been at the mercy of rapidly changing styles and fickle customers who want the latest designs while they are still fashionable. The result for these businesses, often forced to forecast sales and deal with suppliers based on volatile demand, is a history of stock shortages, or costly markdowns. But, as the authors disclose in A Stitch in Time, technological advances that began in the 1980s introduced a new concept in retailing--lean retailing. Pioneered by entrepreneurs such as Sam Walton and WAL-MART and made possible by new information technologies for tracking sales data, lean retailing has enabled apparel producers to reorganize the manner in which they related to retail customers, undertook distribution, forecasted and planned production, and managed supplier relations. In an industry that typically suffered from great delays from warehouse to rack, sales data was now captured at the retailer's checkout through bar coding and immediately transmitted back to distributors, manufacturers, designers, and even to the textile mills that weave the cloth. Armed with up-to-the-minute data about colors, sizes, and geographic sales, everyone in the chain was able to reduce cost, increase efficiency, and keep the customer in style like never before. And today, the broad changes introduced in the apparal industry by lean retailing are rippling through a growing segment of the American economy. A richly detailed and resonant account, A Stitch in Time brilliantly captures both the history and the future of the fashion industry as it offers executives a new paradigm for understanding the challenges of retailing and manufacturing in all segments of our rapidly transforming economy.

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative.......2000-12-01

A Stitch In Time is a very good read.

While some academics tend to write books that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, this book is very readable, even to a layman like me who has no previous experience in the fashion/apparel/textiles business. The authors have explained techniques in manufacturing and theoretical concepts very clearly. Although it is obvious that much research has been done, the authors did not bore the reader with useless facts and figures just to prove the amount of research that has been done. Rather, significant findings were highlighted whenever appropriate, which made the book more interesting and comprehensible.

The authors believe that a new form of retailing, defined as lean retailing by the authors, will soon make its impact in the retail industry. Major retailers, like Wal-Mart, already practise this form of retailing. The theory of lean retailing propose that as there is an increase in product proliferation, and as customers demand quicker response times, retailers will "force" suppliers to replenish supplies at shorter intervals with smaller quantities. This will reduce inventory, cost and risk. While suppliers may choose to hold more inventories to satisfy lean retailers like Wal-Mart, it is a short-term solution. It is merely pushing the ineffectiveness of the system from retailers to apparel manufacturers. A better way is to re-look the industry from a channel angle, i.e. the whole chain of retailer-supplier-textile manufacturer. How can the channel be more effective as a whole? The authors believe information integration and co-operation is the key.

While the focus of the book has been on the fashion/apparel/textiles industry, I believe the concepts can also be applied to other industries. In fact, I believe the concepts were "borrowed" from more advanced industries like automobile manufacturing. Some of the concepts are similar to concepts in operations management like JIT, sales forecasting, etc.

I recommend this book to anyone in the retail business. This book will change your mindset of traditional retailing, whether you are in the fashion retail or not. I also recommend this book to people who are interested in exploiting IT for the exchanging of information between suppliers and retailers. I have learnt a lot from the book and I am sure many readers will agree with me.

Review of A Stitch in Time.......2000-01-04

This is an extremely lively and readable account of changes in the U.S. apparel industry. It challenges the prevailing assumption that the industry is doomed to move offshore in its entirety. The authors argue persuasively that there will be a continuing need for apparel production in the U.S. by firms that cooperate more closely with retailers, and meet the demand for timely production. In addition, the authors present a fascinating history of the industry and a wonderfully detailed discussion of its changing technology. This book is useful to those interested specifically in the apparel industry, but also as a case study of how new information technologies are reshaping U.S. industries more generally.

A welcome in-depth look at the effects of the IT revolution.......1999-10-29

The book goes beyond the hyped-up jargon of e-commerce and information technology and instead provides a nuts and bolts understanding of the actual impact of these trends on businesses, workers and the American economy. While it focuses on just one industry (one with which we can all identify, as consumers of clothing and customers of the Walmarts, J. Crews and Dillard's of the world), it gives a much broader understanding of the trends and forces that will eventually shape most industres, and affect who wins and loses in this emerging "IT" economy.

Book Description

Here's the book you need to prepare for the JNCIA exam, JN0-201, from Juniper Networks. Written by a team of Juniper Network trainers and engineers, this Study Guide provides:
* Assessment testing to focus and direct your studies
* In-depth coverage of official test objectives
* Hundreds of challenging practice questions, in the book and on the CD
Authoritative coverage of all test objectives, including:
* Working with the JUNOS software
* Implementing Juniper Networks boot devices
* Troubleshooting Routing Information Protocol
* Implementing a routing policy
* Configuring and monitoring an OSPF Network
* Implementing Border Gateway Protocol
* Monitoring and troubleshooting an IS-IS network
* Understanding the Reverse Path Forwarding process
* Operating firewall filters
* Using Multiprotocol Label Switching

Customer Reviews:

Very Good Study Guide - Test Engine Could Be Better.......2006-10-15

The text is joy to read; it is both lucid and succinct. However, with a 2003 copyright, it is beginning to show its age. There is no mention of Juniper's new routers, such as the M320 or the T-series, though these might not be covered on the JNCIA exam. And the preferred placement of some configuration statements within the JUNOS hierarchy has changed in more recent JUNOS releases.

Many of the questions included with the test engine include 15-20 line snippets of JUNOS configuration. Unfortunately, the test engine only allows a few lines of a question to be displayed at any time, so scrolling is needed to read such questions. Moreover, the test engine provides no facility for remembering from session to session which questions you answered right and wrong so that you can limit the questions presented in a later session to only those previously missed. The assessment test and end of chapter questions are printed in the book, so pencil and paper methods may work better for these.

Great Study Guide.......2004-01-07

I highly recommend this book as a review for the associates exam. I hadn't touched a Juniper in two years this study guide got me through recertification.

Good book - Helps alot with the exam.......2003-12-29

The book does a good job at preparation for the JNCIA exam. It goes over each topic well, and gives some good real world examples that make sense. Be prepared though, this is not a CCNA type exam that asks you theory and questions that do not apply to real life (ie. classful routing). This book (and exam) do concentrate on operational aspects, so the book does a good job at introducing CLI commands and the JunOS CLI architecture. It is recommended that you get ahold of a Juniper box to play around in to get the hang of things.

I have to disagree with the authors writing about the BGP architecture on the Internet, though. To state that only Tier 1 ISP's connect at exchange points (atleast how it was depicted in a drawing) is completely wrong. And usage of the Tier1/Tier2/Tier3 names should not be used in todays internet. Today plenty of people are paying for peering from some of the larger networks out there to give themselves the image of "Tier 1". It seems perhaps the authors should be more aware of real ISP operations in respects to how peering is actually done on the Internet today (ie. read the peering playbook by Bill Norton).

JNCIA: Juniper Networks Certified Internet Associate Study G.......2003-06-05

This is a great book! It will not give you the test questions and answers for the test. What it will provide is a great source of information relating to routing and an introduction to Juniper's routers. The depth of information in Juniper Networks Certified Internet Associate Study Guide is sufficient to pass the test. The questions in the book and on the CD require the same level of understanding as the actual JNCIA exam. In fact I scored the same on the bonus exams (located on the CD) as I did on the actual test. I have been working with Cisco equipment for over eight year and with Juniper routers for a little over a year. I have my CCNP and CCDP. With my background, this book and three weeks, now I have my JNCIA certification. Don't take the JNCIA certification test lightly. I would rate it at the same level as the CCNP and CCDP. With this book and some time you should be able to pass the exam.

JNCIA - An overview.......2003-02-28

I'm gearing up for the JNCIA/S exams, so have just bought the JNCIA book.
In addition, I have the Complete reference too.

As a history thing, I haven't been that impressed with Sybex revision books - mainly from a Cisco perspective.
This book however seems to be a step away from the norm - which is quite refreshing.

A CD is included (like all the similar Cisco Press books for CCNA/CCDA/CCNP/CCDP).
You get flash cards, 100's of exam questions, study guides, a palm/pocketPC revision app & the bonus of a pdf covering the entire book (aka Cisco) !

At the front of the book is a detachable pull-out study guide which recommends reading certain chapters for different parts of the exam.
When quizzed, the author certainly wasnt denying the fact that it could almost be a hint at what you will be tested on.

Book is split into sections (naturally) which run through the following;

Chapter 1: The Components of a Juniper Networks Router
Chapter 2: Interfaces
Chapter 3: Protocol-Independent Routing
Chapter 4: Routing Policy
Chapter 5: The Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
Chapter 6: Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
Chapter 7: Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
Chapter 8: Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
Chapter 9: Multicast
Chapter 10: Firewall Filters
Chapter 11: Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

Differences between the JNCIA and the Complete ref are;

JNCIA has multicast.
JNCIA has CD.
Complete ref has a lot more about the 'boxes'.
Complete ref has intro to VPN (but not much).
Complete ref is a lot heavier.
Complete ref has more configuration examples.

If you're thinking of revising (and if you haven't got the complete ref) then this is the book to go for.
Combine this with Routing TCP/IP, a glance through the most excellent Juniper tech pdf's, hands-on the box and the Boson software exam guides ..... you should breeze through..

On the whole I am impressed with the book.
Its straight to the point, tells you what you need to learn to pass the exam, splits it into attainable sections then tests your knowledge on what you've learnt.

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC
Average customer rating:
The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 4: Persia, Greece and the Western Mediterranean, c.525 to 479 BC

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 3: The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 5: The Fifth Century BC

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 7, Part 2: The Rise of Rome to 220 BC

The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3, Part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans, the Middle East and the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC

ASIN: 0521227178

Book Description

During this period the dominant powers in the East were Assyria and then Babylonia. Each established an extensive empire that was based on Mesopotamia, and each in turn fell largely through internal strife.

Average customer rating:

Bring Your Paintings to Life
I've Been Looking for this Book!
Very well presented

Capturing Light in Acrylics
John Hammond
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Acrylics: The Watercolor Alternative
The Acrylic Painter's Book of Styles & Techniques
The New Acrylics
Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques
The Acrylics Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist

ASIN: 0713490276

Book Description

With this celebration of luminosity and color, artists can see how to use acrylics to catch light, capture mood, and build atmosphere. The inspiration and instructions come from John Hammond, one of the most successful painters in acrylics today. He uses more than 100 of his own paintings—some shown in various stages—to illustrate the techniques and reveal the many possibilities of this flexible and increasingly popular medium. As well as presenting an overview of materials and methods specific to acrylics, Hammond addresses issues of composition, color, and texture. He deals with working on location and discusses a wide variety of themes, including: Water, Boats and Beaches; City Views; Mediterranean Light; and Figures in Light and Shade.

Customer Reviews:

Bring Your Paintings to Life.......2007-03-31

I just received this book and already I can see how the techniques described and displayed will greatly improve the "look" I'm going after. An artist friend saw the book and barely wanted to give it back after thumbing through just a few pages. This book is BEAUTIFULLY illustrated with the talented Mr. Hammond's artwork, but his narrative is so clear and concise that you know his good influences will show up in your own work and improve your own style. This is not a book for beginners, but intermediates will gain so much more and even old pro's can incorporate techniques that will help bring paintings to life through light!

I've Been Looking for this Book!.......2006-05-31

I am an artist and painting teacher working in oils, which I love. But, increasingly, I have students who want to paint in acrylics. There aren't that many books out there on the subject, but this clearly explains how to paint in acrylics and achieve the fine art look of oils. It goes beyond, and shows what acrylics can do that oils can't. So, now rather than think there are two mediums, watercolor and oil with acrylics somewhere far below - I now see acrylics as a third medium with it's own advantages and possibilities. This book covers all of the basics that a good book or teacher covers ... color, temperature, value, edges and design. "Capturing Light in Acrylics" should be on every acyrlic painter's shelf ... and maybe the oil painter's and watercolorist's, too.

Very well presented.......2005-10-14

I was delighted to look over the book. It is well written, beautifully illustrated, clear to use. It ranks very highly in my estimation.

41. St. Augustine, Vol. 1: The Literal Meaning of Genesis (Ancient Christian Writers)

Average customer rating:

Good, but not Augustine's Best
Very Literal; Very True, Not So Much
Augustine on creation

41. St. Augustine, Vol. 1: The Literal Meaning of Genesis (Ancient Christian Writers)

Manufacturer: Paulist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Orthodoxy | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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48. St. Augustine on Faith and Works (Ancient Christian Writers)
46. The Letters of St. Cyprian of Carthage, Vol. 3 (Ancient Christian Writers)
22. St. Augustine: The Problem of Free Choice (Ancient Christian Writers)
52. Cassiodorus, Vol. 2: Explanation of the Psalms (Ancient Christian Writers)
56. St. Justin Martyr: The First and Second Apologies (Ancient Christian Writers)

ASIN: 0809103265

Book Description

A thorough and conscientious commentary on the first three chapters from the Book of Genesis, completed in 415. Augustine's purpose is to explain, to the best of his ability, what the author intended to say about what God did when he made heaven and earth. Contains Books 1-6.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but not Augustine's Best.......2005-03-03

I gave this 3 stars because Augustine presents a cogent argument, and many well posited ideas, however he fails to meet the muster of his traditional standard: reliance on the literal sense of scripture.

Inspite of the title, Augustine becomes one of only 2 of the Patristic Fathers not to support a literal reading of Genesis. The other was Origin who tried to reconcile Genesis with the evolutionary science of Greek philosophers and scientists (much like many of today's theologians, including Stanley Jaki). Augustine does not reject a literal interpretation of Genesis outright, yet he believes Creation was instantaneous, and the 6 days of Genesis were an unpacking of that instantaneous action. Mostly Augustine wants to find a place for the creation of the Angels, which simply is not discussed in Scripture. Considering that no book relating the creation of the Angels survived, it is fair to conjecture that God did not see it necessary for us to know exactly what happened.

Later Fathers, and Medievals including St. Thomas Aquinas had to differ with Augustine, inspite of his authority, and insist on a literal interpretation to the 6 days. All the Fathers save him and Origin, and all the medievals believed in a literal six day creation, as does the Catholic Church today officially, even though numerous priests and theologians are ready to tell us otherwise.

The rest of the book, which discusses the fall, and the deluge is full of primarily spiritual interpretations, not litteral interpretations like one would assume he's getting. However the historical value and the spiritual value make the book worth owning.
The book itself is well produced, hardback, and the translation is right on with my copy of it in Latin. An excellent edition to own.

Very Literal; Very True, Not So Much.......2003-02-11

I probably should have expected it, given the title, but I was hoping for something a bit deeper from Augustine. This doesn't have the mystery and imagination of Confessions. Here describes his understanding of Genesis 1-2.9 point by point in a severely neo-Platonic manner. And Augustine is a devoted disciple of Plato; if one hasn't read any Plato it will be tough going indeed. This is thick stuff and I found I often had to skim some portions and reread others six times. Perhaps half of Augustine's analysis of Genesis is based on the idea of the Perfect Forms, and how God created the forms in the first chapter of Genesis, and they only actually became reality in the second chapter. Literal Meaning of Genesis is valuable on a historical basis, for understanding an ancient world view, but has little theological value today because so few now follow Plato's thoughts, and our culture is more Augustinian than anything else.

Even the style of the writing is Platonic, becoming a dialectic of Augustine with himself, as he raises and questions different possibilities, accepting them or dismissing them, coming to a Hegelian final result, and sometimes, no result at all, determining that something is unknowable. I caught a lot of the feel of Montaigne at times- as if Augustine was figuring this out and determining truth as he went along. The positive aspects of this are expressions of humility, openness to possibilities, and a real feel that there is a person behind this writing.

Literalness can have value in exegesis, but in something as deeply allegorical as the Genesis stories, Augustine would have been better off keeping with analogy and myth for explanation, as do the Eastern Fathers he so often decries throughout his text. He does stoop to allegory at times for explanation- Augustine believed that this was suitable only if the literal meaning was unavailable.

One central example: for Augustine the literal meaning of the "days" of Genesis 1 holds no value- what could it mean that God created in a day, when there was no sun or moon, no person to see it, and even when there is a sun it is always on one side of Earth or the other, with darkness at one place when there is light in another? A "day" has no meaning- and God is outside of time anyway. He does not create in a day, nor need anytime at all to create. And so the evening and morning become spiritual light and darkness, referring to the Perfect Form and the actual result. Augustine lacks the benefit of our present understanding of anthropology, for we know the Hebrew concept of Day began in the evening, and so he spends many chapters trying to puzzle out why darkness comes first and to which day each evening belongs- the day prior or the day after.

The occasional stoops of metaphor and allegory provide the real gems in the work, and if one skims through it, it's worth the read for those. Like the idea that not everything was written down that happened in The Beginning, but only what the author needed to communicate his theological points, and to prophesy. Or that there are at times more than one valid explanation of the Bible, and if we hold on too tightly to our own belief, we end up seeking to have the Bible conform to our belief and lose Truth in our very pursuit of it. Or that Christians, when talking about the Bible and Genesis and in the process speaking nonsense about science, bring shame upon the belief and keep the unbeliever from coming to the Truth, because most unbelievers know a thing or two about science and the nature of reality, and they have no interest in believing nonsense.

Augustine on creation.......2002-04-28

First, this work has been published in two volumes, which Amazon has mistakenly listed as being different editions. To find both volumes, click on the "All Editions" link.

Although it is published in two volumes, readers should not be intimidated by this. The work proper is only about 400 pages long (a third the length of Augustine's "City of God"), and reads quite easily.

As to why it was broken in two volumes, the answer lies in the 300 pages supplemental material, which would have made it quite bulky had it been published in a single volume. The quality and readability of this material, mostly presented in notes to the text, is quite high, and I found that it made an already enjoyable and interesting work even more so.

As to the work itself, it is concerned with the first three chapters of the Book of Genesis, ending with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The subjects addressed through this work are biblical exegesis, God, the angels, Satan, heaven and earth, man, the soul, and the fall.

Augustine began his work on the subject of biblical exegesis - how scripture is to be interpreted. He proposed four senses: "the eternal truths that are taught, the facts that are narrated, the future events that are predicted, and the precepts or counsels that are given." In this work, Augustine focused on the second of these - the facts that are narrated, which he called the literal sense. It is important to understand that although we tend to think of a 'literal' reading of scripture as one taking the words to have their most obvious meaning, that is not what Augustine meant by it. For Augustine, a literal reading meant only that the text was referring in some way to events that actually occurred, without any implication that the reference might not be very obscure. For example, Augustine understood morning, day, and evening in the days of creation to refer not to a particular times of day, but to a particular phases in the angelic knowledge of creation - the phase in which the things are known directly from God (morning), the phase in which they actually exist (day), and the state in which they are known from the senses (evening). In fact, Augustine held that in terms of time the six days of creation were actually simultaneous and included the creation of time itself.

Of course, the problem of how to interpret Genesis, particularly with regard to scientific knowledge, is very much a live problem today. It was however, a question even in Augustine's day, and his take on it is of considerable interest, especially for those who do believe in scripture as revelation and are unsure how to read Genesis. In his reading, Augustine on the whole was a scientific agnostic, he neither believed nor disbelieved much of what his contemporary science said about the world. He did, however, offer suggestions as to how this or that passage could be reconciled with this or that scientific belief, in order to take into account the possibility the scientific belief might well be true. If a passage seemed to him to be particularly mysterious in light of its scientific possibility (the reference to a spring that watered all the earth was one such passage), he neither sought to use scripture to determine scientific truth nor concluded that the passage was therefore false - for Augustine, a passage in scripture must be true, but it was perfectly possible for it to be true in a sense he did not understand.

If the first half of the work is concerned with the creation of heaven and earth, the second half is concerned with the creation and fall of man. The bridge between the two are the sections on the creation of man's body and soul. Augustine was not terribly interested in the creation of body, but the creation of the soul was another matter, one that Augustine pondered throughout his life. Were the souls of all men created at the beginning and sent to bodies later? Were souls created at the beginning and reincarnated in new bodies? Were they created by God directly at the start of each person's life? Were they generated from the souls of the parents? Were they generated from the body? While some of these positions Augustine regarded as certainly false, with regard to others he was never sure.

One issue that came up with regard to how the soul was created was the problem of the transmission of original sin. In Augustine's view, original sin was the decision to disobey God and eat from the tree of knowledge; the tree itself had no significance other than that God had forbidden it; by disobeying God, Adam turned man from God's grace, necessitating the sacrifice of Jesus to redeem man. While Augustine was anything but blind to metaphorical readings of the story, he also believed it to be history as well - there was a real tree, and a real man named Adam really did eat of it.

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