comment on Steve Burton's book
582332
I enjoyed reading Staying Afloat, Three Years in Abu Dhabi.  The book gave me information about the culture there.  My daughter and husband visited Steve and Pam Burton in Dubai, so I had a special tie to the Burtons' stay there.  I liked the touches of humor, and the book brought home how strange it must be to live in a foreign country.
2809716
I got Steve's book after a training he did for our sales team.  I highly recommend reading his book and attending his seminar.  Thanks Steve!
1497752
I have not read this book by Brian McLaren. I have read two other of his books. So I want the opportunity to read this one also. There was a review in a local newspaper.
417629
Hi everyone , I really like this book I'm glad I bought it not finished reading it but from what I already read so far I liked it , it has good facts and good information . Well good luck and happy shopping.
3678915
I'm the sole author of this book (Christopher Berg). Andreas Berg has written a drum book for Mel Bay, Inc., but I'm not sure how his name became associated with this work. I just thought I'd clear this up (although the screen shot of the cover does make it clear).
2856276
I would like to comment on a review of this book by Sarah Dippity on 15 Jan 2015.  I have this 4 inch by 6 inch by one-half inch book.  Mine is dated 1987 so perhaps that might account for the differences. Firstly, she agrees with the author's conclusion which she states are on pages 162-163.  I have the same conclusion on page 222 of my book.  Secondly, she talks about the author discussing the Heavenly joys of seeing the city, mansion, flowers, trees, etc which are on pages 141-142 of her book.  Pages 141 to 152 are "On the company of Hell" in my book.  Thirdly, On her pages 64-65 she has a reference to supposed conjectures about what Jesus might say(but did not say) and uses quotation marks.  I found references to what Jesus said in numerous places in the book and all were from early Church and pre-Church prophets and writers like Matthew, St. Paul, Isaiah,etc.  All were is quotes with a reference.  If a newer edition comes our there might be some movement of paragraphs or pages but it seems unlikely it would be this substantial.  If a new version was a much larger book with fewer pages that might explain it, however this write-up is under the 222 page book.  However it works out, I enjoyed the book very much.
4037244
Stephen  Kings essay on guns was quite good actually. I am pro gun and agreed with him on quite a few areas, even though  Mr. King is for some gun control. A good read on a very controversial subject. Would suggest all read it, for .99 it is well worth it.
661277
Bill was a friend of the family, so we'd go to his house in the summer around the time this book was written, maybe even while it was being written. I also remember being given a copy of it by Bill. If memory serves, he had a second fawn some years later, which is the one I believe I met. It's been probably been 20 years since I cracked the book, so I can't remember the book, but I remember my experiences, which were pretty cool, especially being around 10. Anyway, check it out!
3734871
<div id="video-block-RRJHYAEONUGPE" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1uFM9JPxMS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31FGlgM8UUS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;We interviewed Mike for our 2000Books podcast - here is a quick video summarizing the main idea in the book.
3186961
The author sent me the following email:

"I got your e-mail address from your Amazon review of The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century.  I've just published a related book. Only managed 60 pages so I'm publishing it as a Kindle Single.  Haven't read elsewhere the ideas that I attempt to present.  I discuss George Friedman's theories extensively.  My book costs the same as a caff latte.  It only takes an hour to read.  A review from you on Amazon will offer credibility to a fledgling unknown author (me)."

(this was followed by a link to his website offering the book for sale)

Cheers,
Alan

* Did Amazon share my email address when they weren't supposed to?
* Did the author "mine" it somehow?
* Is this how Amazon and/or book authors respect the contributions of customers who write reviews?

Maybe I'm overreacting, but this doesn't seem appropriate to me, hence my "review".
1691878
I have only read about half of the book so far. The reason is: that the book tends to put me to sleep. I only read about 4 pages and my eyes start getting heavy, then I am gone. I would like to read the rest of the book but, will later this year when I have more time. I don't really agree with what he has to say, 100%. He states that what is written in the book is his opinion and I beleive that to be true. I have a limited medical background so I find some of the things, he says, to be questionable.
3252455
I haven't finished reading it, because I am digesting it as I go.  I do believe it is a very good book and Dr. Rawlings has covered a subject that has bothered me for years because of the supposed "low brain oxygen levels" accused of causing the euphoria during out-of-body and near-death experiences.  I firmly believe in the Trinity, heaven and hell.  I am so glad someone who is knowledgeable has researched and written this for all to read.  My deep thanks!

Later review:  Dr. Rawlings brought in ideas that I had never even considered. I am very grateful that this man took the time to give the insights into a subject about which I had wondered so much.  For someone who thinks some things are just for "fun", I believe this book might change his/her mind!
3607412
I think that the book is quite interesting, that it has some insights worth considering. I have not finished the book yet though, so its conclusions and all I can not say if I agree or disagree with yet. I would like to see the resources and other materials of reference for the data though.

So far so good overall, just hope we don't end up with a so called social-justice (aka socialist) conclusion stating that we need more government involvement(infringement)in our lives.
2629349
I was asked if I would take a look at this particular book.  I will admit that I am not usually someone who reads self-help books.

I will say that the book is written in an easy to understand fashion.  It has many good points to be made in the respect of thinking positively about yourself and your life.  I also appreciate the author's desire to break us of the habit of seeing ourselves as victims or as the party that has always been hurt.

I do a lot of counseling in the realm of Pastoral work and so many times people believe they have been victims or everything is the other persons fault, it is never their fault.  Stop that thinking right now and Steve Norton hits that nail on the head.

So, why only three stars if I agree with much of what he says in the first part of the book?  Well, I didn't like his hype at the beginning of the book.  He has found the answer!  He knows the truth!  He has read everything and put it all together and come up with the solution!  That sounds more like a self-help salesman than someone who wants to help us change our lives.  I don't think he is technically that type of person, but it left me with that feel.

I also did not agree with the approach of simple self inflicted bad responses to our bad habits.  He talks about using a rubber band to twang yourself when you have bad thoughts or when you remember bad habits that hurt your life.

I guess I am more a fan of the power of positive thinking.  I turn to scriptural responses to help people see the terrible consequences of their "victimization" or their comment, "It's the other persons fault and issue not mine."

I believe that Nortons technique will work for some, but I am not a fan of it overall.

Overall there are many good points that Norton makes in the book.  So, read it with an open mind, but also read it with an honest question of how this will work for you.  In the mean time, you are not the victim.  You own your life and the happiness or pain in it.
3545855
I love the way publishers today are titling books based on the catchiest section of the book even though it is not close to the majority of the book's content. It is an example of an economic decision. Will someone write a book one day titled, "Why Books are Titled Differently than their Contents and Other Interesting Markenomics Questions"?

Now for the content. I thought the introduction was way too heavy for a mass market book; however, once you reach the actual chapters, they are much lighter and easier to follow, though you may find yourself rereading a paragraph or two.

The reason for four stars instead of five is simple: I found that the author sometimes used in depth analysis to prove the improper thinking of decision makers while supporting his opposite result with very light analysis. One example is in the section on infant deaths and regulations related to air travel. The author assumes that people who flew in the past will drive if the price is too high for them or, at least, that a large percentage of them would. There is an assumption here that the families who would have traveled by air will now travel by car. This is the only way it could result in increased deaths "because of the regulation". Here's a thought, what if most of those people just stay home now or vacation within an hour or two of their home? Could this change the numbers so that indeed more people are safe than without the regulation? I don't know because we are not exposed to all of the author's research as we should not be in a book such as this.

Don't get me wrong. I think the book was excellent, but this surface thinking seemed to reappear on a number of occassions. I'm sure the author has thought through the arguments against his posistions in greater detail and maybe it's just the result of publishing a book for the masses, but I would give 5 stars, if I had that detail. My problem with the surface thinking is that it is the very kind of thinking the book seems to be arguing against.

Here are just a few other factors one should consider in relation to infant seat requirements:

-Could the requirement of infant seats lower the stress on business travelers (who have a baby leaning over and slobbering on them during the flight [I love it when my kids lean on me, but not yours (smile)])? Could this lowered stress result in decreased accidents while those travelers are commuting from the destination airport to their hotels or business locations? I'm not sure.

-Could the families saying in their home areas reduce accidents while driving in unfamiliar places? I don't know. Maybe we're safer when driving in unfamiliar areas because we pay more attention.

-Could the increased price of air fares, due to the infant seat requirements, result in fewer unneeded business trips that can now be handled by phone calls and end up decreasing business related accidents? The increase air fares for everyone weren't really addressed, though we know they always get spread around a bit.

There were at least a half dozen other thoughts I had while reading the section that the author didn't address. In fairness to the author, it would have taken a 1600 page tome to address all of my questions; however, I felt a bit more devil's advocate against his calculations would have been interesting.

Other than that, the book is excellent and makes you think, think, think!
3577331
Lennon once made a comment to the effect that every two-bit hack associated with the Beatles would eventually get one book out of the deal, and in this case Kane is already on number two. Don't waste your time; if you want a real page-turner that brings up truly new insights, check out "The Beatles" by Bob Spitz, which is extremely insightful and well writen. I'm going to sell my copy of Kane's book: anyone interested?
2155516
How can I contact the author, Stephen R. Datz ? I would appreciate it (address or e-mail address).