How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business Review

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(More customer reviews)Some things are easy to measure. Time, money, exercise, calories, location - all of these are relatively straightforward to repeatably determine or calculate.
But how does one go about measuring happiness? What about compassion, or public influence, or creativity? These are more intangible, harder to pin down to a number that means anything.
Douglas Hubbard has written an impressive work called "How To Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business."
While it's written primarily for business people, the lessons transfer smoothly to self-experimenters. Hubbard begins with a compelling case for why to measure intangibles:
"Often, an important decision requires better knowledge of the alleged intangible, but when a [person] believes something to be immeasurable, attempts to measure it will not even be considered.
As a result, decisions are less informed than they could be. The chance of error increases. Resources are misallocated, good ideas are rejected, and bad ideas are accepted. Money is wasted. In some cases life and health are put in jeopardy. The belief that some things--even very important things--might be impossible to measure is sand in the gears of the entire economy.
Any important decision maker could benefit from learning that anything they really need to know is measurable."
He goes on to explain in detail how to measure intangibles, including sections on how to clarify problems, calibrate estimates, measure risk, sample reality, and use Bayesian statistics to add to available knowledge. He also describes his Applied Information Economics (AIE) Approach that ties together several threads of his ideas:
"The AIE approach addresses four things:
1. How to model a current state of uncertainty
2. How to compute what else should be measured
3. How to measure those things in a way that is economically justified
4. How to make a decision"
I'm working my way through the book, and am incredibly grateful to Douglas Hubbard for writing it.

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Total Body Training Review

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(More customer reviews)Every athlete should read this book and carefully follow the principles outlined in each chapter. Athletes who are struggling with injuries will especially benefit from the sections of the book devoted to rehabilitating various problems. As an athlete trying to get back to top form, I can attest to the exercises represented in the book. Robert Gajda knows his stuff, he has trained many, many top athletes, thus he speaks and writes from years of experience. Please, do yourselves a favor and get a copy of this book.

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Beyond Basic Training: Fitness Strategies for Men Review

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(More customer reviews)I already had a copy of "Basic Training," Jon's first book, and so I picked this one up without hesitation. Whereas "Basic Training" is a good starting point, this book easily picks up where the first left off, taking topics like emotional well-being, diet and the more esoteric topics that guys who want to jump in and get going at the gym are likely to overlook.
Jon gives a good look at some other forms of exercise, including yoga and stretching, as valuable additions to a fitness "repertoire." The book isn't focused entirely on training--thus the title "Beyond Basic Training," and making it much more valuable than any of the countless exercise titles out there.

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Beyond Basic Training is a guidebook to a fully integrated program that synthesizes core training with the new fitness trends of the twenty-first century. Giswold cuts right to the chase, encouraging readers to define goals and set up training strategies, then immersing them in efficient and effective routines to meet those goals. Every routine is presented at three levels-for the novice, the minimalist and the exerciser who demands total body conditioning-and can be mixed and matched throughout one training session or through a course of conditioning. Dynamically illustrated with striking photographs which demonstrate every move and position, Beyond Basic Training is an essential resource for anyone who wants to kick up their workouts to a higher level and see dramatic and permanent results.

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The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, X-Treme, Scuba-Diving, Spearfishing, Adventure Amid the Off Shore Oil Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico Review

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(More customer reviews)If he were alive today, Lloyd Bridges would just die.
As it is, in that great water world in the sky, he's probably reverse-inducted his air supply, causing his regulator to reverberate and self-destruct, or whatever it is regulators do when they implode in dismay.
Humberto Fontova has created a first book that is a paen to Louisiana and its Gulf fisheries.
In doing so, he has spear-gunned every sacred sea cow the Sea Hunt crowd--and the wine-tasting, escargot-slurping,environmentally-connected Sierra Clubbers--have ever embraced in the pursuit of politically correct, fish-hugging, non-consumptive usage of the Gulf of Mexico, and her abundant piscatorial plenty.
Thumbing his nose at all in a juicy redneck/sea-scum dialect, Fontova writes the following: "...In the Fund for Animal's annual 'Body Count,' which scores states in its 'Cavalcade of Cruelty' by the number of animals 'murdered' by hunters as reported by fish and game agencies, Louisiana was: NUMBER ONE! the last two years running..."
Hilariously irreverent, Fontova is a fast, furious, funny read about the ultimate extreme-edge sport, deep-water scuba diving and fish hunting around the lush fisheries environment of oil rigs off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. What makes it interesting is that not only are these characters going entirely too deep to be doing this stuff, but sometimes, the fish hunt them...
Rip Linton, head of the East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff's Office Flotilla Dive and Rescue Team, is a certified dive instructor, certified cave diver, and certified rescue diver. He has dived with most of the South Louisiana characters and clubs described in Fontova's book.
"When everyone started getting into diving back in the fifties, the tables for safe depths were written by the U.S. Navy," Linton said. "When I started diving with the Helldivers, and some of these other clubs, I was amazed at the depths they were reaching. Some of these characters were bending themselves, they were going so deep, and staying so long...and you can't 'bend' yourself over about three times before there's permanent damage. These guys were going down as much as a hundred feet below the Navy's recommended safe depths. They literally rewrote the books on maximum depths for scuba!"
THE HELLDIVERS RODEO is at once a description of middle-aged crazies who dive the rigs and platforms of the Gulf in polyester disco outfits from the Seventies, hunting big fish to spear and ride, and it is also a love affair with Louisiana and its waters as only an adoptee can describe and appreciate.
Born in Cuba in the fifties, Fontova starts his book describing how he and his cousin, watched over by their long-suffering nanny, Tata, would swim the shallow waters of the beaches east of Havana, using home-made spear guns and straightened coat hangers for spears. Stern milicianos, teen-aged boys with machine guns imbued with the spirit of la revolucion, stood watching them from the beach. Fontova describes how his family eventually escaped Cuba and Communist oppression, and landed in Louisiana.
"That was thirty years ago. Now Pelayo and I find ourselves a few hundred miles north of Cuba, and speaking a different language. We're brushing that 'continental slope' again, spearing fish again. We arrived a gaggle of penniless and terrified Cuban refugees--didn't even speak the language. But terror was short-lived. Louisiana has always embraced immigrants and even visitors. She greets them joyfully at the gangplank or tarmac like a lost grandmother, beaming and waving frantically. She rushes out, lifts and twirls them. She mashes them into her ample bosom...her stubbled chin poking them and her garlicky breath suffocating them. But no matter, she makes her point: 'Welcome! You're family now!'"
According to Fontova, when scuba diving started becoming popular in the mid-fifties, the rigs had been placed off the Louisiana coast less than ten years. Jacques Cousteau had just written the first book on scuba diving, THE SILENT WORLD, and the first underwater film, RED SEA ADVENTURE by Hans Hass, had just come out. All this led south Louisiana good ol' boys, raised on a culture of hunting and fishing, to see the benefits of combining the two by diving and spearfishing.
Many states have more certified divers than Louisiana, according to Fontova. But JBL, the world's largest manufacturer of spearguns, sells more spearguns in Louisiana than any other state in the union. In fact, most are sold out of a couple of area dive shops in New Orleans--the jumping off point for extreme diving and dangerous spearfishing...
A love affair with the outdoors and Louisiana's bounty, a history of skin-of-your-teeth diving by crazy south Louisiana Cajun cowboys and Cuban expatriates, and a hunt for the biggest, baddest fish, some of whom turn and come back at you when you stick them with a spear, THE HELLDIVERS RODEO is JAWS on steroids, and SEA HUNT in a straight jacket.
Ninety-eight percent of the deaths in skindiving occur while spear fishing. Read this book, and discover why. Discover a world so alien to your sensibilities, you will truly begin to understand why deep water diving has been compared to the aloneness, the vast blackness of outer space.
And when the Helldivers "bounce" dive the rigs, hunting the biggest, and frequently foulest-tempered of the fishes, spearing them and then ducking back into the web of rig legs so the teeth chew on steel and barnacles, rather than polyester and Cuban/Cajun machismo, you'll grit your teeth as the "pucker factor" causes you to grip your seat without use of your hands...
If SEA HUNT was an undersea rendering of outer space, THE HELLDIVERS RODEO is ALIENS on ..., and an unabashed thrill-seeking ride down deep for the high of the ultimate hunt. Get on board,pop a brew, hyperventilate, and take the ride. You'll never look at the Gulf of Mexico (or Cuban expatriates) the same again.

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Collapse of Burning Buildings: A Guide to Fireground Safety (Firefighter Survival Training Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is very well written, providing the reader a clear overview of the collapse hazards presented by a burning building. The organization of the chapters makes the book a valuable resource for a fire service instructor - complete with a "lessons learned" section at the end of the chapters.
The only downside to the book is that it is written primarily from the urban perspective - but then, that's where Vincent Dunn got his experience.
I'm hoping for a new edition; one that focuses more attention on the dangers of lightweight wood construction, and considers the challenges of the rural fire service.
In the meantime, though, the current edition provides a thorough foundation in building collapse (based on building construction) for a fire fighter or fire officer.

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Learn how to protect yourself from collapse by understanding why it occurs and the signs that lead to it. Dunn reviews general building design and construction methods, along with the types of collapses that may occur. He also documents hazards that occur with master stream operations and buildings under construction.

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Core Performance Endurance: A New Fitness and Nutrition Program That Revolutionizes the Way You Train for Endurance Sports Review

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(More customer reviews)First, the good. I've been a big fan of Core Performance workouts since reading the first book by Mark Verstegen. As I shifted toward more endurance sports like triathlon, I found the original book to be less helpful. Core Performance Endurance is the long-awaited combination of a core conditioning program with endurance training. On this most important point, I think Verstegen has again come through in a big way. Workouts emphasize flexibility, core strength, and injury prevention. Days are divided by emphasis on "strength", "power", "regeneration", and "rest". The idea is that, through this approach, an athlete will train efficiently and get the most results for the effort expended. What most people would call the "cardio" work is here referred to as "energy system development" or ESD. ESD work is done on most days, but it varies between slow days at less than race pace, relatively short intervals at race pace, and brief intervals at greater than race pace. The goal is to use the combination of approaches to improve the lactate threshold, the point where muscles start to "burn" and increase the level at which an athlete continuously perform without lactic acid build up. This flies in the face of "more is better" training, and it is consistent with the most recent advances in exercise physiology.
The Bad. If you are expecting a spoon-fed workout, you will be disappointed. The ESD workouts do not specify which sport is to be performed. That approach would work best for a pure runner or biker. For a multi-sport triathlete, it leaves a fair bit of the work in designing the program to the individual. For instance, should a swim be combined with a "power" day or a "strength" day? Should one alternate? How should "brick workouts" (two sports one after another, usually biking followed by running) be integrated? I like to take a hands-on approach to the details, but I can see how many might be put off by this. This book should properly be considered a foundation to an endurance exercise program, helping an athlete maximize their results and prevent injury. It should not be considered the whole program in itself.
The Ugly. An athlete progresses through stages (i.e. A, B, C) and levels (1, 2) that increase in length of time and difficulty. When ready to go to "level 3", you are instructed to go to the website, coreperformance.com. The problem? It's a site that REQUIRES A PAID MEMBERSHIP. I thought this was pretty sleazy. I don't think I would have bought the book if it had been marketed as "Two Thirds of Core Performance Endurance". When I first read the instruction to go to the website, I was pretty steamed. I was ready to dash off a 1-star review and trash the book. After I cooled down, I decided that, had there NOT been a 3rd level at all, I would have thought the workout was still pretty darn good. Judging the workout program by what is between the covers, I am reasonably happy. I decided to do my best to inform potential buyers and let them decide if it was a deal breaker or not. Consider getting the free trial offered at the site before buying the book, just to see if you think there is any value added for you.
So, for an excellent and innovative workout, I think Core Performance Endurance delivers. It would have been a much better book if it wasn't also a teaser for a subscription for an online exercise program run by the author. 4 stars.


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The third book in the breakout Core Performance series offers cutting-edge training for the endurance athleteMark Verstegen launched the core training revolution with Core Performance, which broke new ground in fitness with its intense focus on the muscles of the core--shoulders, hips, and midsection. Now Verstegen provides an exciting new application of his powerful Core program, addressing the special needs of the endurance athlete.Core Performance Endurance:' helps endurance athletes at all levels--whether they're competitive swimmers, hard-driven triathletes, or everyday joggers--avoid the injuries that too often sabotage their performance' delivers the desired combination of strength and stamina, balance and flexibility, athletic quickness and power that the endurance athlete strives for' provides an endurance-oriented nutrition program--complete with recommendations for pre- and post-race eatingThis book not only helps endurance athletes train more effectively, but also gives them a potent regimen of core training that will help them move more efficiently, thereby staving off overuse injuries and long-term deterioration.

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Commandos: The Making of America's Secret Soldiers, from Training to Desert Storm Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very insightful book that is clearly well researched. The author really sheds light on the types of training and the selection process that American Special Forces soldiers must endure. The Green Beret training was particularly insightful because the author takes you along on some of the war games that the soldiers have to play. The author travels along to "Hell Week" that all Navy Seals have to endure. Where the author stands out, is that he successfully captures the personalities and emotions of the people that he follows. They all come from unique backgrounds, and the author really captures how their personalities affect their thinking as soldiers. I especially liked the fact that the author did a section on Air Force special forces pilots, the guys who fly the helicopters that deliver the more glamourous ground troops. They don't get enough recognition in the action world of hollywood. However, one wonders who designed such a complicated helicopter. REad the book, and all will be explained. The one big disappointment in the book (the reason I'm giving it three stars) is the limited look at Delta Force (the anti-terrorist force). Compared with the rest of the book, this section lacked the detail that made the other sections interesting. This was probably the section that I was most looking forward to so it was quite a disappointment. 3/4 of the book is hugely enjoyable but that one section was a bit lacking.

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Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties (School-Based Practice in Action) Review

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(More customer reviews)George McCloskey's text presents the most clearly written and expertly integrated view of executive functions and how they impact student performance. His explanation of the arenas and domains for executive function involvement, as well as the varied nature of the numerous functions (such as modulate, initiate, etc.), allows the reader to fully comprehend this view of neuropsychological functioning. In addition, he presents case studies which are extremely helpful for envisioning the variety of ways that executive functions can impact student behavior and performance. This is a must-have for school psychologists who want to be up to date on EF assessment and intervention!

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In Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties, McCloskey, Perkins, and Diviner provide aunique blend of theory, research, and practice that offers clinicians an overarching frameworkfor the concept of executive functions (EFs) in educational settings. The conceptual model of executive functions is detailed, including their role in behavior, learning, and production across all settings. The heart of the book focus on the practical issues involved in the use of assessment tools, tests, report writing, and the implementation and follow-up of targeted interventions using the EF model. Six case studies are introduced in Chapter 1 and followed throughout the book, building understanding of the executive function difficulties of each child, assessment for identifying the difficulties, and interventions for dealing with the difficulties. An additional case study is discussed in detail in one of the concluding chapters, anda companion CD will provide the practitioner with a wealth of assessment forms, parent and teacher handouts, behavior tracking charts, and report/documentation forms.

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Laugh and Learn: 95 Ways to Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training Review

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(More customer reviews)Recently, an old friend suggested that I read Doni Tamblyn's Laugh and Learn, a "how to" book that delineates various exercises, all intended to increase creative thought. At first I was reluctant to read the book--as a high school teacher I am bombarded by teaching methodologies, each one claiming to be the magic key that will unlock student achievement and motivation. So I was surprised when I discovered that Laugh and Learn was 1) witty 2) entertaining 3) well-researched 4) practical and, best of all, actually works!
Through a combination of data compiled from brain-compatible research, and an enormous catalogue of easy to read, easy to implement student activities, Tamblyn makes the compelling case that creative thought flourishes best when learners are first instructed to avoid being clever and original. While the ultimate goal may be to reach heights of innovative thinking, Tamblyn assures us that such heights will more than likely be reached when the learner's mind is relaxed enough to begin making the connections that distinguish the truly interesting thought from the mundane.
In each chapter, Tamblyn discusses the hows and whys of encouraging learners to lose their anxiety and increase their joy as they discover the creative process within themselves. Although the book is a virtual treasure trove of fun activities for students, my favorites have been the "mind map" and the "finish the sentence ball toss." (You have to read the book to find out why these activities are such big fun!) Again, the idea behind each activity is to "sneak up" on the creative drive before it has a chance to realize that it is being scrutinized and therefore shut down like a wall flower at a jr. high school dance.

At least one or two days a week, I incorporate a Laugh and Learn activity into my lesson plans. My students love the program. And their test scores and projects reflect the influence of Tamblyn's techniques upon greater retention of content and increased motivation for success. This is nothing short of a miracle, when you consider the natural reluctance of teenagers to try anything that might make them look "uncool" in front of their classmates.
Laugh and Learn is both brilliant and of enormous practical benefit--two qualities not often found in teacher training manuals. Tamblyn's book should occupy a special place on every educator's desk. Five stars, Ms. Tamblyn, five stars and more...

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Humor can be a valuable resource in the learning environment. It isn't just about puns and one-liners, and even if you're not a "funny" person, it's easy to bring creactivity, entertainment, emotion, and yes, even some laughs to almost any educational setting. Here's a book that will help trainers loosen up and create memorable programs that both they and their students will remember - and use.

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On Top of the Potty: And Other Get-Up-and-Go Songs Review

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(More customer reviews)I've gotten to checking out the books in this series from the local library first and seeing if they stick before buying them. This one's fairly new, however, and they don't have it yet, but timing was an issue. We're in the midst of potty-training and I got it so we would have some entertainment while waiting for *something* to happen (if you know what I mean, and if you're a parent in a similar situation, I think you do).
Didn't take long before the songs became part of our regular repertoire. My poor wife now has to sit through two males belting out songs about pooping on the neighbor's stoop, etc. Good thing she has a sense of humor.
One thing the songs do is turn light-hearted something that is stressful for children of that age, but I imagine it depends much on their sense of humor. If your child likes the other Katz/Catrow books, odds are they'll like this one too.

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From the hilarious and kid-pleasing team who brought us Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs and Are You Quite Polite?: Silly Dilly Manners Songs comes this selection of songs guaranteed to make potty training everywhere into the easiest and most enjoyable event in a child's life -- ever! Washing their hands of the old words to familiar tunes such as "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "London Bridge Is Falling Down," Alan Katz and David Catrow combine their exceptional talents to offer kids and their parents songs to sing with pride -- as well as a valuable way to encourage youngsters as they discover the joys of trading in their diapers for the royal throne: the potty-chair!

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Sports Medicine Essentials: Core Concepts in Athletic Training and Fitness Instruction (Clinical Allied Healthcare Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this book to assist my kids who are in HOSA with sports medicine/injuries competitions. It is awesome! Anyone thinking about going into PTA or sports athletic training, needs a copy of this!

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Sports Medicine Essentials: Core Concepts in Athletic Training and Fitness Instruction creates a new benchmark of quality for textbooks relating to this field.Written by a NATA-certified athletic trainer, this text also breaks new ground by encompassing the closely related fields of athletic training and fitness instruction.Topics include anatomy and physiology; emergency prepared-ness; vital signs; basic life support; treatment and prevention of injuries; nutrition and weight control; therapeutic modalities; and physical rehabilitation.

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Galloping Minds - Potty Training Little Ones Review

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(More customer reviews)"Potty Training Little Ones" is an equal opportunity, comprehensive potty training manual for little children and their parents. Complete with color illustrations, black and white illustrations for the child to color, and potty training success charts, "Potty Training Little Ones" is user-friendly to its intended audience. An encouraging, positive attitude is emphasized, plus there is a list of helpful signs that show when a child is ready to be potty trained. The child's active involvement in promoted and encouraged at every step of the potty training process, from picking out the potty to calling Mommy when done using the potty and washing hands afterwards. The rewards chart for potty training successes is studded with blank stars that the child is allowed to color after successful toileting. "Potty Training Little Ones" is a helpful tool to parents and toddlers facing this important step of transition from infancy to early childhood.

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The Golf Courses of the Monterey Peninsula Review

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(More customer reviews)If you have ever been to the Monterey Peninsula and played just even one or two of the famous courses there, this book will be that stimulus to allow you to relive those rounds or to think ahead to new ones on those most famous (and exclusive) courses.
Nearly every hole at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point are pictured and a good amount of the holes at Poppy Hills, Monterey Pennisula CC, Spanish Bay and Pacific Grove are included as well. You can practically feel the damp and crisp morning air or hear the seals barking offshore through the pine forests as you flip through the pages of this book. If ever there was a great bedtime book for golfers who want to have pleasant dreams about one of the world's best (if not the best) golfing venues, this would be that book.

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Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times Review

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(More customer reviews)Basic Black is a book that should be on your shelf. It covers topics that we ordinarily overlook, while it providers a refresher of Manners 101. If you've ever had a question about what the "appropriate" thing to do is, then you should buy this book

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The Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook Review

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(More customer reviews)Absolutely the most thorough and understandable book on the fabulous Golden Retriever pup. There are many excellent books, magazines, and other articles out there, but this one tops them all.
Ten years ago, when we purchased our first Golden, I did much in-depth research, deciding on which breed to buy. Now, after having purchased a new puppy, my "The Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook" arrived after-the-fact (I ordered it after I purchased the pup!).
I am astounded by the author's knowledge of the breed. It's as if she knows our pup, his personality, traits, instincts and his habits personally. I cannot tell you how very comfortable and confident it makes me feel to have this book. I would rate it ten-stars!

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What Ann Johnson brings to the discussion in this book are very personal ways of caring for Golden Retriever puppies based on her experience, knowledge, and background in Biology. Her natural ability to listen to all points of view and her extensive background in science as an educator and researcher have proven invaluable in helping to create the best and most harmonious life for each of her Golden puppies and for each puppy s family.Explaining the growth phases of a Golden puppy during his first year of life, Ann separates these periods into stages of development, describing the major changes that take place:Seven Weeks through Four MonthsFive Months through Eight MonthsNine Months through Twelve MonthsIn the comprehensive middle section of the book, she deals with health concerns:VaccinationsFeeding and NutritionCommon Health ProblemsParasitesNeutering and SpayingFinally, she addresses specific topics for new owners (and breeders) including a chapter about a puppy s first visit to the vet (written by Jean H. Cunningham, VMD).This book is basically a compilation of responses to questions owners of new puppies have asked her over the course of three decades working with owners and their families. In addition, she discusses matters she finds interesting or fascinating and does not avoid discussing areas controversial in the breed: Not everything is known about so-called genetic defects, she says. For breeders and owners to focus exclusively on the genetic component and not take into consideration environmental influences ignores a major component of what goes into producing a healthy Golden. Most amazing of all is Ann s devotion to her own canines and to the welfare of the breed. She is not only clearly fascinated with the lives of these wonderful creatures, but she is as closely connected to their world as she is to ours.

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In Praise of Athletic Beauty Review

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(More customer reviews)Overall, I found this book worth reading, a rather broadly-ranging philosophical foray into popular culture. In the hands of a good teacher, it could serve as a non-threatening introduction to philosophy for undergraduates otherwise unlikely to be drawn to such pursuits.
In the end, however, I remain unconvinced. I would like to test Gumbrecht's celebration of spectatorship via an analogy:
Is the series "literature----reader---criticism" analogous to the series "sports---spectator---praise"?
There exists an entire literature of apologetics for literary criticism. The critic engages the author by contextualizing, making connections in the canon, expanding upon ambiguities, unpacking metaphor, etc. The critic contributes substantially to the task of making meaning.
The spectator who praises athletic prowess simply reacts positively. What does he contribute?
The critic has a different set of skills than the author but they are demonstrable skills. He is more than a critic of other people's creations. The spectator praises (and blames) the performance of others; only rarely would the spectator be qualified to be a competitor. Perhaps the pleasure produced by spectating leads to praise. In the rarest of occasions this praise may have aesthetic merit of its own. It remains to demonstrate what value spectating has. How is it not just indolence? How is it more than merely setting myself up as judge of what I could not do. Given the choice, why would I spectate rather than perform?
Put another way: there is no objective value (apart from personal entertainment) in choosing to write bad literature myself. It is objectively of value to read the work of others who have mastered the art of writing and the same holds true for any of the arts. It cannot be argued that there is no objective value in engaging myself to the degree that I am able in athletic activity. There is a clear physiological, psychosomatic advantage to participation over spectating regardless of how well I perform.
A second observation: in the arts, criticism and the development of taste make it possible over time to know how to choose only the best examples for contemplation. This is not possible in sports. On the one hand, this adds a chance dimension--any competition may ultimately include a "magic" moment. On the other, it means one consumes vast amounts of mediocre sport.
Gumbrecht's study leaves a potentially interesting area unexplored: the grey area between sport and dance. The Slavs seem to have had no traditional athletic competitions until they came into regular contact with other European cultures but competitions of dancing prowess were common and highly significant social events. In the 19th/20th centuries, dance led naturally to Slavic adoption of gymnastic clubs (Turnverein) from Germany. But, with dance we cross over Gumbrecht's boundary into the forbidden realm of "meaning."


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Pilates for the Dressage Rider Review

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(More customer reviews)Up front, I'm a Pilates instructor and I ride. I had different training from Ms. Dulak and have a difference of opinion of some fine points.
I don't agree with the traditional Pilates "style", if you will, in that it focuses on tightening the [...] and thighs and turning the toes and legs out. I know several horses who would not put up with a clenched [...] from the rider. And I don't think those of us who ride dressage want our toes pointed out with the backs of our thighs and backs of our calves on the horse. Horses mirror everything from us, including how we use our bodies. Do you want your horse to have a clenched [...]?
That being said, it's a good basic book. Just don't take it as the be-all end-all source.
I also take exception to the essay at the end of the book that comes across as a diatribe to me. There are many qualified and well-trained Pilates instructors who did not train with Romana. Ms. Dulak's main point of finding a well-trained and qualified Pilates instructor is a good one. But she went too far with saying that only those trained by Romana are worth going to.
Several of the photographs show the demo person attempting to do an exercise that I would have corrected before having them photographed.


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In this beautiful new book, dressage rider and Level 2 Pilates Instructor Janice Dulak has compiled a program of Pilates exercises specifically designed to help the dressage rider enhance her ability for success in dressage.While they use different terms, both Pilates and dressage share an emphasis on to torso, or "Powerhouse" in Pilates-speak, and achieving core strength, good posture and muscle flexibility. The goals of a Pilates program are often Identical to what riders try to achcieve in the saddle in the sport of dressage.

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