Average customer rating:
- must like stores like radio shack
- Useless - not worth the money
- Greasy Kids' Stuff
- More for kids
- A little silly, but fun
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Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change
Cy Tymony
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, ... a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make
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Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius : 28 Build-It-Yourself
ASIN: 0740738593 |
Book Description
Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system?Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things¿and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos¿in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun.You¿ll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by:¿ Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations.¿ Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards.¿ Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry.¿ Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you¿ll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
must like stores like radio shack.......2007-06-15
This book describes how to make gadgets. If you already know about electricity and magnetism and basic physical science, buy this book and impress your young cousins/nephews/ nieces. there is survival stuff like collecting water from plants, safety stuff like making a fire extinguisher, and cool stuff like building a magnetic ring or wand to do things (hence the radio shack title).
Also a good purchase for budding mad scientist and science teacher.
Useless - not worth the money.......2007-05-23
I found this book to be useless and lacking in creativity. I think I'm actually dumber for reading the section on how to connect things. It says to twist wires together or tape things together. I hate the fact that my first review is negative, but I felt compelled to write because I don't want others to be as disappointed as I was.
Greasy Kids' Stuff.......2007-03-10
Color me disappointed. This would be a fun book for pre-teens to early teens, but the Make magazine / Burning Man crowd should stay away. Anyone with a basic grasp of physics or electronics probably won't find much to astound or amaze here.
More for kids.......2007-01-05
The theme of this book is more for kids with nothing to do and have a little MacGyver in them. Not a bad bathroom read, but I don't really see myself ever using more than one or two of the projects described in the book. The theme is more for sneaking around which may be better for child thieves than survival tips.
A little silly, but fun.......2006-11-19
This book is a sort of training manual for MacGyver wannabes. It's a collection of low-tech, cheap little projects that one can do in order to simulate "real" technology. You could certainly use some of these in an emergency, which is what the author suggests, but that's not really the point of the book in my view.
The real use would be for kids-- or, even better, kids and parents-- who want to mess around with some every day items in ways they haven't previously, have some fun, and enjoy some "Wow! Look at that!" moments. Had the author designed the book explicitly for that purpose, many of the negative reviews here wouldn't have been written.
So, the book is both pretty silly and enjoyable, but it's not any sort of survival manual. A word of advice: Avoid the sequel; the author used all of his good ideas in this volume.
Product Description
A fearless exposé of mainstream medicines most revered dogma, Malignant Medical Myths is solidly based on trusted medical and nutritional books and journals. Americans spend $2 trillion per year on health care, about $7,000 each, yet it buys almost the poorest healthcare among developed countries, with 200,000 deaths per year from medical treatment. Find out why advice from authorities on screening tests, drugs, diet, exercise, alcohol, radiation, radon, and water fluoridation is often wrong and commercially motivated. See how clinical trials are slanted. Understand how sickness is created to sell treatments, and which government agencies support these shenanigans.
Customer Reviews:
malignant medical myths.......2007-10-05
This was exactly what I was looking for, INFORMATION and while it isn't a book for the beach, I will read and refer to it for many days,months and years. Would not part with this book.
Buy One for your Physician.......2007-06-13
One of the most remarkable examples of herd behavior among humans is their tendency to create and believe lore about medicine. Although biomedical researchers consider themselves above all this, as Kauffman shows, they are not. Without engaging in either inflated rhetoric or florid outrage, Kauffman exposes and dissects conventional wisdom in a careful selection of conditions that affect large numbers of people. Despite the occasional misstep, he puts the evidence and argument out on the table for us to see and judge. We cannot ask for more. When you are finished reading it, send it to your doctor.
Evidence based medicine at it's best!.......2007-02-26
If you care about your health, or that of those around you, this is a must read book.
This certainly isn't a book you can simply skim read. It took me a while to ponder about the impact this might have (I'm a medical student). The arguments are very well presented; he puts all the studies in front of you and analyzes them in a relevant manner.
What I consider to be a minor flaw in the book: the author sometimes concludes that certain differences in mortality are "negligible" when I don't think they are negligible. Certainly though, improvements in mortality rate are far easily attainable via fish oil, magnesium and other quality supplements.
I would love to see a new version of this book, further exploring and digging through the literature on various drugs and supplements.
Highly Recommended.......2007-01-29
You need this book. It is easy to become so engrossed in Kauffman's easy writing style that you will continue reading and lose track of time. Thumb through and stop at any place and you are guaranteed to find a wealth of information. Detractors to the best toxic-free remedies are provided rebuttals--you can learn a comprehensive approach to what and why. Let's make this required reading in medical schools! The only error I found was a typo misspelling of Antiplatelet in the Fig. 1-2 Treatment Meta-Analysis Table (p. 21). Again, this book is so loaded with useful information you will constantly refer to it. On p. 232 and again on p. 254 we read, correctly, how sunblock contributes to cancer by blocking Vitamin D formation--something that Rodale Press in their vast publishings fail to impart. Rodale Press, whom some may consider a leader in preventive health publishing, recommends sunblock to unsuspecting readers.
The hallmark of clinical observations (p2-3) over random clinical trials [RCT] is a common sense approach often missed in the medical literature and is sometimes used to discredit bonafide treatments that elicit positive results. You will learn of the class-action lawsuit against Pfizer regarding Lipitor [still want to ask you Dr. if it's right for you?](p97) and that statins cause cancer (p98).
The section on fluoridation is a must read. "How Antiflouridationists Have Weakened Their Cause," to only non-English speaking countries having the foresight to reject fluoride, to 60% US public water supplies being fluoridated--we get the good, the bad, and the ugly. As fluorides have been shown to increase cancer risks, adding them to water violated the Delaney Clause of the 1958 Amendment to the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act of 1938. So, the Delaney Clause was repealed in 1996 (p.273). Also, adding fluoride violates the EPA policy on drinking water standards (Safe Drinking Water Act) explaining why the 1990 National Toxicology Program on sodium fluoride was "revised" with findings of "clear evidence of carcinogenicity" to "equivocal" evidence. This was necessary to keep the flouridation program legal (p274).
On mammograms, benefits claim lower breast cancer mortality without providing all-cause mortality. Kauffman reminds that this is also a major fault in "major texts in gynecology and oncology" (p217). However, I was surprised to find thermography cast in such low regard, but then this is coming from the American College of Radiology, who cites a false-positive rate of 25% (p.212). Kauffman clarifies this in Addendum 1, on an entire page devoted to Thermography, in which thermography is better "able to detect breast cancer 5-8 years before mammography with vastly fewer false-positive errors" (p.327).
On anti-oxidents in red wine, Kauffman notes no evidence that moderate drinking offers worthwhile health benefits (p.142). What Kauffman calls "sudden enthusiasm for red wine in the late 1990s," reminds of a medical school course in which the professor remarked his telling the grape juice convention promoters that their product wasn't needed--that wine was preferred. No mention was made by the professor of the far superior anti-oxident capability of 1 gram of Vitamin C--in comparison.
There is absolutely no reason that this book should not sell out and go through several subsquent printings. A valuable edition to your medical library or home book-shelf.
A valuable book.......2006-10-21
In Joseph Conrad's famous novel, "Heart of Darkness," Marlowe, the narrator of the central tale travels to the Congo in search of the enigmatic and elusive Kurtz, a renowned European ivory trader who went to Africa as an idealistic "emissary of pity, and science, and progress." Marlowe finally encounters Kurtz on his deathbed, in a compound surrounded by a ruined fence, the posts of which are capped with shrunken human heads. Kurtz, having succumbed to primitive, destructive forces-- both external and internal-- utters his last words-a withering realization of truth: "The horror! The horror!"
Readers of Joel Kauffman's book "Malignant Medical Myths" should prepare themselves for an analagous journey of discovery. Not only will they learn of the specifics: that taking an aspirin a day may not make you live longer; that low carbohydrate diets are beneficial, not dangerous; that statin drugs, while effective in reducing cholesterol-an irrelevant endpoint-do little to reduce mortality-and then only in a very select population; that high blood pressure is over-treated; that the benefits of moderate alcohol use, exercise, and mammograms are exaggerated; that chelation therapy is unfairly maligned; that fears of radiation are overdone; that cancer cure rates have not changed much in the last forty years.
More important than these specifics is the totality-the picture of the medical establishment which emerges from them. That establishment, like Kurtz, is often seen as a beacon of pity, and science, and progress, but, when examined more closely, seems corrupted by greed, an aversion to truth, and a kind of tribalistic conformity; it seems to lack the structures which would provide an ethical backbone, and promote a commitment to scientific thinking. The hospital compound, with its white coats and gleaming machines is shadowed and compromised by an ominous fence of grievous errors and unpleasant truths.
The first subheading in Dr. Kauffman's introductory chapter is: "You Do Not Have To Trust Your Doctor." The reasons gradually become clear: Doctors' recommendations often rely on information which is "outdated, biased, flawed, and sometimes based on outright fraud."
Drug companies manipulate the results of clinical trials by careful selection of volunteers, by elimination of those who show initial adverse side-effects, by publishing only favourable results, by dealing only with surrogate endpoints, by failing to use placebos, and by failing to provide total mortality figures. Relative risk statistics, which are often highly misleading are used to advantage. Abstracts of medical papers, and hence press releases, may contain selective and hence misleading information. Doctors may not only rely on information given by drug company representatives; they are feted, gifted, and even paid by drug companies. Doctors on decision-making committees and panels often have conflicts of interest because of financial ties to drug companies. Doctors have great difficulty in exercising independent judgement, because conformity to current thinking, no matter how mistaken, is the safest course.
"The horror! the horror!"
We should be grateful to Dr. Kauffman for the research he has done to expose these medical myths, and reveal the corruption which initiates and maintains them. I became aware of Dr. Kauffman's work in 2005, in researching the causes of heart disease. Dr. Kauffman is a former professor of Chemistry at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and (according to biographical information on the back cover) has now "turned his attention to exposing fraud in medicine."
I think everyone should read this book, but there is no doubt that many will find it troubling. At the end of Conrad's novel, Marlowe meets with Kurtz's fiancee. When she asks what Kurtz's last words were, he responds: "The last word he pronounced was - your name."
He lies, because, in the end, the truth is too difficult. (It is the "necessity" of this lie that is the "Darkness" referred to in the title.) Dr. Kauffman is a Marlowe who has the courage to tell us what really happened.
Book Description
Ponder, if you will ...
Do snakes sneeze?
Why didn't the three musketeers carry muskets?
What happens to the holes that are punched out of looseleaf paper?
Why don't people smile in old photos?
Pop culture guru David Feldman demystifies these questions and much more in How Does Aspirin Find a Headache? Part of the Imponderables® series -- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most perplexing conundrums -- and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, this book provides you with knowledge about everyday life that encyclopedias, dictionaries, and almanacs just don't have. And think about it, where else are you going to find out why glue doesn't get stuck in the bottle?
Download Description
"
Ponder, if you will ...
Do snakes sneeze?
Why didn't the three musketeers carry muskets?
What happens to the holes that are punched out of looseleaf paper?
Why don't people smile in old photos?
Pop culture guru David Feldman demystifies these questions and much more in How Does Aspirin Find a Headache? Part of the Imponderables® series -- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most perplexing conundrums -- and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, this book provides you with knowledge about everyday life that encyclopedias, dictionaries, and almanacs just don't have. And think about it, where else are you going to find out why glue doesn't get stuck in the bottle?
"
Customer Reviews:
imponderables.......2007-09-26
great book lots of interesting and some non information, everyone will find something in it they wondered
Answering life's deeper questions..........2005-06-09
The Imponderables book series by David Feldman is the pinnacle of interesting and useful bathroom reading! Since the beginning of the series, Feldman has been highlighting questions that we didn't even know we had (like exactly why is it that a mile is 5,280 feet? and where is Donald Duck's brother?) then he finds "the experts" on any given subject to answer the question. At the end of each question and answer, you are left with a little better insight into the world around you (and you can go out and impress your friends with an expanded catalog of obscure anecdotes).
These books are fantastic overall. They are one part almanac, one part encyclopedia and one part a book form of the show Mythbusters. Many of the questions Feldman seeks the answers to are sent to him by his many readers who want to know about these little-known facts (like why there are 18 holes in a golf course and why tennis balls are fuzzy). Okay, these may not be the most important questions in the world, but these are the things we take for granted in everyday life that we normally don't take the time to stop and think (why is that little finger on our hands called the pinky?).
Feldman has been answering these questions since the first Imponderables in 1986. He has a masters degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and taught to first ever college course on Soap Operas. If you enjoy trivia, David Feldman is the man for you. He uncovers the hidden meanings and lost history of sports, food, words, science, politics, and everything in between, often in a humorous and insightful way.
So where did Oreos get their name?
What is the difference between Dead End signs and No Outlet signs?
Why does the letter K mean Strike Out in baseball?
You'll have to read the books to find out.
How Does it Know it's Not my Toe?.......2003-05-26
Here's another installment of the "Imponderables" series, which, the jacket explains, find the answers to the conundrums over which, whether you realize it or not, you have been obsessing since your very beginning. Such as:
Why did they sacrifice innocent bunny rabbits to determine if human females were pregnant? The Darwinian biology and physiology of a sunburn and subsequent peeling.
Also considered are Reader Responses to "Frustables" posed previously:
Why do women have to go to the Ladies' Room in a pack instead of singly?
What *IS* it with men and the Remote Control?
Does anyone really like fruitcake?
As with "Do Penquins Have Knees," we are not here tackling "What is the meaning of life?" but the quick questions and answers are entertaining and illuminating. It's fun food for thought and answered my throbbing question: How does aspirin know I took it for a headache and not a stubbed toe? Reviewed by TundraVision
a blast to read and share with others.......1999-10-07
All of Feldman's "Why Do" books are a blast. You cannot help but read them out loud to who ever is listening. Alot of fun for older kids. He even asks for help solving some of the unsolved questions. And he accepts questions for future books.
If you read one, you want to read all the others. Too bad Amazon didn't sell them in sets as I have seen in other catalogs.
Fun and Interesting!.......1999-07-01
Have you ever wondered why pigs are roasted with an apple in their mouths? Or perhaps wondered why covered bridges are covered? Maybe you've always wanted to know the answer as to why we wave Polorids in the air after they come out of the camera? If you have, then this is the book for you! Even after so many other books in the Imponderables series, this book is still interesting. However, I recomend flipping through it, reading only the questions that interest you. If you read it cover to cover, it won't be as enjoyable. It also features the popular "Frustables" column, and an all new section with letters from readers. Overall, it's a fun and entertaining read.
Average customer rating:
- Good herbal advice, but sketchy science
- Written to sell author's products
- Back Pain? Get help here.
- Unfortunately, saying it's so doesn't make it so.
- Good For Doctors - Not for patients
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Beyond Aspirin : Nature's Challenge to Arthritis, Cancer & Alzheimer's Disease
Thomas M. Newmark ,
Paul Schulick , and
Thoams M. Newmark
Manufacturer: Hohm Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Herbal Remedies
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ASIN: 0934252823 |
Book Description
The 20th century has been called the "Aspirin Century" because of the widespread use of this common drug in treating everything from headache to heart disease. Now, as we enter the next millenium, we move "Beyond Aspirin" to an exciting new world of safe and natural methods to control the inflammation that lies at the root of many deadly diseases. This book is a guide to one of the most remarkable medical breakthroughs in recent history. Research now shows that inhibition of the "COX-2" enzyme significantly reduces the inflammation that is currently linked with arthritis, colon and other cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. While the conventional pharmaceutical approach to some of these situations is to prescribe drugs known as "super-aspirins," Beyond Aspirin presents a powerful case for the superiority of a safe, full-spectrum herbal approach to COX-2 inhibition. Read about: how ginger and other anti-inflammatory herbs bring powerful relief from the pain and stiffness of arthritis; how the COX-2 inhibiting herbs are being successfully used in cancer prevention; how the "brain plaque" associated with Alzheimer's is diminished by full-spectrum herbal extracts . . . and much more
Customer Reviews:
Good herbal advice, but sketchy science.......2002-10-07
I like this book for the list of helpful herbs to add to your diet and personal care plan but the science is sketchy.
The discovery of the COX-2 inhibitors is a major breakthrough, but there isn't much research to connect it with other than some phenomenology about the effects of certain herb components on these enzymes.
Part of the problem with pharmacological research on herbals is that the research requires the isolation of one component of the herb and studying its effects on physiological and biochemical reactions in a controlled manner. This is science. Herb preparations, however, as the author points out, are complex mixtures of compounds. Traditional Chinese Medicine, in fact, requires a mixture of herbals to balance their effects.
Having said all that, is this book worthwhile? I think the advice here, on using certain herbs, and some in oil applied to the skin can have a good effect for a number of ailments. I use some of these myself (ginger and rosemary, for example.) But to assure oneself that these herbs will prevent Alzheimer's and other diseases? It's impossible to know. However, the herbs are pleasant and this book lists some excellent herbal treatments. Just be sure to mention them to your doctor, as some herbs have counteractive effects on prescription drugs.
Written to sell author's products.......2002-09-08
I was suspect when I discovered this book racked in my local health food store right next to an herbal product developed by the authors that "coincidentally" blocks the COX2 enzyme mentioned in this book. Does that invalid the book? No, but it casts doubt on the authors true motives for writing it.
Back Pain? Get help here........2001-02-27
As a chronic sufferer of Back Pain, I find the recommendations in the book, Beyond Aspirin, are not only useful, but they work!!! I have suffered chronic back pain for twenty years now. All the drugs I took for the pain just gave me a bleeding ulcer ten years ago. For the last ten years I have just dealt with the pain, avoiding all the anti-inflammitory drugs. Well, here is the cure I needed. Beyond Aspirin discusses natural approaches to pain and inflammation management and it really works. While Advil and Naproxen still left me with a dull throbbing pain and ill feeling, the herbs discussed work 100% for me and leave me feeling healthy!! There is a product found at health food stores called ZYFLAMEND that has all the herbs listed in the book, and it does not cost too much. Go for it! Tell the world that there is an alternative to pharmaceuticals!!!
Unfortunately, saying it's so doesn't make it so........2001-02-24
On the basis of a feverishly enthusiastic recommendation from a long-time friend, I purchased (from amazon.com) and read Beyond Aspirin, by Thomas M Newmark & Paul Schulick, in order to attempt to form an objective opinion. I was very interested in trying to learn how the two authors, neither of whom possesses any discernible medical or scientific credentials that I have yet discovered, were able to solve the mysteries of diseases like arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
After reading this book, the bottom line for me is that, while I find it conceivable that many of the authors' assertions in this book may one day be proven to have been 100% correct, I find it impossible to substantiate today that they are correct on the basis of the data they provide in the book to support their positions.
The authors assert that it is now established that "COX-2 inflammation" causes rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease and recommend that herbal remedies, which incorporate constituents that inhibit the production of the COX-2 enzyme, be taken for prevention and treatment of these diseases.
I have two problems with accepting these assertions:
(1) After checking the websites of accepted medical authorities, including those of the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, I can find no independent corroboration for the assertion that recognized medical experts today know the cause of these diseases, nor can I find any mention of the term, "COX-2 inflammation".
(2) In Beyond Arthritis, the authors never seem to me to substantiate their assertions with verifiable data. Instead, the "support" they offer seems to fall exclusively into one of the following three categories of "proof":
· More assertions ("It is known that . .", etc.) without data
· References to "studies" which purport to support the authors' claims, but without attribution, leaving me unable to validate or invalidate the claim
· Occasional references to studies that I was able to find and examine but which, once I carefully studied the original document, failed to support the authors' assertions.
In the following example, a speculation by the scientists who conducted the study was taken out of context and presented as a "conclusion" in order to support the central premise of Beyond Aspirin.
Page 50 Beyond Aspirin: "A recent study, published in the U.S. government's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies some of green tea's prominent constituents called polyphenols (GTP) as causing a "marked reduction" in COX-2 induced arthritis. The scientists from Case Western Reserve University concluded in this study that a "polyphenic fraction from green tea that is rich in antioxidants may be useful in the prevention of onset and severity of arthritis."
That sounded pretty convincing to me at first glance. Had I been reading superficially and uncritically, my tendency might have been to conclude that such a prestigious research institution recommends that we should drink green tea to prevent and treat arthritis. However, that's not actually what it says. Also, the phrase "COX-2 induced arthritis" is from Newmark and Schulick, not the study. It is not a term used anywhere in the study they cite.
When I found the actual report itself on the website of the National Academy of Sciences, I discovered that the scientists from Case Western who conducted this study:
(a) Used the following "green tea polyphenic fraction": ". . dried green tea leaves were extracted twice with hot water and three times with 80% ethanol under nitrogen. The combined extract was concentrated and then extracted with an equal volume of chloroform. The aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate under nitrogen, and the total organic soluble fraction was concentrated under vacuum, dissolved in water, and freeze-dried . ." (N.B. That is not "green tea" and may well have properties that differ from those of "green tea".)
(b) Administered this "herbal extract" to 18 mice in a scientifically accepted, but artificial, chemically-induced, experimental model of arthritis. That is, the scientists speculated that this "polyphenic fraction", not "green tea", might conceivably have salutary effects in human beings based upon the results of a small mouse study, not on results in actual people with arthritis.
While it is certainly customary in the conclusions of scientific papers reporting on animal studies for the authors to speculate about possible effects in human beings, I feel that the authors of Beyond Arthritis could have better served their readers by fully describing the basis of the scientists' speculation -- and by making it clear that it was only a speculation and an extrapolation to a totally different species, not a "conclusion" based upon observed effects in human beings.
This is not to say that green tea isn't good for patients with arthritis (it may very well be), but I don't think one can intelligently reach that conclusion on the basis of this kind of "data".
I also found myself puzzled by the inclusion of the impressive list of references at the end of the book (which added 53 pages to its length). Because they're not referenced to specific statements in the book (as is normally done for the purpose of enabling the reader to verify sources), I don't understand the intended function of this long list for the reader.
In conclusion, while I found Beyond Aspirin to be entertainingly written, I was unable to independently verify any of the authors' major assertions and thus I remain skeptical of the authors' proposal that it is sensible to use herbal remedies to prevent and/or treat diseases such as arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.
Good For Doctors - Not for patients.......2000-12-25
Beyond Aspirin may be a good book for alternative health care practitioners, but of little use to a patient who wants immediate useful information. It delves into complex metabolic chemistry and the chemical makeup of herbs, but not into how you'd go about using them on your own (with the exeception of green tea - drink lots of it, the authors tell us). They tell us how great ginger and tumeric are for reducing inflammation, but omit telling us how much fresh ginger or tumeric is useful for tonic or therapeutic dosages, and then tout the wonders of extracts of these plants. Then, they don't tell us what dosages are useful if you get extracts. If there were a companion volume to this book for civilians, it would be a great service to people who would like to experiment with their claims. As it stands, the book is incomplete.
Customer Reviews:
Good Reading.......2006-06-23
22 short informative storys, I enjoyed this book very much, and learned some things along the way. No doubt you will learn and like this book also.
Pretty good.......2005-12-27
Some of the entries are sharply written histories. Others are overwhelmingly flinty, reading more like timely newspaper editorials of the day. Although some of the first-person accounts are dazzling acts of observation, many of the essays are polemic and tedious. There is little of the sweet aroma of context in this volume, but for purists already familiar with much of the ground covered, "The Aspirin Age" is probably an invaluable companion history to the years between the wars.
Candy for the brain.......2004-06-23
This book is just terrific. If you are interested in reading about the 20s and 30s, then you will certainly enjoy it. If you've never been interested in this period, then after reading this book, you might be! Articles range from what you might expect (albeit with a twist), like "Calvin Coolidge: A Study in Inertia" or "The Timely Death of President Harding." Others deal with subjects that made the news at the time, but are perhaps less well remembered today, such as the feats of Izzie and Moe (the Prohibition police), the Dionne quintuplets, and the wreck of the "Morro Castle." Some other topics included: Huey Long, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Crash, the first 100 days of the New Deal, Pearl Harbor Sunday, Wendell Wilkie, Versailles, Aimee Semple McPherson, the Lindberghs, the death of Starr Faithful, the night the Martians landed, the King and the girl from Baltimore. And there's still more...
This book is also ideal to introduce the period to either high school of college students, or to use as background material. The teacher could either assign the book in its entirety or simply choose a few articles. It will make history come alive for kids.
History the Best Way: Straight from the Source.......1999-12-03
I first enjoyed this period in history, (United States, 20's and 30s), when I took my only upper division history class in the subject. Our professor stated his textbook principle quite clearly: "I only use primary sources, texts written by those that were there. I just don't believe in prefabricated history textbooks."
I didn't read this book during that course, but when I ran across it in a used bookstore, I bought it for the same reason my professor chose his sources: all the essays are written by people close to the subject. In this collection, you can read about Jack Dempsey from his most famous opponent, Gene Tunney. Or who better to tell you about Huey P. Long, America's demagogue and fascist, than one of Louisiana's only newspaper editors who had the fortitude to stand up to him. All of the book's authors have such a close relationship to their subject matter, which makes this collection more reliable than others, and much more readable.
A delightful walk through the twenties and thirties........1999-09-05
"The Aspirin Age" is a delightful walk through twenty-two tumultuous years in American history. This very "readable" book contains a series of essays on a diverse array of topics during the period from 1919 through 1941. The book's chapters are all essays written by the nation's best practicing historians. Isabel Leighton's fine editing provides the continuity for these historical vignettes which enhances the quality of an already excellent work.
The topic selected for each year is not necessarily the most burning issue of that year. However, each year's topic captures a unique facet of the American psyche that invariably adds to the reader's understanding of other, perhaps more "important", issues of that era. For that reason it is a very useful addition to any student reading list in American history courses covering the Twenty-Two years dubbed "The Aspirin Age" by editor, Isabel Leighton. Indeed, most people encounter this delightful work as required reading in such courses. I first encountered "The Aspirin Age" while an undergraduate at Southwest Texas University. It was on the required reading list for a course I was taking there on the depression era. There were a number of other books that were required reading for that course. In addition to these works, the professor required us to read one or two chapters per week of "The Aspirin Age" to supplement our other reading.
Although the professor certainly intended our class to read the book more or less "piecemeal" so that we would be able to understand the social and political context of the course materials, it did not work out that way in my case. As usual I failed to follow the professor's instructions relevant to to my reading assignment for the course. I started reading the book in compliance with my reading assignment but soon found that I could not put the book down. Consequently, I finished it a day or two after starting my first assigned readings. "The Aspirin Age" was an unexpected pleasure.
If I learned nothing else as a history major, I learned that not all historical writing is created equal and that scholarly treatment of a topic does not necessarily equate to entertaining reading. I was very impressed that this book that I "had to read" turned out to be such an enjoyable reading experience.
I kept my copy of "The Aspirin Age" even after I completed the course. After I graduated from Southwest Texas I began teaching history and graduation and was happy to use "The Aspirin Age" with my own students. They enjoyed the book as much as I did as a student. The book quickly engages the student's interest. The interest level is such that the students finish the book before they have time to think about the fact that they are reading a scholarly work. It's fun to watch them devour the book. I heartily recommend the book to anyone who enjoys reading crisp,well crafted history. Most people encounter "The Aspirin Age" like I did; as required reading in one history class or another. The book is a joy to read and a wonderful teaching resource. It is kind of a shame that "The Aspirin Age's" academic pedigree is so impeccable. If a non academic friend gave you a copy of it for your birthday, after reading it you'd probably appreciate that friend a little more.
Book Description
Diarmuid Jeffreys traces the story of aspirin from the drug’s origins in ancient Egypt, through its industrial development at the end of the nineteenth century and its key role in the great flu pandemic of 1918, to its subsequent exploitation by the pharmaceutical conglomerates and the marvelous powers still being discovered today.
Customer Reviews:
Very interesting history of the headache medicine.......2006-04-14
A very fascinating look at the history of a now common headache remedy. I enjoyed this book very much!
Aspirin The remarkable story of a wonder drug.......2005-09-12
This is a readable book on an interesting subject. Written from the point of view of a journalist and not from that of a scientist, it outlines aspirin's history and use.
good history, slightly overstated in places, well-written.......2005-05-09
Aspirin is follows aspirin through its birth (Ancient Sumer and/or Egypt using willow bark as medicinal treatment), childhood (purification, chemical synthesis), adolescence (the race for monopoly and profit), adulthood (most popular drug on the planet), mid-life crisis (advent of new drugs such as Tylenol and ibuprofen), and its sudden discovery that there is life after middle-age (use as heart medicine and its possible use for a variety of other medicinal purposes).
The story is well-paced for the most part and the writing is strong. It's always clear, even when explaining the chemistry, and Jeffreys knows when enough is enough and how to move fluidly from one stage of development to the next. He also does an excellent job of making this as much about people as about chemistry, offering up small but memorable characterizations of the many people involved in aspirin's development, beginning with a young Egyptologist who bought a "found" papyrus that turned out to be the largest medical reference of ancient Egypt.
Sometimes in his enthusiasm for his subject Jeffreys may overstate aspirin's influence a bit, such as its historical role in World War II and the Nazi govt. or its efficacy during the flu pandemic of the early 20th century or still-to-be-proven uses such as a cancer fighting drug. But none of these are way out of line and they happen so rarely, and are so reasonable that they detract hardly at all from the book's pleasure.
Personally, I found the ancient history and its early history the most interesting and compelling, while the sections on German Bayer's attempts to corner the market and its later influence in Nazism to be a little overlong. Not that they weren't interesting in their own right, just that they could have been cut a bit more. Again, a small quibble.
In fact, there's very little to complain about here. An interesting read, a quick one, a clear explanation of science and the intersection of science/medicine/capitalism, an enjoyable examination of scientists and inventors little known to the vast majority of us. Recommended.
Read at Your Own Risk.......2005-03-29
The engaging writing actually was worth 4 stars, while the medical accuracy was about 1 star. It was fascinating to read about the personal characters of many of the main players with aspirin.
For the primary prevention of heart attacks, the author failed to note that most or all of the subjects were men in the various trials. Based on later work available to Mr. Jeffreys, this omission was serious, since MDs and others recommended aspirin for women as though they had been tested from the beginning.
The Physicians Health Study (PHS) of 7 years duration that generated all the rave headlines (p262) in 1989 did cut mostly non-fatal heart attack risk to 0.31 of placebo. Mr. Jeffreys failed to mention that the all-cause death risk was 0.96 and not statistically significant. Further, he neglected to mention that the PHS did not use aspirin, but used Bufferin. This is not a trivial difference because of the beneficial magnesium content of Bufferin. The later UK trial of plain aspirin on 5,500 male physicians for 7 years told a different story. The risk of non-fatal heart attack was a less impressive 0.68, and the mortality risk was 1.06. A later trial of 3.1 years that included separate results for women taking daily aspirin of unknown form gave them a mortality risk of 1.12.
Mr. Jeffreys fell for the ruse of relative risk (RR) rather than absolute risk (AR); Big Pharma uses RR to generate bigger numbers. For the 22,000 men in the PHS the reduction of AR per year of a first heart attack was just 0.11%, not a big deal. Aspirin for primary prevention is not worth the risk.
For secondary prevention of heart attacks (ones other than the first), Mr. Jeffreys correctly presented the fact that the RR with aspirin was down to 0.75-0.80; but he failed to note that just 5 weeks of daily aspirin provided nearly all of the "benefit"; so it was never necessary to continue aspirin forever and suffer all the side-effects mentioned but minimized by Mr. Jeffreys. Aspirin is probably worth the risk for short-term use in secondary prevention. He did note that women were under-represented in these early trials, but did not come to the obvious conclusion that women should avoid aspirin. He failed to note that long-term use of aspirin was associated with cataracts. He failed to compare the minor effects of aspirin with those of valuable supplements, such as EPA/DHA from fish oil, magnesium, and even vitamin E.
In enthusing about aspirin as an anticancer drug, Mr. Jeffreys failed to note that the increased mortality rates noted above, which include cancer deaths, make it unlikely that aspirin will ever be a serious threat to cancer.
Mr. Jeffreys repeated the nonsense that fatty foods cause atherosclerosis leading to heart attacks (p235, 267), and presented the challenge to this dogma in a footnote that mentioned Uffe Ravnskov as a "lone wolf" dissenter. This is a propagandist trick as there have been many, many dissenters over the years to what is called the "diet-heart" theory. See www.THINCS.org. (What is true is that polyunsaturated fats or oils, especially ones made from the omega-6 linoleic acid and trans fatty acids from partial hydrogenation do cause both diabetes and atherosclerosis, not animal or tropical fats.)
*****
Minor problems were confusing heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) caused by broken pieces of plaque or congealed blood platelets (thrombi) with congestive heart failure, and by ignoring sudden cardiac death brought on by arrhythmias.
Beta-blocker drugs do not steady the heartbeat (p246) as antiarrythmics were supposed to do, but slow the heartbeat.
Salicylates are not alkaloids (p11).
Aniline is not isolated from coal tar (p42).
Acid anhydrides are not usually obtained when acids are separated from water (p46).
Aspirin is not metabolized by loss of the hydroxyl group (p47).
A paradox? "Aspirin didn't cure a single case of influenza, but it helped millions of people in their battle with the virus and undoubtedly saved many lives as a result." (p124)
Reverse snobbery? Some chemical names of 25 letters or fewer were fussed over. Would Mr. Jeffreys have done the same for the 28-letter name Abercrombie Featherstonehaugh? (p207, 214ff)
Aspirin was buffered in an attempt to ease stomach distress, not to speed up absorption (p210).
The great superiority of magnesium to aspirin in pre-eclampsia was ignored (p266).
The "polypill" containing aspirin, beta-blocker and statin drugs was presented as a great idea (p273). Those who understand more than Mr. Jeffreys have written that it is ridiculous. See www.THINCS.org.
[...]
Wanders, Plucks, and Plunders.......2005-02-17
My overall understanding of aspirin and its history is much improved by this book, but I found the writing style and some of the information to be a hindrance to actually completing the book. Since I wanted to be fair, I did read the entire book, but I wouldn't recommend the entire thing to others.
Information wasn't always relevant and occasionally suspect. Because I have read Mauve I found this author's implication that Queen Victoria wore Perkin's invention when in fact she wore a color that looked the same but was from a natural source. This lead me to wonder how many other facts he glossed. Exacerbating detail was given for characters when it was clearly not relevant to the story of aspirin which resulted in me losing sight of the aspirin being the main point of the book. Perhaps these details were added to increase the words in the book and Jeffreys thought he should add them because he found them in his research.
The organization was neither chronological nor topical; frequently I found myself uselessly searching for a time line in the book. The writing style was neither narrative nor scientific which was frustrating.
A good book, but read it as if you were doing a fractional distillation. If something starts getting useless or boring just skim until you pick up the aspirin story again. A good edit of this book would be a great.
Book Description
Can television become a positive force in society? Can socially conscious entertainment change the world?
Two Aspirins and Comedy asks these questions and offers surprising, unconventional answers.
The historic social and political effects of such books as
Uncle Tom's Cabin and such films as
Gandhi led sociologist Metta Spencer to delve into the power of entertainment to influence society - too often for the worse, but potentially much for the better. She identifies examples of socially constructive TV dramas. She shows how mass entertainment productions can enhance our emotional well being and social sensibilities, as well as point out promising solutions to global issues; and even inspire us to become activist.
Two Aspirins and Comedy identifies entertainment as a public health issue. Our vicarious emotions, based on our empathy with fictional characters, actually harm or restore us physically. Spencer cites research proving that watching a funny movie will relax the blood vessels by 20 percent, whereas watching the battle scene from
Saving Private Ryan will constrict them by 35 percent; these effects last for hours. Life expectancy is extended several years both by love relationships and by frequent sex. People who are temporarily short of such relationships often make up the deficit vicariously by empathizing with characters on the screen. Indeed, great storytelling, especially in prolonged serial TV dramas such as
Northern Exposure, can impart wise lessons, stimulating personal growth and fostering a culture of peace and social justice.
One cannot form an intense bond with a stranger who is encountered only briefly, but can with a series that lasts years. When we develop affection for characters, they may influence our opinions. Powerful soap operas are inducing people in developing countries to enroll in adult literacy classes; to limit the size of their families; to use condoms to prevent HIV infection; and to abolish childhood marriage. Such shows are the most influential tools available for promoting beneficial social changes. In the West, series such as The West Wing also pose serious issues in the context of entertainment.
Now the challenge is to encourage reviewers to comment on the emotional, ethical, and societal impact of shows, and to gain for ourselves new means of encouraging excellent productions. Spencer encourages readers to view culture not as a commodity but as something to support for human well-being. She even suggests a $200.00 yearly tax allocation to the art of our choice - a way of fostering excellence without censorship. Society needs screenwriters who will stimulate our minds and inspire us to get busy solving society's problems. Spencer sees hopeful prospects of such changes in the new, socially insightful films that Jeff Skoll's Participant Productions are now offering.
Two Aspirins and a Comedy teaches cultural consumer responsibility and offers philosophical and scientific rationale for the positive potential power of television, film and radio.
Customer Reviews:
TV is what made me -- from Howdy Doody on up.......2006-12-18
Until I read Metta Spencer's Two Aspirins and a Comedy, I saw television as basically entertaining me, and sometimes informing me. Reading this insightful book shows me how many of my core values and understandings have been formed -- from the tolerance that Howdy Doody implicitly taught to the multiculturalism of I Spy, Northern Exposure and Star Trek.
Sociology as If It Mattered.......2006-12-01
Metta Spencer brings her skills as a Professor of Sociology, as a long-time peace researcher, and as a psychologist or social psychologist to the question of how we can change our society so that individuals are happier and more fulfilled, and the society is more peaceful and stable.
Two Aspirins and a Comedy is not really a study of television and its uses, it is actually a study of our society and how it meets the needs (and fails to meet the needs) of individuals in it. She sees people who are lonely and out-of-sorts reaching out to television stories for human contact and affirmation of their values. But mostly the television stories that are available fill their mind and their imagination with crooks, sociopaths, and unsympathetic characters, and the stories fill their minds with violence and cruelty. Spencer argues for better stories and more sustaining characters as social policy, and takes up a wide range of arguments about why we have the situation that exists.
Unlike most non-fiction (and unheard of in professional sociology) this account is wide ranging and consistently serious across a range of fields - philosophy, theology, sociology, the physiology of emotions, and so on. The voice of the author - in turn humorous, sad, empathetic, and intellectually ambitious - comes through the whole account.
Try it. Reading Two Aspirins and a Comedy is a unique experience, unlike any other book I know.
Average customer rating:
|
Aspirin, Platelets and Stroke
William S. Fields
Manufacturer: Warren H. Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Pharmacology
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Pharmacology
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0875270336 |
Customer Reviews:
Some of the Funniest Contraptions you'll ever see.......2005-01-27
My father had this book when I was a kid. I guess I have to admit my age! It's 53. When I was six or eight I looked at these over and over again and thought they were the greatest fun. I wish I knew what my family did with the book, but would love to see them again. What an imagination this guy had. If you have never seen how to get the "Cotton out of an Aspirin Bottle", well, you just don't have all the answers! And that's a fact! Don't know why he never got a patent for some of these contraptions. If anyone could make a simple job complicated it was Rube.
Average customer rating:
- The Aspirin Handbook by Joe Graedon
|
Aspirin Handbook, The
Joe Graedon
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Pharmacology
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Pharmacology
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0553561197
Release Date: 1993-06-01 |
Customer Reviews:
The Aspirin Handbook by Joe Graedon.......2003-09-09
This is an excellent work on the history and most popular
uses of aspirin. The author describes the popular uses of
aspirin for reducing inflammation, preventing Alzheimer's
through long term aspirin use and reducing arthritic
inflammation. A beauty of the work is that it discusses
proper doses and alternatives to aspirin. The work is highly
recommended as a preventive measure to deflect chronic
illnesses earlier in life.
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