Abraham Lincoln's DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics

Book Description

Twenty-four true, wide-ranging tales of crime, history, human behavior, illness, and ethics, told from the personal perspective of the author, an eminent physician-lawyer who uses these stories to illustrate the principles of human genetics and to discuss the broader issues.

Customer Reviews:

Genetics -- past, present and future.......2003-10-21

This fascinating book surveys the major facets of modern genetic research. Its various sections -- on biotechnology, social behavior, DNA in the courts and others -- are self-contained. This results in some repetition, but given the wealth of detail survyed, repetition is not unwelcome. Among the observations I found particularly intriguing are: the U.S. DoD operates the world's largest DNA databank; we will ultimately find the genes that contribute to manic-depression, but we will "map, clone and sequence" the genes that predispose to schizophrenia by 2005; the frequency of cystic fibrosis is a genetic puzzle and surprising (p. 214); Reilly finds virtually no evidence of individuals being denied access to medical coverage, or paying more for it, because of genetic testing (pg., 231-232); finally, efforts are underway to breen transgenic pigs more amenable to humans and vice-versa(!), to alter human bone marrow so as to make it more "pig-like."

Abraham Lincoln's DNA.......2002-12-10

I came across this book while I was away at sleepaway camp for the first time at Vasser Collage. One of my older friends, Ashley, was reading this book and I got interested. I spent my remaning [$$$] on this book, and let me tell you! This book is so much more than just a textbook, it helped me explore, for the first time, the world of DNA. Now I am usinf this book for a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and its helping drasticly. Now I am even more sure that when I grow up, I want to be an epidemiologest. If I could choose any book for a favorite, this would be mine! I would highly recomend this book for anyone whose careeer path is similar to mine, of anyone skilled in the medical feild, or anyone looking for a long, interesting, read.

Tales about DNA, genetics, clones and ethics.......2001-12-30

A very interesting book about DNA, genetics, clones and ethics. Each chapter in this book is a thrilling tale about something like fragile X-es, double Y's, the sheep Dolly or the Cheddar Man.

The painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the dwarfish son of first cousins, who may have suffered from a hereditary dwarfism.
Abraham Lincoln, however, was an uncommonly tall man. His height may be a sign that he had a genetic disorder known as "Marfan Syndrome". In 1962, the syndrome was diagnosed in an 8th-generation descendant of the great-great grandfather of the president. The most serious health problem Lincoln could also have been predisposed to depression, because major depressive illness has a significant hereditary component.
Well-known genetic diseases in royal families are the madness of King George and the bleeders among Queen Victoria's descendants. The son of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, was one of those bleeders. Nicholas and his family were executed and recently DNA techniques were used to identify their bones.

Beautifully written, but loses its path!.......2001-03-21

When I first picked up this book, I was excited, because it seemed to combine my love of history and science. Indeed, I enjoyed the first half of the book, with its tales of identifying the Czar's family's bones and debating whether certain historical figures had certain conditions. It made me think about all of the great historical answers hidden six feet under. However, the second half of the book turns to straight genetics and the ethical questions new discoveries have raised. Personally, I did not enjoy the second half as much, though I am appreciative of its quality.

Twenty-four stories about history, justice, human behavior.......2001-03-02

Abraham Lincoln's DNA And Other Adventures In Genetics is a fascinating and informative collection of twenty-four stories about history, justice, human behavior, plants, animals, diseases, and ethical dilemmas as reflected in the rapidly evolving science of genetics. The title story refers to the question of whether or not Abraham Lincoln had the tissue disorder known as Marfan syndrome and the committee that considered testing his DNA to find out. The committee decided not to. But DNA was used to establish that the Russian royal family did indeed all die in a mass grave. DNA profiling has also become an established means of identifying crime suspects. Reilly tells these illustrative stories with a genuine flair that not relates engaging accounts, but also teaches fundamental facts and principles in the science of genetics. Abraham Lincoln's DNA And Other Adventures is very highly recommended for both students and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in genetics and how this fledgling science is beginning to exert a powerful influence on our public health, culture, and community.

Average customer rating:

Adventures in biophysics,
A. V Hill
Manufacturer: H. Milford, Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006ALDKU

Book Description

The history of hockey is filled with the bizarre, the unexpected, and the hard to believe. Hockey's Most Wantedâ„¢ chronicles 700 of the most outrageous players, coaches, and owners in hockey history. In humorous detail, Floyd Conner describes hockeyâ€™s top-ten strange plays, inept players, bizarre nicknames, craziest fans, colorful characters, unlikely heroes, odious owners, worst coaches, beleaguered officials, most brutal fights, and more. Learn why Dave Reece was nicknamed â€œthe Human Sieve,â€ and find out which goalie once gave up fifteen goals in a game. Meet the player who was whistled for a record sixty-seven penalty minutes in a single game and another who played in the National Hockey League for five years before scoring his first goal. Imagine scoring the winning goal in the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cupâ€”for the opposing teamâ€”or how it felt to be the defenseman traded for a net. You can find all this and more in Hockey's Most Wantedâ„¢, a book that every hockey fan will enjoy.

Book Description

A good fundraising plan can make a vital difference in the quality of a nonprofit organization's programs and services. It can be the map by which the organization charts and secures its future. This step-by-step guide is designed to help you and your organization construct an operational fundraising plan that is appropriate to your specific funding needs. From meeting deadlines and scheduling special events to creating an overall plan for fundraising activities, The Fundraising Planner ensures that all activities fit together as a whole and support each and every program.

The model presented in this workbook is flexible and suited to multiple purposes. Use The Fundraising Planner and learn how to:

Create an effective overview plan
Formulate a calAndar of events, mailings, and strategies to attract contributions
Draw fundraising ideas from financial data
Strengthen your donor and prospect lists
- Survey your board to refine its mission
Produce a basic funding proposal and press kit
Prepare clear status reports for the board, development staff, and key fundraising participants
Track progress towards your funding goal

The authors have organized the workbook into four sections corresponding to the main stages of designing a fundraising plan:

Understanding the Big Picture
Deciding Plan Inputs
Putting the Plan Together
Monitoring the Plan

Within each section, chapters detail how to master an essential fundraising skill and offer "To Do" exercises to reinforce learning. The exercises allow you to build a cogent, practical fundraising plan. Additionally, there are real-life examples reflecting current fundraising issues across the country. The Fundraising Planner provides easy-to-follow advice to fundraisers from organizations of all sizes. With this valuable guide, you and your team can achieve greater efficiency in the day-to-day challenges of fundraising.

Customer Reviews:

Fundraising Plan.......2007-04-23

Great tool for fundraising planning. Workable model for creating a donation and fundraising plan for nonprofit companies.

Plan, plan, plan!.......2004-12-30

The Fundraising Planner does a nice job covering the "particulars" of planning without losing sight of the bigger picture. Like other titles in the Jossey-Bass series, this guide is helpful in structuring an approach and strategy for raising funds. Practical and well-written.

Good Intro Book.......2004-01-31

This is a pretty solid introductory book to fundraising, donor management, proposals, etc. If you are new to the business I would definitely recommend it, though more experienced people might not find it quite as helpful. (though there are still a some good nuggets of information)

A "real" working model.......2001-05-24

Terry & Doug Schaff have provided a virtual road map in The Fundraising Planner. The information is presented in a clear and well thought out manner presenting information that can be seamlessly inserted into your current programs. The planner illustrates how to develop, plan and implement the strategies necessary to conduct successful and accountable fundraising activities.

This book truly has something for everyone. From the neophyte to the seasoned professional, the Schaffs have provided a tool that will take your plans to the next level. The planner truly is a step-by-step guide that does not insult the reader with coddling phrases and usless data. Each chapter delves ever deeper into the raison d'etre for each mechanism used to move the fundraising process.

As a Development Director I found many applications within the planner that I can utilize to complement my planning activities. The real world applications provided after each step are valuable exercises as you facilitate your yearly planning process. The information presented is very timely, relevant and useful.

Well Done!

Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times
Average customer rating:

Mandatory reading for all young CEO-track junior executives

Intriguing Though Cursory Look at Twenty-Five Who Lead by Example

What are the Qualities of Great Leadership?

Light Management, Not Lasting Leadership

Well formatted, Refreshing, invigorating

Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times
Mukul Pandya , Robbie Shell , Susan Warner , Sandeep Junnarkar , and Jeffrey Brown
Manufacturer: Wharton School Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0131531182

Book Description

Paths to greatness: Actionable lessons from today's most remarkable business leaders
Incisive profiles from Knowledge@Wharton and Nightly Business Report
Andy Grove, Mary Kay Ash, Lou Gerstner, Richard Branson, Herb Kelleher, Charles Schwab... and 19 more

In this book, two of the world's most respected sources of business insight come together to select and profile the 25 most influential businesspeople of the past quarter century. These incisive profiles teach specific lessons you can use to discover, refine, and nurture your own leadership style... achieve breakthrough results... and accelerate your career progress.

The team: Nightly Business Report, the United States' #1 daily TV business news program, and Knowledge@Wharton, The Wharton School's online journal of research and business analysis. Together, they offer powerful new insights into familiar faces--and reveal the passion and brilliance that allowed less-well-known leaders to achieve the extraordinary.

From corporate culture to brand management, risk-taking to pricing, this book's insights won't just help you: they'll inspire you.

What outstanding leaders do, and how they do it

Actionable insights for achieving your own form of greatness

Building corporate culture that can withstand anything

What you can learn from Southwest's Herb Kelleher and J&J's James Burke

Key attributes of lasting leadership

Giving voice to customers, giving voice to truth

Getting smarter, faster

Case studies in building organizations that learn--and act

Reinventing your business: when it's time, how to do it

Lessons from the master: Steve Jobs

Discovering underserved markets--and serving them profitably

Mohammed Yunus: Profiting from entrepreneurship in the world's poorest communities

The greatest business leaders of our generation

How they achieved the impossible

What you can learn from them

How to use those lessons to supercharge your career

25 compelling profiles from two of the world's leading sources of business insight:

Nightly Business Report and The Wharton School's Knowledge@Wharton

25 extraordinary leaders, 25 incisive profiles:

Andy Grove, Intel

Bill Gates, Microsoft

John Bogle, The Vanguard Group

Steve Jobs, Apple & Pixar

Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway

Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines

Sam Walton, Wal-Mart

Jack Welch, GE

Jeff Bezos, Amazon

Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay

Michael Dell, Dell

Peter F. Drucker

Alan Greenspan

Oprah Winfrey, Harpo, Inc.

George Soros, Soros Fund Management

James Burke, Johnson & Johnson

Lee Iacocca, Chrysler

Peter Lynch, Fidelity Investments

Frederick Smith, FedEx

Mohammed Yunus, Grameen Bank

Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting

Lou Gerstner, IBM & RJR Nabisco

Charles Schwab, Charles Schwab

Richard Branson, Virgin

William George, Medtronic

Customer Reviews:

Mandatory reading for all young CEO-track junior executives.......2006-07-30

"Lasting Leadership; What you can learn from the Top 25 business people of our times," by Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell is without a doubt mandatory reading for all young CEO-track junior executives. This book...which is a collaboration of Nightly Business Report and Knowledge@Wharton is filled with superb shaded historical sidebars that provide for quick visual downloads of information. The balance of the text is filled with well-written narratives on how these special 25 individuals attained success.

The introduction identifies eight attributes or qualities that have enabled the 25 individuals to overcome major challenges as well as to nurture their own leadership styles. Don't skim over it...the eight attributes are threaded into practically every page of the text. It is difficult to point a finger at the best of the 25. Certainly, Warren Buffet who resisted the pressure to jump into tech stocks and who harshly criticizes George Bush's proposed tax cuts as an unfair break for the wealthy...stands tall.

Peter Drucker is also a giant pioneer that greatly impacted this nation. Steve Jobs, saw "the invisible." John Bogle, used "common sense." James Burke, was a "risk-taker." George Soros, had "balls." And Mary Kay, nurtured "women who worked for her and the customers who bought her products." They were my favorites. On the downside...this book lacks photos which gives it a sterile look. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

Intriguing Though Cursory Look at Twenty-Five Who Lead by Example.......2006-06-21

Now that Bill Gates is stepping down from his day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft to devote more time to his philanthropic work, it's especially worthwhile to read about how twenty-five prominent business leaders - including Gates - reached their positions of power and influence. Although the advice they impart fluctuates in quality and applicability, it is intriguing to compare notes on their individual profiles and leadership styles. Authors Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell, editors of the online publication, Knowledge@Wharton, do a somewhat cursory job but it's full of nuggets. They have smartly divided the leaders into ten separate chapters that make sense for their unique personalities and companies.

Chapter One, Best of the Best, spotlights Andy Grove of Intel, a man who escaped Nazi persecution during WWII to eventually build the world's largest semiconductor company. Building a distinct corporate culture is the focus of the second chapter, and three highly individual personalities are showcased here - Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and his focus on ingratiating but committed customer service, the late Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. and her enthusiastic endorsement of the Golden Rule in business practice, and James Burke of Johnson & Johnson and his focus on corporate ethics in light of the Tylenol scare of the early 1980's. Chapter Three covers the intractable value of integrity at the top and shows three executives who have illustrated it by revealing the full truth - former GE CEO Jack Welch, management expert Peter Drucker, and Medtronic's William George.

The book's more tangible middle chapters are particularly interesting given the erratic nature of the economy. The fourth chapter discusses the art of serving underserved markets by seeing the invisible competitive advantages ahead of rivals. Several companies derive their success from such opportunities, especially in the evolving financial services arena, for example, Vanguard Group founder Jack Bogle seized the untapped potential in focusing on what he believed was the superiority of index funds over traditional actively-managed mutual funds; Charles Schwab, who built a company under his own name based on the untried concept of a deep-discount brokerage; and perhaps the least known of the group, Muhammad Yunus, the head of Grameen Bank, which gives loans to the poor in Bangladesh to enable them to become self-supporting entrepreneurs. In Chapter Five, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, CNN founder Ted Turner, and George Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management - epitomize the classic visionary who sees things others simply cannot comprehend and remain committed to their visions. Pricing as a competitive advantage is a high-risk strategy that only a handful of leaders have proven an acute ability to sustain, and the sixth chapter highlights the successes of Sam Walton, Michael Dell and Jeff Bezos of Amazon in this area.

The last chapters tackle more nebulous, individualistic areas that require distinctive talent. For instance, brand identity is the critical factor covered in Chapter Seven and the co-authors share the highly regarded experiences of Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, and Lee Iacocca who immortalized Chrysler. The eighth chapter demonstrates that a voracious and expedient facility to learn and adapt is key to executive success as evidenced by Gates, Federal Express CEO Frederick Smith and former IBM CEO Louis Gerstner. The high wire acts of the most stellar leaders are examined with scrutiny in Chapter Nine, which shows how Berkshire CEO Warren Buffet, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, and Fidelity Investments vice chairman Peter Lynch all manage risk. Chapter Ten wraps it all up by summarizing the lessons learned. Pandya and Shell have come up with an eminently readable business book that should inspire those who find in themselves the talent to lead.

What are the Qualities of Great Leadership?.......2006-05-15

Lasting Leadership" is a book presented by the Wharton School Publishing with contributions from several people who run the editorial board and who work as members of the faculty at the famed Wharton School of Business. This book is a combined effort that includes words from the Wharton editorial board along with interviews from most of the twenty- five business leaders featured in this book, allowing the reader to soak up the knowledge as it is presented from the businessmen and businesswomen themselves.

This book is well- organized with the various business leaders sorted into groups based on the specific type of contribution that each particular leader made to his/her place of business and to society itself. A brief introduction begins each chapter and this is followed by the spotlights of each of the twenty- five leaders. In each instance, the man or woman in the spotlight has a page taken from his/her history, showing how a specific challenge was faced and what was done to rise to the occasion. A leadership lesson is also shared, with plenty of quotations from the leaders that summarize what they think are the important components of sound management and what they feel are some of the significant reasons why their companies have prospered the way they have. Also included with each individual is a timeline of events illustrating the important life events for each of these business leaders.

Besides the organization, one of the other things I like about this book is the fact that it lets the leaders themselves explain how they approached a difficult situation and how they were able to combine their own knowledge, their ability to delegate, and their strategic vision to overcome the most difficult situations imaginable. Instead of simply writing about what these men and women did and paraphrasing where necessary, the authors of this book let the people themselves do the talking. The twenty- five leaders highlighted in this book are the ones responsible for the tough decisions so it makes sense that they should be the ones talking directly to the reader. The advice they share is sometimes brief, but there is much to be learned and much wisdom in the way they approach business.

One other interesting thing I got from this book is the different management styles exhibited by these leaders. Each of them is his/her own person and each of them approaches business in a different manner. But in spite of their different approaches, they each have achieved a great deal of success. Part of the reason is that each of these leaders positioned himself/herself in the appropriate business environment where their strategic management style would have the greatest chance for success. In other words, a guy like Jack Welch may not have been very successful heading up Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and vice versa. But one of the key ingredients to a successful leader is knowing his/her strengths and how best to use them. These two men (and the other leaders featured in this book) knew what they were best at, found their business niche, and then succeeded to the extreme.

This book is written like other management books in that it tries to be informative and pragmatic. It deals with real world events, changes in customer preferences, changes in the business climate, and trends in product and service offerings. But unlike many other management books, this one is more entertaining to read. The main reason lies in the fact that this book isn't one continuous text that emphasizes a specific style of management or management theory. Instead, it offers different ideas from many different managers showing how these men and women approached problems in different ways but still succeeded in the long run. Also, this book is easier to read because it is broken up into twenty- five small pieces. This makes it easier to read because there is always a place to pause and resume at a later time.

Overall, "Lasting Leadership" is a very good business book, one that demonstrates the importance of vision and strong decision making when it comes to successful business operation. Best of all, it shows how business can be approached in many different ways while still reaching the final end result: A successfully managed crisis that benefits rather than hinders a company's progress and sets it on the path for future success.

Light Management, Not Lasting Leadership.......2006-03-20

"Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of Our Times" has a long title, but does not meet its meaning. It is not about leadership. It is about management. There is not an ethos espoused, or an explanation of people development. Instead, it aims at what the leader did, rather the outlook and purpose for doing those things.

The difficulty with leadership books highlighting celebrity leaders is in separating the truth from the publicity campaign. The other challenge is in sorting out what we readers can learn from people in positions many steps above us. What, for example, can I, a mere marketing manager, learn from Alan Greenspan or Bill Gates? Both of their jobs involve a caliber of thinking far beyond my own, in fields I do not understand at an even rudimentary level.

The question, then, is does the book understand my needs, or are they just trying to trumpet the success of others? Are they trying to teach me something practical, or inspire me in a more amorphous way? "Lasting Leadership" does both. Neither category is focused enough for me to give it top marks, but there is enough for a casual, interested look into how the 25 people profiled made it to, and stayed at, the top of their game.

Each chapter is broken down into two essential parts.

The first part is the long sidebar timeline providing a minimal biography for each leader. We learn more than where and when they were born (Soros and Grove, for example, are both from Budapest, born in 1930 and 1926, respectively), but also some trivia (Turner was expelled from Brown University as a junior after breaking dorm rules), and some hardship (Oprah was raped at age 14).

The second part fleshes out the business side of the biography. For example, we learn about how Sam Walton took his first Wal-Mart in 1962 to make him America's richest man. Throughout this section are topical instruction. In the case of Walton and his stores, the focus is "Using Price to Gain Competitive Advantage."

Where the book lands into PR fluff is that each profile is too short, and relies on anecdotes. Good business is not a few anecdotes, but such is what curses most well-meaning business books. The reader leaves inspired without substance rather than having gained useful tools for the marketplace.

Amazon.com customers will appreciate founder Jeff Bezos' inclusion. As much of a fan I am of Amazon.com, his profile may be too early. The company's success is still in the engineering stage. While it easy to argue its force in book selling, and the selling of almost anything online, it is as easy to argue that profits are still unsure in the long-term. The popular online retailer is only 11 years old, having been officially launched in July of 1995. In fact, it was not until 2004 that they reported a profit. Considering Bezos a lasting leader is a question we can ask in 20 years, but not now.

The book is an easy read, the kind a young manager might read on a business trip or train commute. It is not a serious leadership book, but can be inspiring to think strategically and aggressively in order to make it once he or she reaches a position of influence.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Well formatted, Refreshing, invigorating.......2006-01-14

This is one of the most readable books on Leadership! The quick, snappy format wastes little time in delivering the essential skills that made each of the 25 leaders unique in this world. Each of the leaders is examined in his/her own world solving that unique problem that made them exemplary. The biography sidebar shows how that person reached that point in life, how he/she took hold of the problem, turned it into an opportunity and led the team through.

I teach Leadership and Project Management classes, in addition I am a believer in the power of the individual leader. I use this book to highlight real world examples on the virtues of real leaders.

Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times

Average customer rating:

Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times
Mukul, Shell, Robbie, Warner, Susan, Junnarkar, Sandeep, Brown, Jeffrey Pandya
Manufacturer: Wharton School Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIEMP2

Average customer rating:

Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times
MUKUL SHEL, ROBBIE WARNER, SUSAN JUNNARKAR, SANDEEP BROW PANDYA
Manufacturer: Wharton School Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OI22MC

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