Steps to Write a Book - Creating an Outline

Creating an outline is one of the most important steps to write a book, which is often overlooked by amateur authors. They might have a mental plan of where they want their book to go, but without a solid, written outline to refer to during the writing process; this vision can easily be lost. By having a solid outline, you can better understand where your book is going and filling in the blanks of your plot line will be much easier when you begin to write the manuscript.

Before writing your outline, write up a synopsis of your book. Even if you aren't exactly sure how your characters are going to get from point A to point B, or what you want to cover in your text, you should have an idea off what you want the completed project to be. Think about the back cover overviews that you have read on successful books and create something like that, discussing the book that you wish to write.

Book Reviews

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Come up with your main points and chapter titles or ideas. Do not spend too much time worrying about wording your titles, as these can easily be changed as you go. Many times, a chapter will naturally name itself while you are writing the text. Look over the titles and place them in a natural order of progression that will help you to communicate your point to your readers.

Steps to Write a Book - Creating an Outline

Next, create subtopics within the chapters. Jot down specific points that you would like to cover or events that will happen to your characters within the chapter. Refer to this regularly while writing to assure that you stay on track to completion. Once this is complete, you are ready to sit down and write your book.

Keep in mind that you can always change your outline as you go along, so you do not have to be tied down to a point, just because you wrote it in your outline. Use it as a guide to make the steps of writing a book a bit easier. Outlines can make the writing process much easier and help even the most disorganized writer to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas.

Steps to Write a Book - Creating an Outline

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Book Review: Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Heidi is such a perennial classic that it's easy to assume that it must be somewhat stale, tired and overly familiar. It's place in popular culture has become almost ubiquitous, with umpteen movie versions made, most notably starring the queen of cute, Shirley Temple. Yet books don't get to be classics for no reason, and Heidi proves to be as refreshing as the high mountain air that is the novel's restorative motif.

Plot Synopsis of Heidi

Book Reviews

The plot of Heidi is pretty straight forward. A young orphan girl, Heidi, who has been looked after by her aunt Deta, is brought to live with her reclusive and somewhat grumpy grandfather. Deta must offload her niece as she must earn money by going to work for a family in Frankfurt, the Sesemanns.

Book Review: Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Almost immediately Heidi manages to disarm her grandfather with her delightful innocence and simple joy of life. Heidi also meets and makes friends with Peter, a young goat-herd.

Three years later Deta returns, and it is decided to bring Heidi to Frankfurt to help 12-year-old Clara Sesemann, who is a cripple and cannot walk. While Heidi makes immediate friends with Clara, she finds herself at odds with the strict housekeeper, Miss Rottenmeier. Heidi uses her time productively, and learns to read, but is soon feeling homesick. This homesickness turns into a real physical degeneration, and Heidi becomes pale and thin. It is decided that it's now best to send Heidi back to live with her grandfather.

Of course the mountain air and daily dose of fresh goat's milk (which tastes of cinnamon and sugar, we are told), soon sets Heidi to rights. Her grandfather is also happier than ever with Heidi's return, and even descends down the mountain and makes friends with the villagers. On doctor's orders, Clara is told to visit Heidi, in the hope that this will help with her poor health.

All goes well, until Peter, the goad-herd, becomes jealous of the close intimacy between Clara and Heidi. In a fit of rage, he pushes Clara's wheelchair down the mountain. The good that results from this dark deed is that Clara finds the will and the means to walk.

Peter the goat-herd suffers all sorts of guilt, but when the truth finally outs he finds himself the beneficiary of Clara's grandmother's Christian values. She promises him a weekly stipend.

Main Themes of Heidi

Heidi's main theme is the restorative and healing power of nature. Up on the mountain peak where the grandfather lives, all is pure. The air is crisp and invigorating, and the discerning goats saunter about picking the finest herbs to eat, thereby ensuring they produce the choicest milk. The sun always shines and it never seems to rain. Every moment Heidi spends on the alp is a guarantee of mental and physical health, qualities that anyone who ascends can enjoy.

A subset to this benevolent nature is a Christian morality that runs right throughout the book. Heidi's first and most important moral lessons are about the inherent goodness of the Christian God. When Heidi learns to read, the first things she reads are Bible stories. She ends up almost an accidental preacher when she reads from her story book the tale of the Prodigal son to her grandfather. This has such a stirring effect that the old man is prompted to abandon his reclusive lifestyle and descend the mountain to make friends with the village people.

By the novel's end, the two themes - God and benevolent nature - have been virtually wound up into one. The healing powers of nature - sunshine, fresh herbs and sweet goat's milk - are really the sublime workings of God. The reader who can't accept these basic precepts, or can't at least appreciate their aesthetic sense, will struggle with Heidi.

Overall, the reason for the novel's ongoing appeal is its authenticity. Johanna Spyri in essence wrote Heidi as a hymn to her native Switzerland. A deep love of place is what most informs Heidi, with themes of religion and moral good built around an incorrputible nature. This is a Rousseauist view of nature, with all essentially benevolent and good, as opposed to a cruel, Sade-like nature, "red in tooth and claw" as the poet Tennyson characterised it.

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri. Published by Puffin Classics. ISBN-13: 978-0141322568

Book Review: Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Chris Saliba is a book reviewer from Melbourne, Australia.

More of his book reviews can be read at: http://chrissalibabookreviews.blogspot.com/

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The Ultimate Tone - A Book Review of the Best DIY Guitar Tube Amplifier Series

This article is a book review on a series of six books that is the most comprehensive and lucid explanation of guitar tube amp architecture, circuits, tone, components and construction technique for DIYers I have ever found. The review deals with each book separately and recommends purchasing them in a specific order to grow your knowledge in step with your building experience.

Kevin O'Connor of London Power has created a series of books under the main title of "The Ultimate Tone." These books are truly unique and carefully tailored for the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guitar tube amp hobbyist and boutique amplifier builder. The books have a home-made 'feel' as well... all the illustrations are done by hand and the books are photocopy-printed on 8.5″x11″ paper and bound with plastic spines and clear plastic covers. There are six books in the series now with the most recent being released in the late spring of 2008. You may want to buy the entire series all at once and get a modest savings, but I think you should consider buying them one at a time and digest as you go, building projects along the way. A key point though... you don't necessarily want to buy them in numerical order. I recommend the following sequence:

Book Reviews

The Ultimate Tone Volume 3 - Generations of Tone The Ultimate Tone Volume 5 - Tone Capture The Ultimate Tone Volume 2 - Systems Approach to Stage Sound Nirvana The Ultimate Tone Volume 4 - Advanced Techniques for Modern Guitar Amp Design The Ultimate Tone - Modifying and Custom Building Tube Guitar Amps The Ultimate Tone Volume 6 - Timeless Tone Built for the Future Today
The Ultimate Tone Volume 3 - Generations of Tone

The Ultimate Tone - A Book Review of the Best DIY Guitar Tube Amplifier Series

This is the most important book in the series for the beginning tube amp builder.

Chapters 2 through 4 lay down the foundation of good DIY tube amp construction, filling you in on good electrical connections, grounding technique, lead dress and other wiring techniques, and mechanical layout including assembly methods like terminal strips, turret and eyelet boards.

The subsequent chapters each pick a particular 'iconic' amplifier, each iconic amplifier being a prototypical example of amplifiers of its class, and they are examined in detail as to the circuit topology, peculiar tonal characteristics that result and fatal flaws that the product is notorious for. Kevin provides the original schematics and then shows how you can apply the techniques detailed in the earlier chapters to improve the performance and reliability of the icon without harming the tone. The schematics are redrawn, layouts are provided and mechanical solutions are worked out to make each chapter a complete, self-contained, build-it-yourself amp project.

This process is repeated for several variations of the Champ in chapter 5 (this chapter greatly influenced my own single-ended amp project), then in quick succession: the Bassman, Plexi, 800, Bull Dog, AC-30, Portaflex, SVT, Bass Master, Custom Special, Guitar Mate, Herzog and Laney amplifiers are dealt with.

If you can only buy one book for your DIY guitar amp hobby I'd heartily recommend this one.

The Ultimate Tone Volume 5 - Tone Capture

Volume 5 picks up where Volume 3 left off, with a project-oriented approach and some sophisticated DIY tube amp solutions for guitar and bass.

The book starts off with a chapter overviewing vacuum tube operation called 'tube tone,' followed up by a chapter on guitar electronics and pickup characteristics.

The next two chapters are small projects: Sigma for effects switching and Triple-X for amplifier switching.

Chapters 5 & 6 are on transformers... important components but it made me yawn, sorry.

Starting with chapter 7, all the stops are pulled out and you are in project heaven... Major (200W), Soma 84 (EL84 amp), Standard (the London Power Standard Preamp from 1995 coupled to a 50W amp using four power tubes), Doppelsonde (mixing power tube types), AX84 (discussion on the original goal of a very low output power amp), Kelly (50W from 4 6V6s), and several other projects of lesser scope.

One favorite project I did was based on Kevin's reworking of the HotBox tube preamp pedal from Matchless in chapter 16. I built this pedal in a truly "true point-to-point style" (meaning terminal strips) in a tube pedal enclosure from Doug Hoffman, substituting a Baxandall tone stack and reworking the preamp values to be more Dumble-esqe (non-HRM type).

What would you do to match an amplifier to Yngwie Malmsteen's style? See chapter 18, 'Swede.'

The Ultimate Tone Volume 2 - Systems Approach to Stage Sound Nirvana

Volume 2 is not project oriented. The bulk of the book, chapters 2 through 5, deals with power supply tricks and a comprehensive overview of power amplifiers, including tube, solid-state and hybrid power amps. Chapter 3, on tube power amplifiers, has some very practical information on mods and fixes to Marshall and Fender bias circuits.

I like the 1st and last chapters of Volume 2 the best. The first chapter is a short discussion of sound stages and how you might setup your gear on stage for the best audience/band experience. The last, chapter 6, is called "Pillars of Tone" and in this chapter the major contributors tone at the block-level of a guitar tube amplifier system design are discussed one by one and Kevin provides some very valuable insight into tone shaping throughout the preamp/amplifier.

The Ultimate Tone Volume 4 - Advanced Techniques for Modern Guitar Amp Design

This is the book you'll want to buy if you feel the need to get deeply involved with the power scaling technology that Kevin has developed. Power Scaling, coined and trademarked by Kevin, is the way you can get aspects of power amp distortion (as opposed to preamp distortion) into your tone at bedroom volume levels. Volume 4 is not DIY project oriented but explores the issues, including attenuation, power scaling (both down and up), sag, and power management, tackled by modern guitar tube amp designers.

That said, the second-to-last chapter in Volume 4 might be important for a broader group of enthusiast builders... design philosophy. In this chapter Kevin provides a hierarchical design process that could be used to make key decisions on how you approach your next project.

The Ultimate Tone - Modifying and Custom Building Tube Guitar Amps

There is no volume number in the title of this book, it was the 1st. Personally, I bought it for completeness. I specifically wanted to have the 'perfect effects loop' information, although the loop itself is incorporated into a project in Volume 5. TUT also has some excellent material on reverbs and signal switching methods that is not explained in the other volumes. The first half of TUT introduces/overviews tube amp systems, power supplies & grounds then focuses on preamp and power amp modifications to commercial amplifiers (e.g. Marshall / Fender)... if you are totally new to tube electronics you may want to buy this 1st volume at the same time as Volume 3.

The Ultimate Tone Volume 6 - Timeless Tone Built for the Future Today

In many ways, Volume 6 is a continuation and extension of the material in Volume 4, where Power Scaling is introduced.  In Volume 6 a new 'direct control' version of Powerscaling is featured which was introduced in Vol 4 but flushed out with comprehensive circuits and applied to 'sag' and sustain control as well in Vol 6.  The new scaling circuits have many advantages for a DIY builder like greater noise immunity and less sensitivity to layout, etc.

I applied the new DC Power Scaling to a Trainwreck clone project and was really impressed with the improvement in 'playability' at lower volumes... the unmodified Trainwreck Express circuit is just too loud for domestic use, needing to be cranked to get the sweet tones it is renowned for.

One of the chapters in Volume 6 is dedicated to the Dumble amplifiers... something I was really looking forward to since many of my hobby projects focus on those circuits.  I found this short chapter to be a good introduction to the overall architecture of the Dumble amps, written from the point of view of the evolution from the early modified standard amps that Alexander Dumble started out doing, but I felt the chapter fell short in discussing some of the more important subtleties of the later Dumble models.

Volume 6 also has lots of other material in it, including a great tutorial on designing really high output power amplifiers and a great chapter on high gain amplifier designs with real-world circuits referenced and detailed.

In Summary...

Kevin's books have a very empirical approach. He encourages you to set aside convention in some instances or not be afraid to try combinations of tubes or even pulling tubes and in all cases clearly explains why it is o.k. and points out any reasons why it wouldn't be o.k. All the examples in the books are very practical and he certainly has the DIYer in mind as he is writing.

Kevin's body of work is truly encyclopedic in nature, and considering that, one feature sorely lacking from his books is any kind of indexing... this is aggravated by the fact that Kevin constantly refers to previous writings rather than repeat himself in a new volume, and it is very difficult to put your finger on the reference even with the other book in hand. Perhaps search engine technology, like Google's ability to search protected content, could be put to good use in this case and provide a kind of 'auto-index' on the web of all of Kevin's books without actually giving away the book itself. Or better yet, how about an e-book format of Kevin's entire collection of TUT books... I think all of the e-book readers include searching capabilities... and Kevin's hand-drawn schematics would probably scale adequately and be very readable on the e-paper displays these devices feature.

Meanwhile, how do you get Kevin's books today? The best way to get the books is to directly order them from London Power Press. They now have a shopping cart on http://www.londonpower.com.

The Ultimate Tone - A Book Review of the Best DIY Guitar Tube Amplifier Series

Mark Roberts blogs on DIY tube electronics at TubeNexus.com. He is avidly involved in guitar electronics as a hobby and dabbles in boutique effects pedals as a business with Cause & Effect Pedals. Please visit the TubeNexus Blog at http://tubenexus.com for more articles and book reviews about DIY Guitar Tube Amplifiers and Effect Electronics.

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Debt Cures Review - Is Kevin Trudeau's Latest Book A Scam?

Anyone staying up late at night has probably seen an infomercial promoting one of Kevin Trudeau's latest "cures" books - weight loss cure and natural cures. I saw the infomercial for his latest one, Debt Cures, and wanted to see what it was about. This article will highlight my experience with ordering Debt Cure$.

Love him or hate him, Kevin Trudeau pushes people's buttons and gets them talking. Type in the title of one of his books and you'll see several complaints about his practices and then you'll also see some people praise his books.

Book Reviews

So I was skeptical about this new book and wanted to offer a review.

Debt Cures Review - Is Kevin Trudeau's Latest Book A Scam?

I do not like ordering on the phone because the people on the other line have to try and sell you stuff related to the product you are purchasing because it is their job but when I ordered Debt Cures online I can imagine how bad it was for the people who have to call in.

The book sells for .95 and .95 shipping and handling. Why so much for shipping and handling? Amazon can give you free shipping for orders over so why does this book cost so much to ship?

On the website, debtcures.com, it says due to higher shipping costs, higher fuel costs and inflation that they have to charge higher shipping and handling costs.

Alright fine. So after I order the book, I expect to be upsold a few other items. And I was not let down. On the website, Kevin Trudeau tried to sell me 5 additional products that if you bought would add over 0 to your order. That to me does not sound like a way to get out of debt. Not off to a good start.

Two weeks later the book arrives in a small box just like in one of the boxes you get from Amazon when you order some books.

The infomercial states that you'll learn stuff that has never been revealed before anywhere else about the credit and lending industry. After just reading the first 2 chapters I would have to disagree. Most of the stuff he wrote about is available for free online.

One of the main points of the first two chapters is that the banks, credit card companies, and the federal government are all in cahoots to try and keep you and me in debt so we can keep making them rich. This part is true. The credit card companies love it when you just make the minimum payments on your bills. They do not want you to get out of debt. They especially like it when you miss your payment or go over the limit so they can assess a hefty fee and even raise your interest rate.

This is all true and can be read about on many credit related websites.

He talks about the practices of the banks and credit card companies and how the government lets them get away with charging high interest rates and fees because they contribute money to their campaigns. Reading these chapter will get you mad if you are not already at how much debt you have and how the lenders try and squeeze more money out of you.

Chapters 4 and 5 are where Kevin Trudeau starts to deliver on his Debt Cures promises. He offers actionable points on how to eliminate your debt, negotiate your debt down and reduce your interest rates. Some of this is also available online elsewhere but in the folksy way that Kevin talks, he makes it easy to understand and easy to take action by providing examples of what to do and say.

If you have a few thousand dollars and debt and use one of these methods to lower the amount you have to pay then the cost of the book is already paid for even if you are overcharged for shipping and handling.

In a follow up article, I will cover the remaining chapters of the book and point out the remaining good and not so good points.

Debt Cures has a passing vote so far even though Mr. Trudeau has a less than stellar reputation. But do no let that get in the way of getting help with your debt problems. This book and others like it can provide practical solutions to lowering what you owe and getting you out of the many burdens debt can put you in.

Debt Cures Review - Is Kevin Trudeau's Latest Book A Scam?

Read more Debt Cures Reviews by people who have bought the book and shared their experiences.

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Evidence Supporting the Existence of Mermaids

It was believed that a creature of upper human body and lower fish body had circulated the oceans back 5,000 B.C. According to some religious myths, these mermaids rose from the depth of the oceans to educate man. A-well known historian and scientists, Pliny the Elder had documented the accounts of these 'real mermaids'. He was quite sure about the existence of this creature and called them scaled and rough all over. After that conviction, thousands of fishers and sailors worldwide had reported of seeing the 'real mermaids' swimming close to their ships.

In this context, Christopher Columbus also described his encounter with a 'mermaid' in 1493 at the ocean of Haiti. He stated that these creatures came out of water slightly and they were not beautiful as mentioned in fictions. Later, in an antiquated text of history named as Speculum Regale, it was written around 1250 in Norway, the mermaids are not depicted as pretty women but like a semi aquatic creature. In the 13th century, a person Physiologus in his book of animal study had described about real 'mermaid' consisting of upper woman body and lower fish body. Later in the book of Historia Monstrorum, the author had reported the union of mermaid near the River Nile.

Book Reviews

In 1608, Henry Hudson had explored the existence of mermaid near the region of Russia. He described a creature looking like man from upper part having a speckled and porpoise like a mackerel. according to his view, this creature had white skin, woman breasts and long hair at back. Recently in 2004, a 'mermaid' corpse was seen in the ocean of Chennai after the account of tsunami. However, researcher believes that stories about existence of real mermaid are merely example of misunderstanding. While other believes that mermaid is the actual creature that lives into depth of the sea and now they have become extinct due to the environmental pollution.

Evidence Supporting the Existence of Mermaids

Evidence Supporting the Existence of Mermaids

Iram Raffiq Is an Expert Article writer, working on various projects and possess comprehensive experience of article writing for three years

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Vacation Packages for Busy People

Whether you're a working parent or you're working full-time, busy people need a vacation. It's not that easy to get away from everything, so here are a few vacation package ideas to help you on your way. To get away with your work can be a struggle, but sometimes it's impossible to get a week away without it. This doesn't mean that you have to avoid vacations; it just means that you have to pick your destination carefully.

The first thing to look at is vacation packages that include business class flights. Business class flights are similar to economical classes except you have more flexibility with the dates and times, and more room. Business class flights also give you access to a specialised business room. These differ from airline to airline, but these include free wireless internet access and multiple television sets that show different news channels. Some include free buffet breakfast with all of the coffee that you can drink.

Book Reviews

You can work before your flight and work during the flight, and with some packages you can also work while you get to their airport! This doesn't mean that you should check your e-mails while you drive, but some packages include pick up from the airport and delivery to your hotel. This will cost extra, so if you're looking to save a bit of money then you can bundle a car rental into your vacation packages and just drive to the hotel.

Vacation Packages for Busy People

The choice of hotel is important to every working holiday. If you will be spending time on the internet talking to clients and bosses then it is essential to get a hotel that includes free wireless. Hotels that charge for wireless tend to charge an arm and a leg, and it's always quite slow. Bringing your own wireless internet can help you to cut back on costs, but it the hotel offers it for free then there's no issue taking them up on this service.

Many four and five-star hotels have business function capabilities, and booking these can be quite simple. These facilities include fast broadband, many power points, large screens, and comfortable desks and chairs. Sometimes these cost money so it's best to enquire well in advance.

Whether you're vacationing with family or with business, you should take some time and get out and see the city. Even if you're only in the city for one day then you should leave the laptop in its bag for at least one trip out of the hotel and into the city.

Vacation Packages for Busy People

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A Review of the Book "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

The book "Confessions of a Shopaholic", by Sophie Kinsella, is a joy for readers who want to read a fun light-hearted romantic comedy. In the novel, the protagonist, Rebecca "Becky" Bloomwood, loves to shop. She shops for everything like Christian Dior replica handbags, Hermes replica handbags, Juicy Couture replica handbags, scarves, designer clothes, and designer shoes. The only problem is, she works as a financial journalist for a relatively small magazine called Successful Saving, which does not pay enough to cover all of her expenses.

The book starts by introducing the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, who works for the financial magazine Successful Saving in London, England. She is not in love with her job, but she is in love with shopping. She shops all the time, without considering the consequences of her spending. Becky continues to get letter after letter from her bank, telling her she is overdrawn and all of the credit card companies telling her she needs to make payments on her balances. She even comes up with funny excuses as to why she can't pay her bills. She tells her account manager at her bank, Derek Smeath, that she can't pay her bills because she has a rare disease and she also tells him that she can't come to a meeting because her leg is broken. The excuses Becky uses to avoid Mr. Smeath become more humorous as time goes by.

Book Reviews

In the middle of all of her financial woes, Becky catches the eye of a man named Luke Brandon, who owns a PR Company, Brandon Communications which represents financial companies.

A Review of the Book "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

Soon, Becky uncovers a scam when two of the big financial companies get their clients to switch their pension funds into new accounts before one of the companies is bought out and pays their clients lots of money. The problem is, one of the companies is a company that Luke represents at Brandon Communications. But, Becky releases the story to the press anyway and quickly she gains praise from people all over London, while also catching the eye of a television producer, who wants to have Becky on their show to give financial advice, which is funny because Becky is still in debt. She also gains the respect of Luke, who sees how talented she is and is grateful for her for showing him how bad his clients were to their clients.

Of course, in the end, Luke and Becky become a couple and Becky is offered a job at the show Morning Coffee, where she gives financial advice to people who call in and tell her their financial woes.

This book is charming and witty. Becky Bloomwood learns important lessons about self-confidence and the importance of controlling her spending. The book's heroine is lovable and the reader finds him/her self hoping everything works out for Becky. So, if you are a reader who is looking for a fun, coming of age story, then "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is a must read.

A Review of the Book "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

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The Oz Principle - A Book Summary

In The Oz Principle, Connors, Smith, and Hickman brilliantly use the analogy of "The Wizard of Oz" to discuss a business philosophy aimed in propelling individuals and organizations to overcome unfavorable circumstances and achieve desired results. This philosophy can be encompassed in one word: ACCOUNTABILITY.

The eponymous principle builds upon the ethos of personal and organizational accountability. It explores the root cause of an organization's impediments to exceptional performance and productivity, and provides great insight on how to re-establish a business from the bottom up, emphasizing on the thin line that separates success from failure. The Above The Line, Below The Line methodology is the driving force behind The Oz Principle.

Book Reviews

The Oz Principle: Getting Results through Accountability

The Oz Principle - A Book Summary

Just like Dorothy's search for the Wizard of Oz for enlightenment, individuals and organizations also seek out the wizard that will save them from the maladies that afflict their workplace. However, the wizard is just a distraction, bearing new-fangled business philosophies and management fads that will only create a layer atop the ugly truth that needs to be revealed. When the core problem is not addressed, the ills will
eventually resurface and the business is back to its sorry state.

Victim Thinking or Failed Accountability

When a company suffers from poor performance or unsatisfactory results, individuals from top management all the way to the front line begin finger-pointing, forming excuses, rationalizing, and justifying, instead of doing something to alleviate the situation. They foolishly profess that the circumstances have made victims of them, that the events are completely out of their control, and that they shouldn't be blamed for the company's current problems. It's always something or someone else, never themselves.

Above The Line, Below The Line

A thin line separates failure and success, greatness and mediocrity.

Above The Line, you'll find the Steps to Accountability which include in chronological order: See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It. The first step, See It, means acknowledging the problem; to Own It is to assume responsibility for the problem and the results; Solve It means to formulate solutions to remedy the situation; and, as a culminating step, Do It commands the
practical application of the solutions identified.

Below The Line is where the self-professed victims play

The Blame Game. Here, crippling attitudes such as Wait and See, Confusion/Tell Me What To Do, It's Not My Job, Ignore/Deny, Finger Pointing, and Cover Your Tail are rampant. Though majority of the people found in this dimension are weak in accountability, this does not mean that very accountable individuals are exempt from falling Below The Line. They, too, slip every now and then. The only difference is that they know how to get out of the rut.

A Simple Solution to Victimization

Individuals and organizations Below The Line languish in
self-pity until they get trapped in the "I Am a Victim"
mind-set and find it hard to break free from the vicious cycle. Accountability offers a very simple choice to make, albeit a difficult one to act upon: "You can either get stuck or get results." So stark in its simplicity that most people fail to realize that the ball has always been in their court.

The Power of Individual Accountability: Moving Yourself
Above The Line

The first step to accountability is recognizing the problem.
It takes great courage to admit that you are stuck in a
difficult situation. Most people, however, fail to view
reality the way it is because they choose to ignore it or
they accept the situation as the status quo and go along
with it.

To commence the march up the Steps to Accountability, you must first muster the courage to: a) recognize when you fall Below The Line; b) realize that remaining Below The Line not only ignores the real problem but leads to increasingly poor results; and c) acknowledge and accept reality as the first step toward taking accountability.

Mustering the courage to See It will lead to the next step,
Owning It. Here, you must have the heart to own the
circumstances you've recognized in the See It step as well
as the results that will come from the course of action you
plan to take.

"What else can I do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I want?" That is the question to continually ask yourself when you find yourself stuck in a stubborn situation. Apart from creating solutions, Solving It also involves foresight in determining the worst possible scenario that can happen, and being prepared to battle it head on.

Having solutions is not enough if you neglect practical
application. You can't Do It unless you make yourself
accountable not only for immediate circumstances but also for future accomplishment. With this, you are empowering not only yourself but also your organization.

It's so easy to be pulled back Below The Line, especially if you don't accept full accountability for the situation and the future. A lot people are afraid to become accountable because they fear the risks associated with it. However, know that without taking the big leap, you will never get anywhere.

The Oz Principle - A Book Summary

By: Regine P. Azurin and Yvette Pantilla

Regine Azurin is the President of BusinessSummaries.com, a company that provides business book summaries of the latest bestsellers for busy executives and entrepreneurs.

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Twilight Book Review

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Best-seller

Book Reviews

Point of View: 1st Person

Twilight Book Review

Pages: 498

Age Recommendations: 16 and up

Main Characters: Isabella "Bella" Swan, Edward Cullen

Plot: Isabella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix, AZ to rainy Forks, WA where she finds that she is the center of attention at her new school. Her first day of school, she meets the gorgeous, mysterious Edward Cullen. While sitting next to him on her first day of school, Edward displays extreme tension. This leads Bella to believe that he dislikes her. However, his attitude toward her soon begins to change. As time passes, Bella and Edward are repeatedly attracted to one another, even though Edward desperately tries to stay away in order to keep her out of the danger that he will likely put her in. Bella eventually learns from her friend Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe and her own observations that Edward and his family are reformed vampires who substitute animal blood for human blood in their diet, although she doesn't believe that he is a vampire at first, she confirms it later when he rescues her from yet a van that headed straight for her.

During a shopping trip with her girlfriends, Bella becomes lost and is rescued from a gang of lust hungry men by Edward. On the drive home, Bella asks Edward all sorts of questions about being a vampire. After that night, they begin their courtship and fall deeply and madly in love. Because Edward thirsts for Bella's blood more than anyone else's, it is difficult for them to touch.

One Saturday, Edward takes Bella to a secluded meadow and shows her how he looks in the sunlight, like a twinkling Greek God. After Edward realizes how much he loves her, he knows that he would never do anything to hurt her and is able to touch and even kiss Bella.

After meeting Edward's family and during a baseball game, they encounter a pack of unfriendly vampires who try to kill Bella. Desperate to protect Bella, Edward sends her to Phoenix, but the deadly vampire, James is waiting for her, and traps her, but Edward is there to save her.

Impressions: Meyer does an excellent job laying the foundation for the story. She intertwines events and characters flawlessly. Surprisingly it is a love story, and the reader will be sucked in after the first chapter. As crazy as a story of a teenager girl and a vampire falling in love is, it is an excellent story and definitely worth your time.

Twilight Book Review

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