Books about Benefit from Amazon.com

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Most Americans would agree that they are duty bound as beneficiaries of our democracy to pay taxes, and the majority of us do pay—-exorbitantly. But what about those who do not pay their fair share? David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, here reveals how fairness and equity have eroded from the American tax system. Johnston describes in shocking detail the loopholes our government provides the "super rich"--from private individuals to profitable corporations—-to hide their wealth, to defer or evade tax payments, and to pass the bill to law-abiding middle-class Americans. The loss in revenue "imposes a severe cost on honest taxpayers" through reduced services, increased federal debt, and a weight on the middle class that threatens to impede its ability to achieve upward social mobility.

Admitting the extreme complexity of our economy and by extension our tax code, Johnston points out that the very wealthy do, of course, pay taxes. However, because of shelters that allow them to understate most of their income, they pay little more on average than most Americans on the dollar. This is regressive, and unquestionably favors the superrich. Johnston includes examples of outrageous corporate malfeasance (such as companies that establish off-shore tax addresses) and exposes the tax benefits of the particularly loathsome practice made famous by Jack Welch, in which thousands of wage earners are laid off while a handful of executives are granted hundreds of millions of dollars through deferred compensation, company stock options, and lucrative retirement packages, all at stock holders' xpense. In addition to these offenses, he describes the tax evasion methods of those who simply defy the law and are emboldened by a beleaguered IRS that is too underfunded to serve as an effective deterrent to tax cheats. Johnston calls for a complete overhaul of the system. But because those who most benefit from these laws comprise the "donor class" that supports the government power structure, our prospects for reform remain very bleak. --Silvana Tropea.
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Fight Colds and Flu
Lower Cholesterol
Beat Depression
Banish Fatigue
Enhance Memory
Lose Weight
And More!

An ancient Chinese legend: Once there was a man who knew 100,000 healing properties of herbs. He taught his son 80,000 secrets. On his deathbed, he told his son to visit his grave in five years, and there he would find the other 20,000 secrets. When the son went to his father's grave, he found, growing on the site, the tea shrub....

Teas are the gentle, natural, most beneficial way to absorb the healing properties of herbs--easily and inexpensively. A simple cup of tea not only has the power to soothe and relax but to deliver healing herbal agents to the bloodstream more quickly than capsules, tinctures, or infusions. Feeling tired? Rose hip tea will rev you up and beautify your skin. Need some help with your diet? Ginger tea will provide the boost you need and help aching joints too. Hot or iced, these pure and simple drinks offer delicious ways to stay healthy and revitalize you from the inside out. This unique guide offers:

An A-Z listing of common ailments followed by the teas best used to treat them
Instructions on how to create your own medicinal kitchen
Advice on creating your own tea blends
Descriptions of the top 100 herbs and their secret healing properties
And much, much more!.
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''Studio Thinking [is] a vision not only of learning in the arts but what could be learning most anywhere '' -- From the Foreword by David N. Perkins, Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Senior Co-Director of Harvard Project Zero

''Hetland and her colleagues reveal dozens of practical measures that could be adopted by any arts program, inside or outside of the school.This is a bold new step in arts education.'' -- David R. Olson, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

''Will be at the top of the list of essential texts in arts education. I know of no other work in art education with this combination of authenticity and insight.'' -- Lars Lindström, Stockholm Institute of Education

Many people believe that art education is important, but few can say exactly why. Here, at last, are the results of the first in-depth research on the "habits of mind" that are instilled by studying art-habits the authors argue have positive impacts on student learning across the curriculum. Studio Thinking provides art teachers with a research-based language for describing what they intend to teach and what students learn. This language will help advocates explain arts education to policymakers, help art teachers develop and refine their teaching practices, and help educators in other disciplines learn from existing practices in arts education..
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Drink less, crave less and nip your problem drinking in the bud with the easy Drink/Link Moderate Drinking Program in this book! Drink/Link has helped thousands of drinkers worldwide to control drinking and prevent alcoholism since 1988. Over 80% of the drinkers who have completed this program have either cut their drinking in half or significantly reduced it! No meetings, drugs, belief in a higher power or professional help are required for you to succeed.

First, you learn five healthy drinking guidelines. Then you're given clinically-proven strategies and techniques to help you stay within those guidelines. You'll learn to manage alcohol craving, how to slow down and pace your drinking, pre-plan for drinking occasions, learn from you slips and resolve issues that drive you to drink so they don't lead to binge drinking. Alcohol will become less important to you and you'll automatically drink less.

Drink/Link is the first moderate drinking program registered with the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has been recognized in many publications, including Time Magazine, ABCNews.com, the New York Post, Esquire and the Scripps Howard News Service..
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• A balanced, comprehensive guide to routine childhood vaccinations that offers parents the information they need to make the right choices for their child.

• Fairly examines the pros and cons of this highly charged issue.

Deciding whether or when to vaccinate a child is one of the most important--and most difficult--health-care decisions a parent will ever make. The recent increase in the number of vaccinations recommended and the concurrent controversies about whether vaccinations are safe or even effective have left many parents confused and concerned.

Midwife, herbalist, and mother of four, Aviva Jill Romm sifts through the spate of current research on vaccine safety and efficacy and offers a sensible, balanced discussion of the pros and cons of each routine childhood vaccination. She presents the full spectrum of options available to parents: full vaccination on a standardized or individualized schedule, selective vaccination, or no vaccinations at all. Negotiating daycare and school requirements, dealing with other parents, and traveling with an unvaccinated child are covered in detail. The book also suggests ways to strengthen children's immune systems and maintain optimal health and offers herbal and homeopathic remedies for childhood ailments. Emphasizing that no single approach is appropriate for every child, the author guides parents as they make the choices that are right for their child.

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Gardeners tend to assume that any organic product is automatically safe for humans and beneficial to the environment—and in most cases this is true. The problem, as Jeff Gillman points out in this fascinating, well-researched book, is that it is not always true, and the exceptions to the rule can pose a significant threat to human health. To cite just one example, animal manures in compost can be a source of harmful E. coli contamination if imporperly treated. Gillman's contention is that all gardening products and practices—organic and synthetic—need to be examined on a case-by-case basis to determine both whether they are safe and whether they accomplish the task for which they are intended.

Ultimately, Gillman concludes, organic methods are preferable in most situations that gardeners are likely to encounter. After reading this eye-opening book, you will understand why, and why knowledge is the gardener's most important tool.

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