Based on her 40 years of experience as a psychologist and her studies in the area of marital relations, this book offers hope to couples who want to improve their marriage. From a biblical worldview, Dr. Rinck delineates the patterns of dysfunction couples experience. She describes the roots and branches of the patterns, as well as ways to see if they apply to your marriage. Using humor, real-life examples, and straight-talk, Dr. Meg (as she prefers to be called) provides a helpful interesting and hard hitting look at marriage. She offers hope, healing, and inspiration with her easy to read style. Practical and eye-opening, this book is one that provides the help many marriages need.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy clarifies the muddled thinking underlying too many strategies and provides a clear way to create and implement a powerful action-oriented strategy for the real world. Developing and implementing a strategy is the central task of a leader. A good strategy is a specific and coherent response to—and approach for—overcoming the obstacles to progress. A good strategy works by harnessing and applying power where it will have the greatest effect. Yet, Rumelt shows that there has been a growing and unfortunate tendency to equate Mom-and-apple-pie values, fluffy packages of buzzwords, motivational slogans, and financial goals with “strategy.” In Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, he debunks these elements of “bad strategy” and awakens an understanding of the power of a “good strategy.” He introduces nine sources of power—ranging from using leverage to effectively focusing on growth—that are eye-opening yet pragmatic tools that can easily be put to work on Monday morning, and uses fascinating examples from business, nonprofit, and military affairs to bring its original and pragmatic ideas to life. The detailed examples range from Apple to General Motors, from the two Iraq wars to Afghanistan, from a small local market to Wal-Mart, from Nvidia to Silicon Graphics, from the Getty Trust to the Los Angeles Unified School District, from Cisco Systems to Paccar, and from Global Crossing to the 2007–08 financial crisis. Reflecting an astonishing grasp and integration of economics, finance, technology, history, and the brilliance and foibles of the human character, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy stems from Rumelt’s decades of digging beyond the superficial to address hard questions with honesty and integrity.

The economic boom of the 1990s veiled a grim reality: in addition to the growing gap between rich and poor, the gap between good and bad quality jobs was also expanding. The postwar prosperity of the mid-twentieth century had enabled millions of American workers to join the middle class, but as author Arne L. Kalleberg shows, by the 1970s this upward movement had slowed, in part due to the steady disappearance of secure, well-paying industrial jobs. Ever since, precarious employment has been on the rise—paying low wages, offering few benefits, and with virtually no long-term security. Today, the polarization between workers with higher skill levels and those with low skills and low wages is more entrenched than ever. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs traces this trend to large-scale transformations in the American labor market and the changing demographics of low-wage workers. Kalleberg draws on nearly four decades of survey data, as well as his own research, to evaluate trends in U.S. job quality and suggest ways to improve American labor market practices and social policies. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs provides an insightful analysis of how and why precarious employment is gaining ground in the labor market and the role these developments have played in the decline of the middle class. Kalleberg shows that by the 1970s, government deregulation, global competition, and the rise of the service sector gained traction, while institutional protections for workers—such as unions and minimum-wage legislation—weakened. Together, these forces marked the end of postwar security for American workers. The composition of the labor force also changed significantly; the number of dual-earner families increased, as did the share of the workforce comprised of women, non-white, and immigrant workers. Of these groups, blacks, Latinos, and immigrants remain concentrated in the most precarious and low-quality jobs, with educational attainment being the leading indicator of who will earn the highest wages and experience the most job security and highest levels of autonomy and control over their jobs and schedules. Kalleberg demonstrates, however, that building a better safety net—increasing government responsibility for worker health care and retirement, as well as strengthening unions—can go a long way toward redressing the effects of today’s volatile labor market. There is every reason to expect that the growth of precarious jobs—which already make up a significant share of the American job market—will continue. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs deftly shows that the decline in U.S. job quality is not the result of fluctuations in the business cycle, but rather the result of economic restructuring and the disappearance of institutional protections for workers. Only government, employers and labor working together on long-term strategies—including an expanded safety net, strengthened legal protections, and better training opportunities—can help reverse this trend. A Volume in the American Sociological Association’s Rose Series in Sociology.

Secrets of a Kosher Girl integrates the ancient principles of a kosher diet and lifestyle with proven weight-loss strategies emphasizing whole foods, or "clean eating." This easy-to-follow 21-day diet and exercise plan results in an average loss of 6 to 11 pounds and improvements in mood, muscle mass, and energy, along with cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Beth lost weight on her proven program and shows how you can too. First, you’ll discover how to prepare your mind, body, and pantry to follow the diet successfully, and how it’s important to have the strong discipline and intuitive eating techniques inherent in a kosher diet to condition your mind. Next, Beth explains how physical activity is not only important to health and weight loss, but how this concept has been around since biblical times. Last, Beth provides everything you need to start the program: 21 days of meal plans, recipes, and daily fitness goals, with motivational quotes to inspire you along the way. Lose weight the kosher way!

Brighter Child English & Grammar for Grade 5 helps students master language arts skills. Practice is included for parts of speech, punctuation, vocabulary, frequently confused words, and more. School success starts here! Workbooks in the popular Brighter Child series are packed with plenty of fun activities that teach a variety of essential school skills. Students will find help for math, English and grammar, handwriting, and other important subject areas. Each book contains full-color practice pages, easy-to-follow instructions, and an answer key.