3/30/2010
Review of Vote Your Conscience: The Last Campaign of George McGovern (Hardcover)
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Review of The True Cost of Happiness: The Real Story Behind Managing Your Money (Hardcover)
Richard Fewell
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3/29/2010
Review of Real Estate Development: Principles and Process 3rd Edition (Hardcover)
Most of all I enjoyed the two real life case study storys (of the development of an office building and a high-rise apartment) that weave through the chapters. These were very candidly told by the developers themselves and give the real picture of the trials and tribulations of large project real estate development.
Numerous listings of information sources, web sites, and bibliographies at the end of each section makes this book a 'keeper' reference text.
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Review of Professional Practice for Interior Designers, 3rd Edition (Hardcover)
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Review of Managing Projects in Organizations: How to Make the Best Use of Time, Techniques, and People (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) (Hardcover)
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Review of Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Introduction to Economics (Hardcover)
Right at the beginning, Dr. Coyle tells us precisely what she intends her book to do: "This book aims to demonstrate that economics is essentially a particular way of thinking about the world that can be applied to almost any situation affecting individuals, companies, industries, and governments." Then, to make sure we all understand that the study of economics is not just for the professional or the academic but has a broader horizon, she insists that economics is "the subject for you whatever your interests and concerns" and that her objective is "to provide a new light and refreshing appetizer that might satisfy delicate appetites but also encourage some readers to develop a taste for more."
One of the things that makes this book so appealing is that Dr. Coyle uses our ordinary life experiences to allow us to grasp many of the major concepts of economics. She does discuss sex and illegal drugs and how economics applies to them, but she also has chapters on sports, music, energy, auctions, war games, movies, the Internet, weather, and other common topics with which we are very familiar, all utilized as a means to introduce, explain and describe various technical terms and concepts at different points in the book.
For instance, the first chapter of the book, titled "Sex: Can you have too much of a good thing?," introduces the concepts of "demand" and "supply," as well "inelastic supply of labor" and "product differentiation." Chapter 2, which is about illegal drugs, introduces the concepts of "market," "externality," "price elasticity of demand," and "cost-benefit analysis." A later chapter on sports explains the concept of "economics of scale," while the chapter on music explains the idea of "marginal cost," and the chapter on immigration explains the concept known as the "lump of labor fallacy." Furthermore, she provides an excellent description of the concept of the "public good" in the chapter on disease, and her discussion of this concept will be of particular interest to libertarians and classical liberals.
There are a few things I found particularly helpful during my reading of this book. The most important to me as a general reader was that the major terms and concepts of economics were set in boldface type as they were introduced in the text. This meant I paid particular attention to them as I was reading and realized they were important to understanding what was being said. Next in importance, at the back of the book is an appendix outlining and explaining the "Ten Rules of Economic Thinking," a section I thought helpfully summed up many of the main points expressed in the text. Finally, a glossary is provided which further explains and expands the major terms and concepts used throughout the book. I wish this sort of format was used more often in books on otherwise difficult subjects. And of course the book includes the usual bibliography (with many Internet websites also provided) and a well-organized comprehensive index.
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Review of Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980's (Politics and Society in Twentieth Century America) (Hardcover)
Who better suited for that type of positioning than a former Hollywood actor? I think the "1950's Doc Brown" from the 1985 blockbuster 'Back to the Future' spoke for many people when he just expressed shock that an actor ended up as President of the United States. Yet, it made perfect sense in the early years of the cable revolution when the 'best' public official was one who did manipulate the media for their message.
The author examines how this manipulation provided a needed boost to America. We were still recovering from Vietnam and had difficulty realizing that we were perhaps not the center of the world. Reagan's campaign was genius because it essentially said 'don't' and encouraged swing voters to believe that everything would be solved if they elected Reagan.
Reagan made critical inroads with 'blue-collar' democrats. These voters had supported the party on economic issues but had been increasingly at odds with the Democrats on social issues. Specifically because of his own Hollywood background, Reagan knew these voters could be won if he stressed 'morals' and 'tradition' regardless of how he (a twice divorced man who had signed off on the liberalization of abortion laws as California Governor) actually felt about those same issues. Appearance IS everything in politics.
The author also makes clear that the Reagan years are not admirable. Troy explains how the feel good images of success and luxury were sharply contrasting with the reality being experienced by many people. The rapidly rising cost of living, spending cuts, and the AIDS epidemic prevented many other people from enjoying the prosperity.
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3/28/2010
Review of The Cottage Ownership Guide: How to Buy, Sell, Rent, Share, Hand Down and Retire to Your Waterfront Getaway (Hardcover)
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Review of Civic Space/Cyberspace: The American Public Library in the Information Age (Hardcover)
The main strength of this book is in the historical perspective it offers.The authors give a broad, national overview of the public library as an institution, its governance and funding, and U.S. national information policy generally.This historical, research based approach makes for somewhat dense reading, but also makes the book a valuable resource.
The main drawback of Civic space/cyberspace is that the authors really do not provide much detail about the site visits to 22 libraries and other institutions which also shaped their thinking on the subject.
I found it frustrating that the book's generally postive comments about the future of public libraries and the ways that they are adapting to information technology were second guessed by the very last paragraphs of the book.
I would recommend this book mainly for librarians, library school students, or those significantly involved with public libraries in some way.
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Review of Keep It Simple (Hardcover)
Well, I used to hate him.:)This book opened up my eyes.It was the only book I ever really loved, in the 6 months I had that job.I've read it twice now, and I'm sure number 3 is on its way!Read this book!!You don't need to be a football fan, as there is very little about football in here.It's educational and motivational.Definately worth the money!
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Review of The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide To Documents and Techniques (Hardcover)
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Review of The American Dream vs. The Gospel of Wealth: The Fight for a Productive Middle-Class Economy (The Future of American Democracy Series) (Hardcover)
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3/27/2010
Review of Letters from Dad: Lessons and Love (Hardcover)
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Review of Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend (Hardcover)
In our age of cooked corporate books and perp-walking CEOs, Treaster shines an admiring and well-deserved light on the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, a man of towering financial and personal integrity.Words like honor, integrity, truth, steadfastness are thrown around like confetti these days in the political and financial world, but as Fed Chairman from 1979 to 1987, Paul Volcker's strong will and good sense were perhaps the major factors in the survival of the nation's economy through the inflationary tsunami of the Carter years and the financial wrecking ball of Reagonomics.
Standing 6'7", physically ungainly and socially reserved and stand-offish, Volcker had a commanding intellect when it came to bigtime economic and financial matters.Born to public service (his father was longtime town manager of Teaneck, NJ), Volcker attended Princeton, Harvard's Littauer School of Public Administration (it eventually became the JFK School of Government) and the London School of Economics.He was a special assistant to David Rockefeller at Chase Bank, served as an undersecretary in Nixon's Treasury Department, ran the New York Bank of the Federal Reserve and became fed chairman in July 1979 while inflation was rocketing and Pres. Carter was bemoaning the national "malaise".
Chairman Volcker was the man with the plan.He turned old economic theory upside down with his idea to drastically cut the money supply as the country's economy sweated and shuddered through the debilitating national fits of inflation and recession.Politicians and businessmen, fearful and shortsighted as usual, whined and squealed that Volcker was Dr Kevorkian or Dr. Demento, putting a noose around the national economic neck. In fact, as history has shown and Treaster explains so even the ordinary Joe can understand, Volcker had applied the ideal tourniquet to stop the bleeding and the poison.The patient lived and by the mid-90s, the country was economically healthy and prospering as never before.
Of course, like the Lone Ranger, Volcker had ridden off into the sunset by that time.Waved good-bye (and good riddance) by Reagan's Treasury Secretary and the GOP's most artful backroom Machievelli, James A. Baker III in 1987, Volcker turned his enormous economic and monetary talents to the private sector.But this principled and unpretentious public servant with his "unshakeable integrity" was not happy in this work.
These days, as the political swamp gases are once again rising and spreading their bad odor, Volcker, even at the age of 76, is being called on once again to perform his public duty.
In recent years, Volcker has admirably and successfully refereed the "battle royal" between the Holocaust survivors and the Swiss banks with their appalling Nazi connections.When Enron, the King Kong of corporate fraud sunk in its own muck, "Mr Incorruptible" Volcker took the job of chairman of an independent oversight board to try to salvage some shred of integrity for the accounting community, which had been badly tainted by Arthur Anderson, the giant accounting firm that was the handmaiden to Enron's tangled scams and schemes.And at this moment, Volcker is heading up the international investigation of the massive corruption between Saddam Hussein, various corporate greedheads and UN officials in the administration of the decade-long Oil For Food program in Iraq.
After reading this worthy biography of Paul Volcker, one can only hope they did not break the mold when they made this honorable man.
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Review of Planning and Urban Design Standards (Wiley Graphic Standards) (Hardcover)
Some information is already out of date.For example, on page 580 it says that the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expired in 2003 and Congress was still debating reauthorization.The new act (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted in August 2005 and is not mentioned.
My only real complaint is that the type is quite small and can be difficult to read for 40+ year-old readers.On the other hand, I understand that if they used larger type this huge, heavy book would be even bigger and heavier.
I also got the electronic, online version of the book and was disappointed in that, again because of the small type.Even using a 20" monitor I had a very hard time reading it.The viewer application that Amazon uses has very limited capability to zoom in on the text so it does not help.
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Review of American Bar Association Family Legal Guide, Third Edition: Everything your family needs to know about the law and real estate, consumer protection, health ... home ownership, wills & estates, and more (Hardcover)
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Review of Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It, and Share It (Hardcover)
Lucas, a fourth-generation heir to the Carnation fortune, is an accomplished wealth management advisor.In Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It and Share It, he offers a coherent plan that integrates the vital components of a wealth management strategy.
Departing from the money management classic process, he offers a unique eight-point framework.
1.Take charge and do it early.
2.Ally family and business interests around wealth-building goals and strategies.
3.Create a culture of accountability.
4.Capitalize on your family's combined resources.
5.Delegate, enable and respect independence.
6.Diversify but focus.
7.When possible, err on the side of simplicity.
8.Develop future family leaders with strong wealth management skills.
Lucas says he filters every decision he makes, whether it involves choosing an investment manager, thinking about tax strategy or setting family goals through the prism of these principles.
His discussion equips even the most sophisticated of financial families with an essential, but workable, reference point for their own financial processes.
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Review of The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror (Hardcover)
The Age of Fallibility is very well written and presents very complicated theories in an easy to grasp from. Soros writes with the mentality of someone that really wants to get his point across: He tells you what he is going to talk about, talks about it, and then tells you what he just talked about. This has the affect of seeming a bit repetitive, but at the same time, you realize that the ideas are actually sinking in.
The first half of the book is dedicated to Soros' theory of reflexivity. Basically, reality isn't a fixed thing that we work around, it is constantly changing because of our actions and our thoughts. The idea of an open society is one that accepts that we will never reach a "perfect" solution to anything and so we must always work together to improve what we are doing, understanding that each improvement we make will require additional improvements.
The second half of the book is geared towards asking what is currently wrong with America, what is wrong with the world, and what we can do to fix it. Soros gives an in depth look into all three topics and makes some very good points.
To say that George Soros is anti-American is just silly. He merely points out the ways in which Americans can improve in our domestic and foreign policies. This is part of the open society model. There is always room for improvement. Pointing out that something can be improved is not the same as being against it.
The book got over my head a bit towards the end. I don't know enough about Russia to follow a lot of the points made there. Overall, this is a great book for someone who is interested in what is currently happening in this country and the world and would like to know more.
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3/26/2010
Review of Reality Check: The Unreported Good News About America (Hardcover)
Also by way of disclosure, I went to college with, and was friends with, author Dennis Keegan at UCLA and we both served in the US Army in Germany in the late 1970s.Both of us were tank commanders during that time.
For example, during most of the Bush Administation (of which I am no great fan, I state by way of disclosure), the media has incessantly informed the citizenry that the United States is in recession, with dangerously high unemployment, anemic job creation, and an economy that is losing competitiveness to other countries.Only problem is--this is not so.The authors present statistics that show that the US ranks in the top five countries for GDP growth during most of the past eight years (dropping to number 12 during 2007 only, as the unwinding of the mortgage lending and housing bubble takes a toll).Average GDP growth of the American economy also must be viewed, as the authors point out, in light of what it is that is growing--many economies that have higher growth than America are relatively small.Put in context, during the last eight years the growth component alone of the American economy is larger than the *entire* Chinese economy.Similarly, as the authors point out, America's share of global GDP is greater, not less, than it was 12 years ago.This is not an indicator of a country in decline.
The authors take on many other media-driven myths, and show that such myths do not withstand scrutiny.For example, the notion that tax cuts only benefit the rich, who are not paying "their fair share" of taxes.Hard to reconcile this with the statistic that 1% of taxpayers pay 40% of all Federal taxes, and 86% of the taxes is paid by the top 25% of wage earners.Put simply, persons of modest means in the United States pay far less of their earnings in taxes, in percentage terms, than those in the top earnings strata. One would not know this from the unending media drumbeat about how tax cuts favor the wealthy.
The last example of a debunked media myth that I will mention in this review is the canard that America's industrial base is disappearing.There is no more frequently heard media myth.Problem is, the US exports more manufactured goods than any other country, at least most years. (Further, a lot of European exports constitute trade between relatively small and adjacent European economies; analogous to trade among states in the USA).
Mr. Keegan's particular strength is economics, but the book also contains numerous chapters dealing with more political issues.My favorite is the analysis of Hurricane Katrina.Not surprisingly, here the authors make a strong case that it was the corruption and incompetence of the Louisiana local and state authorities, not FEMA incompetence, that caused the problems that got so much media play.(And of course many of the "problems" were simply media myths.)It is noteworthy that other locations of Katrina devastation fared much better, e.g. Texas and Mississippi.The authors cite a 2006 bipartisan report on the disaster which notes that "It is clear [that] accurate reporting was among Katrina's many victims.If anyone rioted, it was the media."
The real problem that this book tries to take on is the fact that the media usually has an agenda, and if objective facts conflict with that agenda, the media will rely on carefully selected anecdotal evidence rather than objective facts.This is a very real danger to the American republic, which over the long run requires a reasonably well-informed electorate in order to function well.Fortunately, the rise of the internet has begun to supplant, or at least challenge, the traditional media.Aided by books like this one.Recommended.
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Review of Rich in America: Secrets to Creating and Preserving Wealth (Hardcover)
"Rich In America" focuses upon the top 1% of Americans based upon net worth ($3.75 million) or income ($300,000 per year).
We learn that about a third of these wealthy people earned their money through lucrative corporate jobs; about a third earned their money through private businesses; and about a third earned their money from professional practices.
Most of the affluent attributed their financial success to hard work. Time was also a factor. Only 7% worked ten years or less to obtain their financial status, while the average time worked to obtain their status was 21 years. About a quarter of the wealthy needed 30 years to attain their success. Today, the average, wealthy person still works 48 hours per week. So, I guess, the first "secret" to creating wealth is to work hard for a long time.
Most respondents said they felt they gave up time with family, friends, and hobbies to obtain their current financial success. We also learn other interesting statistics, such as 7.1 million households (6.6% of the population) have a net worth above $1 million. And, throughout the last 20 years, the largest gains in income and wealth have predominantly gone to the richest 1% of the population.
Maurer points out that creating wealth and preserving it are two different things. He writes: "There is an old saying: Concentrate to become rich, and diversify to remain rich."
While Maurer argues that saving (the average respondent saved 23% of his/her income) and compounding help build wealth, he says "...you can forget the notion that investing alone will make you wealthy. ... All those books that say you can make millions in real estate or the stock market overnight are not accurate, but you probably knew that already."
"Rich In America" goes on to argue against simple buy-and-hold investing (which I like). He says you need professional financial advisors today. He also argues that a private banker is nice. At this point, for awhile, the book reads like a promotion for the financial planning services industry, with a special focus on the advantages of U.S. Trust.
Maurer likes hedge funds.(Incidentally, if you read the current 2004 issue of Forbes, which features the richest 400 people, there is a good demonstration of just how rich many hedge fund managers are. Partially due to the excessive fees, I'd argue hedge funds should be avoided by the average investor, even the average, wealthy investor.)
After the promotional digression, the book returns to surveying core topics, such as:
-Taxes ("Do not let the tax tail wag the investment dog[,]" writes Maurer.
-AMT
-Estimated Tax Payments (with which nearly every businessperson quickly becomes familiar)
-Stock Options
-Insurance
-Retirement Planning
-Estate Planning
"Rich In America" does a good job covering some topics not covered in basic financial planning books--topics wealthy people might find especially interesting. For example, in addition to learning the basics of life insurance, we learn about directors' insurance (in case you're on a board of directors) and kidnap insurance (before taking that trip to scenic Baghdad). We also learn that U.S. Trust typically recommends at least $10 million in liability insurance for its clients worth more than $5 million dollars. We learn about starting your own foundation.
My favorite section of "Rich In America" deals with concentrated stock positions and how to diversify such a position. Topics covered include:
-Zero-Premium Equity Collars (huh?)
-Varying Forward Contract (You agree to deliver some of your shares in the future and you receive cash today, locking in some present value, which sounds like it could have been handy if you have billions of dollars in hot IPO Internet stock headed for a correction. There is no discussion about how this relates to restricted IPO stock, where you're locked in from selling before a certain date.)
-Tax-Efficient Diversification through Indexing and Loss Harvesting (You start off with your concentrated stock, you wind up with a diversified portfolio, and apparently no capital gains taxes are due. Sounds like a tax evasion scheme to me. Before I'd try something like this, I'd find out what the IRS says about it!)
-Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT. You probably never knew you needed one.)
Of course, if you think one of these is handy, you need professional advice. But, I'd be careful. Don't assume that just because a plan is pushed by a big, respected firm that it's deemed OK by the IRS. PBS Frontline had a nice feature about tax shelters (search google for "tax shelters Frontline" and you'll probably find it), where entrepreneurs who sold firms for millions and who should have paid millions in capital gains taxes were sold tax shelters by KPMG where apparently no capital gains tax was due. The IRS disagreed. It was kind of humorous watching these entrepreneurs whine and say they trusted the big firm.
As Maurer writes: "There are many truisms to live by in the world of investing. Probably the most important is simply to be sensible. Anything that seems too good to be true probably is. There are no real shortcuts. When some salesperson appears on television and promises that he or she can quadruple any investment in 30 days, the only person whose wealth is truly going to quadruple is that of the salesperson."
Overall, "Rich In America: Secrets To Creating and Preserving Wealth" is an informative book that helps us understand many aspects of financial planning as they relate to the affluent.
Peter Hupalo,
Author of
"Becoming An Investor"
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Review of Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy: The Timeless Lessons of History's Greatest Empire Builder (Hardcover)
May be a few historical points are not spot on in this book. However, the readers of this book should not be in pursuit of history but wisdom acquisition from the life of the greatest conqueror of all time, Alexander the Great, who never lost a war.
This book makes a close analysis into what made Alexander so special. Apart from being gifted with special traits of a natural leader, Alexander was able to make huge magnitude of impact during his short life due to his forward thinking father, Philips of Macedonian. Aristotle, mentor of Alexander, helped him develop a strong analytic framework of mind and appreciation for looking at issues from various perspectives. The book mentions that the "think global act local" approach was first promulgated by Alexander. As one reads on, one will understand how and why many leaders / strategists (in various spheres) over the centuries have been inspired by Alexander the Great.
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Review of Success Runs in Our Race: The Complete Guide to Effective Networking in the Black Community (Hardcover)
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3/25/2010
Review of This Changes Everything: The Relational Revolution in Psychology (Hardcover)
Almost thirty years ago, Carol Gilligan wrote an essay entitled "In a Different Voice," that was subsequently expanded into a book that I recommend highly. She described the marked discrepancies in morality and self-expression between men and women. For women, the whole notion of self tends to be inextricably bound up in a web of close relationships. Women tend to be more diligent about maintaining and nurturing these relationships, and inter-personal details tend to be more important to them, than they are for most men. At the time that she started writing about this, much psychological thinking in the United States had not yet dragged itself out of the confines of the post-Freudian theorizing that had dominated American psychology for decades. Gilligan and her co-workers identified relationships as the foundation of our psychological and physical states. At the time, the idea that men and women might tend to think and relate in different ways was anathema. I did a brief stint in Boston around that time, and it was pretty clear what could and could not be thought about. Despite the incredible liberal and intellectual traditions at Harvard, there were clearly some "no go" areas in psychology; gender differences being just one of them. Gilligan's work was courageous, and taken together with the findings of psychiatrists Judith Lewis Herman and Jean Baker Miller, would ultimately lead to radical alterations in the way that we understand the psychology of women. Are these gender differences social, political or biological? The answer is, I think, yes: all of the above.
Christine Robb has managed to capture the quiet revolution that these scientists introduced, and which is still being felt today. Though it is surprising how often discussion of gender differences are still omitted from much work on self-psychology. In an otherwise wonderful book - The Self in Neuroscience and Psychiatry, edited by Tilo Kircher and Anthony David - there is scarcely any mention of gender.
I would not normally expect to get through a 450-page book at one sitting: I'm not a speed-reader! But this is so well written and the biographies and interviews so enthralling, that I did indeed polish it off at one sitting. Though I feel sure that I shall return to it in the future.
Though this is a big juicy book with pages of references and a bibliography, I'm going to make a prediction that it is going to be one of those rare cross-over books that will be read not just by academics and psychology students, but also by people who really are interested in knowing more about themselves and understanding relationships. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this one gets featured on Oprah! It's that good.
Highly recommended!
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Review of America the Broke: How the Reckless Spending of The White House and Congress are Bankrupting Our Country and Destroying Our Children's Future (Hardcover)
In clear, honest and straight-forward language Swanson shows how politicians in their hunger to be reelected have deceived you and me.They have run up over 7.3 Trillion Dollars in Debt.To put this in perspective it would take over thirty one thousand years spending one dollar a second to reach a Trillion Dollars.
He explains specifically the accounting scams that have been used to intentionally hide the truth from us and how seriously we have already been harmed.
Swanson's step by step analysis reveals why you and I may soon be forced to say good bye to our jobs, our businesses, our homes, our savings, our retirement, and our future.
He offers us a solution to this awful mess.He sets forth the specific action each of us can take to force our political leaders to tell the truth and stop spending America into bankruptcy.
Please buy and read America the Broke immediately. Let's take action before it is too late.
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Review of Outsmarting the Smart Money : Understand How Markets Really Work and Win the Wealth Game (Hardcover)
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Review of Patriots Act: Voices of Dissent and the Risk of Speaking Out (Hardcover)
Don't be fooled by the quiet decency of the book's subjects, some of them famous, some of them unknown, but all of them willing to stick their necks out for principle. It's bracing to read the words of Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst who risked all to leak the Pentagon Papers to stop the Vietnam War; or of triple amputee, Vietnam war vet and former Veterans Administration director and U.S. Senator from Georgia Max Cleland who talks about how our power-mad leaders led our young soldiers into Iraq and toward the same misguided charnel house that consumed his generation in Vietnam. Or why former FBI agent Colleen Rowley risked her long career to reveal how internecine federal agency warfare and career caution at the FBI made the U.S. vulnerable to the tragic Al Qaeda attacks of 2001.
More subtle in the book are the gray men and women, loyal to government service and principle, like Rand Beers, who took over from Richard Clarke as White House counter-terror advisor. Beers later resigned in protest five days before the nation went to war in Iraq on false pretenses. More moving yet in the book are the smallest and most vulnerable of our residents and citizens, like the Syrian-American teenager who was thrown into INS prison with her mother for nine months in a mass sweep of our Arabic populace in the wake of 9/11. Convince methat she is not a more patriotic adherent of democracy than most of us.
But tucked away in the book's center of these portraits of high character in low times is a shocker right in synch with today's headlines.And I mean today!-- when the British MI-5 and other security agencies stopped a plot by suicidal jihadis aiming to blow up a dozen airliners traveling from Great Britain to the America.Smack in the middle of Patriots Act is an incendiary interview with former FAA counter-terrorist Red Team member Bogdan Dzakovic. As part of the Red Team, Dzakovic zealously tested airport and airplane security measures. He and team members simulated terrorist attacks. They posed as hijackers. They snuck bombs and weapons onto aircraft. Dzakovic 's Red Team succeeded and found aviation security lacking nearly nine times out of ten, but the politically compromised FAA reacted not with proper alarm and concern, but with apathy, embarrassment and cover-ups. When Dkakovic went public with his findings as a whistleblower, theFAA punished him.It buried him and his career in a bureaucratic closet. Read his chapter and you will be horrified to know that America is not safer today even though billions have been wasted by Homeland Security. But, airline passengers are much more miserable. I wish there were more patriots in this country like this Red Team member. Or like Ellsberg, Cleland, Rowley....
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Review of Patriots Act: Voices of Dissent and the Risk of Speaking Out (Hardcover)
Don't be fooled by the quiet decency of the book's subjects, some of them famous, some of them unknown, but all of them willing to stick their necks out for principle. It's bracing to read the words of Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst who risked all to leak the Pentagon Papers to stop the Vietnam War; or of triple amputee, Vietnam war vet and former Veterans Administration director and U.S. Senator from Georgia Max Cleland who talks about how our power-mad leaders led our young soldiers into Iraq and toward the same misguided charnel house that consumed his generation in Vietnam. Or why former FBI agent Colleen Rowley risked her long career to reveal how internecine federal agency warfare and career caution at the FBI made the U.S. vulnerable to the tragic Al Qaeda attacks of 2001.
More subtle in the book are the gray men and women, loyal to government service and principle, like Rand Beers, who took over from Richard Clarke as White House counter-terror advisor. Beers later resigned in protest five days before the nation went to war in Iraq on false pretenses. More moving yet in the book are the smallest and most vulnerable of our residents and citizens, like the Syrian-American teenager who was thrown into INS prison with her mother for nine months in a mass sweep of our Arabic populace in the wake of 9/11. Convince methat she is not a more patriotic adherent of democracy than most of us.
But tucked away in the book's center of these portraits of high character in low times is a shocker right in synch with today's headlines.And I mean today!-- when the British MI-5 and other security agencies stopped a plot by suicidal jihadis aiming to blow up a dozen airliners traveling from Great Britain to the America.Smack in the middle of Patriots Act is an incendiary interview with former FAA counter-terrorist Red Team member Bogdan Dzakovic. As part of the Red Team, Dzakovic zealously tested airport and airplane security measures. He and team members simulated terrorist attacks. They posed as hijackers. They snuck bombs and weapons onto aircraft. Dzakovic 's Red Team succeeded and found aviation security lacking nearly nine times out of ten, but the politically compromised FAA reacted not with proper alarm and concern, but with apathy, embarrassment and cover-ups. When Dkakovic went public with his findings as a whistleblower, theFAA punished him.It buried him and his career in a bureaucratic closet. Read his chapter and you will be horrified to know that America is not safer today even though billions have been wasted by Homeland Security. But, airline passengers are much more miserable. I wish there were more patriots in this country like this Red Team member. Or like Ellsberg, Cleland, Rowley....
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3/24/2010
Review of Newark: A History of Race, Rights, and Riots in America (American History and Culture) (Hardcover)
Mumford helps you understand the city of Newark and its tradition of African-American civic involvement by detailing the role of those most would consider militants in leading insurrectionist as well as mainstream efforts. Inevitably, the Newark clashes of old take center stage. But, more importantly, Mumford is intent on telling readers what happened before the uprisings, and after.
The author pens a colorful read, whose personalities leap off the page. Whether it's the poet turned radical messiah Amiri Baraka, white establishment types or the tangles for leadership of a burgeoning voting bloc, Mumford's book is an astute, opinionated primer on a slice on Newark's political pedigree. From the city's early days, where African-Americans fought for recognition and dignity, to their ascension to elected office in the midst of the Black Power movement, and then through countless though crucial fragments as new power brokers emerged amid old differences in vision, tactics and goals, this tome is spellbinding, and worth your attention.
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Review of American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century (Hardcover)
Instead, in this calm, clear, and well articulated tour of the social, economic, and political territory with which he is so familiar, Phillips describes the contemporary topography of conservative republican rule as being an inhospitable and ungovernable landscape pocked by craters of ideological fervor, fiscal insanity, and unspeakable personal greed. In many ways, his well-articulated broadside against the political right is all the more damning because it is not only from a true believer, but also from an outstanding academic with a persuasive resume, a man who carefully documents and substantiates everything he cites, especially in this scathing look at exactly where it is that the 21st century's form of rabid Republican conservatism is leading us. Yet one does not find here so much a prosaic attack on the present Bush administration as it is a penetrating historical analysis of how we got to this point in terms of three frightening enduring social and political trends, phenomena neither invented nor originated by the present administration.
Phillips sees three interlocking tendencies as now reaching a critical point in defining and even threatening the future of the polity. First is the rise of the corruptive influence of oil on both domestic and foreign policy; second is the rise of an intolerant form of radical Christian doctrine into key areas of public life; and third, the incredibly irresponsible increase in the level of both public and private debt. Each of these trends threatens to undermine both the short-term and long term stability of the nation, and each in its own way is a key factor in the way that describes how it is that both the Executive branch and the Congress are becoming increasingly beholden to special interests and are increasingly undemocratic. In particular, the fashion in which President Bush and the Congress have used permanent tax cuts for the wealthy as a device to transfer responsibility for future debt away from the wealthy and toward those with less means and less political voice, while at the same time insanely increasing that public debt, defies both morality and logic. Moreover, Phillips finds that the ways in which these trends are unfolding makes us as individual citizens and as members of the larger collectivity substantially less likely and immensely less able to determine our own future in anything resembling a rational and progressive fashion.
In many ways, this book represents a kind of sequel to Phillips original tome in the sense that herein he once again provides for the reader the sort ofbroad structural perspective illustrating the ways in which social, economic, and political change profoundly impact the future for both society at large and individuals in private, personal existence. In so detailing the powerful fashion in which these three powerful trends relate to each other and how they combine to impact the nature of American society itself, how they tend to push the nation toward ever more limited and ever weaker versions of its former substantial self, he also offers the reader an opportunity to understand the true nature of forces around us that demand public action now. This is an unnerving snapshot of America at a fateful crossroad, at a point that even the dullest among us must begin to recognize the palpable dangers. With the publication of this thoughtful and thought-provoking book, we can no longer say no one has warned us. Enjoy!
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3/23/2010
Review of Merton Miller on Derivatives (Wiley Investment) (Hardcover)
This book is a collection of speeches given by Miller in the early to mid-1990s, largely covering the subjects of the derivatives revolution, regulation and corporate governance. The subject matter sounds dry; the speeches are anything but. Miller's jokes are exceptionally good - he has great sport in particular by satirising the convoluted German system of corporate cross-shareholdings, and reflecting ruefully on the inevitable question that is always posed to professional economists ('what will happen to interest rates?' - to which the only sensible answer is 'they will fluctuate'). But underlying the wit and engaging manner is a serious and profound point. Modern finance consists principally in the management of risk. Derivatives perform an exceptionally valuable function in a modern, complex economy by enabling economic agents to accomplish this end. Ill-conceived regulation can do harm by making it impossible for corporations to manage their business risk efficiently; this will have significant economic cost, with no compensating social benefit.
Many collections of speeches are testament merely to an author's vanity, and do not last beyond the occasions for which the speeches were written. This one is different: it is the fruit of an extraordinary intellect, a fine prose style, and a formidable technical expertise. It deserves to last, and is much to be recommended.
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Review of The Art of Revitalization: Improving Conditions in Distressed Inner-City Neighborhoods (Garland Reference Library of Social Science) (Hardcover)
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Review of The Marketing Mavens (Hardcover)
I'm beginning to find marketing gurus like Aaker (Example: Building the Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth,) somewhat tired these days, and slipping behind the game in terms of what the age of the internet has done to personalise and redefine the relationships between organisations and their customers. Mass marketing, as it became defined in the post-war years up to the 1990s, is over and done with: everything is coming down to a one on one encounter, but on a large scale.
Capon clearly gets this, and communicates this. I particularly appreciate his writing on how organisations need to better integrate (break down those silos,) in order to serve the customer, and how organisations must measure what matters. For many marketers, as they'll see here, 'what matters' may be quite different from what they've been measuring to date. Well recommended. $18? Spend your money.
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Review of A Companion to the Philosophy of Education (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Hardcover)
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3/22/2010
Review of Encyclopedia of Real Estate Terms: Based on American & English Practice (Hardcover)
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3/21/2010
Review of Now What?: 90 Days to a New Life Direction (Hardcover)
I gave Now What five stars for easy reading and originality. I must admit I expected to find tired advice and exercises, but Fortgang offers mostly fresh ideas.And I agree with much of what she says.
For example, "Your purpose in life is right under your nose." So true! I've seen versions of these life purpose exercises before but she presents them well.
Overall, true to her coaching background, some of the best exercises relate to identifying what you really want to do. "I want to be someone who..."
I applaud Fortgang's definitions of needs and values. Needs are not optional and non-negotiable, e.g., the need for honesty. Values are "the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." Needs bring out the worst in us when they're not met; values bring out the best.
But Fortgang goes beyond self-awareness, encouraging readers to check reality. She offers good advice for investigating various career fields: Talk to 3 people in 3 fields.And she's not afraid to ask clients, "What would you have to give up..."
Perhaps the very best exercises involve scenario-writing. Describe how your life will be in a year, then six months from now, then three months from now. These steps clarify the need for actions along the way.
Anyone contemplating a life change can have fun with these exercises.They'll help you change your thinking and uncover ideas.My major reservation comes from a warning in Herminia Ibarra's book, Working Identity.Often self-discovery tends to be easier than implementing change.If you're in a comfort zone, you'll need another book-- or a coach -- to get moving, even if you know where you want to be.
And there's a downside of a book that appeals to many people for many kinds of change.You have to take practical, specific tips with a grain of salt.For instance, Fortgang alludes to moving to a place with a lower cost of living -- but this type of move often contains hidden pitfalls.A lower cost of living means fewer options to earn money and less access to resources.
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Review of Financial Institutions Management + S&P + Enron PowerWeb (Hardcover)
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Review of The Almanac of the Unelected 2008: Staff of the U.S. Congress (Hardcover)
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Review of The Happy Pigs: A Novel (Hardcover)
One day Louise is talking to two hookers, trying to find out if any underage prostitutes has come into the area.While conversing, a John comes over and Louisa walks away.The next thing she knows is the John has her in a back alley trying to force himself on her because she walked away from him.It's clear he doesn't know she's a police officer and since she has no proof to share with him, she flips him into the ally and walks away very upset.That incident although she doesn't know it yet, will change the rest of her life.
This first person narrative will grab the attention of the reader from the very first page because the protagonist is such a sympathetic and likable character.Lucy Harkness is able to use the written word to make the audience feel the pain and suffering police officers go through in pursuit of their job. THE HAPPY PIGS is a refreshing and unusual work that stimulates the readers' intellect as much as their feelings.
Harriet Klausner
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3/20/2010
Review of America's Conscience: Facing Threats to Democracy, the Middle Class and Our World (Hardcover)
The author has organized and assembled a dizzying volume of information, documented each of the twenty chapters with notes, and provided the reader with wide-angle views of everything from endless war to those elusive WMDs; from spinning stories to outright lies; from quieting dissent to an often lazy media; from who gives money to whom to the impact of the contributions.And more.
Transcending the extremists on the political left and right who don't let research or fact interfere with their respective agendas, Vadurro constructs her argument with reason, backs it with documentation, and, in my reading, essentially asks Americans, "Is this what you want?"
"America's Conscience" provides intelligent, concerned and open-minded American citizens, regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof, with verifiable evidence to back up the cliched, but nevertheless accurate slogan, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."
The author has paid and is paying attention. Her book calls on the rest of us to do the same.
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Review of Law in Western United States (Legal History of North America) (Hardcover)
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Review of Law in Western United States (Legal History of North America) (Hardcover)
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Review of Insider Strategies for Outsourcing Information Systems: Building Productive Partnerships, Avoiding Seductive Traps (Hardcover)
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Review of A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management (Hardcover)
An accomplished and sought-after benefits specialist in the United States , Canada and the U.K. , Dan's book spans the history of company benefit plans from their evolution in the early days of railroads right up to Sarbanes-Oxley, a legislative landmark that stemmed from the 2000 Enron fiasco. "A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management" smoothly clarifies the often complicated and shifting dynamics of retirement accounts, 401K plans, defined benefits vs. defined contributions, and other details and implications of employee benefit resources. Though geared for benefits managers, Dan's book also offers an up-to-date, informative resource for employees who want to keep an eye on benefit managers hired by their employer to keep an eye on their future.
"A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management" is Dan Cassidy's first book, although he has written and published extensively in professional and business journals. A featured columnist for Employee Benefits Plan Review and a frequent commentator on Wall Street Journal Radio, he also regularly contributes articles to such high profile financial, management, industry and human resources publications as: Employee Benefits News, The Handbook of Business Strategy, Pension & Investments, Benefits & Compensation Digest, Employment Relations Today, and many more. A sought-after speaker on the impact of SOX, retirement planning "megatrends," pension plan management and vendor selection and management, Dan has spoken to such prestigious audiences as the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, NEEBC (the New England Employee Benefits Council), the Society of Actuaries (SOA), both national and local, and many other venues.
Dan is President of Cassidy Retirement Group of Concord MA, specializing in retirement plan consulting services for qualified and non-qualified benefit plans of clients in the US, UK and Canada. He is chair of the SOA's Smaller Consulting Firm section and a standing member of its Education and Examination Committee Executive Group. He's also on the faculty of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research.
NOTE: This review also appears on my website www.thoughtleading.com
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Review of A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management (Hardcover)
An accomplished and sought-after benefits specialist in the United States , Canada and the U.K. , Dan's book spans the history of company benefit plans from their evolution in the early days of railroads right up to Sarbanes-Oxley, a legislative landmark that stemmed from the 2000 Enron fiasco. "A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management" smoothly clarifies the often complicated and shifting dynamics of retirement accounts, 401K plans, defined benefits vs. defined contributions, and other details and implications of employee benefit resources. Though geared for benefits managers, Dan's book also offers an up-to-date, informative resource for employees who want to keep an eye on benefit managers hired by their employer to keep an eye on their future.
"A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management" is Dan Cassidy's first book, although he has written and published extensively in professional and business journals. A featured columnist for Employee Benefits Plan Review and a frequent commentator on Wall Street Journal Radio, he also regularly contributes articles to such high profile financial, management, industry and human resources publications as: Employee Benefits News, The Handbook of Business Strategy, Pension & Investments, Benefits & Compensation Digest, Employment Relations Today, and many more. A sought-after speaker on the impact of SOX, retirement planning "megatrends," pension plan management and vendor selection and management, Dan has spoken to such prestigious audiences as the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, NEEBC (the New England Employee Benefits Council), the Society of Actuaries (SOA), both national and local, and many other venues.
Dan is President of Cassidy Retirement Group of Concord MA, specializing in retirement plan consulting services for qualified and non-qualified benefit plans of clients in the US, UK and Canada. He is chair of the SOA's Smaller Consulting Firm section and a standing member of its Education and Examination Committee Executive Group. He's also on the faculty of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research.
NOTE: This review also appears on my website www.thoughtleading.com
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