Agent

It's unclear why two people who clearly loathe James Bond would bother to write a book about the legendary spy. My only guess is that this book was commissioned by Vin Diesel to kill off James Bond and clear the way for more movies in the XXX series, the gen-X James Bond wannabe. Andy Lane and Paul Simpson have almost nothing kind to say about any of the films. For example, the description of every film's credit sequence is in a section called "cringe-worthy title sequence." This is strange considering that the millions of Bond fans around the world love the title sequences, one of the most sacred components of the 007 formula. (Yet the authors praised the witless title sequence from the dull Never Say Never Again, which seemed straight from a television film). Another section for each film is entitled "Mistakes Can Be Fatal," in which the authors try to be clever and witty by exposing errors, but instead only demonstrate they don't have a clue about logic and continuity. For example, they state that in GoldenEye it's illogical for a dam to be in the mountains (?!). Well, I live in the mountains, and there's a dam nearby. Worse, the book provides little behind-the-scenes information; most information about the films can be gleaned from imdb.com or a DVD cover, or just watching the movie. I feel sorry for anyone who reads this book. I pity even more the authors, who clearly wasted a lot of their time, which would have perhaps been better spent playing bocce ball or pitching a Remo Williams sequel.

Unfortunately I can not recommend this book. I used to welcome books about James Bond because they were far and few to be found in the world of publishing. This book falls into the plethora of recent publications about Ian Fleming's creation. Being part of that trend this book carries the stigma of glaring inaccuracies when it tackles Ian Fleming's written word. Many authors do not do their homework and the research into the actual words that Fleming put to paper. Fleming's sublime knowledge into the world of espionage, esoteric life styles and curiosity pieces is something analogous to the riddle of the Sphinx because in many instances the reader either misunderstands Fleming's prose or the reader just glosses over his words totally oblivious to the intent Fleming implied. Hell's belle's.

What can I say? This is one of the best books ever written about James Bond. It tackles every single medium Bond has appeared in, from Ian Flemming's novels to the unwatchable series James Bond Jr. There's plenty of behind the scenes info and some best (No, I expect you to die) and worst (I'll buy you a delecatessen in stainless steel) lines. There's even a comprehensive list of flubs for each book and film. Overall, a must-buy for anyone who loves Bond.

This program is addressed to the needs of the multiple line agency --- property & casualty, plus individual life insurance. If that is the type of agency you are interested in running then this material will apply to you --- otherwise, most of it probably won't. The material itself is decent, but I have one major complaint:

This is supposedly a four cassette program. However, the cassettes are so EXTREMELY SHORT that all of the material could easily have fit onto one tape. If you do decide to buy this program, you need to know in advance that you are buying one cassette's worth of material needlessly spread out onto four cassettes --- because if you're expecting four tapes' worth of information, then you're in for a disappointment.

If you are interested in running a multiple line insurance agency, and you would like to hear what Troy Korsgaden has to say, I would recommend reading his book, "Power Position Your Agency," instead. In my opinion, it's a much more straigtforward purchase --- you buy one book, and you get one book's worth of information.

This info could have been condensed into two cassettes, but it would be difficult to charge $... for only two tapes. Save your money and buy Korsgaden's, "Power Position Your Agency". Same info with more detail and a lot less expensive.

If you know anything at all about Troy Korsgaden, you should be aware that he is a multi-line agent, so yes these tapes do address the multi-line agency. While the book is fantastic (I highly reccomend) the tapes are great to listen to while on the go. There is some information on the tapes you don't get from the book. Personally, I have both and tend to re-read / re-listen to them often, as the information given can be applied daily to your agency.

I don't care to write too much about this book, because it just wastes more time.

Too much effort was put into this book and it was all futile.
Not enough "real hard evidence" supports anything reported in this "tabloid" type of book.
I felt like I was reading the National Enquirer (hardback version) than a book about Elvis and his manager.

This man obviously used a lot of other people's material, from other books, and added his opinion: which doesn't amount to much.

I like Scotty Moore and what he did for Elvis, but he was always kept in the dark about Elvis' business. So his comment about how much this book was an eye-opener is expected.

This was a waste of my money, but even moreso my time.
I would rather read something more substantial.

I like to learn about Elvis from the inside out. This is unquestionably one of the best and most interesting books I have ever read about Elvis' career. It is a fascinating and enlightening insight into Colonel Parker and thus into Elvis and his career also. Dickerson's approach takes you down a road I don't believe has been explored before. He has done remarkable research into (i) what influenced and shaped The Colonel and enabled him to emerge as a revolutionary and unique manager and (ii) into the underlying cultural and political forces of the time that greatly influenced the course of this particular piece of history. If you are serious about learning about Elvis and The Colonel, Dickerson's writing makes you think; it opens doors and suddenly so much becomes clear. The first half of the book is, perhaps, kinder to The Colonel than the second half; but, above all, if you want new and interesting information and great insight into these two gentlemen (Elvis and The Colonel), this book is brilliant. This book is well worth your time and money.

FROM THE BOOKJACKET:

"James Dickerson's research has confirmed more than I ever suspected"--Scotty Moore, Elvis's guitarist and first manager

"An indendiary, powerful investigative account . . . an explanation, finally, of the twisted, corrupt relationship between Elvis and Colonel Parker"--Joe Eszterhas, best-selling author, screenwriter and former writer for Rolling Stone magazine

"This jaw-dropping biography of Tom Parker confirms what I felt for years--that the Colonel was a far more fascinating rascal than Elvis ever became. This is a model of research assembled with crafty objectivity and humor"--Hal Kanter, director of the Elvis film "Loving You"

"Here is the whole sad and amazing story of 'the most accomplished con man since Barnum.' In swift, deft strokes Dickerson has sketched the greed, compulsion, and lies that drove every decision in the making of undoing of rock and roll's greatest talent. This is the book our study of popular culture's most glittering icon has lacked"--Lewis Nordan, author of "The Sharpshooter Blues"

"This riveting biography shines a hard light on the inscrutable Colonel . . . Dickerson has made it easy to understand that if rock and roll will never die, it owes its life to how Parker wrote the rules of the game"--Mark Ribowsky, author of "He's a Rebel"

This book was originally written in French, and whoever translated it was not paying attention when they did so. Horrible grammar and word usage mistakes detract from what would already be only a fair book. The stated purpose of the book is to unify various theories and approaches to multi-agent systems, and to this end uses a large array of redundant terminology.

I do not recommend this book at all.

Ferber's book is a confusing read for anybody approaching the subject for the first time. He attempts to categorise multiagent systems, but many of his key terms are vague. The
accumulation of distinctions without overall purpose becomes
irritating. Despite all the classification, there is no clear overall taxonomy and no hard code. Organisation is poor. A clear taxonomy and a detailed study of an implementation for each category plus code would have made a much better book. There is useful stuff here, but finding it is like looking for matching socks in a laundry bin.

I have not read the book. but i know the author is a famous prof. in the area.

I purchased The Industry Yellow Pages, and was extremely disappointed! Not only does the product appear as if it were created by someone on a home computer(amateur) - it is NOT a book as indicated - it is a PDF document on CD (Very unprofessional). In this format, you cannot print labels, sections, or do anything constructive with the information. Quite frankly, spend your money elsewhere!

I purchased every volume of this directory and found them all to be very useful to me at one point or the other. The information is very fresh and up to date. Thank You - Balil

Very complete information. Extremely helpful. Let's of sources and contact information. Definite must buy!

As a user of Zofran(Ondansetron) and someone who has researched this drug extensively I find the information inadequate and out of date. For instance the oral form (8mg tablets) has been available for some time now. It was originally investigated as an anti-psychotic drug and tested as an alcohol and cocaine/methamphetmine deterent for which there was no clear cut outcomes as to efficacy. Dr. Michael Liebowitz at Columbia/New York Psychiatric Institute has done the most recent research on Zofran for Generalized Anxiety Disorder with positive results, however Glaxo has stopped clinical trials/research into Zofran for psychiatric uses sometime in winter 1996. There are some studies (small populations) showing efficacy of Zofran in Parkinson patients to control dilusions and hallucinations. The authors seem to have neglected to do a complete medline search on this medication which has been investigated since approximately 1989! There are significant side effects to this drug which should not be taken lightly. The literature recommends the medication be taken no more than two days in a row without medical supervision. It is extremely difficult to find information regarding appropriate dosages for the oral form in treating mental health problems (for which it is quite effective-without eps side effects). The few pages in this book are so general and uninformative as to make it almost useless. Zofran is available only by prescription and then primarily for use with chemotherapy. It is also difficult to get IV Zofran unless you have cancer or an extremely enlightened physican. Zofran tablets at the pharmacy (US) cost approximately $23 each and most HMO's limit patient to 9 (8mg) tablets at a time. At this time it is not available in smaller dosages, although the tablets can be broken in half trying to get a smaller dose is extemely difficult. Attempts at getting information from Glaxo-Wellcome the manufacturer have been extremely difficult. If the authors have been this lax in obtaining information about this drug it makes me suspicious of the thoroughness of the information researched for the other drugs. Remember there is no free lunch especially when dealing with pharmaceuticals. Weigh carefully potential side effects against possible benefit. This is not a "natural" product but a highly concentrated anti-psychotic, anti-emetic drug.

Although this contains a lot of information about anti-aging drugs in the world, but we might have to be suspicious about what they are insisting here. They seem to be trying to be objective by reciting academic papers, but we ought to be careful about using these drugs. It might be possible for you to have obsessions about taking these drugs. Be careful.

I followed the protocols outlined in the book and eventually formulated a smart drug regimen that worked well for me. It is a combination of deprenyl (5 mg) and piracetam (1200 mg). Purchasing these substances has been much easier than I expected. And the results have been nothing less than a total transformation. My life has come together finally and I am advancing in my work. I really do feel that this has been the key I've been looking for all my life.

I did not find the book real helpful. It was to general and had many predictions but was sparce on good specific advice. My favorite book of this type is "Getting Clients, Keeping Clients."

Sincerely,
Thomas Cloud, Jr., ChFC

I have been in the life insurance business for 14 years and have worked in the agency system (as and agent and manager)for two of the largest mutual companies. I had been referred to this book by a friend of mine in the industry when I was disenchanted with direction of the agency system.

Mr. Sullivan's comprehension of the present agency system and the industry is only superceded by his vision of the direction of the future. He is right on!

So much so that I decided that it was time for me to move on and join a producer's group where I was totally independent without any conflicts of interest to my client. I am in total control of my destiny now. By the way, my production has conservatively doubled since I have moved on. I am more confident now, with a broader array of products, and most importantly no distractions.

Thank you Mr. Sullivan!

Sincerely,

Stuart B. Arakelian Registered Representative

There's not much to like here. The characters are, without exception, annoying and unlikable, from status-obsessed Hope right down to her destructive two-year-old daughter, Booty. If this family lived next door to me, I'd move. Luckily, all I had to do was toss the book without finishing it.

A huge disappointment and a waste of money. Keep browsing.

This book was so badly written and disorganized, the characters were so poorly developed....I do not know why I finished it.

What little was revealed about these mostly spoiled and unlikeable characters made me want to give most of them a swift kick. The situations were farfetched and unrealistic --almost laughable. The plot, if one can call it that, jumped all over the place and never returned to where it left off. Contrivances and coincidences abounded. It was so obvious how it would end.

This book sorely needed some strong editorial input to get it re-organized and clean it up.

I had looked forward to this book since I really liked one of this author's other books, "Grace and Favor". It is a shame Ms. Upcher did not take more care with "Down by the Water".

The book was an ok, average book. I thought that Hope was very spoiled and she annoyed me. I just couldn't really get into caring about her. The nanny was a more interesting character. It was strange how they ended really quickly by summing everything up and solving all the issues-it was a little too fast.
I don't think I'll look for other books by this author. Maybe if Hope had had some turnaround and decided not to be so spoiled and obsessed with money, she would have interested me more.

-heather

I personally have been in real estate as a motivational speaker for over 15 years. I've even written a book for McGraw-Hill on real estate. It is my professional opinion this is the worst book ever on real estate. This is obviously written by a person who was a real estate agent, was very bad at it, and her therapist told her to write this book as part of her therapy. The facts are totally inaccurate and I won't be surprised if the publisher and author get sued for all of terrible and incorrect advice they give.
If your looking for a book to educate you about buying or selling a home, keep looking on this site; there are much better one's to invest your money on.

A small volume which you can take with you while househunting. Real Estate Agents and their dirty little tricks is not nice to agents but does contain many useful tips. More home buyers should be aware of how the home-buying process works before they begin.

I think there needs to be a major exposure of the agent's tricks and this books helps. As a professional in the real estate business I see the tricks first hand and some of them really stink from a lack of ethics on the part of the real estate agents who try to manipulate the industry with illusion and overt misrepresentation. I would like to see more books like this one on the market. Don't let the agent spin you into thinking that they are necessary or helpful. They work on commission, like used car dealers. It is their objective to turn the property and make a mega profits for themselves in a world of sharks. Most agents are NOT consumer advocates concerned about the welfare of the general public.

If you buy this book, plan on keeping your checkbook open. You'll need it to buy the other books that Carla Cross frequently references and which are, unfortunately, key to using some of the charts contained in this book. Without the information from the other books it makes some of the charts useless. In the first 20 pages alone there are a dozen references to other books, either written by the author or others.

This book seemed very interesting but it still left me with a lot of questions..... For one where are these tapes that are continuously reffered to in the book? Also, this book assumes you are already an agent and I would think that part of getting running is how to get started! If anyone knows about the tapes for this book please e-mail me at mpdragon@netzero.net

Very logical, simple, yet through. This book pinpoints why so many agents fail in their first year of real estate. Lack of proper planning from a true business perspective. Excellent jump-start to get going in this industry.