Economic-Life Books

If you can commit to setting aside 15 min three times a week to begin
securing your financial future, pick up this practical, simple workbook inspired by God's words and refined in the fires of Carolyn
Castleberry's own 'school-of-hard-knocks' experience.

Avoid joining the "women 35-55, 1/3 to 2/3 of whom will be impoverished by age 70. Note women live 7 years longer than men," so we need to be involved. However, Carolyn offers hope and direction by encouraging us to "take time to carefully learn and consider our ever-growing number of financial options." She admits stumbling through trial and error, even though the author was a business major in college and a nationally-known news reporter.

Carolyn Castleberry draws MUCH from scripture, personalizing the
Proverbs 31 woman by naming her Proven. She talks us through fear,
offering peace of mind by asking God's guidance. There is room to write our action plans as we read and grow in knowledge to "create, consider & invest."

The author urges us to question those asking for OUR money and shares
simplified worksheets for budgeting and getting out of debt. Her
definitions and explanations for Winning the Credit Game, Real Estate,
(Stock/Options) Market, Estate Planning including the people and
process are easily understood. She distills information from 30
respected advisors who affected her life journey; their books are
referenced for whatever area you chose to focus your interest.

Gain confidence in handling your money rather than burying your head in the sand as many, me included, have. I'm looking forward to her next book, due in Jan 2007 and intend to put her suggestions into practice.

Armchair Interviews says: Good advice for all women.

Unfortunately, many extremely successful businessmen and women don't know how to manage the money they bring in. Carolyn Castleberry understands this is a problem from first hand experience, and addresses it in her book Women, Take Charge of Your Money. Using the example of the Proverbs 31 woman, Carolyn presents an inspiring plan for fixing the financial ignorance that is so widespread among Americans today. In her book, she addresses ladies who are already successful, or just starting out in business, about the importance of understanding money in order to be good stewards for God. With a little direction, and a lot of prayer, Carolyn says that financial security is more than just possible--it is guaranteed.

Despite being a highly educated young woman, Carolyn would be the first to admit that she was completely clueless about how to handle money in her earlier years. She had a great job and a college degree, but no knowledge about providing for her family's future! Inspired by the seemingly flawless woman recorded in Proverbs 31 (fondly called "Proven"), Carolyn began to face her financial fears and form a plan for taking control of her own money. With the goal of one day being able to "smile at the future" as Proven once did, Carolyn began to educate herself on both the business and spiritual aspects of investing. Finding that God is faithful to provide assurance to those willing to confront their financial fears, she decided to share her success story in Women, Take Charge of Your Money.

God's Word is the backbone of this devotional-style book, as the author relates the joys and difficulties of managing money God's way. The main idea is that to live a financially-secure life, one must invest in her own future just as our Proverbs model sold merchandise in the market, and even bought a field after considering the advantages. Carolyn warns that "the first step will be the scariest," but God will not let the faithful fail because he wants His children to be liberated of worry. As a now-successful real estate investor herself, Carolyn knows the potential freedom that can come from properly using her method of educating oneself on the market and relying on God all the way. It's simply a matter of coming out of hiding and deciding to accomplish God's Will for financial freedom.

Women, Take Charge of Your Money was surprisingly light and humorous considering the daunting topic it addresses, and the straightforward advice provides a fool-proof plan when the reader decides to commit. Carolyn's enthusiasm for her strategy can give even the most timid investor confidence that peace of mind about money matters is within arm's reach. Though the book is not an exhaustive resource on how to buy, sell, and invest, it is perfect for the Christian trying to figure out where to start on the road to a more stable future. I highly recommend it for any woman who wants to learn to glorify God with her stewardship and prepare for a future she can smile about. - Amanda Branyan, Christian Book Previews.com

If you want to finally take an active step towards straightening up your finances, Women, Take Charge of Your Money: A Biblical Path to Financial Security by Carolyn Castleberry is a book that will help point you in the right direction. Castleberry openly shares experiences from her life and gives practical advice that works. She applies principles from Proverbs 31 and shows how we too can be a virtuous woman by taking charge of all areas of our lives--including finances.

Everything you always wanted to know about basic personal finances but were afraid to admit you didn't know! Carolyn spells it all out in a clear, concise and easily accessible manner. The best part is that the author demonstrates repeatedly that we all can have God's divine spiritual support to help us achieve natural financial success! Carolyn makes it all so simple that even a guy can can understand it! Get this book!

I just graduated from graduate school and I was looking for some help with managing debt...basically grabbing a hold of my finances in a way THAT WORKED. Obviously, there are thousands of books out there that advise on debt, finances, credit, etc., but when I came across this one - something was different. This book is practical and it makes sense. I felt as if I were having a conversation with the author. Really!

-it's an easy read
-filled with practical advice, golden nuggets of truth
-credit/debt tips
-biblical application of how you can model the Proverbs 31 Woman

Women, Take Charge of Your Money is a book filled with genuine and practical instruction for anyone intested in managing money, erasing debt and learning how to invest. This book is timeless and imperative for the woman looking to take charge of not only her money, but her life! Try it!

I read this book.What I like about it is that he gives real life stories of people.He tells them in a way to help the reader out .It is worthwhile for anyone to read and then apply to their own work lives.

Let's face it, if you study Buddhism you probably have at least a dozen solid theoretical texts lining your bookshelves. And if there is any area in which those texts seem to be weak, it is in their approach to applying Buddhist tenets to the modern workplace. At first glance, Western capitalism and Eastern spirituality appear distinctly at oods. How is it possible to follow Buddha's Right Livelihood tenet and still succeed in the cutthroat workplace?

Mr. Richmond has been there and done that. He brings practical advice that is soundly grounded in Buddhist thought and tradition. He doesn't try to pretend that it is realistic to construct an altar at your desk, but provides reasonable ways to extend your spirituality to the workplace. Above all else, this book is a practical set of guidelines for maintaining your spirituality in America's competitive workplace. I've only just read it, but it has helped me immensely to find ways to make my worklife simply an extension of the rest of my life.

You will find something that applies to whatever kind of work day you are having. I read it as I struggled with a decision to quit or not quit; to compromise my personal beliefs or keep my job. I already knew the answers, but this book was comfortingly reassuring and supportive of the path I knew was correct for me. Now when I go back to reread, and reread sections, I always find something that helps me survive whatever work situation with which I'm dealing.

This is an excellent book. It was very easy to read, and provided lots of practical advice on all sorts of work problems ranging from stress to stagnation. It accepts the premise that emotions (such as anger) do happen at work, and provides advice on how to diffuse the negative aspects of emotions and harness the positive energy. This book was very helpful to me and probably would be helpful for many people.

This is an excellent book for those seeking to integrate spirituality into their workplace. It covers many common concerns and issues, but also leaves enough flexibility for the reader to adapt the content to their own situation. A good and easy read--I read it during breaks at work!

12 Choices is an easy read which provides common sense guidance for achieving your goals, whether they be personal or career. It is a MUST READ for people of all ages. Adopting the choices expounded in this book will positively lead to success in any endeavor.

12 Choices... That Lead to Your Success is part of a series of fine books by David Cottrell. He is a prolific author and professional speaker on the topics of leadership, personal development and customer service. David Cottrell's writing style is succinct, direct and easy to comprehend.


12 Choices... That Lead to Your Success is based on the principle that our daily choices determine our future and level of success. As Cottrell states in the Introduction, "Our daily challenge is to live our character, action and investment choices so naturally that we make the best choices almost subconsciously. This requires patience, honest reflection, adaptation, and commitment". As is hinted in this sentence, this book divides the 12 Choices into three categories or types of decisions we make...character, action and investment. Each of the 12 choices are discussed in their own chapter within the book.


The four "Character choices" we make are known only to the person making them and are 1) No-Victim, 2) Commitment, 3) Values and 4) Integrity. Cottrell considers these the foundation of success. The four "Action" choices we make are 5) Do-something, 6) Persistence, 7) Attitude and 8) Overcoming Adversity. These choices engage one in movement toward success. The four "Investment" choices include 9) Relationships, 10) Accepting criticism, 11) Accepting reality, and 12) Leaving a legacy. These are the choices that allow one to reap the joys and profit of achieving success.


12 Choices... That Lead to Your Success does not break any new ground or add deeper insight into understanding the individual choices. However, it collects these valuable principles into an easy to read format that gets directly to the heart of decision-making. Attaining success is certainly more complicated than presented in this book, but understanding and appreciating these 12 Choices is an excellent start.

12 Choices... That Lead To Your Success is a business self-help book by the president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute. The twelve general principles are especially intended for those striving to be successful in business, yet are so universal to apply to diverse facets of life itself. From making the choice to do something to advance toward one's goals, to understanding that there will always be enemies and the importance of choosing carefully not to align oneself with destructive individuals (including short-tempered types and rebels against authority, who are on a collision course with failure), to remaining crucially aware of the limits of reality, 12 Choices... That Lead To Your Success is a treasure trove resonating with wisdom about the power of the human mind and attitude. Highly recommended.

I picked this book up because of the word choices in the title. Making right choices and taking responsibility for one's decisions and attitudes is essential for success. David Cottrell does a good job giving bite size nuggets of information in each chapter on how to make character, action, and investment choices. The stories, illustrations, and quotes are fresh and encouraging in helping to enhance my chance for success.

The book asks an outstanding question and provides insight on what makes the difference in someone who is successful and someone who is not. David Cottrell says, "A major difference is that successful people make choices that others don't like to make. If you ask the successful people, they may tell you that they may not want to make the right choices, either, but they also realize that there is often a greater purpose in choosing to do the things they may not want to do."

The book is broken up into three parts:

1) The foundation for success is our character choices.
2) To move towards success I need to make the right "action" choices
3) To profit from success I need to make the right "investments."

The book covers excellent subjects like not having a victim mentality, staying committed, having values, and being someone of integrity. Action needs to say away from "Someday Isle", and be persistent, have the right attitude, and move through adversity. To connect I need to have the right relationships, be teachable, face the truth, and realize the legacy and gifts I have.

I highly recommend this brilliant book and look forward to picking up and reading more of David Cottrell's books.

I bought 12 Choices for my work -- and additional copies for my coworkers to use...but what I found was information that was useful to my spouse, my kids, my parents and my Sunday School class.

Mr. Cottrell has captured and condensed the most important and the most impactful choices we make throughout our lives. By providing an infrastructure so we can classify our choices, we understand their value and the importance of making the right choices.

After reading this book, I took it home to family and then shared it with friends. We all took away something a little bit different but it was all helpful...and it was written in a way so that even my teenager got the message about the types of choices we make and how to do a better job of choosing the right road.

This little book is worth its weight in gold and is right up there with Stephen Covey's Seven Habits book.

Short little book but contains timeless examples of how to be sucessful in any business. A very good addition to any business man's library.

This book contains timeless principles about business, making money and how to preserve money. They seem trivial but the U.S. economy early 2008 would be in a much better shape if all participants followed them...We just forget these words of wisdom and we should revert to the work of P.T. Barnum more frequently to avoid the foolish business mistake we all make.

Solid, timeless advice for anyone seeking wealth... and how to keep it once you get it.

This is a book that every young man and young lady should read - so that they ensure their safe passage along the road to success as opposed to the road to destruction.

Barnum gives 20 "rules" that a person must abide by in order to be successful. Given that Barnum was one of the wealthiest men in America during his day, given that Barnum was received by Kings and Queens the world over, his "rules" are worthy of attention.

If you are already striving along the path to success, you will likely find the "rule" that you have been breaking to this point, that has been holding you back. When you read this book, you'll see it, and your success will be accelerated greatly.

By the way, all 20 of these "rules" are fully applicable to today's world and environment. There is absolutely nothing that is "dated" about this book.

As an aside, this book was actually a speech that Barnum gave on the "speakers circuit" of his day. As such, it provides a great model from which a person can construct a speech of their own. You'll see how Barnum gets "personal", uses jokes, quotes, and stories to bring his speech to life and make it interesting.

Lastly, in the realm of success books, there isn't an easier book to read anywhere since this book is a mere 32 pages long.

Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 - April 7, 1891), American showman who is best remembered for his entertaining hoaxes and for founding the circus that eventually became Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

In Brooklyn, New York in 1871, he established "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Circus", a traveling amalgamation of circus, menagerie and museum of "freaks", which by 1872 was billing itself as "The Greatest Show on Earth".

There's a sucker born every minute" is a phrase often credited to P.T. Barnum. However, when Barnum's biographer tried to track down when Barnum had uttered this phrase, all of Barnum's friends and acquaintances told him it was out of character. Barnum's credo was more along the lines of "there's a customer born every minute" -- he wanted to find ways to draw new customers in all the time because competition was fierce and people bored easily

Barnum wrote several books, including The Humbugs of the World (1865), Struggles and Triumphs (1869), and his Autobiography (first in 1854, and later editions including 1869).

The Art of Money Getting is really the story of how to run a sales organization by understanding the mind and tastes of your primary customer base.

Barnum is a treat to read and is never boring! I highly recommend his books.

"Basic truths have been recorded in every language for time memorial. The Balancing Act is a consumate study of these basic truths - the philosophies by which we can successfully pattern our lives.
This volume weaves multi-colored threads into a fabric that provides a portal into these masteries and more. At first perusal you may think, "this is familiar." I ask you to dig deeper, for Sharon has eloquently and brilliantly given you a gift - a map - answering every question you could possibly want for a successful life.
Sharon Seivert is an extraordinary author of vanguard vintage. We are most fortunate that she has encompassed complex mysteries into basic truths. You will want to keep this book on your desk at all times."

Sharon Seivert's insightful understanding of the process of emotional growth provides clients with new avenues to deepen their involvement in their own therapy.

I have "The Balancing Act" side-by-side with my "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." I find this book to be even more insightful than Mr. Covey's in helping me articulate who I am, what my core beliefs are, and how to balance this with the rest of my other elements.... It's like soul music that just reaches into your very being.

Sharon Seivert is a very wise woman who has developed a powerful model that will indeed improve the quality of your relationships to your life, your work, and your community. Using Sharon's simple yet not simplistic assessment tools, you will discover where you are out of balance in your life or your organization, and then learn how to create an alignment of the five elements. Her lessons are comprehensive yet practical and clearly defined. If you are ready to change your life, get this book!

More Americans are talking about seeking balance in their lives. Many of them have actually gone beyond talking and are on the quest. The Balancing Act is one of a number of books that have been written (and will be written) on this topic. Seivert, a business consultant and executive coach, has put together a design that suggests five areas that need to be brought into an appropriate balance for you: Personal Life, Relationships, Leadership, Organizations, and World.

Various chapters of this book are keyed to the five elements; others are presented as being of general interest to the reader. This approach and book organization (the chapters are coded in the table of contents) enables the reader to concentrate, during first or subsequent readings, on those areas of greatest interest. Two appendices and an index provide additional support.

The book is organized into three parts: Finding Your Balance in Life, Relationships, and Work; The Five Elements of Success; and The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts. The first section, pre-chapters, offers almost three dozen pages of introductory material on Finding Your Balance, The Elements of Success, and The Great Ally Inside You. Readers will find a collection of worksheets to engage in some self-analysis before proceeding into the meat of the book.

The text is heavy on spirituality, as opposed to books focused on life activities and common sense advice. Seivert's elements: air, fire, water, and earth are discussed in the context of balancing them in the way you lead your life. If you are receptive to a deep spiritual approach to life, you'll enjoy this book. If you are not engaged by this approach, it will be difficult to connect with this presentation.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have or most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities, values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married, middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer. The authors identify leverage points for significant change in organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see new potential for change.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box
can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be
unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can
lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the
industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily
life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have
for most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and
its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond
traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number
of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge
norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities,
values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of
thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married,
middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our

work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The
authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze
the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and
how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that
the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good
for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work
processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is
based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer.
The authors identify leverage points for significant change in
organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions
about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see
new potential for change.

As a coach and consultant to attorneys struggling to make
the business case for effective and usable work-life practices, I found this book to be an invaluable tool and resource.
Law firms are bastions of gendered assumptions about ideal
workers. The insatiable demand for ever-increasing billable hours makes developing and maintaining a normal life outside of work an extraordinary challenge, particularly for women attorneys. "Beyond Work-Family Balance" clearly articulates the tacit gendered assumptions underlying current law firm work practices and effectively establishes the connection between gender equity and workplace performance.
I wish the managing partners of every law firm would read this.
I'll refer all of my coaching clients to it. At least it will
confirm that it's the system - not them - that has the problem.

This is a book we have all been waiting for. After decades of reflection and debate about how best to develop innovative, high performance organisations, on the one hand, and how to enhance gender equity and work-personal life integration on the other hand, this book tells us that the two are not only compatible, but mutually dependent. Written in a non technical and thoroughly engaging style, the book argues that work practices and norms which are inequitable are also ineffective. The authors have the rare knack of presenting a deep and thoughtful analysis in such a clear way that their argument seems simple and obvious.

The heart of the problem lies in the gendered assumptions that underpin many everyday working practices . The authors point out that assumptions based on traditional masculine values and life situations include the defining of commitment in terms of long working hours that preclude time for family or personal life, and the valuing of stereotypical male competencies, such as heroic action and firefighting, above interpersonal and other competencies regarded as more “feminine”. Drawing on action research in a range of organisations they demonstrate how these assumptions and the practices that follow from them, undermine effective performance, but are so taken-for-granted that we rarely question them.

What really distinguishes this book is that the authors go beyond identifying problems to provide a well tried method for bringing about meaningful change It does not offer one size fits all solutions but does provide a process for reaching tailor made solutions. Their method of Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR) includes examining working practice and the assumptions that sustain ineffective practices and gender inequity and then thinking collaboratively with work teams to come up with innovative solutions to what they call the “dual agenda”. The case studies used throughout the book are based on experience in a wide range of organisations so that everybody should be able to identify with at least some of the situations described. This should leave limited room for the traditional cry of “it won’t work here”.

For all those readers who are interested in organisational performance and change and in gender equity, whether or not they have already made the connections between the two, this book will make compulsive reading. Even the most cynical will find it difficult to totally disregard the central message that gender equity and effective performance go hand in hand.

The long-awaited, "Beyond Work-Family Balance," is finally out! Many of us have been waiting for
the better part of a decade for a full treatment of the worklife
integration experiments at Xerox and elsewhere, and this is it! If you are
looking for a book to get you charged up about the business case for
work/life programs, go elsewhere. If you want the most honest, detailed
account of attempts to make the business case successful in practice, this
is the book for you. The basic argument starts with integration: we cannot
improve things unless and until we are willing to bring the public sphere
of employment and the private sphere of home together, a process that can
range from embarrassing to painful. The second ingredient is the dual
agenda of improving business performance and gender equity. The tightrope
involved in carrying this dual agenda into the workplace is what makes the
book interesting, powerful, and realistic. The authors argue that an
interactive research approach is required to make the dual agenda work,
with the researchers listening and learning almost as much as the
participants in the business world, a process that requires constant
feedback, reflection, and communication. Indeed, an entire chapter is
devoted to lessons for research teams wishing to pursue research while
applying a dual agenda to themselves. Sometimes the dual agenda succeeds,
and employees and managers learn how to improve the functioning of
workplaces for all participants (yes, stockholders even benefit). But the
fundamental honesty of the authors leaves us wondering: is it worth it?
Fortunately, I think the answer is yes, but the authors leave us in no
doubt as to the incredible amount of work required.
The one question left hanging concerns unions, since the parallels
between many labor-management cooperation initiatives and the integration
approach are multiple (if not perfect), but unions are not mentioned.
Well, that leaves something for the next book. Incredibly well-written,
brutally honest, and extremely insightful! A must-read for academics and
practitioners alike.

As a genealogist, I have a particular interest in these types of publications. Guillermo Baralt has collected priceless information on Puerto Rican history.

I have a lot invested in this book as my mom's family comes from hacienda life and are from this area of the island. It helped me flesh out a better picture of my ancestral movements. For my mom and aunts, reading this book was like reading a diary. This was their life experience. Thanks so much for translating this. It can be enjoyed by any serious historian of the Caribbean.

Historically, factual, fascinating, a wealth of information culturally, and a must read (required) for all Puerto Ricans, Newyoricans, and ANYONE interested in the history of the founding fathers of the New World!...I found this book, while researching the archives online at the New York Historical Society's Library. But, it only showed the original, which was written in Spanish. The history and clarity of the subject matter contained in this book is long overdue, and covered the subject spectrum 100%!


After speaking with my brother, whose first visit to Puerto Rico (at a ripe old age of 49), included a visit to 'Plantation Buena Vista,' he told me about the rich history that he saw there, and that he was totally fascinated by it! I again, researched this book online at [...], and saw, that it was redone in English, so that, I could read it!

If I were asked to contribute anything to this book, I would just say, that I would have liked it to be broader to include more chapters! Perhaps, a sequel to this book can be written! Or, maybe even, it should be made into a TV Series...muchas, Alex Haley's TV miniseries, "ROOTS!"

The ongoing saga of the Buena Vista Plantation, rich cultural history of the Vives Family and Puerto Rico after the turn of the century, is equally, and, even more, compelling a story!

Thank you Amazon for providing this book, as it filled in the facts that not being able to read comprehensively in Spanish has cost!

I received this book on Saturday and finished it Sunday . An excellent, detailed account on life in a Puerto Rican Hacienda. Wonderful illustrations of people of the time and details of sophisticated equipment used in those time. A true picture of how life was then. My grandfather was a farmer and worked on a plantation so this gives light to some of the stories he told me about. An excellent books for anyone that wants to know about their roots and is especially interested in the Ponce area although this was probably typical of all plantations. A must read!!!

If your really into history Colonial days you should really put your hands on this one. It takes you on a drive full of feeling to that era. Im Italian and it made me recall my grandparents village in Palermo... I give Gullermo A. Baralt an A+

(From Planeta journal): This new English-language translation of an established Caribbean classic traces the history of the Buena Vista estate in the foothills of Puerto Rico's central mountain range. Now a living history museum, Buena Vista gained its initial success producing food for the town of Ponce, proving that raising crops for local consumption could be as profitable as sugar or coffee for export. The text spans almost a century -- a time in which slavery ended and technology expanded at a phenomenal rate. This is an exceptional book, one that any visitor to Puerto Rico should read before making an obligatory visit to the island's Living Museum of Art and Science.

The author explains that Bumble-bee queens (which are not accompanied by a swarm of workers as are Honey-bees), must by themselves select and furnish a nest site, lay eggs and brood the resulting larva and then forage for pollen and nectar - whose sugar provides the energy needed for flying and nest warming. Heinrich brilliantly contrasts the foraging strategies of the bumble-bees with those of the plants which provide nectar and pollen and are in return cross-pollinated. He also explains how the bees control the heat flow from their thorax which contains the flight muscles, depending on whether they need to fly which requires a relatively high thorax temperature, or need merely to crawl, which allows them to dissipate less energy. The book concludes with a large set of references to the entomological literature at the time of publication, and a set of color plates to help in identifying about fifty North and Central American species of Bumble bees.

The bumblebee spends its days gathering the resources needed by the hive -- honey for energy and pollen for protein. This endeavor requires expenditure of nearly all the energy resources that the bee is capable of acquiring. Living on the edge as they do, energy requirements inform every aspect of the bees' lives -- from the way they choose flowers to harvest all the way to the way that blood flow may be redirected between the muscles of the thorax and the lower abdomen. It may sound as dry as an economics text when I tell it, but the author transports you to his summer home in Maine, where he sits and watches the bees and then devises simple but elegant experiments to tease out the subtle relationships between energy, anatomy and behavior, and the energy balances between the individual and the hive, and between the adults and the newborns.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Heinrich presents relevant and well-considered research and experimental design in an accessible and easy-to-understand fashion. Having come off a bio class in which we did an extensive lab portion on population structure and evolution, I really enjoyed seeing such fascinating data on social insects. I was not, until having read Heinrich's book, familiar with the very major differences between honey and bumblebees. This book not only presents an excellent overview of how bumblebee's function (thermoregulation of flight muscles and suchforth) but also the economic factors (in pollen and nectar) that form the trade-offs that dictate behavior. Heinrich's observation that bumblebees develop 'major and minor' flower specialties that they exploit preferentially is a fascinating bit of information that synthesizes two commonly concieved as different fields.

I'd highly recommend this book as not just beach reading for scientists but as a brilliant and accessible book on a very common pollinator.

The commercial use of honeybees has diverted attention from their generally larger and wilder cousins, the bumblebees. Overcoming the suspicions of his Maine neighbours, Heinrich applied modern technology and immense patience to learn about bumblebee lifestyles in local bogs and fields. What he learned overturned many assumptions about how these insects deal with the environment. He soon concluded that the life of the bumblebee is tied firmly to issues of dynamic energy balance. That balance is, in turn, related to the pollination needs of the plants they forage. In this illuminating and thoughtful presentation, the author provides a captivating picture of the bumblebee's role in Nature. In so doing, he demonstrates the interaction of different species to explain the process of co-evolution of different species.

As a "social insect", the bumblebee reflects its evolutionary roots. It also seems to provide many "lessons" humans express the wish to emulate. Being in nearly constant motion during daylight hours, it appears "industrious". It also appears "frugal" in the acquisition and preservation of resources. Heinrich stresses how evolution has conditioned these behaviour traits, using human economic scenarios to explain the seeming parallels. In order to survive a variety of environmental conditions, the bumblebee must engage in various cost-benefit scenarios. These include the individual bee's energy regulation, as well as the transfer of resources to meet the colony's needs. From the outset, the author notes how the lessons derived from bumblebee studies may be applied to broader ecological questions.

He opens with the colony cycle, with a single queen launching a new brood-site. Development of the colony follows with individual bees making specific contributions. Bumblebees, unlike their honeybee cousins, perform their role as individuals. There's no "bee dance", which would be a wasteful exercise. Instead, the bumblebee, starts its day with a self-generated "warm-up" exercise, giving it the advantage of an earlier start than honeybees, which must be warmed by sunlight. Heinrich learned about these energy-related activities through precise measurements. Bumblebees were studied in free and tethered flight, their thermoregulatory mechanisms revealing surprising new forms. He further determined how bumblebees locate prime resource providers and how the insects can identify the best nectar producers. Heinrich ably combines tightly detailed evidence with its implications for the broader scope of Nature's mechanisms.

Bumblebees are sometimes fooled by plants that have learned how to entice them to the pollen stalks without expending energy in generating a nectar reward. This revelation leads to a discussion of the likely path of bumblebee-plant coevolution. Plants, like the insects, must expend the minimal amount of energy to achieve pollination. The result is two, highly complex, interactive lifestyles each struggling to achieve the same end - reproductive success. Plant-bumblebee interactions have granted the insects a range that surpasses that of the honeybee. Bumblebees are found within 900 km of the North Pole and south into Tierra del Fuego. While the plants found in these sparse regions are few and far between, the efficient flight energy budget of the bumblebees provide the means for nectar recovery and plant pollination. It's a finely balanced system, the author notes, but works sufficiently well for both parties even in harsh environments.

Heinrich's long experience in tracking, measuring and analysing bumblebee life cycles is carefully and expressively presented in this book. The exhaustive details are smoothly integrated into the larger picture of Nature's panorama. He has no illusions about this volume being "the last word" on this fascinating creature. Much remains to be learned, and threats to bumblebee resource areas are increasing, particularly as a result of the onset of rapid climate change. An Appendix explaining how to raise bumblebees is an aid to those wishing to contribute enlargement of the information on them. Excellent graphics, including maps of foraging patterns are a useful guide for those wishing to study bumblebees in their own areas. With a list of species and their ranges, illustrated with wing and body shapes, and colouration indicators, the student of these fascinating creatures is well-launched. Maintaining the continuity of his study is the greatest compliment this author could receive. And he deserves many for this book and the work underlying it. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This study of the bumble bee was fascinating. (For a moment I wanted to go back to school and study entomology.) It may be of particular interest to those interested in native bee-keeping. Instructions for building a bumblebee nesting box, and how to get a colony started, is included in the appendices.

it's just the sort of material a business English teacher needs to meet the requirements of both business classes and executives.it is comprehensive and includes major business communication skills . I have been using it for the past two years. it is just exellent. it would probably be better if an answer key was attached to it.
well Done!!

"Business Objectives" is targetted towards adult English as a Foreign Language learners who are currently learning with a trainer.

It is directed towards pre-intermediate/intermediate level learners, and supported by teacher's book, cassettes, pairwork material and lively videos, it is comprehensive and up-to-date.

Topics include: meeting people, telephoning, presentations, socialising, describing products and trends - each in easy-to-use units that can be used as on-going training, or stand alone modules. It makes great use of sketches and role plays, and references to actual companies and situations and for a trainer with little business experience it is easy to use.

Its partner "Business Opportunities" is directed towards higher level learners, and frankly there is not an English training organisation that I know who is not basing it's business English course around this book. A must!

This is the kind of English business book that gives plenty of subject for discussion and giveas the student the satisfaction of knowing that he or she is learning useful English. It is also complete and varied, can be used with any businessperson, no matter the area of interest.

"Business Objectives" is targetted towards adult English as a Foreign Language learners who are currently learning with a trainer.

It is directed towards pre-intermediate/intermediate level learners, and supported by teacher's book, cassettes, pairwork material and lively videos, it is comprehensive and up-to-date.

Topics include: meeting people, telephoning, presentations, socialising, describing products and trends - each in easy-to-use units that can be used as on-going training, or stand alone modules. It makes great use of sketches and role plays, and references to actual companies and situations and for a trainer with little business experience it is easy to use.

Its partner "Business Opportunities" is directed towards higher level learners, and frankly there is not an English training organisation that I know who is not basing it's business English course around this book. A must!

I, just want a audio cassette of business objetives

It is well-written, clear, and extremely USEFUL. And it is very easy to use.

The book clearly presents how to create a powerful career portfolio and market yourself effectively. Very valuable tools presented in a well-written book made this one of my best Amazon buys of the year.

I have worked as a vocational counselor for many years, and I use this book on a regular basis with my clients as well as with my own family/friends. A nice feature of The Career Portfolio Workbook is that it outlines what you need to do during the process of creating a portfolio, but also recognizes that some people don't have the time to work through the process in a step-by-step fashion. For example, the book has a note in the introduction that if you need a portfiolo in a hurry - say, for an interview tomorrow - you need to read chapters X and Y. With a week to prepare, chapters W, X, Y, and Z should top your reading list. If you have more time, read the whole book.

The directions are wonderful, and allow each person a wide range of flexibility in terms of developing a unique style of presentation. The book includes templates, sample portfolios, and other documents you can modify for your own use.

Highly recommended.

The Career Portfolio Workbook is a great resource which I have used to transition into a new profession. I was able to use the ideas in the workbook to market myself and to set myself apart from the competition. I have many career books but this is the best. The system is comprehensive and easy to organize. It is a unique way to manage your career.

This book really works! It is clearly written and is guaranteed to help you put together an excellent portfolio. Only days after using the guidelines of this book to create a PEAKS resume, I got 3 calls for job interviews. It really is amazing and I recommend it to anyone, no matter how far along you are in your career.

I know you've heard it before, buy this book and great things will happen. This book is different. It offers easy to read, true to life examples of what it is really like when your out looking for a job or promotion. The authors base the workbook on how you can set yourself apart from your competition. I was very hesitant at first but gave the career portfolio a try. The step by step directions in the book made a seemingly daunting task quite manageable and rewarding in itself. I put together my career portfolio and have a new confidence in myself that I am sure contributed to landing my new job. I wish I had this years ago.