Future Books

Good book for the basics, you get to learn some interesting stuff in a very clear and repetitive way.

Anyone who is interested in trading, whether its on NYSE,NASDAC,or FOREX like my self you buy this book. Loaded with tons of information.

I found this book informative. I have been interested in candlestick charting for years and I was not able to find a text that could give me simple, clear, and concise information until Candlestick Charting for Dummies. This book is just what I needed.

I have found many technical analysis books are written with too much jargon and are difficult to understand for the non-professional. This book simplifies everything in a well written and comprehensive guide for the layperson looking to learn about candlestick charting technical analysis.

Heard Os Guinness speak IRL and he gave a 30 minute synopsis of this book. Wow. He makes a great case for being civil to each other (political right and left, religious right and left, really any group) and why it matters to the future of the USA. Irish-born, Guinness has incredible insight on the Founding Fathers, Bill of Rights, and our Constitution.

"It would be a safe but sad bet that someone, somewhere in the world, is killing someone else at this very moment in the name of religion or ideology." Thus begins "The Case for Civility" by Os Guinness. Every day the media brings us stories of death and mayhem and often religion and ideology are to blame. The bookshelves at your local bookstore are groaning under the weight of books by atheists--Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins--who blame religion for many of the world's ills. But the record of nations that turned from religion have fared even worse. Guinness says, rightly I'm sure, that no question today is more urgent than this one: how do we live with our deepest differences--and especially our religious and ideological differences. This book is a proposal for restoring civility.

But it is deeper than that. It is a proposal for restoring civility first in America is a model for the rest of the world to follow. It is a call for the United States to take the lead in restoring civility. "The place at which we must begin to search for answers is the United States. Not because the problem is worse here than elsewhere--on the contrary--but because America has the best cultural resources, and therefore the greatest responsibility to point the way forward in answering the deepest questions." America is uniquely equipped to take the lead and Guinness urges her on.

Much of the answer to whether or not we'll learn to live with our deepest differences depends on rejecting two erroneous responses to the culture wars. First, we must say no to a "sacred public square"--a situation where one religion has a position of privilege or prominence that is denied to others. As he refutes the sacred public square, Guinness laments the state of the Religious Right and the damage it has done to faith in America. We must also say no to a "naked public square"--the situation where public life is left devoid of any religion. This is what is advocated by the new atheists. Both of these responses to the culture war are in contradiction to the Constitution.

The alternative to both is a "civil public square." "The vision of a civil public square is one in which everyone--peoples of all faiths, whether religious or naturalistic--are equally free to enter and engage public life on the basis of their faiths, as a matter of `free exercise' and as dictated by their own reason and conscience; but always within the double framework, first of the Constitution, and second, of a freely and mutually agreed covenant, or common vision for the common good, of what each person understands to be just and free for everyone else, and therefore of the duties involved in living with the deep differences of others." If we are to have a civil society, we must first have a civil public square.

Anticipating an objection that is sure to arise, Guinness makes sure the readers knows that he is not advocating some kind of false tolerance, the likes of which is too often advocated in our society. The tolerance he advocates is true tolerance--one that understands and affirms that there must be differences. It does not seek to eradicate differences, but instead seeks respect despite differences. It is important to understand that "the right to believe anything" does not mean "anything anyone believes is right." Though we need to respect a person's right to believe anything, there are times that we have a right and a duty to disagree with them.

Guinness concludes the book with a short list of challenges--places to begin in the quest to restore civility. These are things society must do, but things that must be spearheaded by individuals just like you. As an afterword Guinness includes the text of the Williamsburg Charter which he helped draft.

A particularly interesting thing about this book is that it is written by a man who, by virtue of his British birth, is excluded from being a leading part of the solution. He can write and propose, but not act. What he proposes, he proposes to American citizens. Meanwhile, I read and reviewed this book from a Canadian perspective. And I agree with much of what Guinness states here. America, it seems to me, is the nation best equipped to champion and to model the restoration of civility. Though not revered as she once was, America continues to be a nation that is looked to with respect and which has a global presence. She is a nation who has the constitutional foundation to model a truly civil public square. But the question remains: will she show the way forward?

Os Guinness, The Case For Civility. HarperOne, 2008. As an Englishman born in China, and as an astute sociologist and social critic, Guinness offers a wise and compelling vision for civilizing the public square and moving beyond the machinations of endless culture wars.

While writing as a Christian, Guinness charts a course for "a civil public square" in which citizens of any religion or of none are allowed and encouraged to let their voices be known and to respect those of others. He argues against both "the sacred social square" (where pluralism is defrocked and one religion dominates at the expense of others) and "the naked public square" (in which religious citizens are not allowed to participate socially and politically on the basis of their deepest convictions).

Guinness grounds his reflections on a profound understanding of The First Amendment and its entailments. Contrary to many, he argues that civility is a higher virtue than mere tolerance. Moreover, civility requires knowledge and discipline; it is not the fruit of relativism, which despairs of objective moral knowledge and the pursuit of objective truth.

Readers of Guinness's previous and much larger work, The American Hour (1992), will find echoes in The Case for Civility, but the latter is far more than a digest of the former; it is, rather, a timely and clarion call to principled pluralism tied to the essence of the American experiment.

Os Guinness has done us all a great service in writing The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends on It. Always an articulate and sane voice, Guinness attempts to bring reason to the conversations / arguments that rage in America and beyond today. He notes, "Unquestionably, religion can be divisive, violent and evil. But also, unquestionably, secularism can be oppressive, murderous, and evil, too." He addresses issues like: What role does faith play in the public square? What role should it not play? Is secularism the answer? Moving beyond simplistic versions of the "new tolerance" where every view point is seen as "equally valid," Guinness helps us think about disagreements and how to disagree; yet in a way that affords dignity and respect--A truly important and timely work.

Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower's Guide for the Journey

"Cash Rich Retirement" provides a clear roadmap to investing for a successful retirement. The book is easy to read and makes the case that we need to save more and invest wisely and diffently to assure our retirement. The author provides specific guidelines and recommendations for a wide range of investment options. He also covers a host of complex areas like annuities, long term care insurance, and reverse mortgages in a clear and concise way. It is truly a reference work that you can turn to again and again. Finally, the book takes a hard headed and conservative approach to the future and to investment myths like stocks always go up that will lead readers to wiser more clear headed decisions and better results.

Finally a book on retirement that stands out based both on content and on style. It is a little like Dad is taking you out to the woodshed to teach you a lesson about retirement planning. He is spot on in putting responsibility back squarely in the lap of each of us for our retirement health. His investment strategies make sense and are obviously founded on a great deal of experience and research.
This is a book that compasionate companies everywhere should buy for their employees offering at least some atonement for the pensions that they have shrunk or eliminated.

No matter what age you are, preparing for retirement or being retired (i.e. living off of your resources) we all wonder if we are making the right decisions. Jim has done extensive research on the subject and reports his results in a very easy to understand book. It will serve as a great resource to help you achieve your objectives.

I recently took early retirement and have checked out several books looking for help to make my income last. This is the best of the lot. It helped me understand ways of shielding my investments from "performance whiplash". It also gives straightforward advice about new funds, indexes, health insurance, annuities and even reverse mortgages. Whether you are already retired, thinking of retirement, decades away from retirement or somewhere in between, this book will help you. I give it high marks for good advice, good tools, and a clear action plan for stronger finances. Best of all, it is easy to read and understand.

The work of Michael Pillsbury has been almost as popular in Chinese military circles as it is in the United States. His previous report on Chinese views of future warfare was noted enthusiastically by Chinese military scholars, although there was some concern over his liberal reference to high ranking Chinese sources.

Nevertheless, Pillsbury was able to return to drink from the same well in preparing China Debates the Future Security Environment. His sources are highly placed and respected members of China's security apparatus, and include members of leading think tanks, such as the China Institute for International Studies, as well as People's Liberation Army leadership.

The great value of the work is that between its covers Pillsbury shows a comprehensive picture of Chinese perspectives on a variety of topics relating to future security environments. He explains contemporary Chinese Communist Party rationale for viewing the future based on an amalagam of ancient Chinese statecraft (views drawn from the Warring States Era, which many Chinese use to draw comparisons with today's single superpower system) and current methodology for calculating the comprehensive national power (CNP) of modern states. The CNP of the United States will decline in the future, the Chinese are required to believe, and their calculations go to some lengths to show this pattern in various ways.

Most interesting to me was a discussion of China's three views of future threats and how these relate to special interest groups inside the PLA. People's War traditionalists are still the most powerful bloc and control most budget decisions. Their future posits a large enemy, such as the United States, Russia, India or a resurgent Japan. Power projection advocates see the future differently in terms of local wars around China's periphery. They advocate modernization, smaller and more professional forces. The revolution in military affairs (RMA) enthusiasts see no immediate major threat for a number of years, time, they say, to transform key parts of the military force to be technologically competitive with the West.

There is a fourth future, explained in Unrestricted Warfare, a book by two senior colonels in the PLA published last year. It advocates removing all rules and restrictions in the conduct of war to enable the "inferior to defeat the superior." Available too late for Pillsbury to consider in this work, Unrestricted Warfare may represent a synthesis of views on the future way of war from a Chinese perpective, even though it "does not represent official doctrine."

I commend Pillsbury's work to both the serious and casual student of Chinese military affairs. He has done a service for those on both sides of the Pacific.

Pillsbury's excellent work reminds Americans of the danger of expecting other nations to mirror our notions, objectives and policies. Fascinating Chinese foreign policy insights throughout the book. Some of the translated policy proposals/commentaries were really quite shocking. It should be required reading for all presidential (and Congressional) candidates. A "serious" book -- but very "readable", and definitely NOT just for policy "wonks." Availability may be troublesome as it is published by the National Defense University (NDU) and available through the Government Printing Office (GPO)[sorry Amazon ;-) ].

I have learned that perceptions are sometimes more important than facts and in the case of the Chinese viewpoint of the world situation, this holds true. This book describes in an interesting fashion, the Chinese perception of the motives, strengths and weaknesses of the world powers.

The Chinese use an interesting method of determining a nation's relative power using a quasi-mathematical formula to determine the Comprehensive National Power (CNP) of any given nation. They use this also to project the future CNP of given nations.

This interesting process is described in detail and the varying uses of this CNP are described. The Chinese show the most interest in the United States, Russia, Europe (mainly Germany, France and the United Kingdom), Japan, India and China. These calculations are focused through the lens of Chinese perception. This is based on Chinese history including ancient Chinese history, Marxism, Mao thought and the writings of Deng tso Peng. This is the most fascinating portion of the book.

For example, some factions in this debate feel that Japan is becoming militaristic and will want power in Asia. Most feel that Russia will become their friend in the coming struggles. The optomists feel that there will be a multipolar power sharing between China, Europe, Russia, the United States and Japan in a atmosphere of cooperation.

You may or may not disagree with the Chinese conclusions but the reality is, they believe that the world operates the way they see it and will react to world events accordingly.

Beyond ranking this fantastic work, there isn't much I can add that previous reviewers haven't admirably covered. It is necessary for our country to understand the needs that motivates the calculations Pillsbury illustrates in his book. It is essential for the American debate about our relationship with China to include texts such as these, which highlight important concerns for Americans, but transcend the current dichotomy of right-wing paranoia and left-wing romanticism toward China.

While Pillsbury's book is devoted to a very specific topic, the tone and quality of his work helps illustrate China's foreign policy communities in ways that are absent in the sterotyped visions of China usually constructed. Instead of having to fall in with one or the other viewpoint that is more an argument about domestic ideology than about China, we ought to remember that it is the clarity of our vision that is the most important technique for ensuring American security. Public relations gestures of saber-rattling or apologia accomplish just the obvious. That is why careful attention paid to work such as Pillsbury's book makes us better off in the long run.

It took a little longer than usual to receive the book but it did come, so I have nothing bad to say.

Jeff Michaels was chosen as the voice of Oneron, a group of beings that come through as warm, witty, wise and loving energy. Jeff has captured and brought through the energy of Oneron beautifully ! They speak to us of a convergence of energy that is happening right now. They tell us we have a choice. We choose the direction of our life. It is up to us to maintain balance, to seek joy, love and peace. Book One is truly an expression of joy, love and peace ! A truly uplifting and enlightening read. I find myself picking up the book again and again. I am eagerly awaiting Book Two.

Jeff Michaels has produced a great read that deals with many questions we often find ourselves pondering concerning the world in which we currently live and experience. Documenting his own accounts during very coherent channeling sessions, this book introduces the possible situations humanity may face in the ever changing, ever growing world we call our home. Of growing importance in a society increasingly littered with conflict, Jeff Michaels explores different ways to positively approach the directions that will compose the future of humanity and global awareness.

Coalescence touches on many socio-political and religious factors that have shaped the consciousness of our society in the past, offering a glimpse into the possibility of a movement towards a more peaceful atmosphere that we would be proud to pass on to later generations. Wonderful book for anyone concerned with the current state of world affairs, as Michaels delivers a must read for everyone interested in the factors that may compose the future of humanity.

Anyone who contiplates on the meaning of life, world events and the state of humanity will enjoy reading and re-reading this book. Every time I pick up this book I feel lighter and more in sync with the movement of and experiences in this life. I appreciate the inclusion of chapter titles, recap at the end of the chapters and discussion material included in this book. These elements help to set the meaning of what is being communicated by Oneron into my personal perceptions, expanding my experience. You will be happy you bought this book and want to share thoughts with other like minded individuals. A+

Business consultant Philip E. Meza has done his research on the history of entertainment technology and the growing pains that have followed each innovation. Unfortunately, his slightly muddy larger concepts sometimes fail to justify the detailed histories that support them, sometimes making the book feel sort of padded. getAbstract says you need to read it anyway, if you are a content creator or decision maker in the media, entertainment or information industries. Meza provides real value by identifying a pattern in content companies' resistance to the very changes that eventually help them. In two particularly utilitarian appendices, he surveys the technologies that are pressuring media companies and reviews the current state of U.S. copyright law. His analysis of the content industries' lame responses to technological change and his prescriptions for the future are useful and insightful.

COMING ATTRACTIONS? HOLLYWOOD, HIGH TECH AND THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT instructs media and tech companies to understand convergence, showing how Hollywood and technology can benefit from each other's focus to bolster both the entertainment industry as a whole and high tech interests. Chapters discuss the switch to digital and web formats and how this represents huge potential market opportunities for both entities, exploring the history and development of different systems of entertainment delivery and their competitive options. California libraries both business and public will find COMING ATTRACTIONS an outstanding, specific survey key to understanding long-standing issues, conflicts, and relationships between entertainment, high tech and media industries alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

While this book helped me think more clearly about what I see in today's headlines, gave me tools for understanding the current convergence and to judge how companies such as Google and Viacom respond. It also helped me think about patterns in other industries where there is resistance to innovation and how early adopters can benefit. I found the history of the industry fascinating as well.

I got this book because I wanted to learn more about the changes I see taking place in entertainment, things like YouTube and watching new TV shows on iPods. The book covered this and a lot more. It provided an eye opening look at similiar intersections btw tech and entertainment in the recent past as well as a look into what the future holds. I don't work in either industry, but I found the book to be well written and easy to read (very entertaining, really!).

After many, many years of studying and trading the commodities markets, I have come to recognize Scott Barrie as the leading authority on market cycles and seasonal tendencies. There really is no better source in the trading world for this kind of information than the traders almanac, and the kind of inherent value possessed by this easy-to-follow and remarkably expansive collection of market data is rare in the industry. I cannot even fathom the amount of time and expense which it would take for me to compile this kind of knowledge on my own, so I consider the almanac to be an extraordinary value to myself as well as my associates.

All too often, the wide array of trading paraphrenalia pushed onto the market is "all hat and no cattle". The Trader's Almanac is "all cattle"- this is the kind of information that can make a real difference in a trader's bottom line. The dog-eared and well-worn pages of my 'nearly retired' 2006 grain trader's almanac have about had it, but I'm already laying the groundwork for a successful 2007 with a little help from this new expanded edition.

The one most single thing that makes trading commodities exciting is the fact that they are so seasonal in nature. Think about it, commodities are basically consumable items, such as corn, wheat, beans, gold, and silver. These items are consumable items, and have a very seasonal nature to them. Take wheat for example, we plant it at the same time each year, we harvest it at the same time each year, its open to damage at the same time each year, we take it to market and have storage fees all at the same time each year. This book, The Commodity Trader's Almanac, is the key to being able to take advantage of these trading strategies. Due to these seasonal reoccuring price patterns, we have the ability to profit from such moves each and every year, as markets repeat themselves time and time again. You don't find this type of characteristics with Stocks, you can't do this with Forex, its all about commodities, and this amazing book brings that information out and available to the average trader, information that's only been available to the professional hedge fund traders until now.

I highly recommend this book, I wouldn't even think about trying to trade the commodity markets without it.

Lan H. Turner, CEO
Gecko Software, Inc.
[...]

As a floor trader we are always looking for that "edge" that keeps us ahead of the crowd. I have always used Scott's other works when trading the Ag markets. Now I have that edge for all the markets I trade. This is one of the most useful and concise books on seasonals and fundies I have ever bought!

I traded commodities in the 1990's. I have always complained that there is, "no central source for commodity fundamentals!" I found this publication through the recommendation of a highly regarded (and profitable) futures trader I know. I was delightfully surprised to find that it has everything I have ever wanted but never had on commodity fundamentals!

IF YOU PLAN ON TRADING COMMODITIES YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK ON YOUR DESK!

-Dr. Scott Brown, PhD, a.k.a. "The Wallet Doctor"

This book was in interesting book that went into the details. It clearly explaines the details of how IBM lost the war with the best technology in the world.

This is a book book, if you like the subject. The first 1/3 tells the story of the collapse of IBM, and the rest of the book goes into the buissness aspects of what went wrong and what to do in the future. Great if you like either buissness or computers in general.

This book details how the modern computer industry came into being. Who the players were, how they fought for domiance, who won, who lost, and why. The authors cleary delineate the pivotal points that shape today's competitive landscape. For instance when Intel and Microsoft stole the day from IBM.For anyone even casually interested in the computer industry, this is a fasinating and easy read

Computer Wars remains the single best book for understanding the computer industry, both software and hardware. When people outside the industry ask why both Netscape and Microsoft have decided to lose a barrel of money by developing WWW browsers and giving them away, give them a copy of this book.

The Consistent Consumer posits that consumers decide what to purchase according to their own internal value systems. The authors define five "value populations" that have shared histories and values which guide their purchasing decisions. This information can help readers of the book to tailor marketing plans, and future products, to meet the needs of the different value populations. We all want to better understand, and have better relationships with, our customers. The Consistent Consumer is a useful manual to push us in that direction. It's based on a revolutionary premise, well-written and well-executed. I highly recommend that you check it out!

This book has created a dramatic evolution in my understanding of communicating to target audiences.It has given me a better understanding of how to market to - or communicate with - different generations based on core values, not past behaviors. I highly recommend it.

I found this book to be quite useful. It has changed the way that I think about our clients, and how they make buying decisions. As a techie, it is often difficult for me to step outside my worldview and see these decisions from another point of view. This book motivated me to do so, and to consider the impact of clients' values on the decision-making process; it's been a worthwhile exercise.

Under the innovative premise that population groups can be better represented by their shared values rather then the traditional view of generations, The Consistent Consumer provides tremendous insight into the value creation events behind each of its defined five "Value Populations", along with valuable examples demonstrating practical approaches to successfully convert this knowledge into true business intelligence. The Consistent Consumer is an excellent resource for anyone looking to better understand and market to specific target population groups. Highly recommended!

I had to get this book for class, but it is a great book in that it covers the history of corrections as well as the problems that are facing the Corrections communities today.

Professor Welch's book has allowed me to recognize that it is not being human that is the problem so much as being human amongst humans. This book offers broad perspective on criminal justice system that is both realistic and very direct. Professor Welch's presentation of our criminal justice system 'the way it really is' challenged my range of beliefs that came to exist from channels of expectations that did not belong to me at all, but belonged to the continent of what the field of being human has decided we must all feel, think, and share. The book is straightforwardly read and intriguing, and I recommend it to any individual who is ready to be challenged. I just wish I'd known sooner what our criminal justice system does not tell. Despite CORRECTIONS: A CRITICAL APPROACH, I also recommend Michael Welch's PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA.

Professor Welch's book has allowed me to recognize that it is not being human that is the problem so much as being human amongst humans. This book offers broad perspective on criminal justice system that is both realistic and very direct. Professor Welch's presentation of our criminal justice system 'the way it really is' challenged my range of beliefs that came to exist from channels of expectations that did not belong to me at all, but belonged to the continent of what the field of being human has decided we must all feel, think and share. The book is straightforwardly read and intriguing, and I recommend it to any individual who is ready to be challenged. I just wish I'd known sooner what our criminal justice system does not tell. Despite CORRECTIONS: A CRITICAL APPROACH, I also recommend Michael Welch's PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA.

Since criminal justice only makes sense within the wider context of social justice, why do we insist on yoking law enforcement and the penal system with the fatal impasse of socioeconomic inequality and exploitation? As Professor Welch powerfully demonstrates, a large criminal justice system is a social failure -- much like dentistry, the criminal justice system's primary goal should be to put itself out of business, to defy the conservative propaganda-artists who evangelize $$$ for the prison-industrial complex. As a sociologist (and former prison psychologist), Welch was displeased with the descriptive or "objective" nature of most corrections textbooks; he required a text that would do justice to the byzantine entanglement of ironies which foreordain the social construction of the prisoner. A critical approach to corrections will schematize the wider precincts and differential vectors of social control, the penal system presented as a stirring palimpsest of our society as a whole. For example, if white-collar crime is infinitely more destructive to (read: expensive for) the socius, why don't we have a Uniform Crime Report tuned to the interstices of corporate criminality? If a stable capitalist economy relies upon a Surplus Labor Pool of bored, frustrated, disillusioned citizenry, how can we expect the underclass to universally reject the temptations of narcotics trafficking and other esteem-granting shortcuts? If we truly live in the richest and most enlightened nation on earth, why do we also have the largest statistical ratio of citizens festering away in lock-down? Prisoners, of course, are more valuable as penal *commodities* than they would be on the welfare take. By raking in every new generation of the underclass in to the prison system, conservative administrations justify their perverse spending via election-motivated tough-on-crime propaganda, reinforcing the very injustices which overdetermine criminality and social deviance.... It goes without saying that most criminal justice departments are staffed by former attornies and retired law enforcement personnel, enticing the student with a reactionary Us Against Them mentality which tends to downplay the crucial problems of our persecutory and unredemptive prison system. Michael Welch is a rare exception in this morass of dreary cop rhetoric, shaking us awake to the schizophrenia of that rough beast slouching towards Bethlehem, that most daemonic of American juggernauts, the hamstrung broken-backed criminal justice system. Of course, to get the full effect of this text, one would have to take Prof. Welch's course at Rutgers, but for those professors and adjuncts who want to shock their students awake with the *real* issues of contemporary corrections, this book should be back-ordered for their courses ASAP.