General-partner

This is not a very helpful book to understand globalization. The author makes a lot of rhetorical comments, blames every bad thing in the world on multinational corporations or international organizations, and offers little analysis in global issues. It is also deplorable that the author mostly refers to newspapers and popular magazines rather than academic books, even though he is an economics professor. (There is no bibliography in the book, only a few endnotes for each chapter). Last but not least, the book is very poorly written. It is dull, repetitive, and full of unnecessarily long sentences.

Professor Tabb has done an excellent job here. This book is well researched, well argued and cautious to avoid naive oversimplifications of the issues surrounding globalization. I haven't read another book that lays out more clearly the ways in which "globalization" is effecting the environment, workers rights and democratic ideals. I strongly encourage you to read this book if you are looking for solid information on what the "globalization" debate is all about. There is certainly too much to overview in this space. However, I should respond to another reviewer's claim that Professor Tabb is not well researched in that he does not cite much from academic journals. this is true, as the scope and focus of this book lies outside of academic ideological posturing on world issues and goes to the statistical facts, actual statements and track records of global finance institutions and examines the official public line on these issues, as documented in the Economist and the Wall Street Journal. this book is in fact very well researched, and very much worth your time.

The author gives some examples of the logic of capitalism. For instance, he quotes the memo written by former Clinton treasury secretary and current Harvard president, Larry Summers, when he was Chief economist at the World Bank in 1991. In that memo he explained the "impeccable" economic logic of exporting "health-impairing pollution" to "vastly underpolluted countries" such as in Africa. And then there is recounting of former Bush treasury secreatary Paul O'neil's confrontation at a shareholders meeting with one of the workers at an Alcoa plastics plant in Mexico when he was CEO of that company. O'neil told him that Alcoa's plants were so clean in Mexico that one could eat off their floors but the worker responded that his excellency was lying and produced newspaper clippings to prove it. Alcoa pays virtually no taxes in the town of the Mexican plant of that worker and the town's infrastructure (schools, hospitals, sewage, etc) is in shambles. Half of the town's 15,000 residents use backyard latrines. Alcoa, along with Ford, contributed 52,000 dollars to build a school for three hundred students, that has one teacher, a leaky roof......

He points to the workers at the Reebok plant in Thailand, workers in China's "industrial zones," Nike and Alcoa workers in Mexico. Instead of working 80 hours a week, and getting constantly cut and bruised by machines, and getting chemicals in the eyes and nausea and headaches, or getting beaten up if you don't work fast enough and getting arrested if you try to leave work, these people could fight for their dignity if they had a viable union to advance their cause.

It is only labor rights, such as the right not to be fired for launching a strike, which allow workers to try to get rights to decent pay, humane working conditions and other such essentials while they make their bosses such huge profits with their work. The author goes over some of the public relations efforts of such companies. The Clinton administration helped in such an effort with top retail companies which created a "code of conduct" with companies policing themselves but such standards have been little enforced.

The author looks at the particularly interesting case of aids drugs. 17 million people and counting have died of AIDs in Africa. However U.S. companies have patents on the leading AIDs drugs which gives them a monopoly on producing them so they can charge 10,000 dollars to poor Africans for Aids treatment. Al Gore on behalf of U.S. pharmaceuticals threatened sanctions on South Africa when that country passed laws allowing for local companies to produce Aids drugs at 90 to 95 percent cheaper than American pharmaceutical companies demand. The Clinton administration argued that compulsory liscencing laws did not apply in that case. And the Pharmaceuticals have argued that they need to charge high prices so they can continue to research Aids treatments and if they are stricted their entrepreneurial genius will strangled. Of course, the problem is that these drugs have been substantially developed through U.S. government funded research. For instance the author points out that while the company Glaxo Wellcom claims to have developed AZT, it was actually the National Cancer Institute and Duke University researchers that developed AZT to suppress the Aids virus in human cells and Glaxo Wellcom did not do any of the immunological or Virological studies or test it on patients. The author points to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research which found that of the 21 drugs "considered to have the highest therapeutic value of those introduced between 1965 and 1992" publicly funded research developed 15 of them. Most tropical diseases have been cured by U.S. military research or by private companies that do research on livestock and pets. The author notes that the U.S. government has offered 200 million to the UN's proposed 10 billion dollar program to fight Aids and has insisted that its money be used to buy from American pharmaceutical companies.

He notes that neoliberal capitalism has been a horrible failure throughout the world. The deregulation of capital flows has led to increased financial panics such as the Asian crises a few years ago. 90 percent or more of international financial transactions are for speculative purposes. He notes that eliminating tarrifs for Western goods has led to the destruction of local industries, throwing farmers off the land, and so on. He notes that Western countries, with their usual grotesque hypocrisy, put tarrifs and huge subsidies on their agricultural products against foreign competetion. He quotes a study from the World Bank which states that greater openness to trade slows income growth amongst the poorest 40 percent of poor nations. The author refers to the subidized sugar industry of Mozambique and IMF efforts to privitize it.

The author notes that polls show that a majority of Americans symphathize with the views of Anti-WTO protestors. Real wages have stagnated for a majority of Americans over the last few decades. Job insecurity has greatly increased. His quotation of statistics about Americans crying on the job, getting inadequate sleep, problems at work affecting their personal lives, and so on is interesting. He quotes Human Rights Watch which points out the great attack on Unions launched by the U.S. government, continuing since the Reagan years. 54 percent of young workers say they would like to join a union but 80 percent of workers say it is somewhat or very likely that union organizers will face retribution from companies

The author devotes a section to the environment too, probably the most difficult of the book. He points out that drilling in the Wildlife refuge in Alaska will only produce oil in ten years and after that only 42 million gallons a day. He says that 49 million gallons a day of oil would be saved if the miles per gallon of SUV's would be increased by three miles.

With a Punny title like that, I expected a book with a little humor in it. I was wrong. This book is dark, depressing, and not very engaging. Robin Light is taking over her dead husband's pet store. He died, not from a nice heart attack, but from a cocaine overdose. That sort of sets the tone for the whole book. I know some people like their mysteries to explore the darker side of human nature, but I just want to be entertained. I finally gave up. I skipped ahead so I know whodunnit, but really, by then, I didn't care.

This book was the first Barbara Block book I read and it was very good. I could not believe who the killer was it was a total shock.

A mediocre book on a great topic. Rather than providing any specific insights (original concepts, tools, and techniques) on how to achieve customer intimacy, the book is hardly more than a 200-page repository of truisms. Nothing is elaborated upon; everything is surface and words. One is left with the impression that the author is more interested in promoting his consultancy practice than in conveying anything deep or useful. For a more thorough treatment of the same subject, readers may want to turn to "Customer Connections" by Wayland and Cole.

This book is an excellent way to both begin building as well as to hone a customer-centric business model. Admittedly, it is not an academic tome, but few practioners are looking for such. This both explains and inspires in a way that virtually all levels of employees will be able to relate. Yes, it's an important listen for the boss, the foreman and the hourly craft employee. Most everyone commutes to and from work - let your managers and employees alike get the "facts of life" from other who have tried and won (and a few that have not). It's a great read/listen!

This book places an explanation point on the need for businesses to clearly focus objectives and critical needs around the customer. It goes without saying that no customers = no business. This is a quick, one week read by nature of the flow of information as well as poignant examples. Senior staffers to factory staffers should read and take note. Our businesses fail when we are not intimately acquainted with our customers.

The Exchange 5 Source Book written by Mann, Bracka, et al is very difficult to follow. It seems like it was written very fast by many people and pulled together at the last minute. There are many disjointed segments that are often repeated in other portions of the book. There are references throughout the book to other sections that in some cases do not even exist. Overall the book is a general overview of Exchange Server and Exchange/Outlook clients. I used the book as a background to the Microsoft course work and did find it to supplement the material somewhat. One notable well-written section is on designing and installing an Exchange system. In addition, some of the material on Internet connections was good. I would recommend waiting for some of the other Exchange 5.0 books that are scheduled for publication in the next few months

I found the book to be difficult to follow in most areas, particulary in setting up clients and how they communicate with the server. Does anyone know of a good Exchange book, I mean really good from start of the setup (server) to enterprise messaging systems all at a reasonable level of difficulty. e-mail me at venlov@globalserve.net

This book is pretty general, it gives a good overview, thats about it

Mr. Jecks, in his own Amazon commentary, mentions doing research. I suggest he do some more. His understanding of medieval England and the realities of life therein would shock even the most dimwitted SCA'er.

Where to begin? The errors are so egregious that I'll start by saying that flat stomachs were NOT a feminine beauty ideal at the time, yet Jecks makes much of this and suggests that this flat stomach is part of a female character's sexual allure. Wrong; thank you for playing.

Wolves were rare in England by the time in which this novel is set; I suggest the author take a look at, say, _Man and the Natural World_ by Keith Thomas which states on p. 273 "Already at the beginning of the early modern period, England was distinctive among European countries because she had no wolves...the wolf seems to have survived on the North Yorkshire Moors and other high parts of England until the 15th c."

In writing about pre-industrial societies one should know at least a little about horses. I found myself startled that the writer did not know a trot from a canter (gaits with very different mechanics and speeds) and threw in "horsey" words like "pastern" where they simply didn't go. The most spectacular example of this occurs near the end of the story, where a runaway horse slips on some ice and breaks its leg, which, the author solemnly informs us, is hanging from the forelock. The forelock is part of the mane; it is that tuft that grows between the ears and usually lies along the forehead. Horses can hurt themselves in all sorts of amazing ways but I've never heard of one quite like this. :)

These may sound like pedantic quibbles, but they add up, and for the discerning reader such egregious errors are like repeatedly finding worms in one's salad.I think the author has some potential but he will have to do some more research, I'm afraid.

One, wintry morning, local midwife and "witch" Agatha Kyteler is found dead in a hedge at the edge of a field, her throat cut so viciously that her head is nearly severed. There seem to be no clues at all, until soon afterwards a youth - who recently boasted at how he felt the woman deserved death - flees the village of Wefford, seeming to confirm his guilt. All around are convinced that he is the culprit, but Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, is not so sure...there are several niggling doubts, several things which the youth's guilt would leave unexplained. And Baldwin seems to be proved right when the runaway is captured once more, and soon after it is revealed that in fact has an alibi...Which means that Simon Puttock, bailiff of the area, is going to have to reassess his ideas and begin again...

As far as historical mysteries go, this one is much more satisfying than his first, THE LAST TEMPLAR, which left a bit to be desired. THE MERCHANT'S PARTNER is a much better book, full of intrigue, red-herrings, subtle historical detail (be it correct or not, I don't much mind), good characters and an adequate plot.

I don't think anyone will claim that it's full of action and excitement, but despite that this book is a page-turner because Jecks' writing really, really flows, leading us from one scene to the next with smooth ease. While in his first book the only characters who seemed real or developed were the two leads, this time around the development of his subsidiary characters is far more satisfactory, and the plot is a lot more interesting as well. Red herrings are laid expertly, taking the reader, and the investigators, completely down the wrong path, until the end when we finally see the light in what is an excellent solution to the mystery. If you're a fan of the historical mystery sub-genre, I would recommend you try Jecks...certainly, the rest of the series shows much promise indeed.

I usually do not do reviews with Amazon but after reading the previous one of this book I simply had to.

I am a frequent reader of medieval mysteries and have read most of the "classics". With Michael Jecks series I found a new delightful author for myself.

Even if historical backround may not be researched thouroughly enough (I do not know enough to judge this) I liked the book immensely.

For me it was one of those books I simply cannot lay down. The mystery itself is surprising (even if the final solution is a bit aprupt and simple) and kept me guessing the whole book through. Furthermore I like the main characters - while defining the two major actors (bailiff and knight) in the first novel, other characters achieve more depths in this second story (e. g. the seargeant) - and their development from the previous book.

I for sure am looking forward to read the next novels (which I just ordered) and hope that the quality of the books continues to be good.

Breaking Point centers more on the personal life of the characters than any of the other Net Force books. It also tells more about what's going on with the "bad guy" than any of the others. This book however does not mention much of Megan (Alex's daughter) or his ex-wife and of what is going on between Julio and Joanna. I enjoy the VR and in this one, very little is told of it; with Tyronne now throwing boomerangs and Jay with his girlfriend Sojo.

My book is about Alex Michaels who is the head of the net -force task force. Net - Force is part of the FBI in Washington DC. Michaels and the task force stop people from selling drugs on the internet. They also stop people from hacking into government files. During the time Michaels finds out about HAARP, a low frequency weapon which has the possibility drive a country insane. The U.S Air Force and the Navy were making the weapon.

I liked the characters because they were all suspicious in their own way. Alex and his wife divorce his wife and she went out with his Toni. There was an assassin who quit because he was getting old. He quit to become a body guard. I did not like the pace because it went fast and then slow. I also did not like the point of view because it changed between characters, which made it hard to follow.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes spy thrillers. The book was a great read I would recommend this to people who like a challenge.

The American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary defines foreshadowing as presenting an indication or event beforehand. If you use that definition, then Breaking Point is full of foreshadowing.
The first example that is evident of foreshadowing in this particular novel is in the prologue. In this particular portion, the narrator presents a character, an old man, who is a stock character, who is talking about his peaceful country, and then his thoughts drift. He begins to think about how much he loathes his family. How they are so cruel to him. His thoughts go as far as to murder. Then, very suddenly, one of his relatives comes out of the shack with a knife. The old man goes crazy, and kills everyone in the village. This ends with a man laughing over a machine. This particular event foreshadows the plotted mass destruction of the world with a machine that controls people's minds. So, this event essentially summarizes the entire work in just 6 pages. That is how critical the use of the literary device foreshadowing is to this novel. Without it, one would simply not know what on earth the doctor was doing with the HAARP device.
This event is just one of the many times the literary device foreshadowing appears in this novel. It is vital that the reader pick up on this hint. If one does, one can discover the key to this particular novel.

I used this book for 2 semesters of introductory biology in college. After the first month, I became frustrated with the poor explanations. I asked a few friends and they recommended Biology by Campbell. What a lifesaver!

I also continued to used this book and also found a number of errors in the pictures. This cost me a few points on tests and quizzes, so this added to my low opinion of this book. I also became hesitant to trust what it was telling me, particularly when there were differences between Campbell and this book.

It has a nice layout, and it breaks topics into meaningful chunks; the explanations were okay most times and simply inadequate too frequently for me. On a scale of 1 to 10, this book is about a 3 or 4 and Campbell is a 9. But reading Campbell also takes more time and effort.

after i review i'll do tha

Had current events not argued so strongly against Peter Partner's central themes in "God of Battles", I would have agreed that it is an excellent book. Its exploration of the terror and damage wrought by Islam, Christendom, and Judaism in Europe and the Middle East is excellent, and altogether frightening. As explained by Partner, fundamentalism and mercilessness remain much of the problem today. One of Partner's themes is that Western perceptions of the Arab world are simplistic and reactionary; that not all Muslims follow the savage fundamental rhetoric that we commonly associate with "terrorism." Unfortunately, we now know that while it is technically true that the Islamic world is led by even-handed rulers, in actuality the inmates are in charge of the asylum. Arab rulers kow-tow to fundamentalist interests within their own peoples with terrifying regularity, or are simply powerless to prevent its growth. At the same time, Western politics concerning the Middle-East have also grow less tolerent. Indeed the overthrowing of the Taliban rule in Afganistan has redistributed the balance of power in the region. Western and Middle-Eastern relations have grow infinitely more complex since the 1997 publication date of "God of Battles." Perhaps a newer edition is in order - one that takes into account the renewed interest in jihad by fundamentalist Muslims, and the unwillingness or inability to stop it by the moderates.

All the excuse for shedding (other people's blood) in the name of their god... Holy war is an excuse for killing over religious differences. Such is the sentimentalism that lead to crusades or jihad. Unfortunate that such is the predicament today. In a way, it does show that religion can be used to support terrorist activities (as excuse or plain unreasonably other people of attacking their religion).

Religions have resulted in more people killing people than wild animals killing people. Think about it!

Doesn't even deserve one star. There are chapters on Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, and Spells -- but none of the chapters have anything in them. There are pretty pictures and there is large type -- and the information is vague and stuff everyone already knows. Not in Depth AT all. The Star signs each have a page of surface description -- and then there is a match up of each sign to every other sign regarding compatability -- each of these combinations gets ONE SENTENCE of description. For example it may say -- Gemini and Capricorn -- "Don't get along or see eye to eye." (THAT's IT...that's all) Please...don't bother. I want to learn something new when I read, but there was nothing to this book. I read it all in less than half an hour...and learned nothing. I may have been spoiled by Love Signs by Linda Goodman -- which puts this book to such shame.

Yet again my Grandmother writes yet another wonderful book.Full of practicle ideas .In this age of uncertainty it enlightning to put you faithinto finding the right person

it's just rehashed, old and boring.....it is chest beating at it worst...It is like a glorified portfolio for the company.

For me, this book was a bust. It's not that the creative is terrible: it's just not terribly good.So why give it one star as opposed to, say, two or three? Because of the utter lack of originality that pervades much of the work. For example, the Elbow Beach Resort ads are a pale imitation of Goodby Silverstein's far superior NCL campaign. Likewise, the work for Bet Shira is a shameless ripoff of Fallon's lauded Espiscopal Church ads of the 1980s. And the cover? It seems like a swipe from Target. As a marketing ploy designed to raise the agency's profile and impress potential clients, the book is undeniably brilliant. As a collection of original and daring creative, however, it is sadly lacking.

"With Brain Darts, Turkel Schwartz & Partners helps people better understand how simple and magnificent creative thinking and problem solving can be. Bruce Turkel's illustrations make the complex and esoteric very clear. His style and humor make the process of learning a joy. Of course, you can't articulate this stuff so well and make it so real without walking the walk, and Bruce Turkel does that part with long strides and a nice bounce in his step. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to get the most out of this visit to the planet..."