Governments

Critique W. Edwards Deming's work at your peril. After all, he probably set whatever standard you're using. This volume - revised by the author before his death in 1993 and partially based on his 1950s work with the Japanese - may strike the contemporary reader as a curious mixture of seminal process thinking and idiosyncratic ruminations on education. Portions read like an artifact of the early 1990s, but in this regard, however, his volume offers a unique perspective on a turning point in American economic history: the shift to the knowledge-based economy. We [...] recommend Deming's volume to any serious student of management thought, and all human resources professionals should familiarize themselves with his work, which set the foundations for many of the transformations now underway in the corporate world.

I have recommended this book in my previous review of "Out of the Crisis" to managers who are new to Deming's ideas, being a manual that will be easier and more effective to comprehend and follow. At the final stages of his life, Deming (1900-1993) wrote this epilogue of his career with an honest attitude and sincerity that I, along with many of my colleagues, admire. The frankness of his opinions regarding the (lack of) essentially fundamental leadership traits in today's modern global societies, in all vital areas at all organisational strata, are both valid and brave; the information voiced is made possible only through his previous experiences and status in the field.

If all managerial leaders of this world were to listen, be able to understand and follow Deming's ideas and underlying philosophies, societies will be enhanced beyond recognition in many aspects.

However, if you are a lone crusader in your organisation or even country, then you are in for hell... but do hang on tight, as the world generally hates challenges in any forms and situations... Implementing Deming's philosophies (as with any corporate strategy) involves innovation by the introduction of new ideas into an organisation, which includes rearrangements from jobs and roles to structures and systems; which people generally hate. Even within the book, Deming had already highlighted the various problems to that, and had always emphasised on EDUCATION of the organisation, rather than decreed training to extinguish corporate flames, for he had said:

"Knowledge is theory. We should be thankful if action of management is based on theory. Knowledge has temporal spread. Information is not knowledge. The world is drowning in information but is slow in acquisition of knowledge. There is no substitute for knowledge."

- W. Edwards Deming 12th September 1993

This is my humble tribute to a great man.

This is the last book written by Dr. Deming before his death in 1993 at the age of 93. Dr. Deming is perhaps best known for the work he did in Japan at the end of World War II, and his famous 14 points. In this book Dr. Deming introduces his System of Profound Knowledge, which consists of: An understanding of Systems,A Theory of Knowledge, An understanding of Variation and Psychology Dr. Deming defines a system as: "A series of interdependent components that try to work together to achieve the aim of the system." The system must have an aim, without an aim there is not system. Dr. Deming explains variation as follows: All systems have some variation in them. The secret is to know what kind of variation is occuring and to respond accordingly. Common cause variation is the random variation tha occurs in any system. Special cause variation is a result of something outside the system acting on the system. An example would be that it normally takes you 25 minutes to drive to work, give or take a few minutes, but this morning, because of an accident the commute required 50 minutes. The normal drive time, with variation represents common cause variation, while the accident represents special cause variation. A theory of Knowledge is a way of doing experiments, or defining a mind set. According to Dr. Deming without theory no learning takes place. He give an example of a rooster that has a theory that he causes the sun to rise because he gets up early and crows. One morning he forgets to crow. The sun rises anyway. While the rooster's theory is blown out of the water he has learned that he is not responsible for causing the sun to rise and in the future he can sleep in. Dr. Deming's discussion on psychology has to do with the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. His basic theory is that people enter the world motivated to learn and do well and that the excessive use of extrinsic motivation kills the intrinsic motivation. In this book Dr. Deming also discusses in some detail his famous Red Beads Experiment which he uses to demonstrate the power of systems and how they victimize the people working in them.

No More Strangers Now is a good book.It tells about how people would fight for their lives.How they would sometimes hide in their houses because some people would break in and shoot them.It had a lot of violence in it but it would teach you how white people would treat people of color. The book was very good.I think the last chapter was the best. It told about teenagers that were Chinnesse,Afican,Japansse,White,and Mexican.They were all friends they slept over. They even go to the mall. People would just stare at them,thinking they were wierd.I would like everybody to read this book - No More Strangers Now.

Tim McKee and Anne Blackshaw have collaborated on an important book that speaks to anyone who is interested on where South Africa is headed and where it has been. In words and photographs, the two capture the mixture of hope, confusion and uncertainty that these young South Africans face in their changing nation. Their words are frank. Their photos compelling.

As an avid reader and a teacher, I love this book! I have been savouring it for breakfast, a chapter a day, careful not to read too much and exceed my emotional limits, often moved to tears, and always impressed by the strength and passion of the young South Africans. Not only is it a joy to read, it is one of the most educationally exciting books I have ever discovered. What a great tool for opening the minds of young people around the world and helping them to seize on both their own place in history and their ability to shape the future. The voice and image of young South Africa is so poignantly conveyed, I feel as if I have just returned from an intensely revealing reality tour, making several great friends in the process. In No More Strangers Now, Blackshaw and McKee have delivered an honest, eloquent and visually stunning breakthrough!

This is a wonderful collection of articles written for the socialist press over more than thirty years, and masterful examples of sharp writing that clarifies, educates and inspires.

Cannon writes from the midst of workers' struggles, from the international defense campaigns to defend victims of capitalist frame-ups, to the powerful strikes of truck drivers, seamen and other workers in the 1930s, from the bloody upheaval of World War II to the subsequent wars of colonial conquest Washington waged in Korea and Southeast Asia. Some of his pieces are biting exposes of the hypocrisy and brutality of capitalist society; others take on big questions of leadership and organization posed to working class activists striving to form militant trade unions and revolutionary political parties.

I found particularly compelling Cannon's observations on the character and lives of the many militants and leaders of workers struggles he knew and worked with over decades, including Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood, Frank Little, Sacco and Vanzetti. And as a counterpart, his biting analysis of labor bureaucrats, and the cops, courts, politicians and bosses of the capitalist class who strive so hard to keep workers enslaved in their profit-driven society.

Cannon paints vivid pictures of people like his friend Frank Little'a Native American who was lynched after World War I for being an anti-imperialist and a labor organizer. After reading Cannon's tribute, Little became one of my heroes. He is a good hero, too--especially today when racist thugs (often with a badge) are targeting Blacks, immigrants and others. These brief journalistic glimpses show that Cannon knew how to write as well as he knew how to fight. Sacco and Vanzetti, Charlie Chaplin, Hiroshima and Jim Crow are among the many topics. But the moral courage of working class fighters in a capitalist world--some fighters, well-known, others totally obscure--this is Cannon's primary theme

This is an expanded collection of the popular journalistic writing of James P. Cannon the founding leader of the American communist movement who stood up to Stalinism and founded the movement that became the Socialist Workers Party. These articles span the pre W.W.I struggles of the International Workers of the World, the revolutionary trade unionism of the Minneapolis Strikes of the 1930s, to the struggle against the 1950s McCarthyism. What shines in this collection is both Cannon's wit, and his wisdom, as well as his ability to communicate on the level of pure human feeling as well as objective politics in his "smaller" pieces like his movie reviews, reaction to the death of a fighter, reactions to advances in science. This is a the kind of book to put at your beside and read an article every day for the joy of reading it, as well as the political lessons.

Fue el estalinismo -el contrario del comunismo- que cayó en 1989-90. Ahora es el capitalismo mundial que está en crisis. En este libro se explica el derrumbe de este obstáculo a la participación de la clase trabajadora en la politica en la URSS y en la Europa Oriental -la burocracia estalinista pequeñoburgués- y como las fundaciones económicas, sobre todo las relaciones sociales, de esos estados-obreros permanecen hasta hoy en día. Explica por que el único camino que tiene el imperialismo yanqui para restaura el capitalismo en esos países, más China, Corea del Norte, etc., es el camino de fuerza y violencia: es decir, el camino de la guerra mundial. Un dirigente del Partido Comunista Cubano plantea en este libro que la única alternativa humana a un futuro de esta barbarie capitalista llamada "globalizado" es tomar el poder estatal los trabajadores y los campesinos en alianza. Más que nada, aquí se ve como la experiencia de un núcleo proletario del partido revolucionario en los EE.UU. sirve para forjar el camino de ayudar a dirigir la resistencia de hoy y mañana contra la crisis del sistema de ganancias y del Sagrado Mercado hasta la victoria, hasta la construcción de un gobierno de los trabajadores y campesinos aquí en los EE.UU. llevado a la últimas consecuencias: la muerte de la bestia imperial.

He encontrado en las revistas de política y teoría marxista Nueva Internacional una fuente indispensable de información, análisis y orientación política. Como su título indica, las revistas de dedican a educar y forjar una nueva vanguardia de la clase obrera a nivel mundial. Bien vale el tiempo necesario para leer y estudiarlas y compartir los artículos con otros trabajadores.

Los documentos presentados aquí ofrecen un análisis detallado de grandes cuestiones de nuestros tiempos: raíces de la crisis capitalista y la consecuente decadencia y debilidad del imperio norteamericano; perspectivas para la construcción de una sociedad socialista, superando la opresión, la explotación y la miseria que nos imponen sociedades divididas en clases; los retos en la lucha para forjar una dirigencia combativa y de conciencia de clase de la clase obrera a nivel mundial.

Los argumentos comiencen con las conquistas políticas históricas del movimiento obrero, desde Marx y Engels hasta Lenin y los Bolcheviques -- y las hacen más ricas, más concretas en base de la experiencia de la revolución cubana, de la caída de los regimenes estalinistas de la URSS y Europa oriental, y de las luchas de trabajadores y campesinos a través de las últimos décadas.

Me gusta sobre todo el espíritu de optimismo de los autores, su confianza en la capacidad de trabajadores y campesinos para transformarse y transformar el mundo entero. ¡Sí se puede!

¿Era una victoria para el imperialismo estadounidense el derrumbe de la URSS? No. ¿Porqué? El fracaso del estalinismo comprobó que una capa parásita no es tan fuerte como las fundaciones del estado obrero. Pueda que en un momento dado el sistema basado en explotación no parece estar en crisis plena, no obstante estamos inmersos en una época generalizada de la caída permanente en la taza de ganancias, y la única manera que el capital tiene para revertir esta caída es destruir capital y quienes lo producen, es decir, llevar a cabo una nueva guerra mundial.

Editado en forma de tesis cuando el Bush mayor dio el primero grito de victoria frente la caída del Muro de Berlín, El imperialismo perdió la guerra fría representa la única corriente que ha entendido como ni los mismos capitalistas se sienten libres, porque son esclavos de su capital -un capital que encoja de forma permanente-.

El derrumbe del estalinismo nos representa para los trabajadores y campesinos la mejor oportunidad en más de setenta años a arrebatar de los superricos el poder estatal para construir su propio gobierno, y así acabar con el último imperio que pueda desgraciar la faz de la Tierra.

This is a well written, well researched text which includes a great deal of material drawn from the author's own notes, taken as a reporter inside Germany and a number of Eastern countries just prior to the outbreak of World War II. Like his contemporary, William Shirer, Leonard Mosley brings a professional eye to the major events of the period leading up to the start of the war, and the fact that he was often sur place, gives the book a most authentic ring. The book raises a number of seemingly minor but possibly vital questions such as: would Hitler's attitude to Chamberlain have been different had the British P.M. not turned up in Berchtesgarden with a staff of only four people? Certainly he began to develop a degree of contempt for Chamberlain from that meeting onward, and when it came time for the fateful meeting on the Rhine some months later, Hitler was openly contemptuous of the British P.M.

Would things have also been different had the Czechoslovakian President, Eduard Benes, had more sleep just prior to the events of September 1938? Would he have seen things more clearly and called in the Russians, as he probably should have done (and, it is believed, nearly did do)? And would it not have been much more favourable for the British and French to fight Germany with Czechoslovakia in 1938, than without her in 1939? Mosley is very good at asking these sorts of questions, which, so many years later, may prove to have been very decisive indeed.

How many odd events seemed to influence the mood of the leaders of that time. How many messages failed to get through to the right place. Sometimes they were inexplicably held up en route (Mosley suggests it may have been due, on occasions, to Communist spies in the British Secret Service - like Donald McLean). At other times, well placed people (like Paul Stehlin, the French Air Attaché in Berlin), tried to warn their governments repeatedly that things were hotting up, but were not taken seriously. As for the extraordinary series of errors committed by the Anglo-French military and political delegations to Moscow just prior to the invasion of Poland, Mosley covers them in detail and highlights many points hitherto overlooked.

These and many other forgotten issues probably exerted a far greater influence at the time than has been thought since. Yet in the end, it was the personality of Adolf Hitler himself, although set off and to some extent complemented in exactly the wrong way by the French and British leaders of the period (and one might add, the Italian), which proved decisive. From the very start, it was undoubtedly Hitler's war, and Mosley brings this historical imperative more firmly into the light of day than ever. It nevertheless leaves one quite breathless, to see in detail how it all came about.

Of all the books I have read about this period, On Borrowed Time, is without a doubt the best. Well written, tension filled and full of outrage. This book explains how the democratic states lost their way in the shadow of Hitler's evil. Highly recommended.

This book is about the lead up to World War Two in Europe. It details much that went on in Europe from the rise of Nazism in Germany, thru the secret pact between Germany and the U.S.S.R. to divide Poland, to the beginning of the war itself. It details many of the problems with the governments of Poland, France, and Britian that allowed them to think that agreements with Hitler would be more than the paper they were written on.

Good book. If you can find it.

Cheers. While reading "On Guard for Religious Liberty: Six Decades of the Baptist John Committee," I was astounded by the amount of talent Ms. Parry displays. I thought that the talent displayed may have been a fluke, but after reading her other work, "The Bottom Line: How to Build a Business Case for ISO 14001," I am sure that she will one day be looked upon with the likes of Hemingway, Storey (deceased), Steinbeck, and Quigley. The limits of her talents are boundless, as she has made the history of Baptists into a literary joy. I could not put this book down. The narrative style is untouchable. I cannot wait for her newest publication, "Journalism as Literature: The Syllabus". Bravo Ms. Parry. Bravo.

This is an excellent history of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. It provides insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of this important agency. Every Baptist should read this book.

This was a great book. How awesome to know more info. about the BJC. Most Baptists don't know all of this stuff. Thanks Ms. Parry!!!

ASIN -0192158422 Anybody can receive this book within a week or two. On Stalin and Stalinism is a book that I strongly recommend for anyone that is interested about the Russian Revolution and the conflicts it brought over who would have the most power between the key leaders including Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. Medvedev examined first-hand stories from survivers of the Stalin Era, secret letters sent amongst government officials, and personal quotations that provided an insight to who these Soviet leaders were really like. The majority of the book was spent on the reasons why Stalin inflicted torture on innocent people. Their was never a boring part in the book but instead it kept me wanting to read more. Anybody who reads this book will gain an enormous amount of information about behind the scenes of the Communist Party. Instead of having his own opinion throughout the book, Medvedev was able to have a range of materials at his disposal since he is a Soviet author. If any student has to do a report on Stalin or is just in a mood to read a remarkable book then On Stalin and Stalinism is they novel for you.

Anybody can receive this book within a week or two. On Stalin and Stalinism is a book that I strongly recommend for anyone that is interested about the Russian Revolution and the conflicts it brought over who would have the most power between the key leaders including Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. Medvedev examined first-hand stories from survivers of the Stalin Era, secret letters sent amongst government officials, and personal quotations that provided an insight to who these Soviet leaders were really like. The majority of the book was spent on the reasons why Stalin inflicted torture on innocent people. Their was never a boring part in the book but instead it kept me wanting to read more. Anybody who reads this book will gain an enormous amount of information about behind the scenes of the Communist Party. Instead of having his own opinion throughout the book, Medvedev was able to have a range of materials at his disposal since he is a Soviet author. If any student has to do a report on Stalin or is just in a mood to read a remarkable book then On Stalin and Stalinism is they novel for you.

On Stalin and Stalinism is a book that I strongly recommend for anyone that is interested about the Russian Revolution and the conflicts it brought over who would have the most power between the key leaders including Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. Medvedev examined first-hand stories from survivers of the Stalin Era, secret letters sent amongst government officials, and personal quotations that provided an insight to who these Soviet leaders were really like. The majority of the book was spent on the reasons why Stalin inflicted torture on innocent people. Their was never a boring part in the book but instead it kept me wanting to read more. Anybody who reads this book will gain an enormous amount of information about behind the scenes of the Communist Party. Instead of having his own opinion throughout the book, Medvedev was able to have a range of materials at his disposal since he is a Soviet author. If any student has to do a report on Stalin or is just in a mood to read a remarkable book then On Stalin and Stalinism is they novel for you.

...this is the kind of book that continues to haunt you long after you put it down. I read this book in elementary school and then stumbled across it as an adult - even re-reading it as an adult, I was shocked by the descriptions of the damage done by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This book is a must-read. As an American, I believe that the atom bomb was a necessary evil to stop World War II; however, as a human, I believe the atom bomb was a horrible atrocity unleashed on millions of people, including a child named Sadako whose story is poignantly told here. This book is an eye-opener, a heart-wrencher and a beautiful story.

No matter what side you are on in the debate on the use of the atomic bombs during WWII, this is a "must read". As a science teacher, I read this book to my Advanced Chemistry class at the conclusion of our nuclear chemistry unit. However, I have yet been able to read it through without crying. And I have not been alone. Sadako's story should teach us all a lesson. My students may not remember the specifics of chain reactions or nuclear decay. But I guaruntee that they will remember Sadako's story. I want them to be informed citizens who make educated choices. One thing that history has shown us is that it repeats itself. What a horrible thought.......that another little girl become a "Sadako". I would hate to think that next time her name might be an American one......It chills me to the bone.

Often fiction leads us into a story and leaves us helpless to change anything. Takayuki Ishii's book takes us into the real world of Sadako Sasaki who died of leukemia years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. This is a well researched document, with family and classmate interviews, which sheds light on the real child whose world changed as a result of adult decisions. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is home to a statue commemorating Sadako's life. It was built by the donations solicited by her classmates. Each day children from all over the world send folded paper cranes to this statue in her memory and in the hope for world peace. It is rare for a teacher to have the opportunity to compare and contrast a fictionalized event with the non fictional and rarer, still, to then have the opportunity to construct a real life project, from classroom reading, for students which will make the voices of the children heard. I am a teacher and the children in my school, the Henry Viscardi School, forwarded their cranes to the statue. This moving experience is recorded on our school Web site (under Japanese Odyssey)and was inspired by Reverand Ishii's book. The book had been published first in Japan. Random House has now made it available in the United States and as word of its publication reaches schools and libraries, it is destined to become a "must have" for every American classroom.

A fine, balanced, insightful, scholarly survey of Zionism and its dark side. This Israeli scholar issues an effective call for readers to take a more enlightened stand on an issue often clouded by ignorance and (anti-Palestinian)racial prejudice. As a former relief worker in the Middle East, I heartily endorse Prof. Beit-Hallahmi's book as an introduction to clear thinking and action about the realities of Palestine/Israel and other, broader, issues. As a professor of social ethics, I find this book well documented and well researched, bringing light to a question which often generates only heat and darkness.

This book is remarkable. It ranges widely but is quite incisive! Covering about 200 years of Jewish life with special attention to the Zionist movement and the State of Israel.
Despite the title, it is not the breast beating of a bleeding hear liberal. It just states that facts and examines the arguments and concludes with a way forward.

True, he probably dwells too much on the "failures" of Zionism. (Zionsim failed to work as intended, that doesn't mean necessarily that it failed.) One might want to compare Tom Segev's ELVIS IN JERUSALEM assessment.

The chapter on religion is worth the price alone! He disentangles the groups like Gush Emunim, the Kach party, Agudat Israel, and Neturei Karta, which tend to get lumped together. Along the way the does much to give the lie to Israel Shahak JEWISH HISTORY, JEWISH RELIGION which sought to lay the sins of Zionism at the doorstep of "Classical Judaism." On the contrary, even today, there is an strong negative correlation between orthodoxy and zionism in Israel.

As for anyone who wishes to question his discussion of religious groups, I would like to point out that religion in Israeli life is a Dr. Beit-Hallahmi and his previous book DESPAIR AND DELIVERANCE deals with this very subject.

This Haifa University Israeli scholar credibly demolishes the myths successfully established by a century of Zionist propaganda. He joins Marc Ellis and Meron Benvenisti(CITY OF STONE)as a courageous "voice in the wilderness" in an Israel where few leaders are willing to acknowledge the massive injustice done to the Palestinian people over the past fifty years. That such a devastating critique of the flawed foundation of a society can come from within it's own intelligentia is, oddly enough, a tribute to Israel and a sign of hope.

This book dedicates 4-5 pages to each Governor's mansion in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Written history of each home is included, as well as pictures of the different mansion's exteriors and interiors. At the end of the book are addresses to contact any of the 50 Governors or First Ladies of the United States...

For years I have looked for a book about the Governors' Mansions of the United States. This book was recommended to me by the director of Alabama's Governor's Mansion and I was very excited and proud to get it! With beautiful pictures and interesting stories of every mansion this book is a real gem. It is a great book for anyone interested in history, architecture, or interior decorating. Our country is indebted to First Lady Kathy Keating for all her hard work.

Believe it or not, this is the first of its kind, a complete look at every occupied governors' residence in the nation. This is a fun read with interesting historic tidbits about these beautiful homes. Great pictures too!