family-economics

The book is a good logical guide to anyone guiding a company towards an ISO9000 certification. It assumes nothing on behalf of the reader. It's based around a practical example of a fictitious UK Company, and presents example documents, forms and many UK based references.

The section on TickIT (ISO9000-3) at just 23 pages is disappointingly small, given t he prominence in the title.

It makes a good framework for someone contemplating an ISO9000 certification, but be prepared to find supporting literature for the detail.

Watch out too! Once the ISO9000 version 2000 standard is published this may no longer be the most relevant book to buy.

The very good chapter here on determining your net worth helps emphasize the effect of debt on your planning and projections.
Michael Pellecchia

Becker's work on the economics of the family is unique. He poses the existence of a marriage market where people shop for spouses. Becker reasons that polygamy is good for women because increased demand improves their bargaining position. Becker also looks at children as a type of investment- like a business decision to buy a new machine. Many will find his arguments distrubing, however his reasoning is flawless.

I had to recently read this book due I was going threw this at the time with my ex/s very good book alot of tips and how tho handle situations.

Ms. Hattery, with acknowledged editorial help, provides a readable textbook explaining her study of the decision process mothers utilize in making work force participation and child care decisions. The study discusses the driving importance of the motherhood ideology, a woman's fundamental belief in her role in her child's development, and the interwoven variables of economic need, personal interest, and support systems. Ms Hattery's discussion of historical trends in family structure, previous study results, and her own study's conclusions shed a different light on the ongoing "mommy wars". A thoughtful read for women undergoing personal decision processes, and caretakers who want to further understand their clients needs/rationale.

In this tedious and boring volume, all Bellant can prove is that the Coors family writes checks for Republicans. Is this a sin against democracy? Hardly. We only have two parties, and if the Coors feel more inclined toward the Republicans, they have every right to act on those convictions. Bellant has no evidence that the Coors are connected to any actual subversive or law-breaking organization like the Christian Identity movement or Aryan Nations. The "right-wing" groups that Bellant identifies are simply ordinary Republicans. In some cases, Coors donates to groups that oppose legalized abortion or the advocacy of homosexuality in the school system - but are these groups really "anti-democratic" or "anti-pluralism?" If People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has the right to campaign against the eating of meat, then I think James Dobson has the right to campaign against abortion. Or did I miss something in civics class? Bellant has every right to say that people like James Dobson are wrong, but he has no right to imply that they are violent subversives who operate outside the law simply because their views don't square with those of the Democratic party.

Bellant has an obvious axe to grind with evangelical Christians, whom he characterizes as demonic minions who must be cleansed from the American landscape simply because their views aren't like his.

Once upon time, we Americans worried about "Reds under every bed." How times change -- this book is an artifact of the days when some folks seemed to be worrying about "conservatives under every bed."

The problem with left-wing attack jobs like this is simple -- the authors are never content to write only about the facts. They always have to bring in wild speculation regarding motivations that they cannot back up. Unfortunately, this means the writers throw away any chance of readers perceiving them as objective, dispassionate researchers. That is the prime weakness of Messrs. Bellant and Berlet in this volume -- their obvious hostility towards the Coors family's philanthropic activities on behalf of traditionalism and conservatism is so obvious that it annoys and, ultimately, alienates the reader. I don't wish to speculate why the authors feel this hostility towards the Coors family.

If you want to read a book about politics, you're probably better off picking up a copy of Laird Wilcox's "The Watchdogs." Now *that* is a most interesting expose of suspicious connections and little-known information.

Russ Bellant has produced an important piece of research that documents the far right ideology and activities of the Coors family -- and how they back them up with big bucks. All this is of historic consequence. This short and densely written book belongs on the booshelf of anyone who aspires to political literacy in America. It should be a standard reference for anyone writing about American politics, government and religion.

I gave this book to an introductory anthropology class a couple of years ago, in the misguided hope that an ethnography written about Americans would appeal to them. I think a good book about rural Americans (something like Fitchen's wonderful "poverty in Rural America) would indeed have drawn them in, but they hated this book! They thought the tone was condescending. They said the author repeated her points over and over again till they were bored out of their minds. And they picked up on the basic moral confusion of the author's argument, which falls in the same trap as all the tired "culture of poverty" writing of the 60s and 70s. On one hand we're supposed to admire these poor Appalachians because they are independent and tough, and they are happy being marginal and poor. On the other hand we're supposed to be sympathetic to how they are mistreated victims, suffering from neglect and the oppression of the dominant middle class. The confusion never seems to dawn on the author, who doggedly portrays everything the people do as somehow "functional," a way of making ends meet. The possibility that some things may not be very "functional," never seems to dawn on her.

I will not use this book again, except in a bad example in a class on writing ethnography. The author seems capable of making any topic, even ones that are intrinsically exciting, boring and dull.

I read this wonderful book in my cultural anthropology course, and I found it informative and a pleasure to read. I found the material to be enlightening; increasing my knowledge of the region, its people, and their ways.

Nancy Miller starts off with the idea that it makes more sense to change your environment to fit you than to try to change yourself (or your loved ones) to fit your environment. Unfortunately, the book does not quite deliver the promised help in "getting rid of clutter and getting organized."

The chatty, conversational style is engaging, but it quickly wears thin as the same advice ("change your environment") is repeated again and again with few concrete suggestions for change. The book itself is disorganized, with Miller jumping from advice for the home to advice for the office and back again, with little or no warning. There are entire chapters on junk mail and holiday decorations, and then one chapter to deal with the rest of the house. The most helpful information - a clear list of how long to keep the important documents that tend to get shoved into boxes and file cabinets and never seen again - is buried in an appendix. The cartoon illustrations are cute, but they add little to the book.

In addition, the book is poorly edited. A second, revised edition should not be riddled with typographical errors or include entire duplicate pages inserted in the wrong chapter, nor should it make the reader wait fifty pages for the explanation of a full-page example.

There are many organizational books on the market - this one offers nothing new.

“Clutterology” lacks a strategy or plan for getting the reader organized, unless “get rid of clutter” counts a plan. Although the chapters are generally divided by rooms, the content of those chapters is not well organized. It’s a bunch of random tips, in no logical order, many of them annoying trivial. An early topic in the paperwork chapter is “paper clips vs. staples.” Filing comes later. And the first bedroom topic is bed linens--generally not the source of the mess in most messy bedrooms.

The book is full of clutter, such as cute little anecdotes about Nancy and her husband Mike, and tidbits about the British Royal family, having nothing to do with organizing. Does the reader need an entire paragraph about how many pillows Nancy and Mike like on their bed?

I got a few useful things out of the book: the chapter on how to prevent junk mail, a good list of questions to ask about each piece of paper, and the reasonable time periods for keeping various types of business records (bank statements, cancelled checks, and such). But I don’t think this book is worth anywhere near ....

I'm a messy person. Every once in a while, I try to organize my living quarters and my office. There are certain rooms in my house that I already have a very good organization system for (bathroom/kitchen), and others where the little details are out of control (papers on my desk at my office, "clutter" on the floor of my room and on shelves). This book gave very specific tips on how to think about your space, to let go of the items that are unecessary and to find proper space for ones that you decide to keep. The greatest part of the book is the compassionate understanding Nancy Miller has for the unorganized person's emotional attachment to clutter. She makes it painless and liberating with relatable chapter headers like "Don't Throw That Away- It Fits Something- I Just Can't Remember What!" It was so inspirational and easy, I reorganized my room the next day and cleared off my desk at the office. For people who constantly seem to be on the verge of chaos, these handy tips will add up to a giant leap towards organizing your life. Thank you Nancy!

This book is effort to criminalize the marriage of American males to foreign women. Most marriages of this type take place between American service personnel and their spouses from other countries. The appelation "mail order bride" is impossible. In the US, it is LEGALLY necessary to travel there to meet the bride or groom. All the foreign agencies can do is introduce the couple. The choice of marriage is up to them. No one can force someone to marry them these days. How is this different than dating agencies in the USA or personal ads in the papers and internet? Its not, unless you are pushing a political agenda.
For the ill-informed, in 1997, the INS says that 104,619 women married US males and came to the US. In addition, 65,607 US women married foreign males and came to the US. If we only look at introduction services, the INS estimates that to be 0.21 percent of all current marriages. That is one-fifth of one percent. So all the US females marrying foreign men are ok and the US males marrying foreign women are not ok? Sounds like a political agenda to me.
Does this mean there is no spousal abuse of these women? Sometimes, yes. How much? In 1999, the INS found a total of one-half of 1% of the cases of foreign spouses had documented spousal abuse. This is compared to 7% of domestic American marriages. Most spousal abuse of foreign women in the USA takes place with a foreign spouse, not an American spouse. Do you sense a political agenda here?
The continuing criminalization of marriage (not spousal abuse) by consenting adults reflects the growing characterization of a married couple as "exploitative," according to another reviewer. Where does that leave us as a society? You tell me.
In short, this book is primarily political propaganda. Read it with a LARGE grain of salt, then check out the real facts.

Anyone who has any degree of intelligence will understand that you cannot purchase a woman from a "catalog". How is it possible??? You purchase a woman from a "catalog", then the company will ship her to you by UPS and if she is not submissive enough, then you return her to the company for a full refund??? Come on, use your brians and think about it! How is it possible???

There is no such thing as buying a woman from a catalog. "Mail-Order Brides" is a term irresponsibly used by biased critics and media with the intentions to degrade the men and women who use the services to correspond with each other, and to degrade the companies who offer such services.

Read this book like a science fiction!

While the stories in this book may not reflect all marriages of this sort, there is evidence to support that the men who use these services have some emotional problems. One need only to read the review by the man in Fernley NV (July 2001) to see how he himself, while attempting to refute the research in this book, provides supporting evidence for the book. His statements reflect his discomfort with women who expect to be treated as equals, not servants. While he makes good use of euphemisms (gentle souls) his statements drip of insecurity, and a need to dominate. While freedom to do what we choose is a cornerstone of U.S. greatness, there is nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade, as this book does. When our desires result in abuse and human right violations, it is necessary to examine what rights are most vital. This book demonstrates the need to protect women who could be potentially victimized by allowing them to flee an abusive situation with impunity. Greater freedom for these brides however would strike fear into the hearts of those who use these services for the wrong reasons. While the practice should not be outlawed, protections need to be in place. Lessening the potential for abuse would make the practice more palatable, though perhaps not to some of the men looking for a green light to abuse.

This book was not as helpful as it sounds in the description, my book also began to rip apart at the seam after one reading. I found that the information was generic, and have found many other books which are more useful.

The book gives very generic information. For the money that I spent I was looking to get a whole lot more. The book's construction is not the best. My copy started to come apart after having it for a week. I would say that this publication is a waste of money.

This book may be great for those who just want basic small business information...but the book claims to tell people everything they need to know about being a wedding consultant--and it doesn't even come close to doing so.

Instead of providing insider info, or even just great tips on being a wedding consultant and starting a consulting business, this book is mostly about basic business practices.

In my opinion, this is an over-priced book, also, and I couldn't return quickly enough.