Book Description
Singer and Avery present in popular language supported by in-depth scientific evidence the compelling concept that global temperatures have been rising mostly or entirely because of a natural cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming explains why we're warming, why it's not very dangerous, and why we can't stop it anyway.
Customer Reviews:
Unstoppable Global Warming - Singer and Avery .......2007-10-03
This is an excellent book that answers real questions and concerns about global warming. It counters the "sky is falling" syndrome propagated by those who do not know the real facts or insights related to the warming trends. The book focuses on adapting to a common cyclical environmental event versus approaches that are a waste of time trying to stop the warming. Overall the book is well written but is somewhat academic. There is a detailed effort to outline the warming trend with factual information and details. Is well worth the read.
A Must Read.......2007-10-02
Singer and Avery offered a well documented, heavily researched, and easily read analysis of the global warming issue.
Their conclusion: Yes, the earth is currently warming, however so slightly. No, man is not the cause of this warming. Rather, it is dependent upon 1,500 year climate cycles embedded within larger ice-age and non-ice-age shifts (which take millions of years, according to the authors). All of which is dependent upon the amount of the sun's radiance hitting the earth, which in turn varies upon the amount of solar winds intercepting said radiation. (Note: this is the summary of a layman, and is dramatically over simplistic.) This is supported by the analysis of literally hundreds of studies.
Accompanying the scientific support of the 1,500 year cycle and refutation of the greenhouse gas theory, Singer and Avery include a poignant and absolutely necessary look at the implications of acting upon the greenhouse gas theory. Truth in this issue is not a matter of simply proving one's point, of social/political standing, or of a voting platform, but one of life and death importance.
This being a heavily scientific book, perhaps "easily read" was an exaggeration. Rather, "well written" would suitably describe this readable, yet challenging book.
The authors, while being experts in the field of global climate studies, are not devoid of a sense of humor, one at which greenhouse gas theorists would certainly take issue.
The Amazon reviewer Crosslands sums up my personal opinion of this work well:
Pseudoscientists and others with a vested interest in controlling the global economy by use of the global warming hoax will not like this work. However informed readers concerned with human welfare and human progress will find this book invaluable. This book should be read by all Amercians and really by everone else in the world.
Global Warming Evaluation with Documentation.......2007-09-22
I have read this book thoroughly and enjoyed it very much. I was very impressed with the breadth, depth and documentation included with the book and range of topics presented by the authors. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in assessing the true status of the "Global Warming" Hypothesis.
Dr. James F. Howard, Ph.D.
Geo and Environmental Sciences
Book Review.......2007-09-22
I am interested in global warming and found in this book the technical basis for global warming. I don't believe Al Gores book is accurate.
Real science in a field full of Junk science.......2007-09-15
I've read numberous articles and several books on the global warming controversy, and I must say, this is far and away the best. Although Avery and Singer do explain the political basis and motivation of the global warming movement, their primary focus is on the actual science of a scientifically validated phenomenon that thoroughly and convincingly explains the global warming that has recently occurred. Most surprisingly, they offer a tremendous amount of data that illustrates that global warming has historically been of tremendous benefit to humans throughout history. The book presents so much scientific detail that at times at times I found myself thinking, "Alright already, I'm convinced!", which is just what this all-too-often fuzzy topic needs.
Book Description
Dr. James Canton, a renown futurist, CEO of the Institute for Global Futures, and Fortune 1000 advisor, charts a course to steer you through the volatile changes that lie 5, 10, and 20 years ahead. The Extreme Future is this generation's Future Shock, Alvin Toffler's classic book on what's next and how to prepare for tomorrow.
Get ready for fast, radical, and complex change. Get ready for the Extreme Future. Our world is constantly buffeted by new and dramatic changes that we can't fully grasp. No one is fully prepared for the challenges, crises, and risks that lie ahead. The Extreme Future is a blueprint for what's next and how to navigate these changes.
Get ready for fast, radical and complex change. Get ready for the Extreme Future. Our world is constantly buffeted by new and dramatic changes that we can't fully grasp. No one is fully prepared for the challenges, crises and risks that lie ahead. The Extreme Future is a blueprint for what's next and how to navigate these changes.
An advisor to three White House's spanning more than 30 years, Dr. Canton challenges us that with the right information about future trends it is possible to identify probable outcomes. It is possible, with the right information to navigate the Extreme Future.
The book covers the following major trends:
* How climate change and energy trends will reshape the planet
* How shifting population trends will transform the workforce
* How radical innovation trends will competitively drive business
* How astounding medicine trends will enhance people's life
* How dangerous terrorism trends will threaten the individual.
* How the rise of China will bring on a new global power struggle
The answers to these questions are not only available, but contained within these pages. The Extreme Future is the forecasting handbook for the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
THE EXTREME FUTURE is recommended cross the board .......2007-10-07
THE EXTREME FUTURE: TOP TRENDS THAT WILL RESHAPE THE WORLD IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS could've been featured in our 'Business Shelf' section but is surveyed here for its wider interest beyond the general-interest business lending library. Its chapters discuss and define new risks and definitions of opportunity and come from a renowned futurist and advisor to three administrations, and it covers everything from the climate and energy trends certain to reshape the planet to shifting population demographics, medical enhancements, and the spread of terrorism. A key survey, THE EXTREME FUTURE is recommended cross the board for high school, college, and general-interest public library lending collections.
Prediction for the Future: This Book Flops.......2007-05-29
I was very disappointed with this book. Between his shameless plugs for his speaking engagements and various other activities, the author pulls together various thoughts, statistics, and projections that could easily be synthesized by reading a few choice periodicals. If you are a reader in search of innovative thoughts about the future that may help guide your worldview, company, or investments, I would advise you to look elsewhere. I will not read another work by this author.
It will be fun to see how true this turns out to be.......2006-11-29
As I read this book I am reminded of the old saying that 'forecasting the future is easy, it's being right that's hard.'
Dr. Canton breaks down his forecasts into ten areas. Some of them I find very good. Some of them I find OK. Some of them I disagree with. Some of them I'd replace with others.
His view of the future of the individual, Chapter 10, I find totally agreeable. He says that protecting the freedom and rights of the individual is going to be difficult. I absolutely agree. There will be a great deal of pressure to restrict rights (the so called Patriot's Act) in the name of security. The Democrats would like to impose gun control. The Republicans would like to impose abortion control.
His view on energy I find half right. He is right that we are running out of energy. Oil will get progressively more expensive. Then he says, 'Hydrogen is the most plentiful gas in the universe...It's abundant, reliable, renewable, clean and secure because hydrogen is everywhere, America wouldn't have to rely on foreign suppliers.' Yes, but hydrogen isn't a fuel, it's a way to store energy. You have to put more energy into separating hydrogen from oxygen (where it's mostly found, i.e. water) than you get back when you burn it. Nuclear power is the only forseeable place to get the energy to put into hydrogen, and we still have problems of where to store the old fuel rods, do you want them in your back yard?
He sees medicine making all kinds of advances that will lead to longer and healthier lives. I'm not so sure. AIDS is likely to move up to #3 in killing people in the next few years, and there's no cure in sight. Drug resistent forms of TB, malaria, etc. are spreading. New potential diseases like avian flu. If you're interested I'd recommend 'The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance' by Laurie Garrett. It's a bit old, but still the best on the subject.
This is a fun book to read. It will be even more fun to see how correct it turns out to be.
Highly speculative.......2006-11-09
The author makes many speculative and outlandish predictions of the future. His sheer number of intuitive predictions will allow him to be right on many matters, but very off on some.
What is lacking are analysis and technical details of why the future is the way the author claims will be. For example, he claims lack of energy supply and technological progress will bring forth an age of hydrogen powered cars and fusion nuclear reactors. Yet, he provides no technical reasons why these two technologies will dominate the energy industry. Just how will we manage to produce hydrogen in large concentration and quantities which will be cost effective when it takes MORE energy to produce concenttrated hydrogen today than the energy value of the hydrogen themselves? Also, since when was controlled nuclear fusion reactors even possible? An explaination of how we will overcome the technical hurdles is missing throughout this book.
Some of the claims are downright outlandish. For example, the author claims we will have teleporter which will transfer objects throughout the globe. Again, the missing piece is of any scientific backing or explaination.
Some of the predictions are based on facts, and therefore, have strong predictive value. For example, the author claims that we will have a skilled worker shortage well into 2025 and beyond. This is based on a solid demographic data which indicates that we will have a shrinking workforce of suitable age in America.
Finally, the author is a PhD, but he never says on what subject. He also seems to compare himself to Da Vinci.....He claims many of his previous predictions were right on target. But I imagine many of his predictions were dead off target as well. The sheer number of predictions in this book will allow the author to claim that he is a futurist because many of his predictions will probably come true. Just don't expect him to backup his claims with solid science, facts, or analysis.
Fantastic Feast of Ideas.......2006-09-22
The Extreme Future is a fantastic feast of ideas. So many books about the future are predictable or simply boring. This book is a whole other experience. Canton's mind is a non-stop treasure trove of complex insights, wild ideas, brain-stretching posssibilities and just plain fun. I wholeheartedly recommend The Extreme Future to anyone who would like to step outside the box and look at everything - from global politics to mind control to enhanced humans - in some pretty incredible ways.
Book Description
The first in a series of three recovery guides for the first three years of sobriety, First-Year Sobriety uses the voices of many women and men who are struggling in the often baffling territory of their first year of sobriety to show that despite their differing experiences, all are united in the process of giving life without alcohol or other drugs a chance. These are people who are alternately amazed, appalled, delighted, depressed, illuminated, disturbed, or simply thrown by their first days, weeks, and months of sobriety. Kettelhack explores the challenges all seem to face: learning to break through loneliness, isolation, and fear; finding ways to deal with anger, depression, and resentment; and learning how to deal with a new and sometimes overwhelming happiness. Guy Kettelhack has written seven books on recovery. He is completing a Master's degree in psychoanalysis, and is an analyst-in-training at the Boston and New York Centers for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies. A graduate of Middlebury College, Kettelhack has also done graduate work in English literature at Bread Loaf School of English at Oxford University. He lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Here is my opinion of this book:.......2007-07-22
This book was surely a good edition to my recovery library. During my early recovery, I am reading as much as I can. I need to learn all that I can about this challenging time of early recovery. No one ever told me in rehab that I was going to have all these....FEELINGS! Alcohol really and truly made me numb for quite some time. I did not realize this until I got sober and began to feel again. As the feelings flooded in, I began to think that I was crazy-sober or not. This book helped me to realize that everything I was/am going through is normal. It is all OKAY. Many, many other people who have gone before me have felt the same exact feelings. This book speaks to the reader as casually as a speaker at a meeting will speak. It is easy to "get"...easy to understand and I breathed a sigh of relief everytime I could identify myself in the pages. Thank God for all of the written materials dealing with the subject of recovery. I devour these books. I recommend that you do too. Good buy.
Why not.......2007-05-07
This is a great book. In early recovery the more you read and learn about your disease the better. This book uses peoples own experiences to point out things you never hear about. It doesn't use complex ideas or concepts just simple ideas and language, plus I read the whole book in two days. Keep it Simple and this book does.
Extremely Helpful.......2006-07-21
Within my firts three years of sobriety I read this along with the second and third year edition. They were extremely accurate and helped me to deal with the trials and tribulations of sobriety at the time. I would recommend these titles to anyone who desires to be knowledgable and gain understanding about the process of recovery they are engaged in.
What to Expect from Sobriety.......2004-05-27
I found this to be a very useful addition to AA literature for people who are making their first serious attempt at getting sober and staying sober. The author understands the challenges that alcoholics/addicts face and presents interesting case studies of people who have faced the struggles and the victories of a newly sober person in this crazy world.
The book is written in a language that alcoholics will understand and resonate with. It's filled with examples of how an alcoholic/addict thinks, feels, and acts like during those first fragile years. Read it and share it with other
alcoholic/addicts.
First-Year Sobriety.......2001-01-17
Excellent book for people with either short or long term sobriety. The content is very realistic and I believe that anyone will find a story or two in here that will relate to them. Has helped me much. Also a good book to hold onto for future reference.
Book Description
Are you really ready to change? Take this quiz and find out.
Every New Year’s Day, my list of resolutions is:
Ambitious. I aim for everything from losing weight to saving more money for my retirement.
Realistic. I just try to bump my good behavior up a notch--be a better friend, give more money to charity---without giving myself any strict deadlines or goals.
Precise. I decide exactly how many men I will ask for a date, or how many new jobs I will apply for.
Whenever I decide to change something, it’s usually because:
My doctor has put the fear of God into me.
I read a magazine article about why making this change is important.
I start daydreaming about how great life will be after I make the change.
True or False: When you want to make a big change in your life, timing is crucial.
Failure is:
Impossible.
Inevitable.
Not in my vocabulary.
(The answers are on the inside back flap.)
Learn the secret to making changes that stick
Every so often people get inspired (again!) to lose weight, get organized, start saving, or stop worrying –but a few months later they give up, frustrated. It doesn’t have to be that way. In This Year I Wil . . .l, bestselling author M.J. Ryan offers breakthrough wisdom and coaching to help readers make this time the time that change becomes permanent.
Why do people find it so hard to change? The secret is that everyone has their own formula for making changes that stick, but most people don’t know what theirs is. They think there is one way to lose five pounds, and another way to stay on top of their e-mail, but they don’t realize that for all changes, there is one system that works best for each individual. This Year I Will . . . helps you lock on to your unique formula for planning, implementing, and seeing a life change through, so you can use it again and again to tackle anything else you’d like to do.
For anyone who has broken a New Year’s resolution, fallen off a diet, or given up on fulfilling a dream, the ingenious strategies, inspiring stories, and sheer motivational energy of This Year I Will . . . help you make a promise to yourself that you can actually keep.
Answers to the jacket quiz: c, c, false, b. Take the whole quiz and learn your score at M.J. Ryan’s Web site, www.mj-ryan.com.
Customer Reviews:
Not your ordinary motivational guide..........2007-08-31
I'm almost finished with this book and when I do, I plan to start it over again! Absolutely the best book of it's kind that I've ever read. Thank you, MJ Ryan. PS- I lost 27#, work at the gym now and quit smoking...all in the last 4 months. Her book has been instrumental in helping me to make these 'dreams' a reality.
Make Your resolutions come true.......2007-05-10
One of the best I've read. Easy to understand. Motivated me to take action immediately.
This Little Book is a Charm.......2007-03-28
MJ Ryan is one of my favorite authors. Her book, Random Acts of Kindness, started all kinds of initiatives that contribute to the world being kinder.
Her latest book is very, very special. This book is a perfect December read BEFORE one makes New Year's resolutions that are often shattered within the first couple of weeks. In an easy read style that characterizes her writing, she logically sets out why we so often find personal change difficult and then shares her prescription for making changes.
Corny as it may seem to some, I carry this book with me during my many business trips across the country. It has become both a symbol and a guidebook for a series of changes I am implementing in 2007. For me, this little book is working like a charm.
Ah...yet another kindness from Ms. Ryan. One for which I am most grateful.
Mash Note to Author.......2007-03-14
I love this book. Anything that makes me do something I've been avoiding for so long is powerful. I only have this book for a couple of days and already I'm energized. Thank you M.J. Ryan.
Inspiration, encouragement and advice for change.......2007-01-30
What I like best about M.J. Ryan is that she is a compassionate writer. She is writing about something that is very difficult to do: change. It is clear that she understands that change is hard; nobody is perfect, and people will slip. Her acceptance inspires your own acceptance of the perils of change and your personal foibles. She encourages you to take the leap into change despite your doubts. She makes you believe that change may be hard but with her advice it is possible and even probable.
Her advice is clear and precise; the book is jam-packed with information but without an excess of words. She looks at all the essential issues involved in making changes. She begins with the basics, the things that you must do to make a change and make it last: You must be specific. You must plan. You must prepare. You must really want it. You must make a commitment. You must take action. You must re-evaluate when things aren't working. You must get back on track when you slip up.
Yes, all of that sounds very familiar. What isn't so familiar is her analysis of exactly how all that works, why it works the way it does, and precisely what to do to assure that it works the way it should. She also tells you the probable reasons for your efforts going awry, as well as what to do when you do run into trouble.
Like any good writer who compels your attention, she illustrates her points with apt examples and anecdotes. As with the rest of her writing, the stories are made most effective by their brevity. I am reminded of a textbook I was once assigned in college. It was called "The Force of Few Words" and was about how poetry achieves its powerful effects. M.J. Ryan is not writing poetry, but her words are full of "rhyme and reason" and her advice together with her stories will make you believe in your power to change.
Book Description
Adolescence brings with it many physical, emotional and mental changes. This 10-session study, based on the bestselling series by Dr. James Dobson will help youth (ages 9-14) understand those changes-what they are, why they happen and their importance as steps in the process of becoming an adult. This guide is designed for use in group settings such as Sunday School classes, youth-group or small-group meetings
Students will learn how to deal with feelings of inferiority, develop self-confidence, stand up to group pressure, say no to drugs and alcohol, make sound decisions based on God's will for their lives, understand their urges for independence and much more. This is an excellent program for any setting in which there are young teens and preteens to teach!
Customer Reviews:
Preparing for Adolescence.......2007-10-06
What parent is prepared for the roller coaster ride of adolescence when their first child starts "growing up"? I thought I wouldn't have to think about it until my child was 13! Ha! The moodiness has already started -- at 10!
I enjoyed this book by Dr. Dobson, a well known & trusted author. The book helps the parent see this phase from the child's perspective and is written in a style the child can relate to. It assists them in trying to make sense of it all. It offers the child a preview of what to expect as radical physical and emotional changes begin and suggestions of how to handle them with practical common sense and their faith. The section addressing the "facts of life" is respectful, frank and thorough, but only offers age appropriate "details". It is appropriate enough for a 10 year old.
The book cover-to-cover may not keep the attention of a 10-12 year old who is accustomed to reading "action" type books, but if they are searching for answers, it's all there. Whether you buy the book for guidance as a parent, for your child to read, or as a tool to open up discussion on these topics, it is a worthwhile purchase.
Used in small groups.......2007-07-25
We used the Preparing for Adolescence book for our Disciple Now with 5th and 6th graders. We went through this book over the weekend. The social issues that we discussed are appropriate for students. The author writes at a level that students can understand.
We will use this again for sure.
Excellent Material.......2007-07-19
I listened to this entire CD series with my son on a road trip to the Michigan Dunes. All I can say is that I wish that I heard this material when I was 13. Growing up is tough and Dobson handles sensitive topics like, deep insecurities, lack of identity, sexuality, emotions and conformance with the wisdom and experience of a clinical child psychologist who could also be your father sitting down with you at the kitchen table. Thanks Dr. Dobson!! My son loved it!!
Great Stuff for Parents.......2007-01-19
This is a little dated, and yet it is timeless information. It would be best to use this at the suggested time, before your kid hits puberty. However, just the fact that you will be spending some quality, alone time with your child is huge. Highly recommend this for any parent to use. Especially since so many parents just hope this phase will pass, and they won't have to really deal with the issues of puberty.
Good Advice for Teens.......2006-02-07
I purchased this book for a niece who is almost twelve and has recently lost her mother because of a traffic accident. This book offers good advice to young people who wish to make wise, godly choices. I, like Dr. Dobson, value the Bible-based teachings that this country was founded on. Secular people will not like this book.
Product Description
Parents will help children identify the beauty and hope in all cycles of life as they follow two insect friends, Lea and Nym, and the struggles one of them endures when her friend disappears. This is a tender story about loss and change, written to help parents express their views about life and death. The book may serve many purposes, such as comforting a grieving child who has lost someone close or providing facts about dragonflies to inquisitive minds. Lea's transformation into a dragonfly may even be used as a metaphor for life-after-death. The Dragonfly Door is beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Barbara L. Gibson. The book is cherished by parents, grandparents and teachers. It was recently brought to life as a mini-play in Alabama to help children cope with the loss of their classmates. The following is an excerpt from the book: While Nym slept, she heard Lea's voice saying, "Follow me, Nym. I'm going to show you where I am." "Will I see you again?" Nym asked. "Only when it's time for you to die too," Lea replied. "You won't see me in the marsh ever again. But let me show you what I will look like the next time you see me. Here, close your eyes." Nym closed her eyes. "Now look at me," Lea said. Nym opened her eyes and saw ...
Customer Reviews:
The warm, emotional colors of award-winning artist Barbara L. Gibson.......2007-09-07
The debut children's picturebook of author John Adams, The Dragonfly Door dares to confront serious topics - of loss, death, grieving, and transition. Nym and Lea are two close insect friends, but one day after Nym yells at Lea, Lea disappears. Nym searches everywhere for her missing friend, and can't find her. At last Nym falls asleep, grief-stricken, and finally hears Lea's voice one more time. "'I died and went to this special place,' Lea said, her voice full of love. 'But I didn't want you to leave,' Nym pleaded. 'I'm sorry I yelled.' 'I know you're sorry,' Lea assured her. 'I left because my water nymph body died while I was picking flowers in the reeds, not because you yelled.'" The warm, emotional colors of award-winning artist Barbara L. Gibson illustrate this highly recommended picturebook for sharing the bittersweet realities of life with young people.
Jewel's Reading Excellence Review: Helps children understand nature's life cycle.......2007-05-10
John Adams brilliantly invites the reader into the world of Nymphs and Dragonflies to explore the changes that take place when Nym's friend goes to a special place.
When I had lost a family member I had read a wonderful story called, "The Water Bug Story." John Adams adds a fresh approach to this story by focusing on friendship loss and giving a voice to his characters. With the help of Gibson's eye-catching nature illustrations, "The Dragon Fly Door" answers general questions surrounding loss, such as feelings about loss, what happens to the nymph's body when he dies, and how a nymph is transformed into a dragonfly.
Adams creatively normalizes typical friendship rivalry and takes the reader on a nature journey to discover that one chooses to resolve conflict, loss, and changes in different ways. Adams concludes the book with uncomplicated educational facts for the inquisitive science mind.
This is a great educational tool for parents, grandparents or professionals to use to help explain the uncontrollable life cycle changes and loss.
Reviewed by Jewel Sample, MS
Award-winning author of Flying Hugs and Kisses(2006), also translated: Besos y Abrazos Al Aire(2006, Spanish edition) and Flying Hugs and Kisses Activity Book(2007)
A Message of Hope for Children Who Are Grieving.......2007-02-26
As President of a nonprofit organization that reaches out to those who are grieving, I was very pleased to read a book such as The Dragonfly Door. This book provides a much needed way to offer children (and adults) a message of hope following the death of a loved one.
Children can relate to the playful nature of Nym and Lea who are the two young nymph friends, the sorrow of Nym when Lea dies, and the comforting feeling when when Nym realizes that he will one day see Lea again as a dragonfly, when he too has made his transformation into a dragonfly.
Our nonprofit organization recommends this book so highly that we have decided to make it available for purchase at all of our events.
-Valerie Marquardt
Beautiful and excellent for all who grieve.......2007-02-18
I received this wonderfully beautiful book on the 8th anniversary of my son's graduation to Heaven ... that evening, I was able to read it with his daughter, who is now 9... I believe she gained another understanding of her Very Own Daddy in a beautiful place that we have not seen just yet ... and though she already knew he is waiting for her, this was another good reminder of that ... I was unaware of the dragonfly's life cycle and was so blessed to see how it seemingly parallels this life and the next. Thank you, John, for a wonderful way to help us all in our continuing journey with grief and the Hope we can have.
Book Description
In this age of instant communication and biotechnology, and on this ever-smaller planet, what kinds of problems have we created for ourselves? And, once we identify these problems, how do we tackle them in a world where the accustomed nation-state methods may be reaching their natural limits?
In High Noon, J.F. Rischard challenges us to solve the problems of the twenty-first century with a new approach to global problem-solving. Defining and then offering a brief overview of the twenty most important and urgent global problems, Rischard finds that they all have two things in common: They're getting worse, not better, and the standard strategies for dealing with them, such as international treaties and on-and-off gatherings of governments, are woefully inadequate to the task. The real problem, in other words, is that in our increasingly crowded, fast-moving, interconnected world, we don't have an effective way of addressing the problems that such a world creates. Our difficulties belong to the present and the future, but our means of solving them belong to the past.
Rischard proposes new vehicles for global problem-solving that would be acknowledged by governments but that would function as extra-governmental bodies devoted to particular problems. Their powers would not be legal but normative: They would produce globally recognized standards and would then monitor and single out the nations and organizations that were not cooperating.
No previous book has presented such a unified appraisal of this century's global problems or offered such a consistent and well-defined approach to solving them. With its clear-eyed urgency and refreshing specificity, High Noon is an agenda-setting book that everyone who cares about the future must read.
Customer Reviews:
Practical Bottom Line on Saving Planet--Do It or Lose It.......2003-05-30
Having read perhaps 20 of the best books on global issues and environmental sustainability, water scarcity, ocean problems, etc, over the past few years (most reviewed here on Amazon) I was prepared for a superficial summary, political posturing, and unrealistic claims. Not this book--this book is one of the finest, most intelligent, most easily understood programs for action I have ever seen. The book as a whole, and the 20 problem statements specifically, are concise, illustrated, and sensible.
The author breaks the 20 issues into 3 groups. Group one (sharing our planet)includes global warming; biodiversity and ecosystem losses, fisheries depletion, deforestation, water deficits, and maritime safety and pollution. Group two (sharing our humanity) includes massive step-up in the fight against poverty, peacekeeping-conflict prevention-combatting terrorism, education for all, global infectuous diseases, digital divide, and natural disaster prevention and mitigation. Group three (sharing our rule book) includes reinventing taxation for the 21st century, biotechnology rules, global financial architecture, illegal drugs, trade-investment-competition rules, intellectual property rights, e-commerce rules, and international labor and migration rules.
The author's core concept for dealing with these complex issues intelligently, while recognizing that "world government" is not an option, lies with his appreciation of the Internet and how global issues networks could be created that would be a vertical complement to the existing horizontal elements of each national government.
The footnotes and index are professional, but vastly more important, the author's vision is combined with practicality. This is a "doable-do" and this book is therefore my number one reading recommendation for any citizen buying just one book of the 360+ that I have recommended within Amazon. Superb.
Highly Recommended for Those Interested in the Future.......2002-07-17
I attended a lecture the author gave summarizing his book. If you're interested in globalization, the environment, or any other global problems, I highly recommend reading this book. It was deliberately limited in length, so it is a really quick read... about 5 pages for each of 20 problems and an additional 100 pages or so presenting the general problems and his proposed solution.
Important and Accessible.......2002-07-03
Amazon's observation is interesting - "No previous book has presented such a unified appraisal of this century's global problems or offered such a consistent and well-defined approach to solving them." If that is so, this book is important. Rischard's issues are not and do not pretend to be all inclusive, but they are self-evidently urgent and of global import. The book also left me thinking that Rischard's tentative solution framework may relate to other issues... High Noon deserves the attention of all well meaning and globally minded people.
Book Description
Praise for Portfolio Life
"Dave Corbett's book turns two simple ideas into a program for life-enrichment, that you can create a life expressly for yourself and that the so-called retirement years are the best time to do it. Drawing on a lifetime of work with people who were rethinking what they wanted and their direction, he shows how to do both those things. Be warned: If you read the book, you're going to be changed. But I think you'll like how you turn out."
--Bill Bridges, author, Transitions and Job Shift
"Dave's book reveals a powerful and profound formula for crafting a genuinely rich life. If you agree that retirement is passé, and you are a lifelong learner and have a desire to make your life count in a deeply fulfilling way, you will love this book."
--Fred Harburg, former chief learning officer and president, Motorola University
"Healthy, fit, financially secure, and happy for another 40 years? Is there really that kind of gold over 'them thar' hills? Yes, and Portfolio Life is the guide, leading boomers to a life path never before traveled by so many. Don't pass 50 without it."
--Natalie Jacobson, news anchor, WCVB-TV Boston
"This is the work of a wise, thoughtful author with decades of experience helping people be more successful in the next chapter of their lives. It will help you embrace change and explore the possibilities that come with an additional 20 to 30 productive years to be designed and lived on your own terms."
--Anne Szostak, chairman, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America
"This timely book should be read by anyone of any age who wants his or her life to have meaning and purpose beyond the accumulation of money and things."
--Millard Fuller, founder, Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing
Customer Reviews:
life after 50?.......2007-09-30
Don't do it! A book professing to show a new way of life - to lead you to your new (older) destiny? No - just full of platitudes and bland auto-biography - don't waste you money; use it to get a personal coach instead
A Different Retirement Book.......2007-01-03
Conventional retirement books tend to focus on the event of the end of normal full-time employment, followed by some sort of activity-oriented shift into hobbies and possibly consulting and/or Board Membership. On the other hand, Portfolio Life makes the reader focus on thinking about how we want to spend our time, what balance of activities would be fulfilling, and what rewards (psychic and material) we expect. It suggests not an activity-oriented process, but rather what might be called a liberal enlightenment process. If done successfully, it provides a road map (admittedly and rightfully being updated from time to time) for the rest of our lives. And in Portfolio Life, Corbett provides the reader with useful and practical advice to manage the process and come up with a strategy that can be implemented.
HOPE.......2006-12-18
Corbett has helped many and now with Portfolio Life, many have hope. When you finish reading this book have a glass of milk, sleep well, and start rereading it the next day with your pen and pencil...and don't forget the coffee can!
How to beat senior boredom.......2006-12-10
With clarity, good humor and remarkable insight, Corbett provides a simple and smart perspective on the primary issue hitting my "senior" generation - "What do I do next?" He not only identifies the issues we (I) face - but maps out a thought provoking way to build a balanced plan for our remaining decades that is based on our own priorities. It was a much appreciated gift.
A Boomer Bible.......2006-11-28
Born in the "bulge" of the baby boom, I've been looking for a perspective on my career that doesn't make a false distinction between my work and my life. The cliche of "work-life balance" still accepts the notion that somehow the two are at odds. This book is the first I've read that's written for someone my age (let's just say I've outgrown the Parachute), that speaks to me in the way I've been looking for. I highly recommend it both to people like me who have climbed the ladder to a high rung, wondering what happens now...AND to those employers who hope to harness and retain our talents in terms that make sense to us, and to the company. This is an important read, and a fun one.
Amazon.com
"There's no such thing as a mature business," only a growth business, write leading business consultants Ram Charan and Noel M. Tichy. Every Business Is a Growth Business is a step-by-step manual for turning any company into an expanding company. The book is packed with real-world examples and key concepts for executives to get their businesses on an upward trajectory.
Charan and Tichy assert that growth requires sticking to two principles: "strategy from the outside in" and "changing the genetic code." The first means putting yourself in your customers' shoes and asking what are their needs and how are they changing. From this perspective, a company can redefine its market and come up with creative ways to expand demand. The second principle, changing the genetic code, means revamping the corporate culture so that a new mindset for growth can thrive. As anyone who has ever worked in a company knows, corporate culture is a hard thing to overhaul. The book gives concrete steps to make that happen; sometimes it requires whole new leadership.
Charan, who has been on the faculty of the Harvard Business School and Northwestern University, and Tichy, a professor at the University of Michigan Business School, speak from experience. They've advised companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell and Mercedes-Benz. One of their heroes is the late Roberto Goizueta of Coca-Cola. When Goizueta took over, the company was on cruise control. It dominated the U.S. soft- drink industry--a market that many experts believed was mature with nowhere to grow. Under conventional thinking, Coca-Cola was maxed out: it would do well just to defend each tenth of a percent of market share against archrival PepsiCo. But in the 1980s, Goizueta framed the question of market share in a different way. Goizueta got his top executives to see that globally, Coca-Cola accounted for less than 2 ounces of the 64 ounces of fluid that each of the world's 4.4 billion people drank on average every day. In one simple stroke, he redefined the market and opened vast new areas of opportunity for his company. Coca-Cola became an immensely successful growth company under his leadership. Similar stories about Compaq, Citibank, and other companies abound. Every Business Is a Growth Business is an inspiring and practical book for business leaders looking to grow their company. --Dan Ring
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Everyone wants growth, coauthor Noel Tichy explains on this audiocassette, but how many businesses are truly geared toward that end? At a time when the business cycle demands growth--or businesses risk death--but when so many businesses have already grown beyond anyone's wildest expectations, it's hard for companies not to circle the wagons and protect what they've already gained. If you can get past Tichy's somewhat droning delivery and his excessive use of "think-out-of-the-box"-level clichés and buzzwords, you'll find the secrets to continual growth for your company. Or, if you're an investor, you'll get insights into why some companies keep growing while others stagnate, and thus learn new ways to choose the best companies to stake your retirement funds on. (Running time: three hours, two cassettes) --Lou Schuler
Book Description
What's the number one item on every company's agenda?
Profitable Growth.
Every Business Is a Growth Business is your one-stop guide to making profitable growth happen. It's a radical and refreshing source of ideas, inspiration, and common sense, all based on the unparalleled experience and access of Ram Charan and Noel Tichy.
Charan and Tichy have worked with some of the world's leading executives--people such as Jack Welch of GE, Eckhard Pfeiffer of Compaq, Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal, John Reed of Citigroup, Dick Brown of Cable & Wireless, Alex Trotman and Jacques Nasser of Ford, and the senior management of Coca-Cola--who have transformed their companies into profitable growth machines. Every Business Is a Growth Business is a distillation of what the authors and these unique leaders have learned about profitable growth:
If your business isn't growing sustainably and profitably, it's dying.
Any business can grow profitably. There is no such thing as a mature business.
A company grows because growth is in the corporate mindset, created by the company's leaders.
The mindset of growth starts at the top, but it must reach all the way to the bottom.
Sustainable growth is profitable and capital-efficient.
"Broadening your pond," changing your company's genetic code, developing a growth strategy from the outside in, and other unique ideas.
Every Business Is a Growth Business includes inside accounts of how GE Medical, Allied Signal, Compaq, Citibank, Reynolds and Reynolds, Praxair, and GE Capital developed profitable growth strategies. It includes "The Handbook for Growth," a highly practical guide that will be an immense help as you and your team develop your company's profitable growth strategy.
Customer Reviews:
Growing even the best businesses.......2007-04-06
The authors describe how great businesses redefine themselves and think from the outside in to expand and to conquer stagnation. There is a series of worksheets at the end which test the reader to see how you thing which was helpful.
Great Title,.. borrow from library instead.......2006-12-19
The title of this book caught my eye and I thought I would learn something profound. Quite frankly, there isn't really anything new here. The basic premise of the book is to understand customers needs or create needs and find a way to fulfill those needs in a profitable way. The book doesn't get into specifics but sites several examples of CEOs growing their respective companies. In general, those sources of growth were simply this..
1.Natural growth, where the market for what you make is strong and expanding
2.Gaining market share through low cost - high productivity growth, rapid cycle times, high asset turnover
3.Proprietary or patented technology
4.Highly-developed distribution channels that you've built over time
5.Opening new markets for your existing products - for example, globalization
6.Gaining power in the marketplace via acquisitions, alliances, vertical integration
7.Expanding your pond
8.Resegmenting your markets
9.Moving into adjacent segments
Ofcourse, the book goes into greater detail about each of the above, if you don't understand it in one sentence.
Main focus of book is to view your company from the outside in,..
1. How can I identify or create needs?
2. How can I meet them?
3. How fast can I meet them?
In essence, look at needs as the drivers of change
Pretty common sense stuff don't you think?
This is why I don't highly recommend this book. Its probably best to just borrow it from the library. You save money ;)
Every Leader should read this...then read again!.......2002-04-12
This is one of my favorite leadership books by two authors with whom I have a great deal of respect for their advice. The premise of the book it that by looking at the entire business landscape affecting your clients, there are larger opportunities in which to solve the client's CEO issues beyond the immediate customer orders. Written with real world examples, some of which were first hand consulting jobs by the authors, the examples are detailed and written so you can relate them to your own work.
I have applied these principles in my own professional work and find the concepts very useful in business growth development efforts. In almost every growth opportunity development session with employees, collegues and clients, the going in premise is that there is not enough budget or too limited a market, thus preventing us from pursuing a given opportunity. Applying the author's concepts to creating the expanded view of the opportunity almost always proves to incite a bigger picture for everyone.
The book may require better book bindings because I refer back to it so often that I will one day wear out the bindings!
Read and Expand the Pond! Highly Recommended.
A Good Read!.......2001-03-03
Ram Charan and Noel M. Tichy make the case that no company, even a very large corporation, should think of itself as a mature company or as part of a mature industry. If you look at the market broadly and take your customer's perspective, you will always find room for growth. First, look at your customers' changing needs and think of how your company can expand beyond its current market. Then, expand that approach throughout the company. The basic message may sound familiar, but Charan and Tichy bring a strong how-to approach to their directions for implementing it in your company. We at getAbstract.com appreciate the utility of their mix of examples, graphs, charts, and workbook, which should prove helpful to executives and company owners.
A well-written, very practical recipe for growth and change........1999-03-01
I found this book to be one of the best I have read on the topics of growth and change in some time. This book is devoid of the psychological "fluff" that permeates many other books in this genre. It reads like a practical recipe to be followed by those commited to growth and change. Not at all unlike Welch's annual letters to the shareholders of GE. Whereas the annual letters of others companies drone on and on about what was, surrounded by the fluff of what can be, Welch's letters read like a master plan for action, which can be understood and driven to all levels of the company.
The authors define "desirable" growth from the perspective of shareholders as capital efficient, profitable growth. They then describe a framework for "growing the pond you fish in". Next, they point out the necessity of changing the "genetic code" of the organization so that growth is pursued by leaders at all levels in the organization. They describe a framework for producing this change in the genetic code of the organization. This framework is primarily based on a "teachable point-of-view" developed by the leadership, and constantly reinforced and reiterated through various carefully designed "operating mechanisms". The teachable point-of-view consists of key business ideas, values, emotional energy, and "edge" (on tough calls).
I've read this book twice already, and may read it again. I've started to implement the methodology in my company...so far, so good.
Book Description
Does the capacity to learn increase or decrease over time? How does the sense of self and identity change over the adult years? What are the educational implications of that change? And how can teachers acknowledge the experience their adult students bring to the classroom?
In this book, Mark C. Tennant and Philip Pogson draw on the field of developmental psychology to provide new insights into the critical connections between experience and learning in all areas of adult education and training. Integrating findings from both adult developmental psychology and adult teaching and learning, the authors examine how experience generates developmental change. They look at how the relationship between self and others changes across the lifespan and, in turn, affects the teacher-learner relationship. And they describe the processes that promote separateness, indepAndence, interdepAndence, and autonomy in adult learners.Learning and Change in the Adult Years thoroughly explores the role of development in adult learning, the investment of 'self' in learning, and the link between social development and personal development to give teachers and trainers both the concepts and tools for promoting autonomy and self-direction in learners.
MARK TENNANT is dean of faculty and professor of adult education in the Faculty of Education, University of Technology, Sydney. He has published numerous articles in international journals on the theme of lifespan development and learning. His book Psychology and Adult Learning won the 1990 Cyril Houle Award for outstanding literature in adult education.
PHILIP POGSON is staff development manager at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has held a number of positions in education and training at both the university level and in vocational training for the long term disadvantaged unemployed.
Customer Reviews:
Sort of..........2006-12-16
Doesn't get quite critical enough. Required reading, for certain courses, but not the meat. I got tired of the equivocations. I'd skim it and resell it.
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