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Anti-Corporate Handbook
NO LOGO will fundementally alter the way you think about the world.
The Third World has always existed for the comfort of the First
Fascinating Insight For Marketers and Consumers
A must read...

No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs
Naomi Klein
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312421435

Amazon.com

We live in an era where image is nearly everything, where the proliferation of brand-name culture has created, to take one hyperbolic example from Naomi Klein's No Logo, "walking, talking, life-sized Tommy [Hilfiger] dolls, mummified in fully branded Tommy worlds." Brand identities are even flourishing online, she notes--and for some retailers, perhaps best of all online: "Liberated from the real-world burdens of stores and product manufacturing, these brands are free to soar, less as the disseminators of goods or services than as collective hallucinations."

In No Logo, Klein patiently demonstrates, step by step, how brands have become ubiquitous, not just in media and on the street but increasingly in the schools as well. (The controversy over advertiser-sponsored Channel One may be old hat, but many readers will be surprised to learn about ads in school lavatories and exclusive concessions in school cafeterias.) The global companies claim to support diversity, but their version of "corporate multiculturalism" is merely intended to create more buying options for consumers. When Klein talks about how easy it is for retailers like Wal-Mart and Blockbuster to "censor" the contents of videotapes and albums, she also considers the role corporate conglomeration plays in the process. How much would one expect Paramount Pictures, for example, to protest against Blockbuster's policies, given that they're both divisions of Viacom?

Klein also looks at the workers who keep these companies running, most of whom never share in any of the great rewards. The president of Borders, when asked whether the bookstore chain could pay its clerks a "living wage," wrote that "while the concept is romantically appealing, it ignores the practicalities and realities of our business environment." Those clerks should probably just be grateful they're not stuck in an Asian sweatshop, making pennies an hour to produce Nike sneakers or other must-have fashion items. Klein also discusses at some length the tactic of hiring "permatemps" who can do most of the work and receive few, if any, benefits like health care, paid vacations, or stock options. While many workers are glad to be part of the "Free Agent Nation," observers note that, particularly in the high-tech industry, such policies make it increasingly difficult to organize workers and advocate for change.

But resistance is growing, and the backlash against the brands has set in. Street-level education programs have taught kids in the inner cities, for example, not only about Nike's abusive labor practices but about the astronomical markup in their prices. Boycotts have commenced: as one urban teen put it, "Nike, we made you. We can break you." But there's more to the revolution, as Klein optimistically recounts: "Ethical shareholders, culture jammers, street reclaimers, McUnion organizers, human-rights hacktivists, school-logo fighters and Internet corporate watchdogs are at the early stages of demanding a citizen-centered alternative to the international rule of the brands ... as global, and as capable of coordinated action, as the multinational corporations it seeks to subvert." No Logo is a comprehensive account of what the global economy has wrought and the actions taking place to thwart it. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

With a new Afterword to the 2002 edition. No Logo employs journalistic savvy and personal testament to detail the insidious practices and far-reaching effects of corporate marketing—and the powerful potential of a growing activist sect that will surely alter the course of the 21st century. First published before the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, this is an infuriating, inspiring, and altogether pioneering work of cultural criticism that investigates money, marketing, and the anti-corporate movement.

As global corporations compete for the hearts and wallets of consumers who not only buy their products but willingly advertise them from head to toe—witness today’s schoolbooks, superstores, sporting arenas, and brand-name synergy—a new generation has begun to battle consumerism with its own best weapons. In this provocative, well-written study, a front-line report on that battle, we learn how the Nike swoosh has changed from an athletic status-symbol to a metaphor for sweatshop labor, how teenaged McDonald’s workers are risking their jobs to join the Teamsters, and how “culture jammers” utilize spray paint, computer-hacking acumen, and anti-propagandist wordplay to undercut the slogans and meanings of billboard ads (as in “Joe Chemo” for “Joe Camel”).

No Logo will challenge and enlighten students of sociology, economics, popular culture, international affairs, and marketing.

“This book is not another account of the power of the select group of corporate Goliaths that have gathered to form our de facto global government. Rather, it is an attempt to analyze and document the forces opposing corporate rule, and to lay out the particular set of cultural and economic conditions that made the emergence of that opposition inevitable.”—Naomi Klein, from her Introduction

Download Description

Once a poster boy for the new economy, Bill Gates has become a global whipping boy. The Nike swoosh is quickly losing its cachet, equated now with sweatshop labor. Teenage McDonald's workers are joining the Teamsters. What's going on? NO LOGO explains why some of the most revered brands in the world are finding themselves on the wrong end of a spray-can, a computer hack, or an international anti-corporate campaign. NO LOGO uncovers a betrayal of the central promises of the information age: choice, interactivity, and increased freedom. Instead, job security and consumer choice have been swallowed whole by companies who enlist us as their human billboards and spokesmen. Equal parts cultural analysis, political manifesto, mall-rat memoir, and journalistic expose, NO LOGO is the first book that both uncovers the sins of corporations run amok and explores and explains the new resistance that will change consumer culture in the 21st century.

Customer Reviews:

Anti-Corporate Handbook.......2007-05-20

What are the effects of multinational corporations in the Branding Age? Naomi Klein tackles that in this seminal work on the subject. While somewhat dated (published in 2000), it gives the most comprehensive picture of the transition corporations have undergone from providing competent products and services to providing ubiquitous branding and advertising to produce loyalty and sell peripherals. This book gives the total picture of the devastation left in the wake of total corporate dominance in the U.S., Canada, and worldwide.

As she details, what has emerged in the last half of the 20th century is a new kind of totality - an economic imperialism spearheaded by Nike, The Gap, McDonalds, Shell, and Microsoft and their lawyers, contractors, and advertising agencies. As they break open markets, crush competition, and lower wages across the globe they've gotten so powerful as to dictate to scores of countries what their trade and economic policies are going to be. These policies are always anti-Union and terrible for workers, leaving nations worse off than before they were Industrialized and Advertised - creating massive wealth gaps and uneven distributions across the board.

The four major sections of the book: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs, and No Logo, each show in example after example, case study upon study that advertising is the product now and the more money spent in that avenue, the more profitable the corporation can be while taking every opportunity away from the poor and disenfranchised, forcing horrible conditions and worse jobs on them, and decreasing their access to health care and nutrition. This is not an accident. This is a concerted policy foisted upon the world through the corporate enforcement arm of the WTO, World Bank, and U.S. Military.

Is it hopeless? Well, civil disobedience is one way to combat the trends and takeover and Klein offers many suggestions and examples in this book. However even she admits that the situation is bleak.

Good luck . . . and good read.

- CV Rick

NO LOGO will fundementally alter the way you think about the world........2006-11-04

Naomi Klien's treatise on the anti-corporate movement of the last decade provides tremendous insight into the philosophies behind today's anti-corporate culture, and more importantly, the "branded" society that has spawned it. Well written and intelligent on every level, NO LOGO carefully tracks such disturbing phenomenons as the disappearance of public space, the rise of corporate censorship, and the transformation of living wage jobs for Americans into sweatshop labor in the third world. If you are completely unfamiliar with today's cultural rebellion against corporate control, NO LOGO serves as an excellent introduction, clearly outlining the dubious marketing trend of promoting "brands not products" such that you will never be able to watch commercials the same way again. If you are a seasoned WTO protester or billboard adbuster, NO LOGO will provide you with all the philosophical and factual ammo necessary to start converting your friends away from their unthinking materialistic lifestyle. This book is a must read for anyone who considers themselves and independently thinking consumer, as well as anyone who is interested in the latest cultural rebellion taking place among today's young and disenfranchised.

The Third World has always existed for the comfort of the First.......2006-11-03

Naomi Klein sketches perfectly the major shift in corporate strategy today: transnational companies are not interested in production anymore, only in branding: products are made in factories, brands in the mind. Branding creates big margins, production in home countries meager earnings.

This strategy causes monstrous layoffs in the First World and creates EPZ (Export Processing Zones) in the Third World.
In the First world, corporations transformed themselves in `engines of wealth growth' for their shareholders, instead of `engines of job growth'. `CEO's of the 30 companies with the largest announced layoffs saw their total compensation increase by 67%.'
The jobs they need are predominantly outsourced, or are McJobs (no `adult wages') and temporary stop-jobs.
The First World stirs fierce competition between Third World countries in order to get rock-bottom prices for their `branded' products, creating colossal margins in the home countries.
Wages in EPZs are so low that most of the money is spent on shared dorm rooms and basic food. Workers cannot afford the consumer goods they produce.

Another aspect of our branded world is the sheer size of the (trans)national corporations created by relentless mergers and acquisitions. Their size permits them to decide what items (also magazines, DVDs) should be stocked in a store, in other words, they create a new kind of censorship.
Big mergers in the media landscape allow conglomerates to produce their own news and in this sense jeopardize basic civil liberties.

While Naomi Klein's analysis of our consumer planet is very revealing, the remedies she proposes are rather innocent, epidermic, symptom healing or too general: ad and brand busting, radical ecology (Reclaim the Streets), anti-globalization and anti-corporate mass protests, boycott, building greater critical social consciousness. Individual actions like attacking in court (Shell in Nigeria), revealing Nike's sweatshops or denouncing McDonald's food are ultimately not more than temporary needle pricks in elephant skins.
What the world needs is a global vision, which we can find in the works of Joseph Stiglitz or (for a view from the South) Walden Bello.

Highly recommended.

Fascinating Insight For Marketers and Consumers.......2006-10-21

I work in online marketing, which means that my work is often much more mechanical than the kind Klein describes in her book, but the insights that form the basis of all marketing (promotion) are similar. Despite the distance between my experience and the focus of much of "No Logo," I found it to be a brilliant and profound look at the end results of various marketing efforts. One that gives you a fascinating view of all sides of the equation - not just the impetus behind the marketing itself, but also the impetus behind the companies, products and brands, the production and supply chain and, finally, the adoption by consumers and a view of how these same consumers come to, as Klein says, inhabit the brand. In a country where it can be, but for the skyline and the geography, increasingly difficult to tell the difference between major cities like Memphis, Dallas and Atlanta, discussing exactly why the lives of so many Americans (and those of other developed countries' citizens) have become increasingly homogenous is something that might behoove us all.

Personally, I've always felt that the best consumer marketing seems obvious to consumers once it has been undertaken. Reading about how consumers, particularly the youth demographic, then go on to adopt the marketing as something of a lifestyle, even when ironically, was fascinating. Sure, we see it every day, but to read about it in a more academic, yet narrative fashion gives a fresh look at something we deal with from the inside. Klein takes concepts of the modern world of marketing that have been discussed in various publications and, no doubt, countless classrooms and weaves them into a brilliant narrative about where our marketing came from, where it is now and where it's going in the future. I think the great value here is the dual purpose the work offers to both marketers and consumers - for the former, a view of how their work affects society beyond the boundaries of ROI and, for the latter, a fascinating view of exactly how they are manipulated to spend their money on things they often don't need.

While consumer marketing isn't new, the scope of its effect on politics, economics, sociology and individual psychology is definitely one of the more pronounced hallmarks of the current era. Everyone thinks that they're immune to marketing, we marketers included, but we are all trapped to one degree or another in a kind of snow globe that has both positive and negative aspects for all of us individually and collectively. Reading works like "No Logo" would no doubt be a great eye opener for John Q. Public. For marketers it may not be new material, particularly now in 2006, but I found it to be a fascinating breath of fresh air and a great reminder of just how many areas marketing touches and in how many ways marketing itself is a symbiotic force in society.

On a completely personal note, I have also spent time outside of and lived outside of the marketing bubble in very foreign, developing cultures where the majority of the marketing is indecipherable and, therefore, lost on me. With this perspective in mind, it can be quite a shock to return home to see the saturation of our culture with marketing messages and the level to which we are buried in marketed, particularly branded goods. Klein discusses this to some degree, but when you have tangible experience with the lives of the developing world citizens who make the trinkets we snatch up due to this marketing and your roots are in the culture that's doing the snapping up, it can't help but make you question - a feeling Klein seems to also want to convey - the morality of the level of consumer saturation that we in the developed world seem to revel in. Some would say this kind of thought comes from a particular political ethos, but I've seen the same kind of dialogue put forth by everyone from counterculture liberals to fundamentalist conservatives. Who we are and why we are who we are is a question for everyone, I think, and there's no doubt that marketing is playing an ever-increasing role in defining our societies and our cultures. If this is an issue that you're at all interested in then the attention given to it from a marketing perspective in this book will be of value to you.

A must read..........2006-10-19

I live in the suburbs of a former steel mill town whose mills are now defunct. At one time we boasted the highest unemployment rate in the state, the highest murder rate per capita and were named number four in George magazine's most corrupt towns list. But we are creating jobs...Wal Mart, Sam's Club, Taco Bell, one chain store after another. My town is a prime example of the new economy - service, part-time and temp work with little room for advancement and little hope.

Why? We do not make anything anymore in the U.S. and it is indicative of much of Europe as many of these jobs, as we all know, are going to other parts of the world where "production zones" are being created, hovels where corporations are free from much of the government restraint that would normally accompany their move to another country. But these zones are being created for companies to bring their manufacturing needs to and are thus given a high degree of autonomy, almost mini countries in and of themselves. Workers are underpaid, working conditions seems to be reminiscent of servitude and corporation are reaping huge profits at the expense of jobs. We know the story.

The reality, however, is that just by buying clothes from someone who does not employ workers at slave wage we are not helping the problem. The way to solve the problem is to pay these people a living wage, not merely buying some other brand of clothing. Ms. Klein's breakdown on the issue is nothing short of revelatory.

This book dives deep into this new economy, tracing the origins and development and explosive growth of the ubiquitous "brand" and the corporations behind them. Perhaps most symbolically it is Phil Knight and Nike who represent the modern day company's realization that it is more profitable not to manufacture anything but to merely market product ultimately made by someone else. Manufacturing it out; branding is in.

The book was not so much a manifesto nor a one-way attack on this whole process. It does provide some glimpses from the other side but her positioning of the quotes from the other side merely highlights the absurdity of their statements thus definitely revealing where she stands on the issue. At times it sounds like a far-left ranting of doom and gloom but she builds the case quite thoroughly.

But as the book develops it provides the realization that it is easy to point the finger and cast blame but the problem lies much deeper than this. This is a rallying cry, a gathering of facts and of hope of a growing awareness, disillusionment and proactivity in regards to these developments. It is not too late - yet. Ms. Klein gives stories and tales of culture jamming, of individuals who have taken on the giants and have had great successes in revealing the trickery, manipulation and profiteering of the companies to which so many bow down in allegiance.

I have known many of these things or have noticed the disturbing trends, not only of these brands but of those who buy them. We, the consumer, are as much to blame. If we did not purchase these things, these companies would not continue to market them. Take action, get information, get knowledge and do something about it. While not necessarily a how-to book it is one that will inform you, enlighten you, even enrage you and help you to look at branding and the homogeneity ("uniform diversity" in corporate speak) that is much of the modern world.

Most refreshing was her inclusion toward the end of views from those who live in the areas where these factories are located who are seeking to change the people who work in these factories to take up the intiative on their own without the inclusion, or intrusion, of Americans and Europeans who, though they may mean well, may actually hinder the process leading to another form of dependence on those from the West. Contrary to the belief in the West that we are saviours of the world, those in the world labeled "third" are doing it for themselves. We just don't hear their voice amidst the self-congratulation of the promotion and celebrity happy Western media.

I recommend this for anyone who cares about where we are headed and who misses the days when we had choices and a world free of commercials inundating us in every nook and cranny of our lives.

I would also recommend Fast Food Nation and the documentary The Corporation (in which Ms. Klein is interviewed) to further add insight and detail to the depths of the issue.

Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom

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An excellent Choide
Everyone should get a copy!
Great Resource
Excellent Book
Finally - usable psychotherapy!

Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom
William Glasser
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060930144

Amazon.com

Southern California psychiatrist William Glasser, the author of Reality Therapy, believes that almost all human misery is caused by people trying to control others. In fact, he says, the only behavior we can control is our own; by the same token, no one can make us do anything we don't want to. It's only when we give up spending our energy trying to force others to conform to our ideas or to keep them from doing the same to us that we are able to live the way we want to. Glasser makes this somewhat difficult material easier to understand with examples and case studies from his own practice. For instance, he tells a man whose wife has left him that his only choices are to change what he wants her to do or to change the way he is dealing with her. While doing these things will not necessarily bring his wife back, Glasser says, it will certainly make him feel better. "When we actually begin to realize that we can control only our own behavior, we immediately start to redefine our personal freedom and find, in many instances, that we have much more freedom than we realize," Glasser writes.

Book Description

Dr. William Glasser offers a new psychology that, if practiced, could reverse our widespread inability to get along with one another, an inability that is the source of almost all unhappiness.

For progress in human relationships, he explains that we must give up the punishing, relationship-destroying external control psychology. For example, if you are in an unhappy relationship right now, he proposes that one or both of you could be using external control psychology on the other. He goes further. And suggests that misery is always related to a current unsatisfying relationship. Contrary to what you may believe, your troubles are always now, never in the past. No one can change what happened yesterday.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent Choide.......2007-06-27

This is the best self help book that I have found. While the word psychology may scare you off, it is not tough reading. The principals described seem like common sense, once you think about them. This book has proven to be useful in multiple areas of my life and I am actually giving out copies of this book to everyone I see that could use it. You cannot go wrong in spending time with this book. Reality Therapy, by the same author, provides a good example of where choice theory came from. I have read over a dozen psychology books and this is by far my favorite.

Everyone should get a copy!.......2007-03-16

I love this book. Even though it contains so much information we all know, already, it somehow was just what I needed when I needed it.
I give this as a gift to a lot of my middle aged single male friends who cant get past their ex's or cant get on with life as a singleton.
I totally CHOOSE to take responsibility for my life, where I go, what I do, and how I do things. My past is my responsibility and I accept that and embrace it. It is very freeing.
I highly recommend that you read this book and embrace your choices in life. We all have them!
A great read, and even better rule for life.

Great Resource.......2007-01-11

The book is an easy read. It is entertaining as it uses the stories of actual clients to describe the use of the therapy. The approach is sound and it offers a balance to the reliance on medication that so many of my colleges depend on today.

Excellent Book.......2005-11-11

If you like books that are indepth, insightful, and take some initiative to read, then this is the book for you, especially if you are at a crossroads with some decision in your life. It's not fluff. Written for the intelligent reader who WANTS to help him/herself. Be ready for total honesty with yourself when you open this book. Glasser is a tough old bird! Beware!

This is one of the most excellent books I've read in a long time .. .and I read alot.

Finally - usable psychotherapy!.......2005-09-27

If you're ready to get real with yourself, this book can help you identify your destructive behaviors and choose beneficial ones that guide you to healthy relationships, either platonic or sexual. My husband and I are polyamorous and 18 months into the development of our third two-female, one-male, long-term relationship. Consider the severity of our potential emotional and mental issues - how many places we could fail. Now, if this book can help me, it can most definitely help you!

Gossip Girl #7: Nobody Does It Better: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)

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BEST of the series
Rich Stob just like me
loved!
Gossip Girl- Nobody does it better
PARENTS BEWARE!!!!

Gossip Girl #7: Nobody Does It Better: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)
Cecily von Ziegesar
Manufacturer: Poppy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316735124

Book Description

he uptown girls are headed downtown as Serena and Jenny take on their new fabulous roles as rock-star model girlfriends of New York's hottest band, The Raves. Meanwhile, Dan is too busy drowning his sorrows in empty bottles to notice a mysterious French beauty who has a penchant for dirty, Jim Morrison-wannabe lead singers. Blair takes residence at the Plaza to think about her future. Will she become a gun-toting international spy or Manhattan's snobbiest society hostess? Decisions are so difficult! Sounds like everyone needs a day off at the spa. And Senior Spa Day promises to serve up further doses of scandal for New York's busiest private-school vixens.

Customer Reviews:

BEST of the series.......2007-04-25

This book is my favorite of the entire series. Blair finally doesn't let Nate walk all over her and he realizes how much he took her for granted.
It is entertaining throughout.

Rich Stob just like me.......2007-03-10

I am a rich snob I am spolied and a brat and have no problem with it. These books are great and i am 13. Lori T that said parents beware my mom let me get and on the back of the cover it says "Sex in the city for teens" Well on one of them it said. If you excatly stop worrying about what your child might do maybe just let her be. Maybe because you not as wealthy as some of them or me maybe this pisses you off too. This is coming from a child and I love these books.

loved!.......2006-08-20

I loved this book, just like the others (from 1 to 6). You simply can't stop reading! I already bought numbers 8 and 9 and I can't wait to start reading... I MUST know what will happen in Blair and Serena's future!

Gossip Girl- Nobody does it better.......2006-07-13

For those of you that are familiar with the Gossip Girl series this is one of the better ones because some of the characters act slightly differently then you would expect them to and this adds a nice change.
Everything starts off great with Blair and Nate together and with Blair still best friends with Serena.
Then Nate steals his parents boat and he and a group of druggies go on a trip to Bermuda. Nate realizes too late that he would rather be with Blair and when he gets enough sense to turn the boat around he finds out that his parents are mad at him as well.
Now I won't tell you the whole story but what I will tell you is that:
Blair moves to the Plaza hotel then to Vanessa's house
Nate gets grounded for stealing the boat but sneaks out of the house anyway (Whats new about that!?!)
Blair gets accpted to Yale (Yay!!)
AND
Serena and Nate kiss (by accident) and Blair walks in on them!

All in all this was a good book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who has read the other 7 books.

PARENTS BEWARE!!!!.......2006-06-30

Parents BEWARE!!! These books are littered with very strong profanity! I'm not kidding, check it out for yourself at any local bookstore. The "f" word appears throughout the entire book. Do we really want our young teens or young adults reading this? Did you know these books were written to appeal to the 13-16 year olds, and they need to be reading this...how low have we stooped if we permit this like of junk to be in their hands? It is utter filth!

Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)

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One of the most important works in the social science literature published in the last 100 years
conventional theory applied to odd cases

Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)
Elinor Ostrom
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521405998

Book Description

The governance of natural resources used by many individuals in common is an issue of increasing concern to policy analysts. Both state control and privatization of resources have been advocated, but neither the state nor the market have been uniformly successful in solving common pool resource problems. After critiquing the foundations of policy analysis as applied to natural resources, Elinor Ostrom here provides a unique body of empirical data to explore conditions under which common pool resource problems have been satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily solved. Dr. Ostrom first describes three models most frequently used as the foundation for recommending state or market solutions. She then outlines theoretical and empirical alternatives to these models in order to illustrate the diversity of possible solutions. In the following chapters she uses institutional analysis to examine different ways--both successful and unsuccessful--of governing the commons. In contrast to the proposition of the tragedy of the commons argument, common pool problems sometimes are solved by voluntary organizations rather than by a coercive state. Among the cases considered are communal tenure in meadows and forests, irrigation communities and other water rights, and fisheries.

Customer Reviews:

One of the most important works in the social science literature published in the last 100 years.......2006-12-30

"Governing the Commons" has become a classic, not only within the literature of political science, but more broadly throughout the social sciences. In the book, Elinor Ostrom argues brilliantly and compelling for a third way of avoiding Garrett Hardin's "tragedy of the commons," in addition to privatization (conversion of the commons to private property) or government regulation (conversion of the commons to public property). Though numerous examples, Ostrom demonstrates how users of common property resources have managed, in various places around the world, to sustainably manage those resources through local, self-regulation. In other words, common property regimes can avoid the "tragedy of the commons."

Ostrom recognizes that common property management regimes do not always work. Indeed, the seem to fail as often as they succeed. To explain why this is the case, and to help predict the likelihood of success or failure, Ostrom develops an elaborate and very useful model of common property success/failure. In the 15 years since she published "Governing the Commons," that model has not been significantly improved by other scholars. Her book remains as current and important today, as it was when she first published it in 1990. It is required reading for all social scientists, indeed anyone, interested in resource conservation and property systems.

conventional theory applied to odd cases.......2002-05-22

Ostroms' book covers a variety of cases where allocational difficulties arise. She employs sound economic reasoning in analyzing a number of cases where ordinary property rights enforcment is difficult. This book illustrates how vital institutional arrangements are in managing natural resources. Self-described environmentalists should read this book to see how many of the problems that concern them can actually get solved. The history in this book is made interesting through the application of economic concepts. This is not light reading, but it surely is interesting- for serious readers.

Smart Women/Foolish Choices: Finding the Right Men Avoiding the Wrong Ones

Average customer rating:

No good enough
An excellent book!
No more wrong men in this woman's life!
It's never to late
A great book!

Smart Women/Foolish Choices: Finding the Right Men Avoiding the Wrong Ones
Connell Cowan , and Melvyn Kinder
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451158857

Customer Reviews:

No good enough .......2007-01-05

This book do not provide women with enough incentive to drop off the bag of bad choices. I bought it for my daughter. She did not like the book.

An excellent book!.......2006-09-28

using case studies, the authors teach us WHY smart women make poor choices as told from the male perspective. Learn how to break the pattern and prevent it in your own life!

No more wrong men in this woman's life!.......2006-04-25

I went about my life wondering why men had such power over my life and emotions, despite the fact that I have many accomplishments under my belt and am a smart career woman.

Until I read this book I did not realise that I had emotional needs I was expecting another person to meet. These needs overpowered my judgement when chosing the right guy. I also had misconceptions on what a good relationship was supposed to be like. I thought feeling anxious was normal.

This book helped me figure out why I felt the way I did for many years, and now I have control of my life. As I read the book I felt lots of excitement, because I was discovering that things can be different, and this was the knowledge that would lead me to a happier life.

I would really like to thank the authors for enlightening me, and for their empathetic tone.

Examples on how to change would have been very helpful.

It's never to late.......2006-03-08

After reading this book my first thought was, Where was this book years ago when i really needed it? perhaps it's never too late to dissolve self destructive patterns. My father was killed when i was young setting the course for a lifetime of bad choices. My destructive behavior began in college when took up cohabitation with an older man looking for that father figure. I compounded that fiasco by marring him. after reading this book and others i have become painfully aware that the first step to taking my life back is acknowledging the choices i have made and why I made them.

A great book!.......2006-02-26

Just a great book showing all of the choices women can make, why we sometimes make the wrong ones without realizing it, and to learn how to make better ones without sacrificing our dignity. The book gives great examples to learn from!

Average customer rating:

Higher menu
It's a textbook, what else is there to say.
Not Meant to be Used Alone
This book is really hard to understand !!!

World Politics: The Menu for Choice
Bruce Russett , Harvey Starr , and David Kinsella
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Twentieth-Century World and Beyond: An International History since 1900
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World Politics: Trend and Transformation

ASIN: 0534604129

Book Description

Get the tools you need to understand the vast and complex subject of international relations with WORLD POLITICS: THE MENU FOR CHOICE. This textbook incorporates current scholarship and insightful analysis and provides an introduction to game theory as a model for analyzing international relations.

Customer Reviews:

Higher menu.......2006-12-09

I have used this book in the World Politics class that I have been teaching at the local community college. In many ways, it seems more in line with an advanced undergraduate or even graduate level introductory text on various conceptual issues and frameworks possible for the analysis of international relations.

The idea of the `menu' of choices is introduced early, and this menu draws upon the different levels of analysis available from schemes such as that by James Rosenau (which identifies six levels: individual decisionmakers, decisionmaker roles, government structures, society, relations between state and international actors, and world system). These are options within the menu, but then there are elements of opportunity and willingness that are coupled with other elements for a more complex analysis.

From this beginning, different paradigms are given, including realist (realpolitick), idealist/liberal (idealpolitick), and radical (Marxist and other) paradigms. The same events, actors and issues can be explored in each of these paradigms, yielding different results. There are a few other paradigms referenced, but these are not generally used through the text.

The overall structure of the book then goes to looking at world politics and international relations both from a world systems view to comparative and foreign policy standpoints. Following this is a section on international conflict and cooperation, including international law and issues of war and peace. Next is a section on international political economy, which looks at issues of defense, resources, developmental gaps, integration and globalization issues. The final section address future possibilities in three modes, as well as pressing problems facing the world on a major scale at present.

The authors use game theory quite extensively throughout the text (which was sometimes confusing for my first-year and second-year undergraduate students - this is where the idea that this should be a graduate student text arises for me). As the authors state, this book uses game theory `more, indeed, than most other books of this sort. Rational choice analysis is an increasingly common approach to the study of world politics.' Game theory is an effective way of doing this, but presupposes a certain level of comfort with the concepts (often mathematically or logically based) that some of my students did not have.

I do appreciate the extra resources available for students via their website. There is also a good number of maps, charts, graphs and other pieces beyond the simple narrative text that are helpful to students. However, this book does presume some level of familiarity with the international system, governments in general, and some degree of history that many beginning undergraduates do not possess. I would gladly use this text again for an advanced undergraduate text, possibly for a course that follows a comparative politics course.

It's a textbook, what else is there to say. .......2006-09-03

This particular book happens to be a very good textbook, but in tradtional textbook fashion, i'm not keeping myself up at night reading it for fun til the wee hours of the mornin. If your school requires you to have this book, then you will get it. If not, you won't. It is really that simple. My opinion of it is irrelevant. That said, It is a tolerable book on a moderately interesting subject, so if you are forced to read it, then don't despare.

Not Meant to be Used Alone.......2005-03-14

This is one of two texts used in Rice's International Relations class. While the bulk of our reading comes from this text, after a month, I figured out this book was definitely not meant to be a stand-alone. Thus, the second text (Case Histories in International Politics by Kendall W. Stiles). Allow me to explain.

This book essentially talks extensively about various key concepts in international politics. Let's use power as an example. This book devotes an entire chapter to a discussion of power in international politics. It goes on to discuss how, for example, various elements of a state leads to the perception of the state's relative power. Then it talks about how the state uses its image in the world (based on this perception of power) to get what it wants. Bottom line, the book is mostly conceptual. It is true that it has included countless examples from the real world to illustrate its points, but this is the reason why it cannot be a stand-alone.

Case Histories in International Politics by Kendall W. Stiles makes a great complement to this book in that it involves more extensive case studies of various international conflicts in a more or less unbiased tone (the author's intention, as stated in the foreword, is to remain as unbiased as humanly possible). At the end of each case study is a list of exploration/discussion questions. This is where the concepts from Russett, Starr, and Kinsella come in handy. The idea is that you learn about concepts in international relations from World Politics, and apply them to international conflicts to try and explore why certain conflicts took place.

I believe the whole point of this book is to remain as conceptually-minded as possible, which is also its weakness. If you are looking for a way to appreciate international politics better, this is probably not the best book for you. But if you are looking to find a way to run a more extensive study on international politics and are willing to go for a supplemental text to achieve that goal, this book can be helpful in strengthening the conceptual side of international politics.

This book is really hard to understand !!!.......2005-02-23

When I bought this book I thought it would develop my interest in politics. Instead I found that this book does not make sense at all sometimes and assumes that the reader knows all the events it is talking about. I don't recommend this book at all !!

The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership

Average customer rating:

His Idea - Baby Steps - to Simplify His Theory of What to Do
mostly thoughtful
A New Brave Multi-Polar World
The Future of Hegemony
Highly Recommended!

The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives
Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics
Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy
The Paradox of American Power: Why the World's Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone

ASIN: 0465008011

Book Description

America must make a historic choice: Will it strive to dominate the world, or lead it?

American power and a pervasive globalization are the central realities of today's world, and the source of its most difficult dilemmas. America's historically unprecedented power is the ultimate source of global security, yet Americans feel less secure than ever. Global interdependence and the widespread political awakening of humankind promote American dominance even as they breed anti-American envy, mobilize global resentment, and empower America's enemies through the diffusion of ever more destructive technologies.

In The Choice, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to the president of the United States, reminds Americans that their preponderance should not be confused with omnipotence. America's well-being and the world's are entwined. Panicky preoccupation with solitary American security, an obsessively narrow focus on terrorism, and indifference to the concerns of a politically restless humanity neither enhance American security nor comport with the world's real need for American leadership. Unless it can harmonize its overwhelming power with its seductive but also unsettling social appeal, America could find itself alone and under assault in a setting of intensifying global chaos.

Brzezinski has been hailed by Samuel P. Huntington for his "clear-eyed, tough-minded...geostrategic thinking in the grand tradition of Bismarck" and by Paul Wolfowitz as one of the world's "most penetrating analysts of international affairs and...one of the leading practitioners of the art of strategy." In The Choice, he identifies America's crucial strategic imperative: America must be both guarantor of global security and promoter of the global common good.

Customer Reviews:

His Idea - Baby Steps - to Simplify His Theory of What to Do.......2006-07-17

I feel like I have been on an overdose of these books having read House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger (excellent book) - the biggest tell all blockbuster, The Choice by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Disarming Iraq, by Hans Blix, Noam Chomsky's Hegemony of Survival, Thirty Days (about Tony Blair) by Peter Stothard, and Price of Loyalty, Paul O'Neill, Why America Slept by Gerald Posner, Against All Eneamies by Richard Clarke, and the Rise of the Vulcans by Mann and Mann. I put together a "listmania" list of the 25 best books - the best books - mainly non political, no strong bias conservative or liberal - a spectrum of opinion when you take them all together.

There is certainly a wide variety of views and all of these books are excellent. I have read and for the most part digested the views and ideas and I would strongly recommend any or all of these books to get a diverse view. One cannot begin to give these books justice in book reviews. In any case there are generally two types of books, i.e: the "gotcha" books which try to show how Bush has made errors or done something illegal such as the Craig Unger book, or the "solution books" like Brzezinski, Soros and Chomsky.

Of all the "best seller" books on the market I would consider this present book by Brzezinski to be one if not the best books that deals with terrorism, the invasion of Iraq, and the future role of the US. Perhaps not the most exciting read (I think Unger's book takes that title) but still this is an excellent book. In this book he is very diplomatic in his comments of the current administration and he presents many well thought out ideas on how to deal with the Muslim countries, American demographics, how the world views the US etc. In some of the other books by say Chomsky or Soros some of the ideas are in fact quite similar to Brzezinski. Here he is also against unilateral action but he manages to calm down the rhetoric plus he suggests that some sort of world government or similar is not realistic and is many generations off. So instead of say going to the UN and supporting the UN or World Court in any absolute way he suggests shorter term goals that are a combination of working much more closely with the Europeans and then expanding that relationship later in stages (my comment baby steps). Also he seems to advocate more support for the Muslim countries to permit them to develop economically and socially.

All in all a well thought out argument, it is well presented, and attempts to make the debate a little more rational.

mostly thoughtful.......2006-07-13

To frame the problem of U.S. grand strategy, Brzezinski emphasizes several frames of reference from which to consider the current dilemma. His emphasis is not only on strategic imperatives but also on the moral, cultural and historical situation.

The only problem I find with the writing is that Brzezinski tends to become diverted into dissections of many what-if type scenarios. This is fine for a strategic studies expert, however, some of these digressions are somewhat far-fetched. Altogether, its a quick read with some interesting insights into how the U.S. and the world might best proceed.

A New Brave Multi-Polar World.......2005-08-29

ZB brilliantly analyzes the choices in front of USA, in its dealings with the rest of the World and the kind of role and status it can achieve and risks and feasibility of various possible policies. He is characteristically far reaching, almost mathematically precise and complete.

Though he is objective and does not promote any particular ideology other than the balanced and realistic welfare of USA, he is after all a man of "Detante". Those "entangling alliences" and the beloved NATO template keeps coming to the forefront. He is no unilateralist. He makes us aware that unless the current emerging powers such as China and India feel secure, and their vital interests secured, there can not be peace and stability for anyone. I think he understands dynamics of "Great Powers" better than most, and that is the World we are moving back to after all. The great polarization of East and West blocs, and to some degree North and South, have dissolved and a new multi-polar World has been emerging. He seems to have dismissed altogether that infamous "clash of civilizations".

It is a good read. There is a unique piece of insight and wisdom in almost every page. Well delivered and smooth. Stands out among many similar works. Highly recommended.

The Future of Hegemony.......2005-06-19

Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and resident hawk of the Carter Administration, agrues in this excellent book that America is faced with a choice: either lead the world or try to dominate it. The correct answer or course is the former, and the Bush Administration has chosen the latter. Brzezinski is one of the brightest geostrategic thinkers in the firmament, and he offers a very clear and systematic policy statement on which direction this country should be going to achieve national security.

In the era of globalization, especially after 9/11, the link between national sovereignty and national security has been broken. With the growing interdependence of nation-states, our national security is increasingly in the hands of others. It is true, as President Bush claimed in the election campaign 2004 that we do not need permission from others to protect our security; it is also true that we need the cooperation of others in order to have security.

On a couple of points Brzezinski is in agreement with President Bush. The primary threat to international security comes from rogue or illiberal states - called the "Global Balkans" - that lie between the Suez Canal and the Khyber Pass, a part of the world that contains most of the world's oil and natural gas. The region also contains some of the most religiously inflamed, politically turbulent, and ethnically conflicted people on earth.
And to make matters even worse, they are festering with terrorist and criminal groups searching for weapons of mass destruction. It is in the interest of the civilized and energy hungry world to maintain stability.

America is the preponderant but not omnipotent power. America cannot stabilize the Global Balkans alone, nor with "coalitions of the willing." Brzezinski has a special place in his heart for Europe; he sees a healthy transatlantic alliance as the bedrock of global security. Europe and America are natural allies through shared history and culture. As a team our moral authority and political credibility would be greatly enhanced.

Another point at which Brzezinski is in agreement with the Bush Administration is on the primacy of American military power. Europeans and other allies understand, though they don't openly acknowledge, that global security is underwritten by American power. Brzezinski differs with the administration on how this power should be used. America may have the capablity of overthrowing rogue regimes in a few days or weeks, nevertheless, it still needs to build consensus in order to win a war. If the excercise of military power is not done with legitimacy will fail and backfire. Operations in Iraq (a good outcome is still possible) were executed in such a way that they spawned more terrorist groups, and even emboldened Iran and North Korea to press ahead with nuclear weapons development.

It was even more important to build consensus in the invasion of Iraq because, as we know now, it was a preventative war ( a war of choice), not a preemptive war from some imminent threat. The war in Iraq has given us greater insecurity, not only because it created new terrorists groups, but because our moral authority has been greatly undermined.

The task that Brzezinski lays before the Bush Administration is daunting given the events that have take place. And the European Union, for its part, cannot even agree on a budget and or a constitution, let alone a coherent global security policy. Nevertheless, American hegemony must be a consensual hegemony, not a domineering one. Globalism has brought us more interdependence, and global security can only be achieved through cooperation.

Highly Recommended!.......2005-05-21

The geopolitical landscape evolves so fast that almost any book about global politics ages before the ink can dry. Zbigniew Brzezinski - known as one of the keenest students of American defense and diplomacy since his service in the Carter administration - urges European-American rapprochement over Iraq. He calls for a transition from a war against terrorism to a moral war for global equality and political representation, namely, democracy. No doubt due to unfortunate timing, his book does not account for recent democratic elections in the Middle East or for new transatlantic diplomatic initiatives. Regardless, he uses his laser-beam intellect to show convincingly how globalism, American geopolitical dominance and American cultural imperialism are interacting to create a perfect storm of misunderstanding that leaves Uncle Sam with a tough choice: how to react to terrorism without overreacting and causing U.S. isolation. He concludes that America can choose to lead or to dominate, but not both. We strongly recommend this book to students of globalism and the ongoing experiment of global democracy.

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American Politics: Strategy and Choice
William T. Bianco
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393976106

Book Description

An ideal supplement in any introductory course, American Politics: Strategy and Choiceanalyzes American politics through the lens of individuals making rational choices within a set of rules and institutions. This book introduces students to the core areas of interest to rational-choice scholars, including rule-making, collective-action problems, decision making, strategic behavior, and the role of institutions. Written in cleat prose and filled with numerous concrete examples, american Politics: Strategy and Choiceprovides readers with a thorough understanding of the basic principles of the rational-choice approach and its many applications to American politics.

Paths of Change: Strategic Choices for Organizations and Society

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A briljant meta-model
"...profoundly influenced my professional practice..."

Paths of Change: Strategic Choices for Organizations and Society
Will McWhinney
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Creating Paths of Change: Managing Issues and Resolving Problems in Organizations
Images of Organization
The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

ASIN: 0761910174

Book Description

The same elements that are necessary in any great adventure--a deep appreciation of the terrain, an intuitive sense of direction, and the courage to carry through--are also essential to the resolution of complex issues in organization and society, says McWhinney. In Paths of Change, Will McWhinney outlines a new foundation for theories of change, initiating a discipline of praxis using concepts from psychology, sociology, anthropology and new methods of working with ontological and narrative concepts to produce intentional changes in society. The components of his theory include: a map of four alternative realities, a guidance theory based on two great myths that have been used in many cultures over the past millennia, and the qualities required to deal courageously with the paradoxes of change and resolution efforts. He indicates the critical role of leaders and followers, and of the coevolution of cultures that must accompany efforts to resolve major issues. McWhinney builds on the proposition that the most frequently encountered sources of conflict are the very changes we make in attempts to resolve related issues. The illustrative cases used are mostly derived from organizational life--a rich variety of examples drawn from history, politics, and technology indicate the broad relevance and practicality of the ideas. The theoretical developments provide a base for exploring topics as different as selection of tools for problem solving, formation of cultures, and new logics of transformative processes. As the theory emerges, it incorporates elements of action research, management and community development work, future studies, and aspects of system thinking that borrow from the human sciences. This synthesis is a new vessel within which to develop a positive human science of action for the 21st century.

Customer Reviews:

A briljant meta-model.......2006-02-25

This book contains a meta-model that is applicable to almost everything. It gives the reader an opportunity to check if he has looked at all points of view that are possible.

"...profoundly influenced my professional practice...".......1999-11-29

This book breaks new ground and will impact many organization development theory and practice areas, such as cognitive styles, change management, and leadership for many years to come. McWhinney begins by introducing the reader to a model of "reality archetypes" that he claims underlie all individual and collective thinking processes in Western society. The four realities remind one of Jungian types, but differ in that these are more like worldviews than personalities.

On one level, by using an instrument called "The Reality Inventory," one can learn how his/her personal worldview maps over McWhinney's model. This is useful for understanding how interpersonal conflicts are often, in essence, not as much fueled by divergent issues and interests, but by different mental models that influence how people define issues and communicate their interests. How often have we intervened in a conflict, only to discover that what appears to be a "real" difference over a substantive issues, turns out to be a battle over semantics? However, lest we be tempted to jump to "Men are from Mars..." pop psychological conclusions, it's important to note that McWhinney's approach goes any beyond any static "styles" theory.

The reality model serves as a basis for new insight into the dynamic nature of change. Most of us know that when a major organizational change conflicts with existing organizational culture, the culture most often prevails and the change effort dies. This happens when change agents and their sponsors fail to understand that most planned change interventions require an organization to move into a new collective reality (or mental model, worldview, frame of reference, etc.). The symptom we call "resistance" develops as underlying conflicts between old and new worldviews surface. McWhinney describes six modes of change to help organizations traverse the "territory" of the reality map. Interestingly, these also connote six leadership styles.

A short review doesn't do McWhinney's ideas justice. Repeated readings will yield new insights. I also highly recommend the companion volume, "Creating Paths of Change," especially for practitioners. Suffice it to say that this material has profoundly influenced my professional practice, as well as my personal life.

Gossip Girl #6: You're the One That I Want: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)

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it's good book
Blah!!!
Blah!
PARENTS BEWARE!!!!
Gossip Girl- You're the on that I want

Gossip Girl #6: You're the One That I Want: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)
Cecily von Ziegesar
Manufacturer: Poppy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All I Want Is Everything (Gossip Girl, 3)

ASIN: 0316735167

Customer Reviews:

it's good book.......2007-03-09

i think it' s a great book, i recomend for other people!!!

Blah!!!.......2006-09-29

You're the one that I want, by Cecily von Ziegesar, is about preppy, rich kids who get to do whatever they want. They are very high class and are always talking about someone else. In this book, they are waiting for their college acceptance letters to come back and see which colleges they were accepted to. They are always complaining about something. They buy whatever they want and are always worried about what others will think of them. They try and find comfort in objects and or boys to calm their nerves while waiting for the letters. They won't be happy until they get their letters and get into all of the colleges that they applied to. Although this book is about a lot of wealthy and some what snobby teenagers, I really enjoy reading it. It's very interesting and funny to read. I think that some of the situations that they go through can relate to what I go through. They're teens in this book and regardless of how rich or poor you are, all teens go through some of the same situations. It's just funny to see how they would handle the different situations thrown at them. I think ultimately it's a good book because you can escape from reality while you're reading it. I can imagine the stress that they're going through while waiting for their letters so it's just interesting to read about it. It's funny because you don't think these types of things can actually take place so I enjoyed reading it. I've actually read a lot of the novels from the Gossip Girl series and they're all interesting, dramatic, and fun to read as well as hard to put down.

Blah!.......2006-09-29

PARENTS BEWARE!!!!.......2006-06-30

Parents BEWARE!!! This Author uses very strong profanity! Check it out for yourself, flip through any of her books and you will find "f" this or "motherf" throughout the whole book. I refer to it as a book loosely. It is utter filth that wasted good paper that could of been used for anyother book (except her other filth books--The IT Girl) they are littered just as much. I do not feel that our young teens or young adults need to be reading junk like this. Where have our morals and values gone? I have had this authors books removed from our schools library and the local public library as well.

Gossip Girl- You're the on that I want.......2006-06-20

I recently started reading the gossip girl series and finished the first 6 books in 1 week!
I really enjoyed this book as I did all the others.
The best thing about this book is Nate and Blair finally "do it" but i couldn't help but feel sorry for Blair because no matter how hard she tries she always comes in second best to Serena. She and Serena both apply to a number of Colleges and Serena gets into all of them (including Yale) despite her bad grades and the fact that she got kicked out of boarding school where as Blair gets into one school and is waitlisted at Yale which totally breaks her heart. Nate gets into Yale as well and sleeps with Brigid his Brown interviewer so as you can see Blair is not the lucky one in this book.
I would definetly recomend this book to girls who are just above twelve but I suggest you read the first five books first.

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