Riding the Bull:: My Year in the Madness at Merrill Lynch

Average customer rating:

Thriving vs. Balance

By the Horns

Great read for reader interested in financial world

Author's Update

Decent - but there are better books out there

Riding the Bull:: My Year in the Madness at Merrill Lynch
Paul Stiles
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0812927893
Release Date: 1998-01-27

Amazon.com

After five years at the National Security Agency, Paul Stiles, age 29, finds himself disillusioned with government service and wondering if there isn't a better way to make a life. A few months later, Stiles finds himself working as a trader for the world's largest security firm, Merrill Lynch.

In the year that follows, Stiles sees the Mexican peso, the Orange County disaster, and the intense and brutal politics that dominates Merrill Lynch. Riding the Bull is a fast-paced, well-written personal account that traces Stiles's short-lived career on Wall Street--from his first job interview to the day he was fired. During his short tenure as a bond trader, Stiles watches his life, marriage, and sense of well-being slowly crumble. If you ever thought that trading bonds might be a good way to make a living, Riding the Bull may convince you otherwise. You'll also get a good overview of how the bond market works and why.

Customer Reviews:

Thriving vs. Balance.......2006-07-30

I enjoyed the book, empathizing with the emotional struggles of being the low man on the totem pole lacking the clout to make positive changes while somehow your boss is an idiot making stupid managerial decisions based on a narrow self-interested view. At the same time, the final "dialogue" just bled liberal tree-hugger. At the same time, for an interesting read on the idea of America's consumer culture, try reading "The Paradox of Choice" which I thought was just great.

Anywho, I did enjoy the part of the book talking about how one can lose oneself if there's continual go-go-go without time for reflection, which seems to typidfy the Wall Street existence- and more and more the typical American existence. I think my dad said it best: America teaches you to thrive, but has nothing to say about balance.

By the Horns.......2005-11-24

Every now and then you come across a really inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Wall Street, a story of a streetwise poor kid full of ambition, raw brains, and moxie, who risks it all, works like a demon, and makes big money in the financial jungle.

This is not one of them.

Paul Stiles, Harvard grad, smart dude, worked at the National Security Agency for five years: by about 1994, he'd decided "good enough for government work" wasn't good enough for him. North of his little cottage near Annapolis, the trenches and bunkers of Manhattan, a great battle---fought with derivatives, and tranches of collateralized debt, and high-yield instruments of death and destruction---was being fought: a war with, potentially, far greater ramfications for the United States than all the post-Cold War subterfuge for pennies wielded in Washington DC.

So he did what all of us Wall Street hopefuls have done, once upon a time: he road the shuttle north, an interviewed like a banshee.

The first thing you'll pick up in "Riding the Bull" is the verve of the writing: Stiles has a gift for words, for framing a scene, for setting up Manhattan in the mid-nineties, in the heat of the Bull Market, and Stiles---after the agony of inquisitorial, mercurial, stress-driven interviews masterminded by the newest lords of the manor, the calculus-fuelled quants---secured a plum role in emerging markets debt at Merrill Lynch, whose sigil and symbol---the rampant bull---was emblematic of that intoxicating, wild-eyed age.

Stiles, then, is an alien---or an ape, your choice---in this brave new world of bond trading, the Mexican sovereign crisis, the convergence of High Finance, High Octane, and Super-Duper international skullduggery.

Oh, with a little aside on the craziness of trying to settle down in Brooklyn, New York, 20th century, on a pittance of 100 grand a year. Sheesh.

Now: as I said, Stiles has a gimlet eye: of his work in the trenches at Merrill, as he was handed a nasty, thankless assignment as, effectively, a minister without portfolio, a trader without a country, a hapless Gringo amid the so-called Latin Mafia that ran the South America debt operations---how he tried, failed, tried again, and got sacked---trying to carve out his own little kingdom in the jungle of the Bull.

It's fun reading. It's scandalous, witty, engaging, capable of beoing devoured on a red-eye flight from Boston to LA, and consummately engaging.

Moralistic? Possibly. Stiles nails the pyschology of Manhattan, the city that grows up, not out. An island with skeletal coastal development? Go figure, in a place where the eyes look to the sky, not to the sea.

Some might complain that a one-year tour of duty on Wall Street hardly qualifies for the jeremiad that is "Riding the Bull", but I disagree: in the wake of Enron, Tyco, Worldcom, Adelphia, and countless other Wall Street turmoils, "Riding the Bull" is a merciless little piece of pungent journalism, a fly-on-the-wall in America's boardrooms where the caviar is probably laced with salmonella and the Crystal is jacked up with arsenic.

Here be Dragons.

JSG

Great read for reader interested in financial world.......2004-05-28

Although the author's knowledge of Finance is fairly limited, the book's focus on the political environment inside a Wall Street firm provides valuable insight to the person interested into entering this field.

Many people pursue a career in Wall St. simply to make money; and this was the intent of the author. Furthermore, the author's background is quite similar to those who are entering the field some years after having finished college. Moving from the slow paced lifestyle to the hectic routine of a Wall st. analyst, the author is able to convey the difficult transition into Sales and Trading.

My only wish is that the author focused less on New York lifestyle and more on how a Wall St. firm works. It would have been nice to delve into the investment banking side and equity side. The author is limited by his lack of experience on the street and most of the writing is based on only a short-term experience. For those interested in pursuing a career in Bonds this might be a good read. Also, it is fairly long considering the author doesn't detail too much information. So you've got to look for the subtle things to make some kind of perception.

This is definitely not a read for anyone experienced in Finance. Solely for those interested in getting into the field.

Author's Update.......2002-12-02

I wrote RIDING THE BULL to provide a first-hand account of the corrosive effect of extreme capitalism on human society. The book is a true story of a year I spent working at Merrill Lynch in New York City. It has now been seven years since I was hired by Merrill Lynch, and five since the book was published. In that time Merrill Lynch has paid half a billion dollars in fines both for its role in the Orange County bankruptcy and in the fraudulent promotion of dot-com stocks; the phony technology bubble has burst, just as the phony emerging markets bubble burst; and an unprecedented series of corporate scandals has rocked the American economy, causing a historic decline in the stock market that has erased an estimated $45 billion from the GDP. The magnitude of the problem has even led that champion of the Big Apple, the New York Times, to finally see the light: "If you have to choose the primary breeding ground for the various business misdeeds now consuming national attention, New York, I'm afraid, is the place...if infectious greed is the virus, New York is the center of the outbreak." (City of Schemes, NYT Magazine, 10/6/02).
One is tempted at this point to issue a strong I-told-you-so. I won't.

Decent - but there are better books out there.......2002-10-23

Stiles made it a year in the derivatives business. What I found surprising was that he made into Merrill Lynch at all. Here was a guy who hasn't even taken his series 7 and he's wondering why he's completely lost.

The lack of communication apparent in Merrill Lynch is unfortunate, but no different than other large finance companies (I can attest to that.) I found it hard to understand why the bureaucracy drove Stiles nuts considering his previous job was with the government. Rather than explain it as it was, I couldn't help but think Stiles was looking for someone to point the finger at. It seemed to me the truth behind the corporate culture lies more along the lines of "we don't care what you do as long as it makes money." The "Latin Mafia" and the rest knew this and were playing the game using the cards they were dealt.

What I did enjoy were his escapades (or lack thereof) outside of work. Sorry New-Yorkers, even though I was born there, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to live there and this book reinforces the opinion. Stiles did a great job of conveying life in the Big Apple, from the sense of tension just getting to and from work, the rationalizations that come out when crime hits close to home, to a valid summary of why a dual income family making over $100K a year still has nothing to show for it. (Any Brooklynite reading this is probably thinking, "if you don't like it... leave" which is exactly the point.)

Whereas "Liar's Poker" is probably overly congratulatory, "Riding the Bull" is overly accusatory. I'm not sure if the author needed to sell his soul to continue working at Mother Merrill, but he should've realized he might have to make that decision before he took the job.

Book Description

Fiona Horne-best selling author and popular media personality-has compiled the ultimate insight into modern Witchcraft. Continuing the successful, oversize Disinformation Guide anthology format, an all-star cast of Witches and Wiccans cover an amazing array of topics, including:

Which Witch Is Witch?
Introduction to modern witchcraft in the 21st century.

Professional Witch
Interviews with and contributions from some of the most influential Witches in the 21st century.

Can Guys Be Witches Too?
Some high-profile and accomplished male Witches speak out.

Teen Witches of America
Interviews with and contributions from teen Witches across America. .

Witches Around the World
Contributions from the four corners of the Earth-people living a life steeped in magick and Witchcraft whilst immersed in vastly different cultures. .

The Pink Witch
Gay and Lesbian Witchcraft. .

Living La Vida Wicca
The everyday life of a Witch, including articles on Witchy nutrition, environmentally conscious living, and Witchy Feng Shui. .

Spelling It Out
Some of the world's most popular Witches offer their best tried-and-tested enchantments. .

Beds Knobs and Broomsticks
The important role that positive personal body image and a healthy approach to sexuality plays in Witchcraft. .

Christianity vs. Wicca . . . or not
Contributions from Christians who are pro-Wicca and highlighting the similarities between modern Wicca and the teachings of Christ. .

21st Century Goddess
Three 21st century archetypal Goddesses reveal their inner divinity and innate Witchiness. .

Witchcraft and the Law
Legalization of Witchcraft and its current status as a recognized religion in the USA. .

Pop Goes the Witch
Witches in popular culture. .

Cyber Sorcery
Witches on the Web. .

Customer Reviews:

good book for general interest.......2005-12-13

I have never been a fan of Ms horne's books on witchcraft as frankly,I see them as non original pop culture marketing items.However,I enjoyed the scope of this compilation on paganisim and different exponents of the ideas as well

Caroline Tully, review.......2005-08-27

"Even with such a plethora of diverse voices within this book, its 311 fascinating pages are successfully brought together into a coherent whole that displays honesty, creativity and an obvious love of the Craft. Highly recommended."

Fiona Horne's Witchcraft Disinformation.......2005-05-19

After a horrible performance in Sci Fi's Mad Mad House, it would seem obvious that readers would stay away from books by Fiona Horne. What the reader quickly discovers is that Fiona Horne did not write "Pop!", or at least the entire thing. Instead she called upon a variety of well known authors to contribute essays including Phyllis Currot, Christopher Penczak, Ray Buckland, and Iya Ta'Shia and David "Avocado" Wolf who co-stared in Mad Mad House.

From beginning to end, Fiona presents essays from a variety of authors on a variety of topics. Chapter one provides essays dispelling myths about Wiccans, the history of Wicca, and the differences between Wicca and Satanism. The first Chapter is always important because it sets a tone for the rest of the book. "Pop!" starts out great and doesn't quite.

The next two chapters deal with magick and healing. Essays in these sections also include topics such as spells, divination, totem spirits, and the philosophy of healing. There are also a few articles that accurately describe the daily life of a modern Witch. I thought Fiona's article, "How Spells Work", was interesting and gave a number of helpful spells, but never really told how spells work.

Next we enter what I think is the most interesting section of the book. Among other things, the reader learns the religious rights of Wiccans, paganism in pop culture, and the similarities and differences between Witchcraft and a number of other religions. A particularly interesting article titled "Invoking Buffy", introduced an interesting idea of using pop icons as god-forms. A group of interesting articles discusses the similarities between Wicca and Christianity, Voodoo, Aboriginal magick, and Bali magick.

The next section, "Gender Bending", discusses Wicca's view on sexuality and love. Included in this chapter are topics such as how to deal with lovers who are not Wiccan, homosexuality, sex magick, and males in Witchcraft. An interesting article by Christopher Penczak, "Coming Out of Two Closets", describes the life and path of a gay Witch.

The last parts of "Pop!" include an interviews with Ly De Angeles and Wendy Rule as well as "The Meaning of Witchcraft to Me" by Ray Buckland. The final section includes an index of traditions, websites, recommended reading, and glossary. More than any other contributor, I thought Phyllis Currot's articles were very informative, well researched, and well written. I think Fiona picked a great bunch of contributors and successfully achieved an accurate 21st century guide to Witchcraft. Highly recommended!

Pop! Goes the Witch.......2005-04-14

This work serves as an excellent introduction to the world of modern
wicca. It is 307 pages packed full of every thing you could want
to know about witchcraft in the 21st century and then some. I found
this work easy to understand and it provides valuable insight into
the workings of modern day covens as well as the path of the lone
practitioner.I found the indexes of wiccan and pagan traditions very informative and the
listing of web sites and other resources very concise. I would recommend this
book to anyone interested in learning about modern witchcraft and it is a
must for the serious student of the occult.

Lots of interesting material here.......2004-09-24

This is the sort of book I would choose for someone who already knows a little bit about the Craft and wants to find out more. What we find here is an enormous collection of different voices, thoughts, experiences, facts, and possibilities, which someone totally new might find intimidating. But in this extraordinary variety, hopefully nearly everyone will find something to catch their attention and interest.

This is more of an anthology of lots of different author's work, rather than a sustained exploration of Fiona Horne's own ideas. I must admit I found a little bit disappointing. How much of the work was Fiona's? So it would seem, very little. Surely Fiona could have told us more about what life is like for someone in the public eye who practices a strange minority religion, and what possibilities for the future of the craft in popular culture exist. I ended up wanting to know more about the other contributors. I suppose that is good for the community as a whole, but at the same time it was not quite what I expected.

But overall, and after my second look, I was happy with it. I hope Fiona continues to write, to make music, and to empower new young witches by presenting herself as an example of an empowered young witch.

Average customer rating:

You'll never guess the ending of this review!

Everybody Wins: 393 Non-Competitive Games for Young Children
Jeffrey Sobel
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

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ASIN: 0802772374

Customer Reviews:

You'll never guess the ending of this review!.......2000-01-23

I first started using EVERYBODY WINS-393 NON-COMPETITIVE GAMES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN when I was teaching pre-school a few years ago. A couple of my college professors had recommended it highly and we had played many of the games in class. I found that using these games in place of the traditional competitive types added a dimension of joyful play to my classroom that benefited all, teachers and assistants included. The games are easy to understand and implement, are arranged by game type (partner games, old favorites, ball games, guessing games,etc,) and grade level, and are indexed by age level and alphabetically. There is a helpful introduction to cooperative (non-competitive) play and its benefits as well as great info for the leader of the games. Many of the games include possible variations. I liked this book and the games so much that a year later, after a chance meeting with the author, I MARRIED him! No, I am not kidding, and no, I am not partial to this book for personal reasons. I fell in love with EVERYBODY WINS;393 NON-COMPETITIVE GAMES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN and its philosophy long before I fell in love with its author. BOTH are wonderful! Happy playing! - K.Sobel

Average customer rating:

This theory actually works

If you buy only one book....

For Those Who Love Index Funds

Diversify and Index Your Investments

okay

What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know: How You Can Build Real Wealth Investing in Index Funds
Larry E. Swedroe
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Index Funds: The 12-Step Program for Active Investors

ASIN: 0312335725
Release Date: 2004-10-21

Book Description

Why do so many actively managed funds underperform? Why do passively managed funds provide superior returns, especially after taxes? What are the true interests of fund managers and the financial press? Most important, what strategy is in your best interest?What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know answers all these questions and more, giving you the inside information you need to become a successful investor who plays the winner's game-creating wealth-instead of the loser's game Wall Street wants you to play, of trying to pick stocks and time the market. In his revolutionary new guide, investment professional Larry Swedroe explains why active managers have rarely been able to add value to your portfolio over time. He dispenses with traditional Wall Street wisdom and experts and shows you how to invest the way really smart money invests today.What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know tells you exactly what Wall Street doesn't want you to know: how to avoid the pitfalls of short-term thinking and to invest so that you can create more wealth-much more wealth-over the long term.

Customer Reviews:

This theory actually works.......2007-04-21

Pre-2000 meltdown, I had control of $75k in an IRA. I watched and believed I could join all those people making so much before the Internet bubble burst. After the burst, my bubble dropped all the way down to $42k. Man, am I a great investor or what? Then, I read this book. Sold all the stock that was left, allocated into a "risky" portfolio of Index Funds ( I went a little deeper with the small cap value and international funds). Less than 7 years later and after many great nights of being able to sleep, north of $155k and counting. No trading costs. I rebalanced once. Now, if I only had put the original $75k in Index Funds instead of all that wonderful Internet stuff....lesson learned the hard way. Read this book, digest it and implement its investing advice..

If you buy only one book...........2007-02-18

Buy this book...you will make money if you follow the advise to go with index funds...skip the brokers and money managers...they are salespeople trying to hack out a living.

For Those Who Love Index Funds.......2006-12-01

Not for those who are active fund managers. The author makes quite a logical, compelling case to invest in his style. The main thrust is passive managed over active managed funds. He goes through statistics that support his position, and attacks publications who don't support. Like a lot of financial books, it gets a bit bogged in numbers at times, but overall the flow is excellent. It changed my investment approach.

Diversify and Index Your Investments.......2003-03-21

Investors should recall that a 1990 Nobel Prize was awarded to three financial economists whose ideas helped legitimize what is known as 'modern portfolio theory' (MPT). MPT points to an investment strategy that author Larry E. Swedroe says is at variance with the interests and advice of the popular financial establishment (hence Swedroe's contentious title). For followers of MPT, stock and bond market prices represent, very efficiently, all that is known and expected by investors of a security. There is no evidence that markets systematically misprice securities. So, the market prices securities to their value. Markets work. A corollary is that no individual money manager will be able to consistently know more than the market. Wall Street's managed (active) efforts to exploit perceived market pricing inefficiencies fall short. Active managers are undone by higher fees and the taxes that trading profits generate. This is Swedroe's main argument with Wall Street. Stock selection does not work consistently or economically. Active management is flawed by its underestimation of market efficiency and its operating expenses. Bottom line: Money managers don't beat the indexes. Swedroe quotes Benjamin Graham, an icon for stock-pickers, near the end of his career apparently siding with the market efficiency school. Indeed academic research supports the idea that the most important factor in market returns is not stock selection but exposure to key asset classes (e.g., large or small company stocks, "growth" or "value" stocks, international or domestic stocks). Swedroe argues for passively 'managed' index mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETF) on the basis of their lower expenses and the market's efficiency. Investors should have a globally diversified portfolio of "low correlating" assets because of the unpredictability of certain asset classes moving in and out of favor. Investors seeking greater returns may find them with small capitalization and "value" stocks. Swedroe identifies a key tenet of MPT in Chapter 10, namely, how diversification works to increase the average compound return of individual investments within the portfolio. A little more detail might have been useful in this section. WHAT WALL STREET DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW is a helpful if somewhat repetitive introduction to the basic ideas of modern portfolio theory. The author revisits this material even more persuasively in his later book, RATIONAL INVESTING IN IRRATIONAL TIMES.

okay.......2002-12-21

Some interesting points, but his claim about the efficiency of the market being always reflected in the stock price and there being "no evidence" to the contrary is garbage. He uses the 90's to show how Warren Buffet did not beat the market. But the 90's were an irrational bubble fueled by dot.com stock madness. When Yahoo stock was peaking, to justify that price, within 20 years Yahoo itself would have had to equal 1/3 of the entire U.S. economy!! There was NO WAY that Yahoo was not going to fall in price at one point, as it eventually did. Its price was hardly "efficient" at its peak. The market can be beat, and Lynch and Buffet have done it. And Buffet is famous for his patience in waiting A LONG TIME for his investments to pay off (which belies the ten year #). But most people do not have Lynch's and Buffet's minds and THAT's the reason most people should invest in index funds. And that's why Buffet himself recommends the average person invest in index funds. 60% of the US population is overweight. The average American lacks discipline. THAT'S why the average person should invest in index funds. His conclusion is correct for the average person, but not all of his reasoning.

What Wall Street Doesn't Want You To Know : How You Can Build Real Wealth Investing In Index Funds

Average customer rating:

What Wall Street Doesn't Want You To Know : How You Can Build Real Wealth Investing In Index Funds
Larry E. Swedroe
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTQ0EC

Product Description

Forty-seven songs including: The Fall of Troy from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack, Frank s Wild Years, Good Old World, Jockey Full of Bourbon, A Little Rain, Shoreleave, Rain Dogs and many more.

Customer Reviews:

no wating on waits.......2007-07-30

The man is a barroom genius, writing the scripts for the aftermath of back alley brawls and suds soaked sentiments. Flophouse Rock mixed with Death-drama waltzing and toss in some growling regret flung out of a half empty bowl of peanut shells from where you lay half in the bag by the swinging front door.

Gotta love this guy. especially if you've ever howled at the moon after finishing a quart of jack

Pianists Beware.......2007-03-27

Tom Waits' ballads are the gems of this compilation, but the piano parts in the transcriptions do not match the recordings. This would make sense where the piano was absent in the original version, as in much of the more raucous material...but the songs in which Waits sings over his own piano accompaniment (Whistle Down the Wind, Soldiers' Things etc.) should have been more faithfully rendered. Only a basic outline of the chord progressions is preserved, with sections missing in some cases. Fortunately, most of Waits' solo introductions are transcribed relatively faithfully. A competent pianist could reconstruct the parts by studying the recordings, but I'm disappointed at what seems to be laziness on the part of the publisher in producing accurate transcriptions.

Great songs, bad transcriptions.......2006-11-10

The compilation of songs represented in this book is amazing - all the best of Waits's golden years, you've got to love his art. But the transcription stinks: terrible, over-simplified arrangements for piano. All the funky pieces sound lame, and the only ones that work are the few simple, originally piano-driven slow songs like Innocent When You Dream. It's a lost opportunity that the book was done this way, a talented musician with vision and style could have made good adaptations of these brilliant songs.

An obvious resource for guitar-playing fans.......2001-06-19

The below reviews pretty well nail it, but I wanted to mention a couple other things:

1. There are a few pages of Waits photos at the front of the book you can tear out, if you like, and put on your wall or wherever. Some of the photos are really good, and it's a great bonus.

2. Don't expect to be able to play about half of these songs without some kind of accompaniment. "Filipino Box Spring Hog," for example, is definitely NOT the kind of song you can effectively belt out with just the tab provided. But if you're just looking for a springboard to do your own arrangement, this is certainly the place to look.

Great songs, great transcriptions, great price. Reccommended.

outstanding collection.......1998-04-08

This is a HUGE collection of great songs, in piano/vocal/guitar format. Contents include: 16 shells from a thirty-ought-six / anywhere i lay my head / back in the good old world / big black mariah / black wings / the briar and the rose / cemetery polka / cold cold ground / dirt in the ground / downtown train / earth died screaming / fall of troy / falling down / filipino box spring hog / frank's wild years / gun street girl / hang down your head / hang on st. christopher / i don't wanna grow up / innocent when you dream / i'll shoot the moon / i'll take new york / jesus gonna be here / jockey full of bourbon / johnsburg, illinois / the last rose of summer / a little rain / lucky day / murder in the red barn / november / rain dogs / shore leave / singapore / soldier's things / straight to the top (vegas) / strange weather / tango till they're sore / telephone call from istanbul / temptation / that feel / time / train song / underground / walk away / way down in the hole / whistle down the wind / who are you / yesterday is here

Beautiful Maladies.: An article from: Epoca

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Beautiful Maladies.: An article from: Epoca
Paco Ochoa
Manufacturer: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098BTVC
Release Date: 2005-05-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on September 7, 1998. The length of the article is 7434 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Beautiful Maladies.
Author: Paco Ochoa
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 7, 1998
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Issue: n706 Page: p75(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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An entire university-level History course in 1 volume

First Class Ticket

History as the rest of the story

So amazingly wrong it makes me wonder what planet this clown was living on.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!!!

Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties (Perennial Classics)
Paul M. Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060935502
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Amazon.com

The history of the 20th century is marked by two great narratives: nations locked in savage wars over ideology and territory, and scientists overturning the received wisdom of preceding generations. For Paul Johnson, the modern era begins with one of the second types of revolutions, in 1919, when English astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington translated observations from a solar eclipse into proof of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which turned Newtonian physics on its head. Eddington's research became an international cause célèbre: "No exercise in scientific verification, before or since, has ever attracted so many headlines or become a topic of universal conversation," Johnson writes, and it made Einstein into science's first real folk hero.

Einstein looms large over Johnson's narrative, as do others who sought to harness the forces of nature and society: men like Mao Zedong, "a big, brutal, earthy and ruthless peasant," and Adolf Hitler, creator of "a brutal, secure, conscience-less, successful, and, for most Germans, popular regime." Johnson takes a contentious conservative viewpoint throughout: he calls the 1960s "America's suicide attempt," deems the Watergate affair "a witch-hunt ... run by liberals in the media," and deems the rise of Margaret Thatcher a critical element in Western civilization's "recovery of freedom"--arguable propositions all, but ones advanced in a stimulating and well-written narrative that provides much food for thought in the course of its more than 800 pages. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

The classic world history of the events, ideas, and personalities of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

An entire university-level History course in 1 volume.......2007-08-23

I regularly recommend this indispensable volume to anyone who asks me anything that happened earlier than, say, the day before yesterday. It reads like a novel (and a good novel, at that), is comprehensible as well as comprehensive, is utterly bereft of cant and humbug, and is a perfect gift for all high school (or, for that matter, college), graduates, to make up for all that they will not have learned while being brainwashed in school. This book is a triumph.

First Class Ticket.......2007-06-24

How lucky Americans are to have cruised through the ghastly Twentieth Century in such abundance and relative safety.

The Italians, the Germans, the English, all the Africans, the Russians, the Poles and so many others have had a much rougher ride.

Mr. Johnson has done a good job of giving us a look at Modern Times.

History as the rest of the story.......2007-06-08

A refreshing perspective that is missing from establishment leftist history writing.

So amazingly wrong it makes me wonder what planet this clown was living on........2007-03-14

The Bush library is only going to contain "approved" history so Mr. Johnson is making sure that "My Pet Goat" isn't the only volume on the shelves.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!!!.......2006-11-26

I'll second all of the other reviews that are positive about this book, they say most of what there is to say. What I can add is that Paul Johnson's book has done something for me that no other history book has been able to do; and that is seaming together the major events in our recent history that makes sense with clarity and understanding. In almost every case he backs up his views with data and fact which are facinating to see. Its one thing to say 'here is what happened' and simply report the event, it's a whole new level to say 'here is what happened, how it happened, and most importantly why it happened.' And on top of that make it very readable and entertaining along the way. I don't mean to minimize the importance of the book by saying it entertaining, but to make your way through 800 pages would be hard to do if it was written in a boring or dry way. Johnson acutally makes our modern history come alive and its actually far better than made up, ficational, story could ever be. I've learned so much from this book I've decided to wait one year and than go back and read it again because there is so much important stuff between the front and back cover it's worth it. So put your thinking hat on, open you mind, commit to the 1 month it will take you to digest the contents and read this brilliant book!

Modern Times - The World From The Twenties To The Nineties, Revised Edition

Average customer rating:

Modern Times - The World From The Twenties To The Nineties, Revised Edition
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: Perennial Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NPAK1G

Modern Times Revised Edition: World From the Twenties To the Nineties, The

Average customer rating:

Modern Times Revised Edition: World From the Twenties To the Nineties, The
Paul Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N77OL8

Average customer rating:

Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties, Revised Edition
Paul M. Johnson
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEN1T4

Book Description

Children have all kinds of fears and need reassurance that Godâ€™s Love will protect them and keep them strong. This book address three kinds of fear all children have at some time in their lives.

Customer Reviews:

directing children to God.......2007-06-28

I purchased this book for a friend who's seven year old son has been frightened and anxious since a recent break in attempt at their home. she tells me this book has been helpful in aiding her son's understanding that all things are in God's hands, and that He is always near to protect us. She also appreciates the helpful parents section in the back of the book.
I looked through this book before giving it to her and thought the illustrations to be lovely, and the text simple and understandable for young children.
Would recommend again.

Beautiful book.......2005-09-19

This book has wonderful illustrations. It portrays real situations where little children may be afraid and shows each being resolved with love and nurturing - just the way it should be.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes I'm Afraid: A Book about Fear
Diana M. Amadeo, Chris Auer Maribeth Boelts
Manufacturer: ZonderKidz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSYJUU

Book Description

A burning mix of diesel fuel and gasoline drips from handheld canisters onto the ground. Slowly a line of fire begins to creep downhill. The flames are well behaved, almost hesitant. This is a backing fire, unlikely to attract media attention unless it escapes, like the disastrous Los Alamos "Cerro Grande" fire did in 2000. This book explores a century of controversy over prescribed burning--using fire as a tool--and fire suppression. For more than 100 years, America waged an all-out war against wildland fire. Decades of fire suppression caused fuels to build up at alarming levels in our forests, culminating in the increasingly severe, uncontrollable fires of the late 20th century--the fires in Yellowstone, the Oakland Hills, and Los Alamos and the fires in summers of 2000 (the second worst fire season in the nation's history) and 2001. Looking at these and earlier fires, Carle uses the voices of those who were involved, of those who were early advocates, and of today's proponents to examine the role of controlled burning. Early in the century, Harold Biswell, a pioneer in prescribed burning, dared to commit the heresy of questioning the dogma of fire suppression, despite professional controversy and opprobrium, he and a few other pioneers led the way. Their roles play an integral part in the story told here. In Biswell's words, "fire is a natural part of the environment, about as important as rain and sunshine... . We must work more in harmony with nature, not so much against it." Can humanity, this book asks, learn to become a fire-adapted species?

Burning Questions: America's Fight with Nature's Fire

Average customer rating:

Burning Questions: America's Fight with Nature's Fire
David Carle
Manufacturer: Praeger Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORD790

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