Recreating Asia: Visions for a New Century

Book Description

"In this book, the reader will gain insights into one of the most dramatic economic and social transformations in the history of the world." - Lee Kuan Yew, Senior Minister, Singapore

The World Economic Forum is an independent, international organization committed to improving the state of the world. The Forum provides a collaborative framework for the world's leaders to address global issues, engaging particularly its corporate members in global citizenship.

Drawing on its unparalleled Asian network, this book offers a fascinating insight into how the region is managing its own political change and national governance challenges. Written by some of the world's most accomplished leaders, this unique collection outlines a way forward for Asia. By changing the way the region operates, these visionaries are turning conventional wisdom around, proving that to know Asia, one has to look at the attitudes and aspirations of those who lead its key institutions.

Customer Reviews:

globalization in the Asian context.......2003-06-25

Richter and Mar write with a strong sense of urgency, bringing a fresh perspective to the debate on Asia's future. The books starts with two short chapters by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir and Australian Prime Minister Howard, followed by longer chapters written by the who-is-who of corporate and political Asia. Issues addressed include globalization, regiononal trade, governance issues, and corporate strategies. A useful book.

A Realistic Perspective of Asia Today.......2002-12-12

The stength of this book lies in its long-term view on Asian economies since the Asian economic crisis to their revival, looking into potential scenarios for their future.

An Excellent Primer on Asia's future.......2002-12-04

Reading this book is a really enjoyable experience. Most of the real Asian shakers and movers (including Lee KY, Tung CH, Mahathir, Arroyo, Takenaka) are gathered in this project. I especially appreciate the way the content was given with an appropriate mixture of open-source information, empirical data and personal experiences.

If you want a systematic and sound grouding in Asian economies, this is the book to read.

Not an extraordinary book.......2002-11-19

This edited book appears to be a compilation of speeches -- though it may not be. It's great weaknesses are that it covers a very wide terrain and so the coverage is skimpy; also there is no counterpoint to the write-ups that often appear like propoganda. Political writers have their thinly disguised political agendas -- this shows. The book lectures too much. On the plus side, it provides a nice array of political figures and names -- but unfortunately they really do not say anything new.

Offers insightful understanding of Asia's future.......2002-11-13

RECREATING ASIA presents an excellent analysis of both the situation and causation of economic conditions in East Asia.

The book is easy to read but not simplistic and has all the economic/political/social frameworks to support and highlight the editors' and authors' positions.

If you are looking for a recreating Asia, then this is the book for you.

Book Description

The user will encounter a new format, the "judicial essay," here and there. The judicial essay is a memorable passage extracted from a judicial opinion, given its caption by the editors, and included in the book to preserve material that otherwise would be badly located or omitted as obsolete. Most of the statutes and many of the conventions, rules, and forms now appear in the book close to the pertinent cases, rather than in the Appendix as they did in the 1974 edition.

Customer Reviews:

Healy & Sharpe, Cases and Materials on Admiralty.......2000-06-04

Outstanding basic textbook on Admiralty Law. Excellent review of what the law is, as well as a statement of what the trends have been. Materials, including Editor footnotes, also provide interesting background information, which gives a flavor for the law and for the history of shipping. For example, the book discusses the role of the international maritime organizations and the international conventions in the development of the law, as well as how U.S. courts treat these developments. Some of the areas covered are fairly straight forward, others are quite complex and may require careful study to absorb. However, this complexity is a reflection of the subject matter, not the author's ability to cover it. If you are looking for a good basic reference, this is it.

Cases and Materials on Admirality (American Casebook Series)

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Cases and Materials on Admirality (American Casebook Series)
Nicholas J. Healy David J. Sharpe
Manufacturer: West Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

American Casebook | Series | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OTP32M

Statute and rule supplement for use with Cases and materials on admirality: 2d ed (University casebook series)

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Statute and rule supplement for use with Cases and materials on admirality: 2d ed (University casebook series)
Jo Desha Lucas
Manufacturer: Foundation Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006X9QMY

Book Description

This book contains both an extensive philosophical commentary on this dichotomy in views and an exposition of the type of theory most favored by physical scientists. In this theory, living form is a manifestation of the dynamics of chemical change and physical transport or other physics of spatial communication. The Reaction-diffusion theory as initiated by Turing in 1952 and elaborated by Prigogine, Gierer, Meinhardt, and others is discussed in detail. In some respects the book takes up the theme that "the things we see in the cell are less important than the actions we recognize in the cell", which was a major theme of D'Arcy W. Thompson's classic 1917 work On Growth and Form.

Book Description

New macromolecular concepts and strategies are demonstrated in this unique book. It deals with the harmonization of humanity in science, technology and industry. Particular attention is given to the relationship between the sensitivity of the human mind and the functionality of polymers such as "Shingosen". Moreover, biocompatibility of functional polymers for medical applications and fabrics is discussed as one of the prime examples of human creativity. Lessons of conventional wisdom of traditional Japanese shrine carpenters, which originated 1300 years ago in Horyuji Temple in Nara Japan, can be applied to modern business management by entrepreneurs and in high-tech industries.

Book Description

This is a marvellously engaging tour covering the whole of modern science, from transgenic crops to quantum tangles. Written by one of the most experienced and well-known names in science writing, it is also assuredly reliable science. Although arranged for convenience and quick reference as a collection of topics in alphabetical order, it is very different from any conventional encyclopedia. Each topic tells a story, making the book eminently browsable. Packed with information, yet carrying its immense learning lightly, this is a book that would appeal to anyone with the slightest interest in how the world works.

Customer Reviews:

An exhilarating ride on the Merry-go-round of science.......2005-09-01

This is a remarkably interesting series of science essays (the author calls them 'short stories'). Even if I had not read the back of the book's dust jacket, I would have known that Nigel Calder was a former writer for the ebullient British weekly, "New Scientist." He's got their opinionated, breezy, clear style of writing. "Magic Universe" scintillates. It is easy to understand. The author does not linger overly long on even the most fascinating topics (actually, this brevity is sometimes frustrating).

There are several ways of working through the book. There is the 'spider-web' method as illustrated by the book's end-papers, where all of the subjects are ultimately linked together. For instance, I started onto a subject path with "Volcanic Explosions (where will the next big one be?)" which led to "Hotspots (are there really chimneys deep inside the Earth?)" which pointed to "Plate Motions (what rocky machinery refurbishes the Earth's surface?)" which sent me back to "Extremophiles (creatures that thrive in unexpected places)."

According to the author, his spider's web "celebrates a reunion of the many subdivisions of science that is now in progress..." but I'm getting dizzy flipping back and forth. Let's try an alphabetic read-through for awhile, starting at "Extremophiles" --> "Flood Basalts (can impacting comets set continents in motion?)"--> "Flowering (colourful variations on a theme of genetic pathways)" --> "Forces (a pointer entry)."

Wait a minute, here's an interesting entry about something called the 'Casimir force (the attractive force between two surfaces in a vacuum).' I've never heard of it, even though I'm a faithful cover-to-cover reader of "New Scientist." Where does Casimir's force point? To "Plasma Crystals." What is a Plasma Crystal? Isn't that an oxymoron? Just let me just follow this topic a little further...

Warning: if you like good writing, especially concerning outré, outer-edge-of-science topics, you might not be able to put down "Magic Universe" until you've read every 'short story' in this book. From first-hand experience, the author knows that "thrilling discoveries can tip-toe in, almost unnoticed to begin with."

This book held many thrilling discoveries for me. Consider those plasma crystals. They opened up many new windows in astronomy for me, including a fresh look at the method by which planets form.

Nigel Calder also believes that the surest way to shorten this book's life would be to "report only the consensual opinions of the late 20th century." To drive home this point, read what he has to say about superstrings: "A scandalous fact was not lost on the bystanders. This was the lack of even the smallest shred of direct evidence for the validity of either superstring or M-theory as a description of the real world."

What can a good science writer like the author do with an unproven theory?

Quote Lewis Carroll, of course: "But I was thinking of a plan/ to dye one's whiskers green, /And always use so large a fan /That they could not be seen."

Do superstrings exist? Are they composed of green whiskers? Read, "Magic Universe" and you'll be pondering similar, mind-bending theories.

Magic Universe: A Grand Tour of Modern Science

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Magic Universe: A Grand Tour of Modern Science
Nigel Calder
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKL7Q2

Book Description

This is a topsy-turvy story of a woman born in prison who led a life of crime and wantonness. Later in life she straightens herself out, grows rich, and lives an honest and penitent life.

Book Description

Few infantry regiments in the Civil War compiled a more distinguished record than the Fifth Missouri. The unique blending of fiery Irish Confederates from St. Louis with rural pro-Southern Missourians forged an unshakable esprit de corps, making the unit the crack infantry regiment in the western sector. Most of Colonel James C. McCown's troops were young men in their 20s, and their good health and physical conditioning allowed them to carry out their "shock" missions throughout the region. From the perspective of the common soldiers and the unit's leaders the activities and battles of the Fifth Missouri are recounted here.

Average customer rating:

An incomplete and not so scholarly work

A scholarly but all too short and incomplete book

Excellent material on pre-Roman European culture

A solid introduction to the topic

A superbly presented, scholarly work

Beyond Celts, Germans and Scythians: Archaeology and Identity in Iron Age Europe (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology) (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology)
Peter S. Wells
Manufacturer: Duckworth Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | Germany | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Archaeology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Celts and the Classical World

Celts Celts

The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe (Oxford Illustrated Histories)

Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State: The Evolution of Complex Social Systems in Prehistoric Europe (New Directions in Archaeology)

The European Iron Age

ASIN: 0715630369

Product Description

Who were the Iron Age peoples of Europe? Celts, Germans, Scythians: these are among the names that come to mind. But such names and the characteristics associated with them, come to us from outside observers - Greek and Roman writers - not from the native peoples themselves. To understand how late prehistoric groups constructed and expressed their identities, we need to examine the rich archaeological evidence left by the Iron Age Europeans themselves. Recent theoretical and methodological advances in anthropology, archaeology and history, together with results of archaeological research all over Europe, provide the basis for a new approach to the problem of the identities of Iron Age peoples. Peter Wells uses patterns of identity revealed in the archaeology to interpret the commentaries of Greek and Roman authors who conveyed their own perceptions of these non-literate groups. Finally, he examines ways in which Iron Age Europeans responded to the Greek and Roman representations of them. The result was an ever-changing mosaic of complex and dynamic identities among the diverse peoples of Late Iron Age Europe.

Customer Reviews:

An incomplete and not so scholarly work.......2006-11-05

After reading the reviews on this book, I ordered it with great excitement.
It seems obvious that the boundaries of the ancient Iron Age people were most likely to be somewhat fluid, and this book - I was hoping - might shine some more light on some blank spots of current knowledge.

One example I was hoping would be cleared up is the names of "Germanic" tribes - such as the Germani, Cimbri, and Teutones, which are either most probably Celtic tribal names in the case of Germani and Teutones, and a disputed Germanic tribal name in the case of the name Cimbri. Another anomaly is that the leaders of Cimbri and the Teutones apparently had Celtic names and they allied themselves with Celtic tribes.

However this book took an interesting idea and pretty much did nothing with it.
It did more or less stick to "new wave" archaeological paradigms - for example - diffusion of all things up until historical records and then suddenly (because its hard to force history to fit diffusion models) everyone is invading everyone else.
The book pretty much ignored post classical historical and linguistic evidence.

Many disparate pieces of evidence come together to fill in our picture of the Celts (by Celts I mean any group of people who spoke a Celtic language). There is far more evidence to suggest that the Romans and the Greek writers actually got it right most of the time, and it seems very unlikely that they would have consistently misrepresented not only the tribal names of the Celts they met, but also the actual personal names, and somehow do this in a way that the tribal and personal names are most often recognizably linguistically Celtic (cognates with modern Celtic languages etc).
There is pretty much a smooth transition from currently (i.e. that Wells takes issue with) standard accepted Celtic European prehistory to undisputed history. Roman and Greek writings, Celtic toponyms, historical peoples such as the Galatae in Turkey, Galicia, Asturias etc in Spain, the Gallo Romans in France, the insular Celts, the Roman settlement of what is now Switzerland and many, many other sources, all provide a fairly clear picture of prehistoric Celtic Europe. However, Wells, refering most of the time to classical writers, and without any real evidence, says that our picture of prehistoric Celtic Europe is (in important ways) wrong.

An example of where Wells ignores any other evidence is when he throws doubt on the idea that a Celtic group sacked the Delphi (as did many other groups, who were not Celtic). And yet somehow the writers at the time recorded these invaders as having Celtic names (e.g. not Germanic, Scythian, Illyrian or Thracian). Many Celts were also present on the borders of Macedonia in Dacia etc, thus we know they were close enough to do it. And we know historically that some portion of them settled in Turkey. Many pieces of complimentary evidence (such as Turkish history) suggest to us that this is the most likely scenario. Saying the words "Greek writers never defined what Celtic means" and "it is most likely that with that term they meant simply soldiers from western and central Europe" are not worthy pieces of evidence that can change our mind of the above scenario.

In summary I kept looking for the "beef" in this book, but most of the time was met with vague mumblings about how the classical writers "could" have been wrong, and "may" have misrepresented some peoples. There were also some strange theories that reminded me a bit of heisenberg's uncertainty theorem. That the tribes (like the Helvetti and the Sequani, and by extension I guess he means all of the historical tribes the rest of Europe and in Britain like the Iceni etc) did not actually have these tribal identities until Roman interaction forced these identities upon them. That's funny, the Roman's never got to Ireland and yet somehow these Celtic people had tribal identities too (so did the peoples of Sweden, well away from Roman influence). I can imagine a mercenary warrior coming home to the hearth and saying to the chieftain: "By the way - we are actually the Fir Domnann!", and the chief replies with "Good idea! And lets call the people in the next valley the Fir Bolg!". "Too late chief, Fergus just got back from the continent and he has already given them the name the Gailiin".

Anyway my suggestion, if you are still interested in this book and want to make up your own mind, is to borrow it from a library.

A scholarly but all too short and incomplete book.......2005-05-24

Wells is a good writer and in this book he gives some of the history and theories behind the peoples of non-Mediteranean Europe. It is a good introduction but far from satisfying.

Excellent material on pre-Roman European culture .......2005-05-12

Wells' book is an introduction to solving the problems of who the Celtic, Germanic and Scythian peoples actually were, since all we really know about them come from their artifacts and what their literate conteporaries said about them. He focuses on the difficulty of identifying ancient migratory cultures, especially in light of Greek and Roman assumptions that these peoples were static and mainly defined them in terms of place rather than as moving groups (identifying them them as 'Germani' because they lived in Germany, for instance). Further, the Romans and Greeks had their own agendas in writing about the peoples of temperate Europe. Archaeology has further muddied the waters by ascribing "Celtic", "Germanic" and "Scythian", "Greek" and "Roman" labels to various artifacts and artistic styles.

Unfortunately, it is a very brief text and more illustrations would have been helpful. Wells raises many questions and we have to wait for the future research will give us some of the answers.

A solid introduction to the topic.......2003-03-07

Mr. Wells does a fine job of introducing some questions about Iron Age European peoples. He also presents interesting thoughts about the nature of identity. As an introduction, this is a fine piece, but if a reader wants a more extensive examination of the topic, he should look elsewhere.

A superbly presented, scholarly work.......2002-03-13

In Beyond Celts, Germans, And Scythians: Archaeology And Identity In Iron Age Europe, Peter Wells surveys these Iron Age peoples of Europe and explores the rich archaeological evidence they left behind. Outside of archaeological findings, our knowledge of these people of antiquity is confined to commentaries by Greek and Roman writers, and not from the native peoples themselves. Beyond Celts, Germans, And Scythians draws upon recent theoretical and methodological advances in anthropology, archaeology and history from sources all over Europe and bases a new approach to the problem of the identities of Iron Age peoples. What is revealed is a complex, ever-changing mosaic of dynamic and diverse cultural identities. Beyond Celts, Germans, And Scythians is a superbly presented, scholarly work that is highly recommended for academic and professional reference collections, and is also commended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in antiquity and prehistoric European cultures.

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