Unorthodox Strategies for the Everyday Warrior: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Competitor

Book Description

One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies was compiled in the fifteenth century, during the Ming Dynasty, as a handbook of tactics based on Chinese military classics. Translated into English for the first time, this unique work draws on over two thousand years of experience in warfare to present a distillation of one hundred key strategic principles. Originally prepared as a text for students aspiring to high political positions in Confucian China, One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies is a compendium of Oriental strategies concisely stated and each individually illustrated with a description of battle from Chinese history. These historical examples shed new light on the often enigmatic formulations of the ancient strategists on subjects such as Strategic Power, Defense, Vacuity, Spirit, and Victory. Acclaimed translator and Chinese military specialist Ralph Sawyer adds his own thoughtful commentary, deepening the reader's understanding of the intricacies of Chinese strategic thought.

Customer Reviews:

as promised, on time, good price, accurate description.......2007-03-20

just what i expect from a good amazon listed dealer.

An extended commentary.......2004-10-05

The unknown author of these hundred short chapters has left a different and worthwhile contribution to military history. Sawyer, the modern commentator, has made it even more relevant to the contemporary reader.

Each chapter has three parts. The first is almost always a brief reference to Sun Tzu, Ssu-ma Fa, or some other classic of strategy and tactics. The second part reaches into China's long written history to find historical examples of each precept.

Although phrased as a commentary on older texts, the reader should remember the rigid social structure and respect for ancient wisdom common in the Ming dynasty (when this was written). New ideas were suspect, even irreverent to the extent that they challenged the classics. Instead, new ideas were concealed as commentaries on the established wisdom. One should not dismiss these commentaries as just a rehashing of texts that were a thousand years old even then.

The third part of each chapter is Sawyer's modern addition, sometimes longer than both traditional parts together. Sawyer uses these notes to explain historical content and to point out relevance to the modern world. The real value of Sawyer's commentary, however, is its extensive citation of other Chinese military classics. He will often provide the whole passage to which a chapter alludes, as well as related passages from other texts. I found this very helpful, especially when Sawyer quoted classics that are little-known or inaccessible to English speakers.

The indices are good, providing reference by topic, by proper names referenced, and by the eight classics references for which commentaty is provided. There was no bibliography, though, a real loss. I would very much like to read the Wu Tzu or other unfamiliar titles named, but I'll have to hunt those down on my own.

This shouldn't be your first book on classical Chinese strategy, but it will be a welcome addition to any serious collection.

//wiredweird

Definite keeper, where's my Hardcover?!?!?!?.......2001-09-06

This book is fantastic. Each chapter is a stategy illustrated by historical examples, followed by authors comments. Sawyer does not ruin the historical accounts with his own take on the interpretation of the event. This is happily so unlike the myriad of crummy interpretations of 'Art of War' and 'Book of 5 Rings' available, polluted by the translators' opinions and biases. This is a testament to Sawyer as a scholar 1st and foremost.

He provides insight and opinions in his comments after the strategies and examples, but lets you draw your own conclusions about the relevence and applicability while you read each short strategy.

I have been able to apply these strategies to real life situations in dealing with individuals and groups. It has helped me in business and personal relationships by drawing parallels between the strategies and applying them figuratively. It has also helped me in a literal sense in mundane theaters like computer gaming as well.

I want this in hardcover!!! I will pay for it!!!

Provides good strategic insight.......2001-06-20

The book provides an interesting perspective into the many dimensions of strategy. It gives an introduction, a historical example, and discussion of each section. It is up to the flexibility and insight of the reader to make full use of the information provided.

100 enjoyable chapters on unconventional thinking.......2000-08-19

Concicise and entertaining, short one to two page essays. Each chapter has 1) a forword explaing the strategy, 2) a historical battle examples, 3) and a commentary on how to best apply the strategy. Easy to read, allowing you to enjoy one strategy at time without having to go back over previous chapters. This book reiterates in an entertaining way what B.H. Liddell Hart says in his classic book on military 'Strategy.' I recommened this book to everyone who wishes to view the world from an unconventional point of veiw.

Book Description

The business of credit ratings began in the United States in the early 1900s. Over time, credit ratings have gradually taken on an expanding role, both in the United States and abroad and in official financial market regulation as well as in private capital market decisions. However, in 1999 the Bank for International Settlements (through its Committee on Banking Supervision) proposed rule changes that would provide an explicit role for credit ratings in determining a bank's required regulatory risk capital. Once implemented, this BIS proposal (often referred to as Basel 2) would vastly elevate the importance of credit ratings by linking the required measure of bank capital to the credit rating of the bank's obligors. With these regulatory changes under active discussion, research into the role for ratings and rating agencies in the global financial system is particularly apropos.
Ratings, Rating Agencies and the Global Financial System brings together the research of economists at New York University and the University of Maryland, along with those from the private sector, government bodies, and other universities. The first section of the volume focuses on the historical origins of the credit rating business and its present day industrial organization structure. The second section presents several empirical studies crafted largely around individual firm-level or bank-level data. These studies examine (a) the relationship between ratings and the default and recovery experience of corporate borrowers, (b) the comparability of credit ratings made by domestic and foreign rating agencies, and (c) the usefulness of financial market indicators for rating banks, among other topics. In the third section, the record of sovereign credit ratings in predicting financial crises and the reaction of financial markets to changes in credit ratings is examined. The final section of the volume emphasizes policy issues now facing regulators and credit rating agencies.

Customer Reviews:

Useless---Unless You Live in Britain.......2001-08-29

It's a handbook for people who work with immigrant families in the UNITED KINGDOM. If you're looking for something to do with the United States, keep looking.

The Voluntary Sector, the State and the Law

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The Voluntary Sector, the State and the Law

Manufacturer: Hart Publishing (UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1841130672

Regulation of the Voluntary Sector (Critical Approaches to Law)

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Regulation of the Voluntary Sector (Critical Approaches to Law)
Mark Sidel
Manufacturer: Routledge Cavendish
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1845680936

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The voluntary sector, the state and the law.

Manufacturer: Oxford. Hart.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5WOUW

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Moralizing the environment : countryside change, farming and pollution /..

Manufacturer: UCL Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H62A2I

Book Description

An excellent introduction to the real world of environmental work, this title helps both college students and working professionals improve their understanding of the data collection process. It covers all phases of data collection (planning, field sampling, laboratory analysis, and data quality assessment), and is a single source comprehensive reference for the resolution of the most common problems that environmental professionals face daily in their work.

Why This Title
This title is written in a clear and logical manner that is accessible to environmental professionals of all disciplines. It contains hundreds of practical tips on planning, sampling, and interactions with analytical laboratories. Having this text as a desk reference will greatly improve skills in planning and sampling, and elevate understanding of chemical data to a new level.

This topic is of importance to a wide range of environmental professionals from a variety of disciplines (see audience). Written by a practicing professional for practicing professionals, this handbook provides everything an environmental professional needs to know to competently collect environmental chemical data.

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS: A COMPLETE GUIDE

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SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS: A COMPLETE GUIDE
E.P Popek
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5I3OC

Book Description

This book is a collection of problems with detailed solutions which will prove valuable to students and research workers in mathematics, physics, engineering and other sciences. The topics range in difficulty from elementary to advanced level. Almost all the problems are solved in detail and most of them are self-contained. All relevant definitions are given. Students can learn important principles and strategies required for problem solving. Teachers will find this text useful as a supplement, since important concepts and techniques are developed through the problems. The material has been tested in the author's lectures given around the world.

The book is divided into two volumes. Volume I presents the introductory problems, for undergraduate and advanced undergraduate students. In Volume II, the more advanced problems, together with detailed solutions, are collected, to meet the needs of graduate students and researchers. The problems included cover most of the new fields in theoretical and mathematical physics, such as Lax representation, Bäcklund transformation, soliton equations, Lie-algebra-valued differential forms, the Hirota technique, the Painlevé test, the Bethe ansatz, the Yang-Baxter relation, chaos, fractals, complexity, etc.

Customer Reviews:

Some of this Material is Undergrad Level but the rest! WHEW!.......2004-11-23

Table of Contents follows:

Volume 2: Advanced/Graduate Level
1 Lax Representations in Classical Mechanics
2 Kronecker and Tensor Products
3 Nambu Mechanics
4 Gateaux and Frechet Derivatives
5 Stability and Bifurcations
6 Nonlinear Ordinary Difference Equations
7 Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations
8 Groups
9 Generalized Functions
10 Linear Partial Differential Equations
11 Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations
12 Group Theoretical Reductions
13 Backland Transformations
14 Soliton Equations
15 Lax Pairs for Partial Differential Equations
16 Hirota Technique
17 Painleve Test
18 Lie Algebras
19 Differential Forms
20 Lie Derivative
21 Metric Tensor Fields
22 Killing Vector Fields
23 Inequalities
24 Ising Model and Heisenberg Model
25 Number Theory
26 Combinatorial Problems
27 Fermi Operators
28 Bose Operators
29 Lax Representations and Bethe Ansatz
30 Gauge Transformations
31 Chaos, Fractals and Complexity

Problems and Solutions in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics : Advanced Level

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Problems and Solutions in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics : Advanced Level
Willi-Hans Steeb
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The purpose of this book is to supply a collection of problems together with their detailed solution which will prove to be valuable to students as well as to research workers in the fields of mathematics, physics, engineering and other sciences. The topics range in difficulty from elementary to advanced. Almost all problems are solved in detail and most of the problems are self-contained. All relevant definitions are given. Students can learn important principles and strategies required for problem solving. Teachers will also find this text useful as a supplement, since important concepts and techniques are developed in the problems. The material was tested in the author's lectures given around the world.

The book is divided into two volumes. Volume I presents the introductory problems for undergraduate and advanced undergraduate students. In volume II, the more advanced problems, together with their detailed solutions are collected, to meet the needs of graduate students and researchers. Problems included cover most of the new fields in theoretical and mathematical physics such as Lax representation. Bocklund transformation, soliton equations, Lie algebra valued differential forms, Hirota technique, Painleve test, the Bethe ansatz, the Yang-Baxter relation, chaos, fractals, complexity, etc.

Book Description

Homicide detective Lenny Bliss wears consciousness like an albatross. He is looking for some inner peace. Instead he gets a floater fished out of the East River. The investigation is not going swimmingly (they never do, with floaters) when another case takes precedence-the bludgeoning of a young man during a party in a swanky Upper East Side town house. Arriving on the scene, Bliss realizes he's been to this swank town house before. If his previous visit is revealed, it will taint the case and make Bliss a very likely suspect. Sloan's shrewd humor and his wonderful ear for speech weave a riveting tale full of intriguing and richly drawn New York characters. It all adds up to one helluva read.

Customer Reviews:

Great Characters and Great Dialog........2003-09-01

I really enjoyed the twisted characters in this book with their broadly stroked flaws and strengths. The dialog is fantastic (internal dialog as well) and the storyline works well. Lenny Bliss's difficulties resonate. Sloan's writing is daring and refreshing and I'm glad I finally discovered him. I immediately read his other books. I hope there are more to come!

Bliss entangled.......2003-08-23

In his third outing, New York police detective Lenny Bliss juggles two murders, both complicated by personal circumstances. The first is a "floater," and his wife, Rachel, switching careers from stand-up comedy to crime writing, tags along, for atmosphere. But Bliss' own involvement in the murder of a rich slacker kid is enough to make his blood run cold. The security tape shows him entering the house the night of the murder and leaving 20 minutes later. But the security tape is missing.

And we, the reader, know who has it. There are a lot of voices in this novel, but Sloan segues well, moving among thugs, illegal domestics, nasty rich folk, cops and criminals, mouthy kids, angry parents, worried parents, grieving parents and bystanders. Darkly humorous, with a hard edge and street-smarts, softened by deft characterizations and quirky writing, this is a mixed bag that works.

Lenny is in big trouble!.......2003-06-14

In each book of the Bliss series, B. Sloan gets deeper into his very interesting and offbeat characters. I couldn't go to sleep until I finished this one. The suspense built with every page.

Book Description

With 420 pages of in-depth information illustrated with a color photograph on every page, The Encyclopedia of World Explorers presents vivid portraits of great seafarers and explorers, truly bringing history to life. Clear time charts with a chronology of discoveries, maps showing routes of great explorers, a brief history of cartography, and an index with 300 entries are also included.

Book Description

Human drama at its most gripping and satisfying.

Customer Reviews:

All that and less.......2004-09-14

I agree with everyone else, if you are a grad student or new researcher you need to buy and read this book. BUT BEWARE: This book refers to turbo pumps as a new innovation, and ignores magnetic charged particle optics. Discussions of topics are fairly through but lack the depth of schematics, however many of the references are now considered seminal letters on their topics. The references alone will save you a lot of time.

The physics covered is accurate and usable, and the references, clear presentations of topics, and lists of suppliers make this book essential for any serious experimental scientist to be.

Buy it! :)

A Sometimes Handy Book.......2001-08-14

I would like to cast a somewhat dissenting view of this book. It is certainly a good place to start for information on various projects but comes up short on construction techniques. Perhaps an older source, Procedures in Experimental Physics (Lindsay Pubs), is better. Of course, it was written in 1938, so materials cited might be out of date, but the construction techniques aren't bad. I recently decided to build a good sized water tank (40" by 6" by 3") of acrylic and found nothing about construction tips. I was thinking of building something that probably required casting, and found a paltry two pages on the subject.

It would be good to see it updated every 5 years or so. I see the pub date is 1991. Things have changed a bit. It has a very good list of references, but with the advent of the web, it would be good to see some the reference material cite the web.

You cannot work in my lab unless you've read this!.......2001-08-10

This is a _great_ book! I buy a copy of this for every student who starts work for me--which I consider to be a fine investment. Practical, hands-on information is given on a huge variety of skills needed by those working in Physics labs. From glass blowing to vacuum systems, to instruction on attaching BNC connectors, it's all in here.

Awesome.......2001-07-19

Have never seen a book which was able to pack so much practical information into so few pages, and able to explain complex concepts so simply.

If you have to work with any type of laboratory equipment you would be insane to NOT have this book on your shelf.

Not just for researchers.......2000-06-14

This book is an invaluable reference source for anyone whose work requires them to become involved in unfamiliar (physical science related) technologies. Though it would certainly be useful to laboratory researchers, it is equally valuable for the scientist or engineer who needs to apply these disciplines. As a physicist involved in design of commercial instrumentation, I have often had to become involved in various disciplines which were outside of my area of formal training and this book has commonly been my point of entry into unfamiliar terrain. This isn't just a "how to do it" book, but also provides a solid grounding in the basic theory. Over the years I have used this book as a primer/refresher for: (a) vacuum technology; (b) light optics; (c) charged-particle optics; and (d) mechanical drawing. In each case, this book provided me with the fundamental concepts, equations, and techniques to become productive, often without access to any other source of expertise. Though I do, of course, employ other sources as my knowledge advances, I still find myself regularly referring back to this book.

I know of no other reference that manages to pack so much useful information into so few pages. And yet, it remains easy and enjoyable to read. Part of this may be due to the abundant drawings which have a certain charm of their own -- echoing the style of the famous C.S. Stong illustrations in the "Amateur Scientist" section of Scientific American.

This book is so good that I own two copies: one for my office at work and the second for reference at home.

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Building Scientific Apparatus: a Practical Guide to Design and Construction
Christppher C. Davis, Michael A. Coplan John H. Moore
Manufacturer: Perseus Books (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOLXNK

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BUILDING SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS: A Practical Guide to Design and Construction.
Christopher C. Davis & Michael A. Coplan John H. Moore
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLCXXW

Book Description

The Link Foundation awards yearly fellowships for research ino energyresources and their conservation. These published papers summarizetheir findings in this highly topical and important area. Two chaptersin this book deal with a practical performance index to avoid voltagecollapse in electric power systems and a design for a switch-modepower conversion circuit. Other chapters discuss an optical techniquefor in situ determination of growth kinetics of thin film materialsfor photovoltaics, a sol-gel method for preparing aluminosilicatesfor microporous membranes, sun-pumped lasers wth non-imaging opticsand parallel biased quasi-optical Josephson Junctions for submillimeterlocal oscillators. Contributors (all involved in major energy researchprojects): DAVID L. COOKE, KELLY J. HERMAN, SUSAN L. HIETALA, RENÃ‰ JEAN-JUMEAU, MONICA KATIYAR and ALEKSANDER PANCE

Research Reports of the Link Energy Fellows: Volume 7, September 1991

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Research Reports of the Link Energy Fellows: Volume 7, September 1991

Manufacturer: University of Rochester Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 187882211X

Book Description

The Link Foundation awards yearly fellowships for research into themastery of the air and sea, and the development of energy resourcesand their conservation. The Fellows' annual reports make stimulatingreading, representing some of the most advanced work in the energyand energy-related fields. Contents: DIETER BEIKE: Offshore Oil and Gas Development in the Ross Sea; DWAYNE S. BREGER: Seasonal Ice Storage for Cooling Loads; DAVID ANTHONY HOGSETT: Direct Microbial Conversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol; Q.X. JIA and W. A. ANDERSON: High Temperature Superconducting YBa2Cu307-x Films; BIN LIU and MICHAEL J. WENGLER: Modeling of Quasioptical Josephson Oscillator; C. MICHAEL SMITH: Thermal Reaction Chemistry of Polycyclic Alkylaromatics

Research Reports of the Link Energy Fellows 9

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Research Reports of the Link Energy Fellows 9

Manufacturer: Univ of Rochester Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1878822357

Book Description

Papers from the Link energy awards for research into energy resources and their conservation. This year the selection includes new approaches to the lubrication of ceramics; high current opening switches; reformed methane fuel; desalination; light emitting porous silicon and geothermal reservoirs.
Contributors: DALE ANDREATTA, DEEPNARYAN GUPTA, JOHN WIRT HORNBROOK, KAREN HOTZ, CHENG PENG, BHAWANI TRIPATHY.

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