Executive Report on Strategies in Botswana, 2003 edition (Strategic Planning Series)

Book Description

Botswana has recently come to the attention to global strategic planners. This report puts these executives on the fast track. Ten chapters provide: an overview of how to strategically access this important market, a discussion on economic fundamentals, marketing & distribution options, export and direct investment options, and full risk assessments (political, cultural, legal, human resources). Ample statistical benchmarks and comparative graphs are given.

Book Description

This book puts numerical methods into action for the purpose of solving concrete problems arising in quantitative finance. Part one develops a comprehensive toolkit including Monte Carlo simulation, numerical schemes for partial differential equations, stochastic optimization in discrete time, copula functions, transform-based methods and quadrature techniques. The content originates from class notes written for courses on numerical methods for finance and exotic derivative pricing held by the authors at Bocconi University since the year 2000. Part two proposes eighteen self-contained cases covering model simulation, derivative valuation, dynamic hedging, portfolio selection, risk management, statistical estimation and model calibration. It encompasses a wide variety of problems arising in markets for equity, interest rates, credit risk, energy and exotic derivatives. Each case introduces a problem, develops a detailed solution and illustrates empirical results. Proposed algorithms are implemented using either Matlab ^® or Visual Basic for Applications ^® in collaboration with contributors.

Book Description

The use of biological control agents has been increasing worldwide and there are now many companies mass-producing such organisms, particularly for the control of insect pests. However, there is a great need for strict quality control in the production and use of these natural enemies, which include insect parasitoids, fungi and viruses. In this book, leading scientists from Europe and North America provide background theory and practical guidance on this subject.

Book Description

The theory of the scattering of light by small particles is very important in a wide range of applications in atmospheric physics and atmospheric optics, ocean optics, remote sensing, astronomy and astrophysics and biological optics. This book summarises current knowledge of the optical properties of single small particles and natural light scattering media such as snow, clouds, foam aerosols etc. The book considers both single and multiple light scattering regimes, together with light scattering and radiative transfer in close-packed media. The third edition incorporates new findings in the area of light scattering media optics in an updated version of the text.

Optics of Light Scattering Media: Problems and Solutions

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Leonid Sokoletsky, Bar-Ilan University, Israel

Optics of Light Scattering Media: Problems and Solutions
A. Kokhanovsky , and Alex A. Kokhanovsky
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Optics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Leonid Sokoletsky, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.......2001-04-25

I think this is excellent book for those who want to have an understanding of complicated, but marvelously beautiful world of optics. The book is vast on questions considered - from relatively simple geometric optics to extremely difficult radiative transfer equations and multi-layered particle optics, from bio-optics to planetary optics and remote sensing problems. The book has written on the clear simple English and following from audibly described theory to engineering formulae and references on programming codes. I know that now the second Edition of this book is in preparing. I urgently recommend to read this book to beginning students-optics and professionals dealing with optical methods in their practice.

Book Description

This book deals with the impact of uncertainty in input data on the outputs of mathematical models. Uncertain inputs as scalars, tensors, functions, or domain boundaries are considered. In practical terms, material parameters or constitutive laws, for instance, are uncertain, and quantities as local temperature, local mechanical stress, or local displacement are monitored. The goal of the worst scenario method is to extremize the quantity over the set of uncertain input data.

A general mathematical scheme of the worst scenario method, including approximation by finite element methods, is presented, and then applied to various state problems modeled by differential equations or variational inequalities: nonlinear heat flow, Timoshenko beam vibration and buckling, plate buckling, contact problems in elasticity and thermoelasticity with and without friction, and various models of plastic deformation, to list some of the topics. Dozens of examples, figures, and tables are included.

Although the book concentrates on the mathematical aspects of the subject, a substantial part is written in an accessible style and is devoted to various facets of uncertainty in modeling and to the state of the art techniques proposed to deal with uncertain input data.

A chapter on sensitivity analysis and on functional and convex analysis is included for the reader's convenience.

· Rigorous theory is established for the treatment of uncertainty in modeling
· Uncertainty is considered in complex models based on partial differential equations or variational inequalities
· Applications to nonlinear and linear problems with uncertain data are presented in detail: quasilinear steady heat flow, buckling of beams and plates, vibration of beams, frictional contact of bodies, several models of plastic deformation, and more
· Although emphasis is put on theoretical analysis and approximation techniques, numerical examples are also present
· Main ideas and approaches used today to handle uncertainties in modeling are described in an accessible form
· Fairly self-contained book

Average customer rating:

Lacks depth

A fun read

devil wears prada

AWESOME STORY

A fun read...better than the movie..and the movie was really good

The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel
Lauren Weisberger
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Nanny Diaries: A Novel

Everyone Worth Knowing

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Good in Bed

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan

ASIN: 0767914767
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Amazon.com

It's a killer title: The Devil Wears Prada. And it's killer material: author Lauren Weisberger did a stint as assistant to Anna Wintour, the all-powerful editor of Vogue magazine. Now she's written a book, and this is its theme: narrator Andrea Sachs goes to work for Miranda Priestly, the all-powerful editor of Runway magazine. Turns out Miranda is quite the bossyboots. That's pretty much the extent of the novel, but it's plenty. Miranda's behavior is so insanely over-the-top that it's a gas to see what she'll do next, and to try to guess which incidents were culled from the real-life antics of the woman who's been called Anna "Nuclear" Wintour. For instance, when Miranda goes to Paris for the collections, Andrea receives a call back at the New York office (where, incidentally, she's not allowed to leave her desk to eat or go to the bathroom, lest her boss should call). Miranda bellows over the line: "I am standing in the pouring rain on the rue de Rivoli and my driver has vanished. Vanished! Find him immediately!"

This kind of thing is delicious fun to read about, though not as well written as its obvious antecedent, The Nanny Diaries. And therein lies the essential problem of the book. Andrea's goal in life is to work for The New Yorker--she's only sticking it out with Miranda for a job recommendation. But author Weisberger is such an inept, ungrammatical writer, you're positively rooting for her fictional alter ego not to get anywhere near The New Yorker. Still, Weisberger has certainly one-upped Me Times Three author Alex Witchel, whose magazine-world novel never gave us the inside dope that was the book's whole raison d' etre. For the most part, The Devil Wears Prada focuses on the outrageous Miranda Priestly, and she's an irresistible spectacle. --Claire Dederer

Book Description

A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.” Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses. Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job - a million girls would die for.¿ Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about 'The Boss from Hell.' Narrated in Andrea¿s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda¿s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day - and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

Customer Reviews:

Lacks depth.......2007-10-01

Let's face it, people: when you pick up a book titled "The Devil Wears Prada," you're probably not assuming that you're going to go on an odyssey teeming with profound insights on life. (At least, I didn't.) But, having thoroughly enjoyed the film with Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, I figured I would enjoy the book at least as much, since the books are usually better than the movies. Alas, it seems that Lauren Weisberger had about as much to do with the film version of her book as Candace Bushnell had to do with her book's television incarnation, "Sex and the City." And, like Bushnell's case, the film of "The Devil Wears Prada" is better for it.

The book is overlong and rambling, and that's not even the biggest problem. Weisberger's characters are poorly developed and shallow. Miranda Priestly is beyond unpleasant and unkind for no reason. Now, characters who were villains for the sake of being a villain were fine when we were three years old, but come on, even supervillains in comic books usually have a reason that they are the way they are. Not Miranda Priestly. No explanation is given, no shred of humanity revealed.

Then there's the protagonist. She is completely wrapped up in herself, and, worse, she's not even consistent. She alternates between being "above" the other employees at Runway, the fictional fashion magazine at which she works--a charge rightly leveled at her more than once by fellow assistant Emily--and making snide remarks about other people's fashion, about which she's supposed to be so amazingly unaware. Tell me, does it really compute that someone who claims not to know how to banish panty lines because she hadn't yet "heard of thong underwear" (keep in mind that this book was written in 2003, not 1973, and that everyone, even your grandmother, had heard of thong underwear by 1998, at the latest) and yet turns around and bemoans the fact that some poor fashion-deficient soul is wearing a tux with tails in May? (I will honestly say that, while I'm no fan of tails, really, I have no idea when it's appropriate to wear them and when it's not.) She's completely wrapped up in herself, not noticing (or caring, apparently) that her friend has begun to drink herself into a blind stupor and take home random men from a bar to have (perhaps unprotected?) sex with them. She flirts shamelessly with a famous writer, although she has a fantastic boyfriend that she allegedly loves.

Another characteristic really got under my skin, but I think it has more to do with the author's feelings than with the protagonist. Weisberger is completely disdainful of anyone who comes from the south or (gasp!) has a southern accent. She seems to introduce the character of Andrea's sister and brother-in-law just because they happen to live in Texas and her brother-in-law has a "horrible" southern accent. When Miranda's brother-in-law comes to town with his fiancée and she throws them an engagement party, the guest list is full of wealthy southerners, of which Andrea is nothing short of appalled. She discusses their horrific lack of fashion sense, their horrific accents, and their horrific natures in general. Excuse me, Ms. Weisberger, but there are just as many rednecks in New England as in the South, and plenty of people with northern accents have an IQ ten times lower than someone with a southern accent. I live in the South, but I'm from Ohio, so this deeply offended me, even as a non-southerner. I'm not exactly sure what kind of horrible experience she had that made her hate the South and all things southern, including the people, so much.

This book is 360 pages long, and should be somewhere around 150. The characters are shallow and, honestly, you don't care because you kind of get the feeling that Andrea and Miranda deserve each other. You hope that Lily, the best friend, finds her way into an AA program, and the boyfriend, Alex...well, you hope that he just runs for the hills. Unless you really, REALLY want to read this book for some reason, I advise you to rent the movie and take a pass on the book.

A fun read.......2007-09-28

I thought this book was a fun read. It's not the kind of book that will change anyone's life, but if you're in the mood for something light that doesn't require a lot of thought, this more than fits the bill. It's so very different from the movie, though. Other than the names of some of the characters and a handful of basic plot points, they might as well be different stories. It drags in a few places, but for the most part it's good mind candy.

devil wears prada.......2007-09-22

i loved this book and the movie. i wish i knew what meryl streep's character was thinking at the end of the story when she saw her protege after she had quit. neither the book or the movie gave a clear message.. perhaps that is the essense of it all. a great read. one of the best i read this year.

AWESOME STORY.......2007-09-07

I have watched this movie about 25 times. IF you are only reading, or watching the action, you have missed the whole theory of this book/movie. And yes my dear, I am 57, and this stuff in the 21st century STILL goes on. The term "personal assistant" means just that, running errands, getting coffee, and yes even picking up dry cleaning.

Everytime I see this movie I pick up another subtle unlining point in this movie. It is about changes, it is about seeing someone underneath their weight/clothing and seeing their potential.

You almost need a Masters degree in Psychology to see all the things going on in this movie/book.

Rarely do I watch a movie, then read the book, I can tell you after seeing this movie, I am looking forward to reading the book, this story is AWESOME, IF you can see what it is REALLY about!

A fun read...better than the movie..and the movie was really good.......2007-08-31

As a person in the industry, I can tell you that, as ridiculous it seems to outsiders, a lot of the most hilarious things in this book are true! It's a great beach read!
Better than the movie, and the movie was great.

Average customer rating:

Typical, but cute chick lit
'Manhattan' does NOT rock

Manhattan on the Rocks
Janice Harayda
Manufacturer: Sourcebooks Landmark
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1402201192

Book Description

When twenty-five-year-old Laura Smart moves from Cleveland to Manhattan to take a job at a magazine, she hopes the world will become her oyster-her Fendi Oyster (this year's must-have handbag) to be exact.

Instead, Laura has to deal with the demands of her self-absorbed and quirky boss-the talk-show host turned magazine editor, Cassandra Lovelace. Laura, a Holly Golightly-type character, finds her own romantic and professional redemption in a novel that hilariously sends up the sex-and-celebrity-obsessed world of contemporary women's magazines.

Written from the insider's perspective of a former senior editor of Glamour, Manhattan on the Rocks is a sharply observed comedy of manners with a take-no-prisoners spirit. This is a novel for every woman who has ever known in her heart that-even as her world is collapsing all around her-she needs only a Glamour makeover to save her life from ruin.

Customer Reviews:

Typical, but cute chick lit.......2007-01-07

I thought this was a really cute, light and fluffy read!!!! Typical chick lit, but a fun read!!!!

I liked the main character alot and was interested to see what happened to her over the course of the book!!!

Not the best I've read, but by far, not the worst!!!

'Manhattan' does NOT rock.......2005-08-09

This book had all the potential to develop more in terms of its storyline, but strangely, towards the end of the novel, I found myself not caring what happened to the protagonist, and not at all involved in any or all of her activities and pursuits.

The plot is hackneyed and contrived at best, in addition to being overwhelmingly cliched. Reading the novel was seriously and literally painful because of the abundance of typing, spelling and editorial errors; mistakes occur on nearly every page, if not every other page! One wonders how an award winning journalist could let slip all the errors and omissions that would have been picked up with more careful editing and proofreading. Surely, editorial staff have much to answer for too!

I'm not sure if this book should be allowed to remain on the shelves of any bookstore, let alone still continue to be sold at all. I would seriously recommend a total recall of all copies of this book from bookstores, followed by a thorough editing process before unleashing it onto an unsuspecting public. This is an outrageus assault on the reading standards and literacy expectations of literate people!

The Devil Wears Prada. A Novel. [audio book] 5 CDs

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The Devil Wears Prada. A Novel. [audio book] 5 CDs
Lauren Weisberger
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000IS1E2M

Average customer rating:

The Devil Wears Prada. A Novel. [audio book] 5 CDs
Lauren Weisberger
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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The Devil Wears Prada

ASIN: B000IS55LI

Average customer rating:

Well-written but boring
A LIE!
Devil Wears Prada? NOT.
Well-written, but NOT based on Rosie
Charming Novel.

Little Pink Slips: A Novel (Unabridged)
Sally Koslow
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
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ASIN: B000Q6ZLUC

Book Description

On the towering stilettos of The Devil Wears Prada comes a biting, mordantly funny debut novel about the extremely unladylike business of publishing a very ladylike magazine.

Once there was a little girl from Fargo, North Dakota, named Maggie Goldfarb who grew up, moved to Manhattan, and morphed into Magnolia Gold, the highly paid editor in chief of Lady magazine. With a corner office, a designer wardrobe, and dozens of loyal employees, Magnolia has been hired to update the dowager of women's magazines. She's on her way to giving Lady a face-lift when she is ignominiously replaced by Bebe Blake, a brash television personality who remakes the magazine in her own hilariously inappropriate image. With her ketchup-red hair, skintight clothes, and penchant for "boy toys," Bebe is more out of control than a speeding limo. Maddeningly unpredictable, she confounds everyone at the newly christened Bebe with her personal vision of what a women's magazine should be, and baffles them further with her bawdy sense of humor and over-the-top generosity.

Shunted off to the darkest corners of executive purgatory-an overlooked back office she shares with a cockroach or two-Magnolia seethes from the sidelines as Bebe turns her beloved, once-profitable Lady into a sideshow. As things go from bad to worse, Magnolia fears that her career will never recover, but even she can't predict how deeply satisfying her eventual triumph will be. And not just at work: amidst the frenzy of backstabbing at the office, Magnolia finds Mr. Right in a city of Mr. Not-Quites.

Inspired by real-life events, Little Pink Slips is about the fall, rise, and sweet revenge of a woman who witnesses corporate shenanigans at their most flagrant. Filled with gossipy revelations about celebrity obsession and behind-the-scenes details of the media business in all its malfeasant glory, this novel is delicious, can't-stop-reading fun.

Customer Reviews:

Well-written but boring.......2007-09-24

t is unusual for a book to be this well crafted and yet so uninteresting. Her characters were flat and not very realistic. I never found myself caring about the main character, Maggie Gold. Her villains were even worse; I could not understand their motivation for acting the way they did. A waste of my time and money.

A LIE!.......2007-09-17

Anybody who thinks or has alluded that this book is a tell all about working with Roise O'donnell is sadly mistaken. Sally Koslow was fired by the owners of "McCalls" when it become "Rosie". Hence, she NEVER worked for Ms. O'Donnell in any capactiy for any period of time. EVER.

Devil Wears Prada? NOT........2007-09-15

This is a book that verges on silly. A multi million dollar magazine says to its succesful editor, "your out"! And replace her with a "Talk Show host" with No editorial experience? I think Not! Its not devil wears prada or even close in fact its different altogether. However, its not bad. It isn't exceiting and has you chomping at the bit for more.

Well-written, but NOT based on Rosie.......2007-07-22

I was going to say that this book was decent, and recommend it as a good choice for a casual summer read on the beach. It has the usual mistakes, sure, as if no one at the publishing house bothered to read it before sending it to the presses, but it's suprisingly well-written. But there's one question that automatically comes up: How much was based on Koslow's experiences with Rosie O'Donnell, who, like the book's Bebe Blake, takes a venerable woman's magazine and attempts to turn it into a star vehicle? It turns out, not much, and if you manage to google this little factoid hidden under all the hype, you the reader feel deceived.

The basic premise: Protagonist Magnolia Gold is ousted from her enviable position as editor-in-chief of the venerable women's magazine Lady when the publishing company decided that it will be a bigger moneymaker if it's handed over to brash TV talk show host Bebe Blake, and turned into Bebe. Similarly, Koslow (who I usually call "coleslaw" before catching myself and inverting the letters) was given the boot as EIC from venerable women's magazine McCalls when the title was handed over to Rosie O'Donnell and turned into Rosie. Both magazines fail. See a pattern? But it turns out, this marketed-as-a "roman a clef" is basically complete fiction. According to the New York Times, Koslow and Rosie never actually worked together. Instead, the author penned this little expose from things she'd heard. Seriously? Things she'd heard?

She's trying to sell some books, okay, and one could argue that it's a conclusion drawn from her bio, and not explicitly stated. Perhaps I can accept that. But then do a Google. Koslow tried to start a mini-duel on the Huffington Post over some dismissive comment Rosie had made. It didn't work -- and seems a cheap cry for just a little more publicity. The whole thing really changed my opinion of the book. It's like both the writer and the publishing company is content to ride on someone-way-more-famous's coattails, hoping you won't figure it out.

Charming Novel........2007-07-02

Little Pink Slips is a charming novel about Magnolia Gold's travel to hell and back when a buxom, loud mouth, uncontrollable celebrity takes over the magazine where she (Magnolia) was editor in chief. According to the inside cover, this novel is based on a true story. You can make your own conjecture.

I just know that Magnolia Gold wielded her way into my heart. It was a slow start, but by the end I could not put this book down. Magnolia feels like a real person with insecurities and doubts. Through her journey, she learns that in the end good conquers all. :-)

Overall, This is a stylish, poignant tale that leaves you wanting more. Bravo!

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