Beautiful Corporations: Corporate Style in Action

Book Description

This concise self-contained book on life contingencies is written for students, teachers, researchers and life insurance practitioners. The stochastic model, introduced by Professor De Vylder more than twenty years ago and now widely adopted, is used throughout the monograph. Beyond the classical material of life insurance mathematics, the emphasis lies on variance evaluations of mathematical reserves, allowing the estimation of long term ruin probabilities in life insurance portfolios with varying volume. Other characteristics of the book are its great generality, the inclusion of an axiomatic theory of compound interests, the development of statistical methods for mortality and other estimations, and the introduction of graphs making a clear visualization of multiple decrement models possible. This approach makes the monograph incomparable to other books in the field.

Book Description

This guide is intended for college students thinking of going to law school, law students deciding whether to pursue a career at a major law firm (which is defined as a law firm with more than five hundred attorneys), and those who want to gain greater insight into what the practice of law is really like at a major law firm.

This guide provides an "insider's view," that of an attorney who spent more than a decade at one of the world's largest and most prestigious law firms — as a legal assistant, summer associate, and attorney. The ultimate purpose of this guide is to provide a realistic view of what the practice of law is like at a major law firm and to dispel many of the misconceptions people hold about large law firm practice.

Customer Reviews:

Crisp like a fine potato chip.......2004-01-11

Finally a guide that explains succinctly the life of a top-notch lawyer from a top-tier firm, year by year, and how to get to the top of a tier 1 law firm, and what one can expect every step of the way.

Superb.......2004-01-11

I work as a legal assistant in NYC and awaited eagerly for Mr. Schwab's book to be published because I had heard that he gave fantastic lectures year after year while he was at Skadden to legal assistants contemplating going to law school. His guide is invaluable. It is exceptionally well written and filled with a treasure trove of information and guidance. Most of my anxiety about going to law school -- I have finished my law school appications -- are gone and I am actually excited about going. I know from Mr. Schwab's guide which books to read before I go to law school and how to take law school examines. I also learned what things to do during and fater law school to jump start my legal career. I recommend this guide whole-heartedly to anyone contemplating going to law school.

Superb.......2004-01-11

I heard about the author before I read his book. The author is fantastic at giving clear and very informative advice to legal assistants and college students thinking of attending law school. As a legal assistant I found book this book invaluable. I know exactly what to do before and while in law school to get great geats and hopefully a job at a great firm. A lot of my anxiety was put to rest. Solan's reputation as a fantastic lecturer is well deserved.

Hanging Out a Shingle: An Insider's Guide to Starting Your Own Law Firm

Average customer rating:

I have to agree. Not too practical as a startup guide.
interesting historical anecdotes, but not very useful
"Hanging Out a Shingle" -- The book was a waste of time.

Hanging Out a Shingle: An Insider's Guide to Starting Your Own Law Firm
Harry F. Weyher
Manufacturer: Backinprint.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law Practice | Law | Subjects | Books

Legal Profession | One-L | Law | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0595149685

Book Description

"Down to earth discussion of the possibilities- and the pitfalls- of practicing law."

—Robert W. Bennett, Dean, Northwestern Law School.

"A good readable book."

—Bill C. Beutel, Anchorman, WABC-TV.

"Anybody who has ever wanted to be a lawyer will relish this book."

—Eileen Ford, Ford Models, Inc.

Customer Reviews:

I have to agree. Not too practical as a startup guide........2004-05-16

Very dated but interesting from an entertainment perspective.
No help in starting a law firm.

interesting historical anecdotes, but not very useful.......2004-04-22

This book is written in a "scholarly" "dry wit" style. It is not that easy of a read. It does present a lot of interesting historical anecdotes about the practice of law and famous or interesting lawyers, but besides raising a few questions or topics to consider, it does not really provide a good guide or reference book to start your own practice. Mercifully, it does have a brief summary of the chapter at the end of the chapter.
Do not recommend this book if you are looking to start your own firm. It is interesting if you want to get tidbits of what other lawyers have done, both historical figures and contemporary attorneys.

"Hanging Out a Shingle" -- The book was a waste of time........2002-02-03

The title was the best thing about this book. Originally published in 1987 it was republished in 2000...apparently with no effort to update the book. No advice was offered regarding office equipment. No mention was made of electronic research media. I was especially amazed at the 1940s tone of the chapter entitled, "Women and the Law," which speculated about the effect the increase in the number of women lawyers would have on the practice of law. The book contains a number of war stories from the 1800s and 1900s seemingly derived from biographies which add little to the substance of the book.

Average customer rating:

Used to be ok, now stale
The Insider's Guide to Law Firms
THIS BOOK IS SOOOO OUT OF DATE!
Better sources elsewhere
Good but not great

The Insider's Guide to Law Firms
Shelia V. Malkani , and Shelia, V Malkani
Manufacturer: Mobius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0963797077

Customer Reviews:

Used to be ok, now stale.......2001-08-05

This book had stale information when it came out years ago and now it appears that they don't plan to update it. I heeard that the original authors became embroiled in litigation and lost the rights to the book. Well it's a shame and it shows.

The Insider's Guide to Law Firms.......2000-07-04

This is the best review of the law firms for the prospective associate. In contrast to similar resources, its reviews do not merely parrot the happy-face PR from the firm's web page. There is a big difference between law firms that is difficult to ascertain from the firms' published materials or from a handful of half hour interviews -- every law student choosing between bigfirm jobs should read the Insider's Guide.

On the downside, the selection of firms which are reviewed is somewhat limited.

THIS BOOK IS SOOOO OUT OF DATE!.......2000-06-28

The information is this book is totally out of date and is approaching uselessness at this point. Try the Vault.com Guide to the Top Law Firms, or check out the Vault.com site, where all the law firms profiles are updated in real time.

Better sources elsewhere.......2000-06-25

The internet has essentially made this book obsolete since you can find more comprehensive research online. Also, heaven knows how they select the firms for the book since there are many very respectable firms that are unlisted.

Good but not great.......1999-01-31

I just graduated from HLS and I found this book to be pretty useful. Many of my classmates also used it. On balance, however, I'd say the Vault Reports guide was more useful. The Insider's Guide covers many firms, but the books sounds like it was written by law students -- a bit stilted and risk-adverse. The Vault Reports Guide was fresher and had deeper, edgier detail. In sum, I'd say both books are good efforts, but the Vault guide was my favorite.

Average customer rating:

The Insider's Guide To Law Firms

Manufacturer: Mobius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HCDEHC

Book Description

From guppies to Galapagos finches and from adaptive landscapes to haldanes, this compilation of contributed works provides reviews, perspectives, theoretical models, statistical developments, and empirical demonstrations exploring the tempo and mode of microevolution on contemporary to geological time scales. New developments, and reviews, of classic and novel empirical systems demonstrate the strength and diversity of evolutionary processes producing biodiversity within species. Perspectives and theoretical insights expand these empirical observations to explore patterns and mechanisms of microevolution, methods for its quantification, and implications for the evolution of biodiversity on other scales. This diverse assemblage of manuscripts is aimed at professionals, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates who desire a timely synthesis of current knowledge, an illustration of exciting new directions, and a springboard for future investigations in the study of microevolution in the wild.

Book Description

Britain, Ireland and their surrounding areas have a remarkably varied geology for so small a fragment of continental crust. This region contains a fine rock record from all the geological periods from Quaternary back to Cambrian, and a less continuous but still impressive catalogue of events back through nearly 2500 million years of Precambrian time. This protracted geological history would have been interesting enough to reconstruct if it had been played out on relatively stable continental crust. However, Britain and Ireland have developed instead at a tectonic crossroads, on crust traversed intermittently by subduction zones and volcanic arcs, continental rifts and mountain belts. The resulting complexity makes the geological history of this region at once fascinating and perplexing.Geological History of Britain and Ireland tells the geological story of the region at a level accessible to undergraduate geologists, as well as to postgraduates, professionals, or informed amateurs. The book takes a multi-disciplinary rather than a purely stratigraphical approach, and aims to bring to life the processes behind the catalogue of historical events. Full coverage is given to the rich Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic history, as well as to later events more relevant to hydrocarbon exploration. The book is profusely illustrated and contains guides to further reading and full references to data sources, making it an essential starting point for more detailed studies of the regional geology.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book for UK stratigraphy.......2005-09-01

I bought this book because it was reccomended by one of my stratigraphy lecturers. Normally I buy some of the textbooks I need for my course and then never look at them again because I find the lecture notes are adequate. This book was so good though that I used it almost all the time.

The maps and diagrams are very clear so it's easy to understand what they show and they offer a visual summary of the information contained in each chapter. The book covers a different geological age or an event (such as the Variscan Orogeny) in separate chapters. Each chapter provides detailed information on the different types of rocks that were formed and their characteristics, and the environment they were formed in. My only difficulty with this book is that it can be quite hard to use if you are looking for something specific because the text can jump around in places, but if you're taking a course in UK stratigraphy or palaeoenvironments then I reccomend this book fully.

Book Description

Provides an accessible resource on adaptive array fundamentals as well as coverage of adaptive algorithms and advanced topics
Analyses the performance of various wideband beamforming techniques in wideband array processing
Comprehensively covers implementation issues related to such elements as circular arrays, channel modelling and transmit beam forming, highlighting the challenges facing a designer during the development phase
Supports practical implementation considerations with detailed case studies on wideband arrays, radar, sonar and biomedical imaging, terrestrial wireless systems and satellite communication systems
Includes examples and problems throughout to aid understanding
Companion website features Solutions Manual, Matlab Programs and Electronic versions of some figures

Adaptive Array Systems is essential reading for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in the field of adaptive array systems. It will also have instant appeal to engineers and designers in industry engaged in developing and deploying the technology. This volume will also be invaluable to those working in radar, sonar and bio-medical applications.

Download Description

In the last fifty years, extensive studies have been carried out worldwide in the field of adaptive array systems. However, far from being a mature technology with little research left to tackle, there is seemingly unlimited scope to develop the fundamental characteristics and applications of adaptive antennas for future 3G and 4G mobile communications systems, ultra wideband wireless and satellite and navigation systems, and this informative text shows you how! Provides an accessible resource on adaptive array fundamentals as well as coverage of adaptive algorithms and advanced topics Analyses the performance of various wideband beamforming techniques in wideband array processing Comprehensively covers implementation issues related to such elements as circular arrays, channel modelling and transmit beam forming, highlighting the challenges facing a designer during the development phase Supports practical implementation considerations with detailed case studies on wideband arrays, radar, sonar and biomedical imaging, terrestrial wireless systems and satellite communication systems Includes examples and problems throughout to aid understanding Companion website features Solutions Manual, Matlab Programs and Electronic versions of some figures Adaptive Array Systems is essential reading for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in the field of adaptive array systems. It will also have instant appeal to engineers and designers in industry engaged in developing and deploying the technology. This volume will also be invaluable to those working in radar, sonar and bio-medical applications.

Adaptive Array Systems Fundamentals And Applications

Average customer rating:

Adaptive Array Systems Fundamentals And Applications
Mohammad Ghavami
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7KI8O

Average customer rating:

An Honest Loser

Join the club!

Better Than I Expected

Not a "hardcore" book!

East Village "High Fidelity"

The Losers Club: Complete Restored Edition!
Richard Perez
Manufacturer: Ludlow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember

post office: A Novel

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir

WILL@epicqwest.com: A Medicated Memoir

Women: A Novel

ASIN: 0971341559

Book Description

Set in downtown New York City, The Losers Club tells the story of Martin Sierra, an unlucky writer addicted to the personals. His journey brings us into the East Village, pre-9/11and in contact with Nikki, his dream woman, who remains unattainable romantically yet becomes his friend and confidant during his illuminating misadventures. Newly Restored Edition of Booksense 76 Pick.

Customer Reviews:

An Honest Loser.......2006-06-06

[...]

The story is about a down-on-his-luck writer named Martin who struggles not just with his craft, but also with a fruitless quest for love. He signs up for a voice-mail dating service that, of course, turns out to be a dead end. He also does some bar-hopping in a few odd and ostensibly quirky joints, with dismal results.

This book is bad, and not laughably bad, or moderately bad [...]. This book is insultingly bad. I'd like to count the ways, but there are far too many, so I will try to summarize, and as kindly as possible.

The writing, to put it mildly, is weak. Perez's style is hardly any style at all, unless you can call watered-down and clichéd a "style." Even the very few moments of the story that threaten to become interesting are dealt with so clumsily and pretentiously that they devolve into the same witless and lackluster mess that surrounds them.

But that's no mean feat, since the story itself is so contrived that it, literally, sounds as if it were composed of the weakest moments of some prepubescent bedroom fantasy. Martin's past, the women he meets, and his failures at work are all so bland and predictable that they make reading even this rather short book an excruciating chore.

Martin himself is a dull, inactive person. It is nigh impossible to sympathize with this person's struggles since he is so amazingly unlikable. He wanders through the story, wallowing in self-pity, exuding an ennui that is both colorless and uninspired, a textbook case of someone who treasures the miseries they've invented for themselves. The book is peppered with samples of Martin's writing, and considering their quality (think lots of eye-rolling references to dreams, darkness, love, and loss) it's no wonder he's never been published.

There is so much more. Consider the glossary of the Spanish terms that occasionally pop up in the book. Perhaps it's just an attempt at silliness, but the gesture comes across as more self-righteous than funny. [...] Consider the weird, distracting, and (above all else) very dumb footnotes.

I will end by pointing at the novel's attached "Guide for Book Discussion." I normally don't care for these. They seem to say, "Not only is this book so insightful that you'll want to discuss it with others, but its complexity and brilliance also means you won't even know where to start or what questions to ask." I'll grant that some books do fit that description, but The Losers' Club is far, far from it. The questions themselves point out the vacancy of the novel's inner themes. "How does Martin's life fail to meet his expectations?" "Describe Martin's relationship with Nikki."

Or, perhaps most fitting, "In what ways could the central character be considered a 'loser'?" I can think of many, and one of the biggest reasons is that his story is hardly worthy of the telling, especially when the telling is this bad.

Join the club!.......2005-09-01

One of the more unique novels to come out of the literary underground is Richard Perez's "Losers' Club," a captivating little novel about love, writing, clubs, and New York in the mid-90s. Gritty and edgy, it's also darkly funny (even hilarious). And in a peculiar way, very sweet and romantic.

Martin Sierra is a lonely aspiring writer in a dull, uninspiring job. He's searching for a woman he can talk to, a friend as well as a lover. And he has met that woman -- and she is Nikki, a bisexual gal struggling through the end of a dying lesbian relationship. They hang around the glittering clubs and bars of New York's nightlife, perfectly in sync, except for Nikki's lingering sense of guilt that she shouldn't be growing so close to Marty.

Marty's addiction to the personal ads reaps a pair of promising responses: Lola, full of rage and anger, and with a disturbing personal life; and Amaris, a gothic "creature of the night" with morbid interests (she once let a vampire gal suck her bleeding finger), and who has flings with the students she teaches. Martin's professional and personal life takes several strange twists, leading him to where he should have gone all along.

The New York of "Losers' Club" is a stained semiprecious stone. A superficial glittering mass of bars and clubs, full of people who expect no more from it. The inhabitants are all at least a little loserish, but intriguingly so (say what you will about Amaris, she ain't boring!). Transsexuals, goths and vampires, angry artists, frustrated writers, guys on eighteen-inch-glow-in-the-dark platform shoes, and some people who just like to hang out and watch Andy Warhol flicks. Despite the downbeat title, this is a genuinely funny, witty book (the most hilarious part is the collection of ad replies that poor Marty wades through -- some stupid, some discouraging, and some that are just creepy).

The newly restored edition is radically different from the original, however -- large chunks have been put back into the narrative, which takes away the stripped-down feel. But it gives it better flow and more insight into the characters, and in the end it's worth sacrificing the "minimalist" style. There's also some extras at the back: a book discussion club guide ("In what ways might the main character be perceived as a 'loser'?"), some related writings, and an intelligent interview with Perez sprinkled with literary references.

Perez's writing and study of his characters is reminiscent of 80s writers like Jay McInerney (except sprinkled with some very nice poetry). Maybe Dave Sedaris on acid. But he's not so busy appealing to readers' sense of cool that he forgets to keep them emotionally involved. Flashbacks reveal Marty's past with his mentally-ill, abusive mother, whom he harbors a sort of sadness for. Little flashes of dialogue reveal a lot about the characters' souls, and what kind of people they are. (Like whether they believe in fate, or talk to tombstones.)

It's hard not to like Marty. He aspires for something like happiness, and seems unable to reach it. But he is the sort who'll find it eventually. Nikki is a good balance of the realistic and idealistic -- while Marty sees her as all but perfect, we see she has doubts and insecurities too. Lola and Amaris are, in a way, enigmas -- we only see hints of what they're really like, and we learn about them as Marty does.

"The Losers' Club" leaves the reader with a sense of bittersweetness. An unusual and compelling little novel, an unconventional story about love. It will leave you with a smile -- not a grin, but a little smile.

Better Than I Expected.......2005-08-27

Honestly, I purchased this with A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, expecting this to be the lesser novel, but as it turns out I enjoyed it more. Was it the British vernacular that got on my nerves after a while? I can't say for sure.

Okay, about The Loser's Club: Complete Restored Whatever. It's a bohemian/coming-of-age novel of sorts that brings to mind a number of books: Hornby's High Fidelity, Carrol's Basketball Diaries, Miller's Tropic of Cancer, while being unique to itself.

As the novel begins, the protagonist appears to be in a late-twenty-something crises. Hating his wage-slave job and without a significant other, he's starting to agonize over his life choices. Wallowing in a crises of faith, he is beginning to realize he's truly lost. Martin is a poet and writer, who remains unpublished, and each day in plucking rejection letters from his mailbox, he is reminded of his invisibility and insignificance.

Only Nikki, his best friend, appears to have faith in him, bolstering Martin as he continues to lose heart. In this, the reader begins to understand how Nikki becomes the center of his universe. She, too, is a writer, someone who "understands." She not only provides emotional support, and something of a social education, but hope. So, why aren't these two very compatible people together? Life offers a myriad of complications. And apparently Nikki is involved in an ambiguous relationship with "Mariella," another woman.

At Nikki's prodding Martin involves himself with the downtown personal ads. As the setting is New York City in the late 1990s, these are printed ads in a local newspaper. Martin's involvement with the ads, his neurotic dependence on them, takes up most of the novel. Two of the women, Lola, an East Village painter and Amaris, a gothic dominatrix become supporting characters in the narrative, and I won't go into Martin's misadventures with them, but let's just say that things get lively.

Other people have called this a fun novel, and I agree. It reminds me of High Fidelity only in that we have a character who is self-consciously aware that he may be living a life of protracted adolescence. But isn't that always the case with creative people? Yes, Martin feels like a loser, but, as we find out, so does everyone else in this novel.

Bukowski plays a small part in this book, as the one idol who personifies survival. Martin drinks and has imaginary conversations with the man. As "the poet laureate of skid row" Martin looks up to him, clinging onto the last vestiges of hope.

One last thing I should say about The Loser's Club is that it's a fast read, heavy on dialogue, and mostly very funny. In the end, I'm glad I picked it up. As for the S/M scene between Martin and Amaris ... let's just say it's amusingly depicted and I doubt that many will be offended.

Not a "hardcore" book!.......2005-08-24

Despite the gritty cover and the setting of New York City, this is not an angry book. It's a romance between outsiders, if anything. The romance between Martin and Nikki, between the author and pre-9/11 downtown New York City; if you're expecting nihilism a la "Less Than Zero" you'll be disappointed. It's actually a sweet book in many ways: a romantic comedy, with some urban profanity. A portrait of a time and place, and a coming of age novel. Contains virtually no violence. It's also a light read; those expecting literary density will be disappointed. This book falls somewhere between "Bright Lights, Big City," "A Working Stiff's Manifesto," and "High Fidelity."

East Village "High Fidelity".......2005-08-19

This is a "guy" relationship book. Martin Sierra, an unpublished poet who idolizes Bukowski, can't catch a break. Nearing the age of 30, he's still desperately clinging to his dream of being a writer, though all he has to show for his efforts, so far, is a mountain of rejection letters. Unlike a Bukowski character, however, Martin is the sensitive, shy type; so along with his lack of literary success, his dead end "non-career," he can't find a date. His best and maybe only friend is a woman who takes on the big sister role, advising him as he tries to negotiate the surreal world of personal ads and the downtown singles scene.

The format reminded me a little of Fante's "Ask The Dust." Short chapters, lively characters, and a willful main character made this an entertaining read. Parts reminded me of "High Fidelity," and "Sex Lies and videotape." I enjoyed this fun book.

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