Insecure Times: Living with Insecurity in Contemporary Society

Average customer rating:
Insecure Times: Living with Insecurity in Contemporary Society
John Vail
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MV4DFA

Book Description

The process of social policy formation in emerging market economies has only recently gained the attention of researchers. In the wake of the implementation of broad reforms based on macroeconomic stabilization, market liberalization, and enterprise privatization, questions arose as to why the outcomes for working people in those nations have been less than hoped for. Poverty, inequality, and joblessness remain widespread. The connection between economic reform and social policy, and why such reforms failed to produce the tide needed to lift all boats, is the subject of this book from Ethan B. Kapstein and Branko Milanovic.

In Income and Influence: Social Policy in Emerging Market Economies, the authors argue that the pattern of social policy in developing countries is determined by two key factors: the domestic political influence of formal sector workers (who provide the most substantial roadblock to reform), and the absolute income level (gross domestic product per capita) of the emerging market economy being studied.

Kapstein and Milanovic study the implementation of social programs in post-Communist countries (where socialist policies once predominated) and in Third World countries that have only recently found the financial capital necessary to support such programs. Specifically, they examine three major economic crises of recent decades that sparked interest in the process of economic reform, structural adjustment, and social policy; those are: 1) the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s; 2) the postcommunist transition; and 3) the Asian financial crisis. The authors also focus on what they call "the most influential social policy innovations to emerge from the developing world": Chilean pension reform and unemployment insurance in Korea.

The main purpose of social safety net programs in developing economies, say Kapstein and Milanovic, is to help smooth the consumption patterns of those formal sector workers who feared that economic liberalization would reduce their incomes and job prospects. It is these workers, say the authors, who lobbied their governments most effectively for social insurance, and it is their concerns that have been at the top of the social policy agenda in their countries. They spend their political capital on programs that protect income, therefore it is not surprising to see progressive pension reforms and unemployment compensation - two programs that do not benefit the poorest workers or those toiling in the informal economy - being implemented.

Kapstein and Milanovic conclude by proposing a set of policy recommendations and priorities for governments and international institutions that would help redirect and achieve the goals of social policy development in developing economies.

Customer Reviews:

How safety nets smooth consumption without helping the poor.......2004-11-02

I rarely delve into detailed descriptions of the structural mechanics of poverty, so this is an inexpert forray into the literature, but I would like to briefly recommend Income & Influence a book of less than 100 pages that covers the last few decades of unemployment and welfare policy in Latin America and southern Asia. Focusing on the awkward nexus between national interest group politics and international interest group pressures, the authors explain deficiencies in the sparse safety nets spread to "smooth consumption patterns" in the economic classes that were hardest hit by the "shock therapy" transition to open markets. These safety nets, particularly unemployment benefits and pension reform, reached only the politically organized labor sectors that had been relatively well-off before the transition period - leaving behind the more profoundly impoverished, chronically unemployed masses, and protecting only a politically aggressive cross-section of the middle class. This is hardly new information, but the book is worth a glance for two reasons: (1) it's very short and clearly written, accessible to non-economists like myself, and (2) in the first chapter, it quickly describes several partially overlapping economic theories about the causal relationships between income disparities and free trade, in a refreshingly non-ideological and straight-forward way. Anyone who has ever tried to muddle through a Foreign Affairs article on the subject will find these pages (7-11) interesting, and the comparative analyses that follow seem enlightened and insightful.

Book Description

Syndicalism in action. Another forgotten gem of working class history and self-organization brought back to life from those rather fine KSL folks.

The Italian Glass Blowers Takeover of 1910

Average customer rating:

The Italian Glass Blowers Takeover of 1910
Odon Por
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUEFAO

Book Description

I was picking up my uniform at the dry cleaner.

The toll both wouldn't take credit cards so I was delayed with paperwork.

It was my turn to empty the dishwasher.

Book Description

Complete note-for-note guitar transcriptions of 10 classic recordings, in standard notation and tablature. Full vocal parts. Includes: Scarborough Fair, 59th Street Bridge Song, Peace Like A River, Late Johnny Ace, and Kathy's Song.

Customer Reviews:

Good Old Paul Simon.......2007-09-26

I am in awe of Mr Paul Simon and his great work in his music.

This book is awesome with great explanations and great tabs, esp for an amateur like me. Dabbing in music without a guitar instructor, poses to be ardous, but with such a good book I could decipher the tabs quite easily.

Thank you for having such a great book!

Simply A Great Book!.......2004-12-28

The author Mark Hanson gets much well-deserved praise for his books, cds, dvds, and teaching style from folks on the guitar web forums I visit. This word of mouth led me to try his Beyond Basics Fingerstyle Guitar book/cd combination. Which led me to buy his The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking book/cd combo and his Fingerstyle Solo Guitar dvd. I found all of these to be excellent learning tools. In his Paul Simon Transcribed, it's much of the same again: great instruction! This isn't a beginner's book. You have to know something going in. He prefaces each song with a page telling you about the tune itself and the technique for how it should be played. Both the standard music notation and the tablature for each song are presented clearly and in detail. And fortunately for me, as I am unable to read music, the tablature shows the timing/beat/rhythm of the song: without that I'd be lost. One final gushing comment: this is an excellent book which could only have been better if it had included an audio cd to hear how the songs should be properly played. Enough said!

The Real Deal.......2004-05-07

If you want authentic transcriptions, this is the book for you. I have every Paul Simon guitar book of note, and this is the only one with real recorded-version tabs; lamentably, it lacks some of Simon's wonderful flourishes, but it is by far the best Paul Simon guitar book available. Each song includes a page of Mark Hanson's performance instructions/notes that are genuinely helpful and informative. The music ranges from early intermediate ("Bookends") to intermediate advanced--the more difficult arrangements (like "Hearts and Bones") are much too demanding for a real beginner. But if you have decent fingerpicking abilities and want a book to grow with, this would be a great choice. A true 5-star selection. If it had included "The Boxer" and "April Come She Will," I would be a happy man.

Great book, Buy this now.......2003-03-19

This is a great book, it includes the music in both notation and tab. The transcriptions are perfect, they are exactly what is on the recording. The best part about the book is that for each song, there is a page or two describing how to finger each chord (some of the songs are really hard to play if you use "normal" fingering, if you use the alternate fingering he suggests, you can do the chord switches MUCH easier!)

Using this book, I had Bookends and Scarborough Fair down in two days!

The only thing preventing me from giving this book a 5 : It had some songs I didn't know, and was missing two songs I really wanted : The Boxer, and Sounds of Silence.

Finally, a good Paul Simon tab book--You'll learn *so* much!.......2001-07-07

There are so many guitar books for Simon and Garfunkel, and until I saw this book, I was convinced that they were all useless.

This book has really accurate transcriptions, obviously done by someone who has a personal interest in Paul Simon's guitar playing; it shows in the song selection.

If you don't know how to play Kathy's Song, Overs, Peace Like a River, 59th St Bridge Song, Scarborough Fair, American Tune (and some others), this is a great, great book. You will learn so much from this book. The two part vocal harmonies are transcribed too, for the relevant songs.

I just wish the book could've been longer (keep an eye out for Brad Priddy's web page), but there was enough material in this book to keep me going for at least 9 months.

Book Description

Barbara Browning follows the trail of "infectious rhythm" from the ecstatic percussion of a Brazilian carnival group to the eerily silent video image of the LAPD beating a man like a drum. Throughout, she identifies the metaphoric strain of contagion which both celebrates the diasporic spread of African culture, and serves as the justification for its brutal repression.

HIV emerged as a pathogen simultaneously with increased Western anxieties over the risks of other forms of "contagion": accelerated economic, cultural and migrational flows around the globe. And while it may seem clear that one pandemic is painfully literal, the others figurative, they were quickly associated with one another. In fact, economic exploitation, cultural exchange, and disease are interrelated--but Africanness is hardly the deadly pathogen.

Artists in the diaspora often recuperate the notion of African "infection" by suggesting that diasporic culture is contagious, irresistible--but vital, life-giving and productive. The essays in this book examine both the vital and violent ways in which recent associations have been made between the AIDS pandemic and African diasporic cultural practices, including religious worship, music, dance, sculpture, painting, orature, literature and film.

While pointing to the lengthy and complex history of the metaphor of African contagion, Browning argues that in its politicized, life-affirming embodiment, the figure might actually teach us to respond to epidemia humanely.

Customer Reviews:

INCREDIBLE.......1999-04-05

Barbara Browning is the best. Read this book

Average customer rating:
The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the Production of Doctor Who (Dr Who Telos)
David J Howe , Stephen James Walker , and Mark Stammers
Manufacturer: Telos Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Reference | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Doctor Who | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

About Time 1: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who - Seasons 1 to 3 (About Time Series) (About Time Series)

About Time 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 7 to 11) (About Time)

About Time 4: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (About Time; The Unauthorized Guide to Dr. Who (Mad Norwegian Press))

Doctor Who - The Invasion

Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series

ASIN: 1903889596
Release Date: 2005-05-19

Book Description

The complete guide to the production of Doctor Who from 1963 to 1996 - in one bumper volume! On their first publication, the Doctor Who Handbooks were hailed for their comprehensive behind the scenes exploration of the BBC's cult science fiction show Doctor Who. Now collected in a revised and updated edition, this book is the definitive guide to the background and production of a television classic. Authors David J Howe, Stephen James Walker and Mark Stammers spent a decade researching, and then a decade writing this acclaimed and in-depth look at the background to Doctor Who. Every Doctor's era is examined through articles and analysis, key decisions are documented, and the people involved in these decisions interviewed or quoted to create one of the most revealing behind the scenes books on the trials and tribulations of arguably the greatest cult show ever to grace Saturday evening television. Includes extensive interview quotes from all eight television Doctors, many of the actors and actresses who played their faithful companions, and literally dozens of production team members - producers, script editors, directors, designers and other behind-the-scenes staff - who brought the original series and the 1996 TV movie to the screen over a period of some thirty-three years. Features articles on the Doctor, his companions, the effects, the locations, the costume design, the script editing, the mythos behind the series and much, much more. Includes detailed script to screen examinations of one story from each for the first seven Doctors' eras, analysis of the media attention given to the series, plus an exhaustive breakdown of the production of the first three years of the show.

Book Description

Almost 100% of all Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies use Citrix. This book covers the new release to Citrix MetaFrame and how companies can deploy it in their disaster recovery plans.

Server Based Computing has been established as a solid networking model for any size business. Why? Because it guarantees cost savings, fast deployment, scalability, performance, security and fast recoverability. Think "mainframe," but updated, pretty, shiny, and effective! Server based computing is the mainframe with a vengeance. Terminal Server and Citrix MetaFrame offer the advantages of the old mainframe coupled with the benefits, gadgets, and appeal of the personal computer.

* Manage applications from a central location and access them from anywhere

* Build scalable, flexible, and secure access solutions that reduce computing costs and increase the utility of your network

* The first book that covers Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 and Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services

Customer Reviews:

Mainly fluff here.......2006-03-14

I was very disappointed in this book, as there really isn't much detail. The entire book basically walks you through installing MPS and ICA Clients WITH THE DEFAULT SETTINGS!!! In short, it is mainly just screenshot after screenshot of default settings and "Click Next to Continue".

Even the chapter on "Configuring Policies" is mainly just screenshots with some text below each one repeating what is displayed in the screen capture.

Definitely not worth the price; spend your money elsewhere.

Also, one of the 5 star reviews is by ONE OF THE AUTHORS (and I would bet that the other is a friend of one of the authors) therefore that is the reason the the number of stars is as high as it is.

Lots of fluff.......2005-08-18

This was not what I expected. So far I have read 400 pages and have not gained very much. There is a lot of procedures on how to install each component. Do we really need screen shots of every license agreement? Lots of filler here... If you're looking for something with technical detail, then look for a different book. Was not worth the money.

Excellent Citrix Metaframe PS 3.0 Deployment book.......2005-05-17

This book provides an excellent source for deploying MFPS 3.0. It covers all the basics required for a successful deployment including: new Win 2003 TS features, scaling, migrations, client devices, client deployment, secured connectivity and secured environments. As a veteran of Citrix since WinFrame, I can honestly say that this book will prove useful for all skill levels.

Content is based on real-world issues.......2005-05-04

As one of the authors I now for a fact that much of this book was taken from first-hand experience with real-world issues resolved in Citrix environments I have worked in. Many factors play a part in designing and deploying a sound MetaFrame infrastructure that has capacity to support all types of end-users. This book covers as much of what you need to know that any single book can.

Customer Reviews:

Makers of Modern Strategy .......2005-09-22

"Makers of Modern Strategy" is a scholarly collection of high quality papers on strategy since Machiavelli to the present nuclear age. The beauty of the book is that one can focus on the era that one is interested in. There is no need to read the book cover to cover as the various essays are stand alone although they are presented sequentially and related papers are adjacent to each other. I have read and re-read some of the papers. The book is about strategy and the realities of war. The essays are clearly balanced and not biased. The phenomenon of war was clearly explained from the studies of past wars. It is clear that war has been a fundamental reality of social and political existence from an early stage of political organisation to the present times. The tragic aspects of war and the intellectual and emotional disturbances it creates could be discerned from the essays.

The book is divided into the following five parts:

Part One: The Origins of Modern War.
Part Two: The Expansion of war
Part Three: From the Industrial Revolution to the First World War.
Part Four: From the First to the Second World War.
Part Five: Since 1945.

The eminent contributors include Peter Paret, Felix Gilbert, John Shy, Gordon A. Craig, Maurice Matloff, Condoleezza Rice, Lawrence Freadman, Michael Carver and D. Clayton James. Their essays showed the role of force in the relations between states. It is now very clear to me that war has always been a compound of many elements ranging from politics to technology, to human emotions under extreme stress. Strategy is one of the critical elements of war.

The various essays trace the ideas and actions of past generations, as they used war to achieve their national goals, an analysis of military thought and policy in the recent past and present

My favourite part is Part Two. Here three great historical figures are highlighted namely Napoleon, Jomini and Clausewitz. I can now see the genius of Napoleon as one of the greatest soldiers in history in its proper strategic context. I think history need to rescue Jomini from the obscurity he is now relegated since it is largely him who has clearly related the greatness of Napoleon and the attempt to reduce war to some sort of science.

Makers of Modern Strategy add immense value to any study of warfare and strategy. I recommend it to Army Staff Colleges and those studying military history at postgraduate level.

Mandatory Reading for Army Staff Majors.......2002-03-13

As the title indicates, the Army's Command & General Staff College requires students to read Makers of Modern Strategy in the core history class. Professors can make best use of this book as a supplement. As other reviewers have noted, the chapters are disjointed with each other. Taken separately, however, many of the chapters help the history student or enthusiast to develop a depth of understanding on a particular subject. Authors such as John Shy, Douglas Porch, Michael Howard, and Condoleeza Rice, just to name a few, explore many of the strategic issues involved with the evolution of military thought.

From Machiavelli and Clausewitz to strategies of world wars and colonial wars, Makers of Modern Strategy adds value to any serious study of warfare. The high quality academic research and thought that underlies many of the articles is worth the price of the book. Highly recommended.

Good general military history overview........2001-03-05

One of the essentials, a good starting point for the study of military history and strategy.

Still, this is a good book............2000-08-12

Although I agree with the reviewer preceeding me that this might not be as strong of a book as was the masterpiece which preceeded it (by Earle), it is still a strong book and does (generally) what it sets out to do: to provide an accounting of major developments in military thought (i.e. western military thought) from the Renassance to the modern age.

As a text or as a reference, this is still a powerful and useful book. Each of the chapters discusses a major figure's thought in a fashion that can be dealt with easily in a sitting: for those people who don't want to sit and sort through Jomini (though everyone reading this should sit down with Clausewitz! ) or Douhet, to see their rights and wrongs....

I like this book. I bought my copy for $8.00 in NYC and have had it with me through a number of moves since....

Newer is Not Necessarily Better.......2000-07-18

This second version of the book is disappointing. I would have thought that it being edited by an historian as good as Peter Paret would have improved on the original, which was edited by Robert Earle. However, it is weaker both in scholarship and accuracy, especially John Shy's essay on Jomini. Old myths are resurrected about the Swiss renegade whose own works are generally historically inaccurate.

Many of the older, more professional, historians, who are unfortunately no longer with us were much more careful in their research and writing, hunting down sources that newer historians either refuse to look for or refuse to use. they also were more blunt, calling a spade a spade, and weren't worried about offending people or in 'revisionist' (read inaccurate) history. Political correctness was unknown to these stalwarts.

Books of this type are highly useful. If you are looking for this particular volume, get the first version edited by Earle, even if you have to go looking in second hand book stores or on the internet in used book services. I did, and it is well worth the effort.

Average customer rating:
Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age
Paret Peter
Manufacturer: Princeton UP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UDDUIQ

Average customer rating:
Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age (Paperback)
Peter Paret
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKZMX6

Average customer rating:
MAKERS OF MODERN STRATEGY FROM MACHIAVELLI TOT HE NUCLEAR AGE

Manufacturer: Princeton Univ. Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQIJWY

Average customer rating:
Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, By Paret
Peter Paret
Manufacturer: Princeton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KK08RU

Book Description

"Flayhart delivers a gripping chronicle of mishap and mayhem . . . filled with danger and heroism and rich with detail."—Sea Power

A colorful and deadly history of ocean liner disasters from the mid-nineteenth century to the present., Disaster at Sea is a chronicle of the most frightening episodes in the maritime history of the North Atlantic. From 1850 to the present day, the Atlantic has been home to hundreds of ocean liners and cruise ships, each more lavish than the last...all of them symbols of wealth and luxury. Perhaps this is why readers have always been fascinated by the lives of these ships—and their deaths. Many of us know the stories of the Titanic and the Lusitania. Both tragedies caused tremendous loss of life, even as they made the ships immortal. But there are many little-known accounts of extraordinary survivals at sea, such as the Inman and International liner City of Chicago that jammed her bow into an Irish peninsula in 1892 but stayed afloat long enough for all to be rescued, or the City of Richmond that survived a dangerous fire in 1891, and a year earlier the City of Paris, whose starboard engine exploded at full speed in the mid-Atlantic and yet miraculously still made port. Often such tales are forgotten even if the ship sank: In 1898 the Holland-America liner Veendam hit a submerged wreck and sank at sea, but all lives were saved—so this vessel's dramatic story seemed less important in maritime history than incidents involving human loss. As recently as 2000, the Sea Breeze I sank off the East Coast of the United States while on a positioning voyage, but all her crew members were rescued in a heroic effort by U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. These stories and many others are dramatic, and acclaimed maritime scholar William Flayhart has spent much of the last forty years in search of material from which to create colorful narratives.

Author of The American Line: 1871-1902 and coauthor of Majesty at Sea and the first edition of QE2, Flayhart retells classic ocean liner disaster stories while bringing to light never-before-published but compelling episodes in man's ongoing battle with the sea. 26 illustrations. Originally published in hardcover under the title Perils of the Atlantic.

Customer Reviews:

Riveting!.......2007-09-26

I seldom go in for non-fiction literary works. However, Dr. William Flayhart III was one of my professors when I attended Delaware State University. His classes were always interesting and he had the uncanny ability of making history seem alive.

One day I was talking to some people about professors who had caught my interest and imagination when I attend college, and Dr. Flayhart came up in the conversation. I told the people I was talking to that I had heard he had written some books, so I did a search on Amazon. The Amazon search listed several books written by Dr. Flayhart. I decided to purchase a couple to see if they were as interesting as the history classes I had taken with Dr. Flayhart in the early 70s.

I have to tell you that I have read this book and at times have found it hard to put down. Each chapter is about a different disaster and Dr. Flayhart has managed to capture the details and at times made me feel as if I were on the ships he writes about. Even though the book is rich in detail, it is woven through each chapter to make it part of the story, so you never get the feeling that Dr. Flayhart is just reciting a list of ship specifications, loss of life, or shipping loses.

I highly recommend this book. I think that if you are interested in disasters at sea that involve steam ships making the North Atlantic crossing, you will find this book a real prize.

A page-turner!!.......2006-12-03

It's hard to put this book down!! As a writer of history, William Flayhart is magnetic. His style is compelling and informative. He offers a wealth of researched information to help us understand how these disasters happened, and keeps us involved as we read. I have read several accounts of the Titanic disaster, but found that Flayhart put forth information I had not read before. I will be anxious to read more of his work.

Can't put it down.......2006-01-19

This book contains 21 infamous ship wrecks in the Atlantic from 1850 to the present. Its well written and hard to put down. Stories come alive and I sometimes feel like I'm on one of these ships sailing from Liverpool to New York. Its amazing to see how most of these shipwrecks could have been prevented if crews were not so careless. Kudos to the author.

Average customer rating:
Natural Eloquence: Women Reinscribe Science (Science and Literature Series)

Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary Theory | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 029915484X

Average customer rating:
Natural Eloquence: Women Reinscribe Science
Barbara T. Gates
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS1LYM

Average customer rating:
Natural Eloquence: Women Reinscribe Science.
Barbara T. Gates
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M429ZI

Average customer rating:
Natural Eloquence: Women Reinscribe Science.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICKLC2

Book Description

The ozone layer is threatened by chemical emissions, the climate is endangered from fossil fuels and deforestation, and global biodiversity is being lost by reason of thousands of years of habitat conversions. Global environmental problems arise out of the accumulated impacts from many years' and many countries' economic development. In order to address these problems the states of the world must cooperate to manage their development processes together - this is what international environmental agreements are designed to do. But can the world's countries cooperate successfully to manage global development? How should they manage it? Who should pay for the process, as well as for the underlying problems?

This book presents an examination of both the problems and the processes underlying international environmental lawmaking: the recognition of international interdependence, the negotiation of international agreements and the evolution of international resource management. It examines the general problem of global resource management by means of general principles and case studies and by looking at how and why specific negotiations and agreements have failed to achieve their targets.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books