AP Macroeconomics/Microeconomics, 2004 Edition: An Apex Learning Guide (Ap Macroeconomics/Microeconomics (Kaplan))

Book Description

This book is devoted to investment decision-making under uncertainty. The book covers three basic approaches to this process: The stochastic dominance approach; the mean-variance approach; and the non-expected utility approach, focusing on prospect theory and its modified version, cumulative prospect theory.

These approaches are discussed and compared in this book. In addition, this volume examines cases in which stochastic dominance rules coincide with the mean-variance rule and cases in which contradictions between these two approaches may occur. It then discusses the relationship between stochastic dominance rules and prospect theory, and establishes a new investment decision rule which combines the two and which we call prospect stochastic dominance. Although all three approaches are discussed, most of the book is devoted to the stochastic dominance paradigm.

Book Description

This book draws together the seminal contributions to the literature on the nature of macroeconomics in open economies and illuminates the material by using:
* explanatory introductions to each piece
* discussion questions
* suggestions for further reading
* reference to the key journal articles
* boxed key terms.
This is an essential guide to the subject for students, as commented upon by the most influential commentators.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading for Open Economy Macroeconomics.......2003-08-08

Dr Ugur's edited book on open economy macroeconomics is a long-waited and impressive textbook in many ways. It is not only a well-organized and enticing textbook for intermediate and advanced macroeconomics, but also a good example of combining knowledge with teaching experience. The book is also good in introducing the students to seminal contributions as well as current debate in open economy (international) macroeconomics. What makes the book different from the other textbooks is that it "... aims to go beyond the closed-economy framework of the open economy macroeconomics textbooks and incorporate theory into policy design and implementation rather than other way around." And it does very succesfully.

The book contains fifteen chapters organized araound nine themed parts containing almost all issues in current open economy (international) macroeconomics -except for stabilization policy issues specific to developing countries. Each of the nine themed sections contains an introduction (which lays the theoretical and historical background relevant to the issues covered), questions for discussion, suggestions for further reading, and a very extensive list of references. These editorial features enhance the book's role as a textbook and makes it an essential source for open economy macroeconomics reading.

Dr Ugur's own chapters on the Mundell-Flemming model and the theory of macroeconomic policy-making are innovative and constitute significant contributions to the debate on these issues.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend this exceptional open economy macroeconomics reader as an essential source of teaching and reading, and also as a useful guide to policy-making isuues in open economies.

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Humorous sports anecdotes to make you look good.

Talkin' Sports: A B.S.-er's Guide
Pat O'Brien
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0679778187
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com

Finally, a book for those who think that a pitcher's ERA refers to his stand on the Equal Rights Amendment. The next time talk in the office turns to March Madness or the Fall Classic, thanks to veteran sports writer Pat O'Brien and his guide for the not-so-sports-literate, you'll know which sport your colleagues are talking about. According to the author, your friends will be entirely convinced you know your stuff as long as you say something about a team's "returning starters," and you'll earn instant respect by muttering statements like "I wouldn't want to face Coach K in the sweet sixteen...." This silly, irreverent book is packed with arguably useful sports information that will allow you to save face when the so-called sports experts start piping up, and it's ideal for the nonfan who couldn't care less about sports but refuses to admit it--at least in public! --Lance Judd

Book Description

Why should politicians get to do all the lying? Yes, sports fans can spin, especially with a little help from Pat O'Brien, a guy who can convincingly expound on any game, even if he doesn't know the rules. It's not that O'Brien isn't up to speed--he's a veritable encyclopedia of sports lore--it's just that even he gets cornered sometimes and needs to get out fast.
What if a fan asks about that big trade between the Maple Leafs and the Canucks? Instead of saying "Huh?" you can sound erudite: "You know, the great thing about hockey is that it's always changing." What do you do when the office smart aleck starts blathering about that Monday Night Football game you couldn't bear to watch? Blindside him: "That was nothing compared to the fourth-quarter drive the Jets ran in 1967 against Oakland--remember?"
Hilarious, irreverent, and packed with downright useful ammunition for picking up a date or picking a fight--and perfect for anyone who wants to shoot it like one of the pros--Talkin' Sports is for every sports fan who wants to win the battle of the bull.

Customer Reviews:

Humorous sports anecdotes to make you look good........1998-06-05

Not only is Pat O'Brien an excellent broadcaster, he knows HOW to tell a story. This book is loaded with sports anecdotes to keep up with your sports fanatic friends. Organized by month so that you can easily find an appropriate story beforehand, O'Brien helps you recall unforgettable moments in sports that will make you sound just like an expert.

Book Description

This book provides a concise and practical introduction to choral techniques and conducting for potential choral conductors. The author-America's premier choral conductor, mentored by Robert Shaw-brings 43 years of teaching and workshop experience to this book.

Customer Reviews:

Choral Concepts: A "perfect" guide.......2005-10-18

Some of the tips, or advice given in this book is impractical. This is how to teach chorus in a PERFECT setting, not necessarily in the real world. Although, some of the concepts and advice are easy to adapt for a typical public school choir.

Easily the best choral techniques text to date........2003-06-10

Don Neuen details almost everything any conductor needs to know about dealing with singers. From latin pronunciation to rehearsal planning to tone production to ensemble seating arrangements, this text absolutely has it all, including the most to-the-point discussion of physical conducting technique I've ever heard or read.

Neuen presents not only techniques and concepts, but a philosophy of conducting that he's refined over his long and illustrious career. After taking three conducting classes with him and recently playing Benjamin Britten's War Requiem (Bass and Eb clarinets) under him, I can honestly say that his conducting technique is crystal clear, yet extraordinarily emotive, his rehearsal style is fast and efficient, and his knowledge of the score is profound.

The book is logically ordered, clearly illustrated, and passionate about its subject - a refreshing break from texts more concerned with being steeped in academea than with helping students quickly grasp difficult concepts.

It doesn't matter if you're working with a band, orchestra, chamber ensemble, or choir - if you're going to conduct, do yourself (and your ensemble) a favor - read this book.

Book Description

This long-awaited revision of what has now become the classic text in medical anthropology contains a wealth of new material on subjects as diverse as aging, creativity, and ideology. Originally cited in American Anthropologist as "must reading for all medical anthropologists, physicians, advanced medical anthropology students and advanced medical students," this new edition should prove twice as valuable. It is both a comprehensive introduction to the rapidly growing field of medical anthropology and a state-of-the-art reference work. The authors bring new perspectives to our understanding of both Western and non-Western medicine, from the biochemical and physiological aspects of health care in preindustrialized cultures to cultural and ideological factors inherent in past and present Western medical care. New chapters focus on ethnobotany, placebo and pain, shamanism, and psychiatry. The contributors to this volume examine the acculturation process of healer, physician, and patient in diverse cultural settings. They explore the social and cultural context of medical events as well as the process of medical thought and problem solving. Medicine, they illustrate, embraces or is embraced by both the cultural and biological dimensions of mankind. From this perspective they show how human belief, knowledge, and action structure the experience of disease and affect ways in which doctors, healers, and patients experience illness and influence the matrix of decision making. This book is essential for students and professionals in anthropology, medicine, and all social science.

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT!!!.......2002-05-21

Fantastic Book. Very Thorough and Interesting. Very well written. I highly recommend it!

EXCELLENT!!!.......2002-05-21

Fantastic Book. Very Thorough and Interesting. Very well written. I highly recommend it!

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MEDICINE: FROM CULTURE TO METHOD

Average customer rating:

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MEDICINE: FROM CULTURE TO METHOD
Lola Romanucci-Ross
Manufacturer: Abbey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEJLTI

Average customer rating:

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MEDICINE: FROM CULTURE TO METHOD

Manufacturer: Bergin and Garvey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GP3HDG

Book Description

Since its initial publication in 1978, Stay Tuned has been recognized as the most comprehensive and useful single-volume history of American broadcasting and electronic media available. This third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to bring the story of American broadcasting forward to the 21st century, affording readers not only the history of the most important and pervasive institution affecting our society, but also providing a contextual transition to the Internet and other modern media.

The enthusiasm of authors Christopher H. Sterling and John Michael Kittross is apparent as they lead readers through the development of American electronic mass media, from the first electrical communication (telegraph and telephone); through radio and television; to the present convergence of media, business entities, programming, and delivery systems, including the Internet. Their presentation is engaging, as well as informative, promoting an interest in history and making the connections between the developments of yesterday and the industry of today.

Features of this third edition include:
*chronological and topical tables of contents;
*new material reflecting modern research in the field;
*a new chapter describing historical developments from 1988 through to the current day;
*an expanded bibliography, including Web site and museum listings;
*an updated and expanded glossary and chronology; and
*extensive statistical data of the development of television and radio stations, networks, advertising, programming, audiences, and other aspects of broadcasting.

Designed for use in undergraduate and graduate courses on the history of American mass media, broadcasting, and electronic media, Stay Tuned also fits well into mass communication survey courses as an introduction to electronic media topics. As a chronicle of American broadcasting, this volume is also engaging reading for anyone interested in old radio, early television, and the origins and development of American broadcasting.

Customer Reviews:

A must for every renderman user but dated........2001-06-09

For a long time this was the one and only reference book available to users and without it I would still be trying to decipher the Renderman documentation from Pixar.

Much of the content in the book describes the C programming API used to write programs to create computer graphics and animation. It's been my experience in this day and age, that most users skip over all the C stuff and dive right into the Shading Language. After all, we have animation programs to take care of setting up a scene and moving objects around, we just want to make them look pretty.

Reading through the entire book will undoubtedly give you a better understanding of how renderman and computer graphics works. And is definitely a must for anyone that wants to program applications to work with renderman, but for most people wanting to use renderman to color and light it's all a bit much to take in. We must remind ourselves and look at the cover to see who the book was written for 'A "Programmer's" Guide to Realistic Computer Graphics'.

Overall an excellent and informative companion that I refer to almost every time I write a shader. If it were brought up to date (and included the RIB specification) it would be deserving of another star or two.

If you are trying to choose between this book and "Advanced Renderman" don't bother... get both of them. "The RenderMan Companion" is more of a reference book where "Advanced RenderMan" explores advaced topics with some tutorial components and limited reference, picking up where the Companion left off. Even the authors of "Advanced Renderman" recommend that you keep this book handy.

A good technical introduction to RenderMan.......2001-01-20

For me, a beginner, the book was a little heavy and terse. Although it is written well, some concepts require more explaination. Also, the use of the C binded RenderMan API, is a little old, and makes it annoying when writing a RIB from the examples in the book. Regardless of the level of expertise required beforehand, it is a great reference book, and provides a good reference to all RenderMan users.

A must reference for all Renderman users.......1999-10-15

Altough dated, "The Renderman companion" is a mandatory reference for all Renderman users. This book describes and explain all the aspects of the Renderman interface (in a no specific implementation way) and teach the art of shader programming, illustrating it with high quality color plates. Renderman is a very complex system, but this book make it affordable. The big missed item: no reference about the RIB file format.

Great, not just for RenderMan, but Computer Graphics too........1999-09-02

This is an amazing book about an amazing product and specification. If you want to really learn what computer graphics is all about, you could do no better than read this book. RenderMan was written by the smartest people in the subject, and is the product of years of both insight and trial-and-error.

This book is clear, concise, and still extremely timely even 10 years later (a lifetime in CG). A new edition couldn't hurt though, encompassing some more recent change.

The standard RenderMan reference.......1999-05-15

If you want to work with RenderMan (Pixar's, BMRT, RenderDotC's or whatever) and RIB (RenderMan Interface Binary) while using C, this is the book. It's not only good, it's the one that everyone who already uses RenderMan recommends. Buy it. It's what all the cool kids are doing =)

Book Description

Real war stories told by real soldiers for readers who want to know what it was like to be in the thick of battle. These are riveting combat narratives about the weapons and warriors of some of history's bloodiest conflicts. Each book is a gritty, action-oriented account of life and death in the heat of battle. Original titles as well as long out-of-print gems will explore conflicts ranging from the blood-soaked fields of the Civil War to the current war on terror and everything in between. The books are published as high-quality and affordable trade paperbacks, making them terrific editions for all who are interested in military history.

WWII began with a metallic roar as the German Blitzkrieg raced across Europe, spearheaded by the most dreaded weapon of the 20th century: the Panzer. No German tank better represents that thundering power than the infamous Tiger, and Otto Carius was one of the most successful commanders to ever take a Tiger into battle, destroying well over 150 enemy tanks during his incredible career.

Illustrations: 51 b/w photos; 3 maps; 50 illustrations

Customer Reviews:

Amazing career.......2007-08-21

Simply amazing the luck in his career. Being able to survive 5 years of war says a lot about his skill and bravery too. Also very notable is that both his father and brother also survived WW2. Remarkable feat for all three to fought in multiple campaigns and survive.

This book provides the first person point of view from the company level of combat. The technical descriptions of the vehicles, equipment, and difficulties in serving on the front lines along with trying to stay warm in an unheated steel machine in the freezing winter is all described. The strengths and limitations of the Tiger tank with regards to road marches, bridge crossings, and need for infantry support is completely detailed.

Notable in his career was his time spent outside a tank where his experienced front line infantry battalion was lacking equipment and replacements. Meanwhile, a newly formed and inexperienced Air Force infantry regiment passed on their way to the front line, courtesy of the arrogant and boastful Goering. This new regiment had new machine guns, but no experienced sergeants to direct their fire or officers to coordinate the defenses. As a result, this unit was quickly overrun by the Soviets in their first engagement. All the new equipment was lost along with hundreds of German casualties. A tremendous waste of material and irreplaceable lives.

What really made this book unique were copies of his original German Army citations and documents. The translation of these documents to English is also very helpful. The unit history summaries on the company and battalion battles are also very good historical reading. The difficulties in maintaining, repairing, refueling, and re-arming these mechanically complex machines is detailed. But what is most important and recognized is the efforts it took to care for the men who lived, fought, and died as part of their Tiger tank.

Panzer Aces I and II provide more battles and overall campaigns of other German tank aces. Other history books provide overall descriptions of battles and statistics. This book along with Audie Murphy's autobiography, To Hell and Back, show the human side of the battle and the bond that forms among soldiers who serve in combat with each other. It is the human and individual experience over the entire career that makes this book worth reading. Nice addition to a book collection.

great first hand account of tank fighting in WWII.......2007-08-08

I agree with many of the other reviews in that this is a great first hand account of tank warfare in WWII. With that in mind, some the narration is somewhat bland.
I especially liked the conversation Carius had with Henrich Himmler, speaking his mind.
The only account I've read of a tanker in a Jagertiger. Great insight.

Almost didn't buy it, glad I did........2007-06-09

I saw some of the negative reviews and although some were correct, I don't think to an extent to take away from the remarkable story and piece of history this book is. Carius is too apologetic for Germany and Hitler, but he doesn't do it often enough to have a major impact on the value of his book. It's like he wrote the book while he was there almost, and doesn't take what he learned later on into account so much to ruin the real story. He let's you know how he felt and what it was like in 1944, not what it was like in 1960 thinking back on 1944. While I think he is wrong at times, I also was not in his shoes. Yes, I feel like the man himself is writing it in his own terms instead of having some guy polish him up too much. I'm glad he didn't try to sugercoat everything with a writing style that is not him. If you want to read about what happened to Carius in his own words (a real tiger tank company commander who tells his story), than have a look. I don't want War and Peace, I want Otto Carius. It's also nice to see the view from an intermediate officer who had dealings with sargents and lieutenants usually but did get to mingle with upper crust Nazi's at times. His viewpoint is interesting and if you read between the lines, I think you get a real look at the way some things actual were, which is rare.

Confessions of an honest Nazi.......2007-04-30

Of all the autobiographies I've read of German WWII vets (and I've read a lot), this one more than any other shows how deeply embedded was the N*zi propaganda over that generation of Germans. While Carius specifically denies any anti-semitism, either on his own part or the men he served with, such denials are common among post-war German writers.

Even giving Carius the benefit of the doubt about anti-semitism, the book probably gives a more honest picture of what it meant to be a German soldier in WWII than most. Most German memoirs of the period, written during the Cold-war, try to paint WWII as a heroic struggle of the civilized west (being the Axis), against the barbarian hordes of the Soviet Empire. While they acknowledge the shortcomings of Adolf H*tler and Naziism, there is an underlying theme that the other countries of the West failed to realize the proportions of the Soviet threat.

This book cuts against that grain and makes no attempt to, post-mortem, make N*zi Germany the first failed bulwark against Soviet communism. The book at it's best gets into the nitty-gritty of everyday life as a small unit panzer commander in the latter half of World War Two. While the book is somewhat dryer than many on the subject, this is because Carius presents it like he saw it, rather than a romanticized picture that naturally comes from an old soldier remembering back on bygone struggles and calling to mind the sacrifices of fallen friends.

The depth of the writer's N*zi indoctrination really starts to come out toward the end of the book. Here he very unfavorably compares the American soldier with what he saw as the vastly superior fighting qualities of the Red Army soldier. As an ex-American soldier myself, I found the comparison insulting and, frankly ill-considered. While in the first part of the book he describes how he and his handful of Tiger tanks destroyed dozens of Soviet tanks, at the end of the book he can only describe how his platoon of Hunting-Tigers only destroyed two American Shermans before all his own vehicles were destroyed from various causes.

Leaving personal issues aside however, I found it particularly interesting how Carius's most vociferous contempt was heaped, not on the American army, but on his own countrymen. Unlike most German writers who looked with dismay at the sufferings the war brought to their own civilian population, Carius expresses his disgust for the German civilians as the war wound down in the last few months of 1945. He was appalled that Germans would seek to save what they could from an obviously lost cause - even if it meant to cooperate with the Americans. He was of the opinion that to die fighting to the last man, woman, and child would have been a far nobler end of the German nation.

While the book is a good source of information about small unit battles in World War Two, it is even more telling in that the reader can really see the mindset in what H*tler must have considered to be the ideal N*zi.

Does anyone else think that it's stupid, given the total lack of filth control on the internet, that one can't write a review of a book about WW2 and actually spell out the words n*zi and H*tler?

Awesome First Hand Account!.......2006-12-06

This is an awesome piece of history, from a man that lived it and did it. I had the personal honor of meeting Otto Carius here in Germany, he is sharp and very intelligent. While I was serving as a US Tank Battalion S3, he shared with me many of the same situations we encounter today with our Tanks and our Tankers!

Book Description

Prior to European contact, the Choctaw's matrilineal society supported women's contributions in all areas of community life. Evidence of Choctaw women's participation in religious and political concerns, however, declined drastically early in the eighteenth century. Michelene Pesantubbee traces the changes in women's roles in Choctaw society from the late 1600s to the mid-1700s during the French colonial period in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Before the arrival of the French explorers, Choctaw women could earn recognition as "beloved," an esteemed designation that indicated sacred status. Pesantubbee relates the decline of women's status to the religious, economic, and military interests of the French colonial church and state. She focuses on the increased violence in the Southeast, the demise of the Green Corn ceremony, and the declining importance of the symbol of Corn Woman to explain changes in women's roles.

Pesantubbee draws on oral history, religious practices, archaeology, mythology, and documentary sources to expand our understanding of the concept of "beloved woman." She examines the women's roles in Choctaw funeral traditions well into the nineteenth century as an example of the ways in which women continued to carry out beloved functions in the face of drastic changes in gender roles.

Book Description

The book explains the theory and practice of using logistic regression for the description of language variation, including a comprehensive discussion of the Varbrul program used in sociolinguistics. Assuming no prior background in statistics, Paolillo explains the statistical foundation of logistic regression, using concrete examples of variation bearing on substantive issues in linguistics.

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