Glencoe Accounting: 1st Year Course, Chapter Reviews and Working Papers 1-28

Book Description

Solid content and the newest technology combine to create the most comprehensive real-world accounting program available! You receive cutting-edge experience in business accounting through Glencoe's partnerships with:

American Institute of Certified Public Accounting (AICPA)
Peachtree Accounting Software
Robert Half International

This completely revised accounting program gives students the latest content and introduces the most exciting technology¿all designed to connect accounting to the real world of business. Students will be introduced to the real world of accounting software through the integration of Peachtree throughout the text as an essential part of this program. Software tutorial directions are included at the point of instruction for each application. Optional Glencoe Integrated Accounting software with templates is also available.

Glencoe Accounting: 1st Year Course, Chapter Reviews and Working Papers 1-28

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Glencoe Accounting: 1st Year Course, Chapter Reviews and Working Papers 1-28
GUERRIER00
Manufacturer: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O91HZ4

Book Description

Drawn from substantial research and practice, Derivatives Engineering represents the first comprehensive handbook on the structuring, pricing and marketing of derivatives. Focusing on the instruments most commonly traded, including characteristics, trading and portfolio management, this reference guide reviews the financial techniques used by financial services firms in the booming derivatives markets, including discussion on: Popular instruments such as swaps, futures, options and swaptions; Currently applicable financing techniques; Market trends and regulatory issues; Factors in product usage and their marketing implications; Risk management with derivatives. The Globecon Group Ltd. is a New York based consulting, financial information and education company. Their clients have included more than 100 major financial institutions as well as many nonfinancial corporations.

Derivatives Engineering: A Step-By-Step Guide to Structuring, Pricing, and Marketing Derivatives

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Derivatives Engineering: A Step-By-Step Guide to Structuring, Pricing, and Marketing Derivatives
Globecon Group Ltd , and Glocecon Grp
Manufacturer: Irwin Professional Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Provides the mechanism to reinforce product knowledge and practice transaction skills via a combination of self-analysis tools and case studies. Users are able to structure, price and evaluate actual transactions via a case study approach. Focusing on the most commonly traded instruments, this hands-on guide reviews the practical applications and use of derivatives by financial services firms as well as selling and engineering techniques, including: Popular instruments such as swaps, futures, options and swaptions; Currently applicable financing techniques; Market trends and regulatory issues; Factors in product usage and their marketing implications; Assessing current positions and charting next steps.

Book Description

The fiftieth volume of the Current Legal Problems series contains the now customary selection of high quality essays by a group of outstanding scholars. To celebrate the golden anniversary of the work, contributors were each asked to take stock of developments in their particular area of expertise over the past fifty years, and to give a critical analysis of where the law now stands. It therefore contains a particularly valuable and broad-ranging set of contributions. A paperback version of this book is being published simultaneously.

Book Description

Fractals and surfaces are two of the most widely-studied areas of modern physics. In fact, most surfaces in nature are fractals. In this book, Drs. Barabási and Stanley explain how fractals can be successfully used to describe and predict the morphology of surface growth. The authors begin by presenting basic growth models and the principles used to develop them. They next demonstrate how models can be used to answer specific questions about surface roughness. In the second half of the book, they discuss in detail two classes of phenomena: fluid flow in porous media and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In each case, the authors review the model and analytical approach, and present experimental results. This book is the first attempt to unite the subjects of fractals and surfaces, and it will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics. Because of the technological importance of MBE, it will also be of interest to scientists, particularly materials scientists, working in industry and research. Interested readers may view a sample chapter by contacting our web site at http://www.cup.org/onlinepubs/Fractals/fracts1.html.

Customer Reviews:

Good on self affine scaling.......2004-04-14

I'm not into surfaces and have only used a small part of this book for one purpose: for an introduction to self affine scaling. The topic is presented very systematically, with nice examples. Especially nice is the binomial model of multiaffine scaling. Multiaffine scaling is supposed to appear in "soft" fluid turbulence and is often mislabeled multifractal scaling, which is a horse of a different color altogether!

Fractal Concepts in Surface Growth.......2001-05-16

This is the first book I have so far encountered on interface growth to treat the subject in a simple, intuitive and entertaining manner. All the basic mathematical concepts are explained, the book is easy to read and contains plenty of illustrations and examples from real life. Barabasi and Stanley show how processes ranging from accumulation of snow on car windows, to bacterial colony growth on agar surfacees, are governed by similiar mathematical laws. Exercises are conceptual as well as mathematical, with many questions asking for discussion or further research. This book is essential for novices and experts alike.

gives science growth that generates a increase in human life.......1999-02-02

This book does not deseves critics in completelly perfect

Fractal Concepts in Condensed Matter Physics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences)

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Fractal Concepts in Condensed Matter Physics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences)
T. Nakayama , and K. Yakubo
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 3540050442

Book Description

Concisely and clearly written, this book provides a self-contained introduction to the basic concepts of fractals and demonstrates their use in a range of topics in condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics. The first part outlines different fractal structures observed in condensed matter. The main part of the book is dedicated to the dynamical behaviour of fractal structures, including anomalous and percolating systems. The concept of multifractals is illustrated for the metal-insulator quantum phase transition. The authors emphasize the unified description of these different dynamic problems, thus making the book accessible to readers who are new to the field.

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Hold onto your biker pants

Daffodil Series

funny, witty, catty, and filled with plenty of action

Witty, Worldly and Wonderful....

Lordy, it's like Lula morphed into a Southern Belle!

Bike Week Blues (A Daffodils Mystery) (Daffodils Mystery)
Mary Clay
Manufacturer: Inspirational Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Occult | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Murder Is the Pits (A Daffodils Mystery)

The Turtle Mound Murder (A Daffodils Mystery) (Daffodils Mystery)

Guess Who's Coming to Die? (A Thoroughly Southern Mystery)

Acts Of Violets: A Flower Shop Mystery (Flower Shop Mysteries)

Key Lime Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)

ASIN: 0971042977

Book Description

Move Over, Steel Magnolias. Move Over, First Wives Club.

The DAFFODILS* Are Back!

*Divorced And Finally Free Of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum

Leigh is building a new, single life at the beach. Ruthie's in town for a spiritual seminar. Flamboyant Penny Sue, hot on the trail of her latest soul mate, buys a Harley and follows him to Bike Week. In true DAFFODILS fashion, no sooner do the sorority sister reunite, then all hell breaks loose. Bullets are flying, a body is found and all clues point to Rich, Penny Sue's new love. Unfortunately, Rich has disappeared into the hubbub of a half million bikers, beer bashes, and cold slaw wrestling.

With the help of Frannie May, a savvy, Italian widow from the South (South Shore of Boston, Massachusetts, that is), and a motley crew of bikers, Trekkies, and Navy Seals, the DAFFODILS must find Rich and unravel the mystery to protect themselves and the entire East Coast.

Customer Reviews:

Hold onto your biker pants.......2007-03-17

This is my favorite of the Daffodils series. The ladies get caught up in one of their wild and weird scenarios again. This one keeps up a great pace and has a story line that is wacky, but believable. It's a great beach book! I'm anxiously awaiting the next one from Mary Clay. I'm addicted.

Daffodil Series.......2006-05-03

At the start of the second book in the Daffodils series, Leigh Stratton is living in New Smyrna Beach while recovering from her recent divorce and the sale of the family home. It has been about four months since the action in the previous book The Turtle Mound Murders. Leigh's been busy settling into a new routine, with a part-time job at the Marine Conservation Center, a couple of new friends including a paint ball playing Klingon and she is learning to enjoy her solitude.

That is until the other two members of the Daffodils - Daffodils stands for Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum - Ruthie and Penny Sue arrive to visit and partake of the festivities of Bike Week. That's Daytona Bike Week where half a million people from around the world get together to celebrate their love of motorcycles, denim, leather and tattoos. "A Daytona Beach tradition dating back to 1937, it started out small with just a handful of bikers racing a three-mile route, half of which was on the beach. Since then, Bike Week festivities have spread out to the surrounding communities and evolved into a ten day festival of bikes, beer and scantily clad babes."

Penny Sue, desperate to impress her new man who just might be her soulmate, has bought out the Harley Davidson store. Clad in the wedding ensemble, bright white riding leathers, perched on a brand new silver Harley Fat Boy she's going to try to land Rich as husband number four. The ladies are really getting into the swing of things, when Rich abruptly dumps Penny Sue. She's distraught, but not entirely convinced that it doesn't have something to do with the mysterious "old friends" on his patio that he refused to introduce. When one of those men turns up dead, and the other turns out to be a well-known criminal, Penny Sue is certain that Rich is in deep trouble. It's time for the Daffodils to ride to the rescue!

Mary Clay has really pulled out all the stops on this one, like its predecessor this book is laugh out loud funny. As silly as the plot line gets it is still within the realm of possibility, which makes it that much more endearing. Who would have thought that the trials and tribulations of three middle-aged divorcees could be so amusing? This reviewer is really looking forward to reading the next book in the series Murder is the Pits and sincerely hopes that the author is busy working on future titles.

funny, witty, catty, and filled with plenty of action.......2005-09-28

The DAFFODILS (Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful, Incentive, Licentious Scum) are in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Leigh is living in Penny Sue's father's home rent free, working part-time, and trying to recover from being dumped for a bimbo her daughter's age. Ruthie plans to attend a metaphysical seminar and Penny Sue has followed her boyfriend down here so they can spend some time together during festivities of Bike Week.

The first couple of days are great for Penny Sue and Rich, but one day out of the blue he dumps her. Shortly thereafter, a dead body is found near Penny Sue's car and she knows that the dead man was hanging around with Rick. The police want to bring Rich in for questioning but he has disappeared with the criminal Vulture and his girlfriend who deals drugs and are wanted for other assorted activities. Penny Sue cajoles Mary Beth and Leigh into helping her find Rich before the police do and what follows is one of the funniest capers this reviewer has had the privilege of reading.

Mary Clay has the right touch when it comes to writing a mystery that will appeal to fans who like something funny, witty, catty, and filled with plenty of action. Penny plays Lucy to Leigh's Ethel and Ruthie is the voice of reason. The plotting is well done, all the characters (villains, odious ex male mates, and heroines) feel real and readers will find themselves reading BIKE WEEK BLUES in one sitting.

Harriet Klausner

Witty, Worldly and Wonderful...........2004-08-15

Bike Week Blues is a terrificly well written mystery read...full of witticisms and wonderful twists and turns - even a touch of romance. The Florida location and biker tradition is true American! The characters are delightful...Frannie May and the southern belle gals are a gas as a team out to out maneuver the "bad guys." A perfect vacation read. Not to be missed!!

Lordy, it's like Lula morphed into a Southern Belle!.......2004-07-23

I'm a huge Evanovich fan, didn't think anything could possibly be as funny. But, Bike Week Blues is.

Imagine Stephanie is from Georgia, has lots of money, is man crazy, and carries a gun. Hm-mm, sounds more like Lula doesn't it?

Okay, a white Lula (who wears flame Harley boots) from an upper crust family, with fairly normal sorority sisters in their mid-40s trying to keep her in line. Also, they're all divorced. One is getting over a very nasty parting. One is long since over it all and into spirituality. And, then there's Penny Sue who's coninuously looking for #4.

An Italian widow from the south (South of Boston) takes these "sweet girls" under her wing. Just so happens, this widow's son is a 30ish, MIT millionaire genius who does Star Trek role-playing, paintball games with his other genius, MIT buddies.

Take that unlikely mix, throw in hot flashes, a half million bikers, cole slaw wrestling, Navy Seals, and a nuclear powered satellite and it's one heck of a hilarious mess.

Absolutely, one of the wildest capers I've ever read!

Book Description

Alfred Novotny was born in Vienna on 1 April 1924, and was perfectly placed to suffer the ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." His times were interesting and deadly, but that he survived them is not the greatest surprise. Rather, what stands out is that Fred never lost his compassion, nor his humanity, nor his mind.

Growing up in 1930s Vienna, the former home of a young, frustrated, and fuming artist named Adolf Hitler, Fred was the stepson of an ardent Social Democrat. As such, he grew up with a visceral and deep dislike and distrust of their rival parties, including the National Socialists, or "Nazis." Although the political situation in Austria throughout the 1930s was stormy, the German annexation of Austria absolutely ended effective opposition to the "New Order."

Attracted by the superficial benefits of unity with Germany and the evident achievements of the Nazis, young Alfred gradually parted ways with his stepfather. He performed his duty to the Reich when called up for service in the Labor Corps, and later proudly served in the most elite division of the German Army in World War II, Panzer-Grenadier Division "Grossdeutschland" ("Greater Germany").

From 1942 forward, Fred saw more than his share of combat. Starting with action as a member of a hurriedly-armed labor detachment in the famous British naval and commando raid at St. Nazaire, France, in March 1942, Fred later joined the Grossdeutschland Division in time to participate in some of the most well-known—and most bloody—battles of the war on the Eastern Front. During the Germans' last great offensive in the Soviet Union in 1943, Fred fought at Poltava and in the titanic clash of thousands of tanks at Kursk. Wounded there, he later returned to his unit and fought in the long series of fiercely-contested defensive battles that ended only when the Soviets occupied much of eastern and central Germany and Austria. . . and when Hitler and the Thousand Year Reich were finally destroyed.

Like so many members of German units, Fred was happy to surrender to the US Army at the end of the war, but under the terms of inter-Allied agreements reached months before, units which had fought only against the Soviets were turned over to the Red Army, en masse. Thus began the ordeal after the ordeal—2½ years in Soviet prison camps.

After being freed from Soviet captivity, Fred eventually escaped the old world and the old conflicts . . . and started a new life in the United States, free of the competing "isms" of Europe that had wreaked misery on millions.

Supported by detailed commentary by author/historian Marc Rikmenspoel, The Good Soldier contains 62 illustrations, including original diagrams and sketches drawn before the war and during the author's captivity; comprehensive documentary authentication of the author's military service; and extensive wartime photography.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful book.......2007-04-16

I just finished listening to the audio version of this book. The author himself, is the narrator which in itself is powerful. He speaks in a very slow, sincere, sometimes emotionally strained voice through which you can hear his struggling memories being conveyed. He tells of happy times, of funny boyhood pranks, of his daily life, of his participation in times and events that only hindsight fully showed him the magnitude of. No this is not a book for historians looking for detailed information full of dates and strategic manuevers and military actions. This is not a book for people wanting a documentary of factual processes by which Germany very nearly took over the entire of Europe. This is a story of Alfred Novatny... written solely for his daughter and her children so they would know him, and know where they came from. It can be overwhelmingly touching. By the end of the book, you feel you know this man. My husband, who is from Germany, listened to the most of it with me and when the book was finished, he turned to me and said "I want to find this man". We had no idea how old the book was and I warned that he was likely no longer living. But we did look him up and found him. My husband talked to him on the phone for quite some time. And he is a very kind man with such a good heart. He said there is so very much more that is not in the book... that couldn't be.. because it was just too harsh. It is a very good book that "connects" a modern world with a life and time that is now long gone and dying with the generation of those who lived it. It is a precious thing for him to have given to his children... and to the rest of us.

Too short but still Excellent.......2007-02-02

This book is an outstanding recollection of an Austrian soldier's experiences as a member of the German Army's renowned Grossdeutschland division in World War II. It is a rewrite of this soldier's originally privately published memoirs and is replete with interesting vignettes on the author's life, from his growing up in a family of Social Democrats in pre-war Austria, to his induction into the elite Grossdeutchland division, to his many and varied battlefield experiences, to his life as a post-war prisoner of the Soviets, to his coming to America.

The combat experiences he describes are mischeviously short (as is the book itself). Unfortunately, this sometimes leaves the impression that the author is holding back information, i.e., information that would not make him look good. Nonetheless, it contains many fascinating anecdotes about life under German control and in the German army during this period. For example, while undergoing his mandatory labor service ("Reichsarbeitsdienst") in late 1941 he is shipped with his unit to build runways near some German U-boat pens on the North Atlantic coast. They are all awakened one morning, provided steel helmets, given rifles and hand grenades with five minutes of instruction on their use, and sent out to fight some British commandos who were attacking the facility because they knew the regular military garrison was 25 miles away on manuevers. Somehow, these teenage conscripts held off the commandos, who were taken by surprise, believing that the facility would be undefended.

Especially interesting are the author's several near experiences with death, including, a bullet going through one side of his helmet but then traveling around the rim, leaving him without a scratch; a comrade entering the author's foxhole and moments later being blown up by an artillery shell, again leaving the author without a scratch; and hitting a heavy Stalin tank at close range with a "Panzerfaust" at the same time it fired its main gun at him, knocking the author unconscious, as the round hit a wall right above him, but otherwise laving him unharmed.

The entire book is strengthened by excellent introductory and transitional comments by Marc Rikmenspoel. Also making the book a very worthwhile purchase are the inclusion of a dozen or so wartime photographs of the author (some posed, some more candid in the field) as well as pictures of his two wound tags and the certificate awarding him the Iron Cross.

Beware, however, that there are grammatical and typographical errors on about every other page of the book. (Only in the parts written by Mr. Novotny and not, however, by Mr. Rikmenspoel.) These mistakes disrupt the flow and makes one wonder if there really was any editing done at all from the original edition. This otherwise superb book gets 4 stars instead of 5 due to this easily remedied flaw.

A very excellent personal WWII story.......2006-03-02

5 Stars

First, this book is published by Aberjona Press. I will be totally honest with you. I've never read a bad WWII book published by this business. I highly encourage amazon.com readers to read other books published by this firm. WWII is their bread and butter in the publishing business. So, I had high hopes for this book and it delivers.

The Good Soldier" is about memoirs of Germany Army WWII soldier Fred Novotny. The book's introduction starts off with the proverbial Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times!" (this reviewer hopes this does not happen to himself) Novotny certainly had his share of "interesting times". This is a story of overcoming great adversary with a happy ending.

Unlike most WWII stories, which begin in 1939 and end in 1945, "The Good Soldier" is across Novotny's entire lifetime. It begins with his childhood in Vienna, and continues without respite through the Anschluss, his service in the German Labor Service (RAD) and as a machine gunner with the elite "GrossDeutschland" armored infantry division, his postwar years in a Soviet prison camp, his return to freedom and eventual emigration to the USA, where he finds peace and success.

The book isn't full of "combat stories" but there are enough anecdotes to get a good sense of what life in the Third Reich was like and how terrible war and the postwar peace could be. The RAD experiences in particular are very interesting, since there is little information published in English about this German paramilitary organization.

Novotny's descriptions of life as a "GrossDeutschland" soldier and the Soviet penal system are fascinating as well. The reader will doubtless be amazed at Novotny's good fortune through some pretty grim situations - as he was himself!

When you read about any German soldier who survived the war they all credited their military training but cursed it a the same time. The German military training made their average soldier equal to US Marines or Army Rangers.

After the war Novoty's sent to work in a Soviet mine. He meets a woman and they have a brief encounter. The conditions in the mine are just as terrible as an prison. Novoty is released because the Soviets are trying to influence Austria political elections in the early cold war period.

The book is about 150-odd pages but is full of photos, drawings and notes that help the reader get a sense of the writer's experiences in the general sweep of WWII history.

I really enjoyed "The Good Soldier" and would recommend it to anyone interested in personal accounts of German soldiers in the Second World War. Indeed, I shall be re-reading it this week.

Enjoy.

Are you being served, in Russia?.......2005-04-18

Alfred Novotny is a former German solider from WWII who decided to write down some of his experiences from before, during, and after WWII. Like Guy Sajer, Alfred served in Gross Deutschland. Also like Guy, he served as a grenadier on a machine gun team.

Alfred starts his story by telling us about pre-war Austria, the environment, and the events leading up to Germanys taking over of Austria. This was interesting because I didn't know that much about Austria between the wars. The political environment was interesting to say the least.

During the early part of WWII, Alfred was a member of the RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst). Interestingly, he was working around St. Nazaire when the commando raid happened (yes, he did gain some combat experience there). Upon completing his duty in the RAD, Alfred was brought into the German army, rather unusually for an Austrian, into Gross Deutschland (Alfred states that most Austrians were brought into the Mountain Infantry Regiments, the 44th ID, the 2nd PzD, or the 9th PzD).

Alfred gives a basic description of his time serving in Gross Deutschland. Throughout his chapters, Alfred has a little lead in paragraph that describes the situation he's going to describe in the following paragraphs. In his military service part, Alfred describes his training, his time on the front, Gross Deutschland, and the end of the war.

Like most German veterans who served on the eastern front, Alfred has section on the being a Russian prisoner of war. There's some interesting things, however, most of it has been covered by other Germans as well or better.

Alfred closes the book out with his post war activities. This includes his coming to America.

The Good Soldier is a good basic book. Not nearly as strong as most other personal histories. For this reason, I can only give it 3 stars. There are some very good pieces in here, but unfortnetly, Alfred doesn't deliver the goods nearly as well as Guy Sager, Hans von Luck, and others. Read it, but remember, this was written so his family would know wat he did and why.

Terrific.......2004-07-25

A very brief bio, but some amazing insights, and even a rare photo or two of a Knight's Cross winner whom the author served with. Does much to flesh out the divisional history with a "real" face. Better than Guy Sajer. Leaves the reader wanting more.

It is amazing how many good biographies of all the WW II armies have come out so long after the war; what a shame it was not possible to write books like this immediately after the war.

Book Description

Few institutions are as well suited as the monarchy to provide a window on postwar Japan. The monarchy, which is also a family, has been significant both as a political and as a cultural institution. This comprehensive study analyzes numerous issues, including the role of individual emperors in shaping the institution, the manner in which the emperor's constitutional position as symbol has been interpreted, the emperor's intersection with politics through ministerial briefings, memories of Hirohito's wartime role, nationalistic movements in support of Foundation Day and the reign-name system, and the remaking of the once sacrosanct throne into a "monarchy of the masses" embedded in the postwar culture of democracy. The author stresses the monarchy's "postwarness," rather than its traditionality.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic!.......2003-02-19

The author offers a fantastic view of the Japanese monarchy that is well worth the read. A wonderful historical take on the subject.

Author Information.......2002-04-20

Kenneth J. Ruoff is an Associate Professor of Japanese History at Portland State University. Dr. Ruoff is the Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the university.

Professor Ruoff received the 2004 Jiro Osaragi Commentary Prize for the Japanese translation of his book THE PEOPLE'S EMPEROR. The prize was given at a ceremony at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo January 27, 2005. The prize include an award of two million yen. Dr. Ruoff is the first foreigner to receive the Osaragi Prize.

The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995. (Book Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Pacific Affairs

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The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995. (Book Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Pacific Affairs
Greg P. Guelcher
Manufacturer: University of British Columbia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009FYXM2
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on December 22, 2002. The length of the article is 666 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995. (Book Reviews).(Book Review)
Author: Greg P. Guelcher
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2002
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: 75 Issue: 4 Page: 610(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995.(Book Review): An article from: The Historian

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The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995.(Book Review): An article from: The Historian
Stephen Vlastos
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000B9DSW2
Release Date: 2005-09-03

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 562 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995.(Book Review)
Author: Stephen Vlastos
Publication: The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66 Issue: 1 Page: 174(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

Life is full of difficult decisions. Do you spend your money today or save it for tomorrow? Which presidential candidate really deserves your vote? How can you find the perfect mate? H. W. Lewis's lighthearted but far-from-flippant book Why Flip a Coin? examines the ways in which you can make a rational decision--that is, the best possible decision given the available information. Along the way he describes probabilities, the prisoner's dilemma, gambling, voting systems, and more, offering a fun, math-free look at the logic behind tricky decisions and common fallacies.

Book Description

"It is rare to come across a book that can truly be called fascinating, but here is one."-New Scientist

Why Flip a Coin?

What's the best way to choose the right spouse? . . . How can I increase my chances of winning the office football pool? . . . By what process should I choose a candidate in the Senate race? . . . Could I possibly make more money playing poker instead of the stock market?

Using examples gleaned from everyday life, noted physicist H. W. Lewis explains what science has discovered about the rules that govern good-and not-so-good-decision making. Full of provocative insights into human psychology and behavior, Why Flip a Coin? will leave you laughing-even as you're learning.

"Should you read this book or not? If you don't read it you will surely miss out on Lewis's flinty wit and sharp sense of irony. The choice is clear. You needn't even flip a coin."-The Sciences

"Lighthearted but far from flippant."-Amazon.com (Science Editor's Recommended Book)

Customer Reviews:

Good Decision.......2007-05-08

The book is a good purchase. The writing is a bit above regular reading but very interesting. It is a good choice if you want to read a chapter and set it down. I enjoyed his games and examples

Lies, damned lies, and..........2006-01-02

Lewis has written a non-technical mathematical book (applying probability, statistics, and game theory) -- without any equations -- which is not a particularly easy thing to do. Some chapters are truly brilliant expositions of subtle and difficult puzzles and paradoxes...Chapter 21 on the "Lady or the Tiger" is a tour de force.
Yet, one of the reasons mathematics is not written in prose-- like this book, but instead in the traditional academic form of "definition, theorem and proof", is to avoid the ambiguities implicit in human language, and the resulting errors. Lewis's problem is he tries -- without batting an eye -- to stretch results from mathematics beyond their domain of applicability (really, any physicist knows better, so he is either just being lazy and sloppy when he does not point it out to the reader, or has just been on too many government nuclear advisory boards and around too many non-scientists where he has gotten away with this nonsense)
In Chapter 2, for example, he starts with an analysis of dating, and in amazing tour de illogic, concludes "Schoolteachers and preachers may always tell you to aim for the top, but that's a bad strategy for anything important. The better is the worst enemy of the plenty good enough". I can only hope his nuclear advice has been better than this. His reasoning for this little pearl is to start by examining a simple model of dating (excellent so far, keep it simple so it can be easily analyzed and the underlying principles understood) and then by applying simple probability calculations of various sampling (going on a date may be considered a sampling of the various possible suitors, if you like) strategies, reaches the conclusion that on average, one should not hold out for the best dating candidate (i.e., one should not date 36 of 100 candidates, the optimal sampling strategy if you are interested in finding the best), but instead be content with the top 2,3,4 or even 5 candidates, which will lower your chances of failure relative to going for the best. Again, so far, so good. He then states that one can always find such an optimal strategy (without proof, but this in not a huge problem because it is a non-technical book. Existence proofs are not expected) for these types of sampling games. Fair enough. But Lewis then wishes to draw a conclusion from his simple sampling game, and to codify this result into the above quoted gem (i.e., do not go for the best, only go for somewhere in the top), and so apply it to all human activities, whether or not these activities in fact have anything to do with sampling. To borrow one of the author's own pet phrases, this is "nuts".

A deep mathematical analysis of a model, followed by the misapplication or overly broad interpretation of the results, is not what I call good decision making. As Einstein noted about mathematics: "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." It is doubtful that Lewis's models truly reflect reality.

In his chapter on "Law and Juries" (only natural to explore such topics, I suppose, if you truly believed that you possess some superior algorithm on how to make good decisions, as Lewis purports), he states that he is always instantly rejected as a juror because he is both a professor and PhD, and as such has knowledge and understanding and is not easily "hoodwinked" by lawyers. Perhaps. But a mathematical expert that lacks common sense, not to mention other non-mathematical intangibles such as wisdom and compassion, is not one I would want on my jury if I was ever on trial.
Lewis is at his best he when confines himself to explaining how to analyze and attack a calculation in probability...he really is a brilliant expositor in this area. His non-mathematical conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt. In reply to his stategy about attaining anything important, I will conclude with a quote by someone who, maybe, could not have accurately calculated a probability, but who, in my opinion, has formulated a superior algorithm: "In the long run, men only hit at what they aim. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, it is best they aim at something high" - Henry David Thoreau.

Good book on quantitative decisions........2005-12-14

Excellent non-mathematical book about probability and decision making. Combine it with a bit of logical thinking and you'll never make another bad decision. Well, that might be stretching it. Still, though, Lewis has written a very readable book about good thinking and making decisions. He works through several different kinds of questions and explains why one decision is better than another. The book primary deals with decisions with a mathematical component - gaming, voting, statistics - and not with ethical or moral kinds of questions but the good thinking skills learned can be used in any context.

Voting, gambling, juries, dating, it's all here...........2004-11-12

The book's sub title is "The art and science of good decisions" and that description is a good one to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to pick up this book, as it's not really a "how-to" book on decision making (like explaining how to make up a pro and cons list or that sort of thing) but a book that does what the sub title says.

Besides the discussion on dating and marriage, mentioned in many reviews about this book, this book discusses voting, gambling, sports, public decisions, juries, games, probability and even a chapter on apportionment (how the various states get the number of representatives they do). I found all topics very interesting and informative, and I think I'd recommend this book to anyone that's interested in the subject in a format that's a little less structured and loose than a text book, which was good 'cause it didn't get boring, but scholarly enough to make valid points and strong arguments.

As for complaints, first the type face was annoying and distracting and while that didn't hurt the information, obviously, it did make reading it a bit more work than it should have been. Second, the author felt the need to bash creationists for some reason, I fully realize that evolution is the proscribed religion of the PhD crowd, but hey, I'm a creationist and also a consumer, no need to bash me in a book that had nothing to do with evolution (other than than a brief mention of it, "blind" decision making in action, ok, but just because I'm a creationist doesn't make me a moron).

Now, since I do a lot of political books, and perhaps someone into politics is reading this, I'd like to point out the discussions in this book relating to voting, public decisions, and juries make this book well worth the time and effort. Excellent points were made and excellent questions posed. The author mentions that he believes that at least some basic criteria should be met in order to vote, and I agree, he mentions he's been called horrible names for this feeling and I'm sure some reading this will find me offensive for agreeing.

That's all fine, but riddle me this: Since the left believes the "red" state people are so dumb and lack common sense and can't think, why do you suppose it would be that very same crowd that would most decry any sort of intelligence or illiteracy test imposed upon voters? I wonder?..., people making a very important decision, with implications for us all, expected to be semi-intelligent, have a basic understanding of politics, have a basic understanding of math and reading, yeah, that'd be a stupid "decision"--- sorry I brought it up.!!...

Good read here, I recommend it.

Enlightenment.......2004-11-08

This book pulls the curtain back on the complex problems of rational decision making in a world filled with probability. H.W. Lewis explains the laws of probability clearly and adds his own personal flair to keep things interesting. I found this book very interesting and I dare say, helpful.

Why Flip a Coin? : The Art and Science of Good Decisions

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Why Flip a Coin? : The Art and Science of Good Decisions
H. W. Lewis
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M4T4II

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Why Flip A Coin?: The Art and Science of Good Decisions

Manufacturer: MJF Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 156731581X

Product Description

Want to know why some people seem to make so many right decisions, from game shows to business and romance? It's much more than good luck. Find out how to join the experts in Why Flip a Coin?, a fun, math-free look at the science of decision-making. It tells us the best ways to gamble, invest in the stock market, vote, play baseball, make war, and find a spouse. Dont muddle through life - learn how to make better decisions with Why Flip a Coin?--- excerpt from book's dustjacket

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Endangered Species Update, published by University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources on November 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1637 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Endangered species and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Author: Mark Dimmitt
Publication: Endangered Species Update (Newsletter)
Date: November 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources
Volume: 19 Issue: 6 Page: S8(4)

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