Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios 2000

Customer Reviews:

A great Reference source.......2003-03-27

This almanac uses 50 performance indicators to compare financial information on 192 industries. Industries included in this reference work include agricultural production, coal mining, ship and boat building, electrical contractors, fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing, and furniture and related product information. The information listed on these industries is in numerical format and includes revenue (such as net sales, rents, roytalties) operating costs (such as taxes paid, advertising, operating margin) and selected financial ratios (such as total asset turnover, inventory turnover, cash flow to total debt). ....

Book Description

Read by
4 cassettes/6 hours

A previously untold story—a brilliant examination of the life of the visionary 20th-century Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland.

Through the ages, the lights of the aurora borealis were believed to be the messengers of gods or signs of apocalypse or souls of the dead. Even at the turn of the century, the most sophisticated scientists misapprehended their cause. Now Lucy Jago tells the story of the science—and the romance—behind the northern lights as she traces the grand adventure of Birkeland's life.

In 1899, Birkeland set our on his lifelong, arduous, increasingly compulsive quest for an explanation of the aurora borealis. He traveled across some of the most forbidding landscapes on earth—from the ice mountains of Norway to the deserts of Africa—defying the dangers of war and political upheaval, dedicating himself to the unraveling of this mystery. And yet when he died in 1917—in Japan, under suspicious circumstances—his work was unheralded. Now his theories are considered to have been prophetic, and they have furthered our understanding not only of the aurora borealis, but also of electromagnetism, comets, and the sun.

A galvanizing, enlightening saga.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting book for someone interested in the aurora.......2005-04-03

The Northern Lights is a roller coaster ride through the extraordinary life of Kristian Birkeland. Influenced by the great minds of his time, this story recounts the struggles that he endured as an under-appreciated Norwegian scientist. His traveling from the snow-topped mountain of Haldde to the hot dessert of Egypt, is intermixed with a slew of brilliant discoveries showing the true benefit of dedication. This perseverance leads him to make exciting inventions that keep his life exciting because of the treachery and deceit that follow his success. This novel clears the name of this famous scientist in hopes that the world will never again forget the consequences of scientific prejudices.

Driven.......2005-03-31

This tale of Kristian Birkeland and his aurora quest was simply enthralling. His will-power alone was awesome, fighting against the wind and his enemies to find the truth behind the beautiful northern lights.

Who knew how dangerous the winds would be? Who would not suffer along with him in our imaginations as he and his assistants took shelter from the cold?

I found his courage and strong focus truly amazing and inspiring. It makes my life puny by comparison.

Larry Rochelle, author of GHOSTLY EMBERS: VISIONS OF TOLEDO.

Fine biography.......2004-08-29

As reviewer Carter points out, this book is a biography of Kristian Birkeland, not a scientific treatise on the Northern Lights. And as reviewer Hoge points out, the writing style is more mainstream pop than dry academia. Personally, I found it quite readable. I'm not doing serious research on the subject, so I was fine with being entertained while I learned a little more about how the scientific community worked at the dawn of the 20th century. The primary criticism I have is that Jago was rather biased in favor her subject-- maybe justifiably so, but her flag waving was a little too blatant for me at times... Also, she stretched her material a bit, probably could have been a shorter book. Still, if you enjoyed books like Sobel's "Longitude" or Larson's "Devil in the White City," you'll probably enjoy "Northern Lights."

Biography/travelogue/history of science.......2003-08-26

This book is a very intriguing biography of one of the great minds of the early twentieth century. It tells the story of Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland and his obsession with the aurora borealis. The book starts off with his first expedition in Lappland, observing the Northern Lights from a mountaintop observatory over a winter season. Jago then takes us through the results of the expedition, and Birkeland's dreams for further research, and his inventive projects for funding his research. She follows Birkland through the rest of his life, including his role in starting Norskhydro, his trip to Egypt, and his death in Japan. What struck me about Birkeland's genius was how he turned design failures or accidents into new discoveries and further inventions- -how a high-voltage switch became a magnetic cannon, and how a magnetic cannon was transformed into a fertilizer furnace. Jago's descriptions of Birkeland's expeditions carry the details that are usually only found in travel narratives.

The narration by Michael Cumpsty is quite clear throughout, and I was especially impressed by his ease with pronouncing the Danish, Egyptian, and Japanese names. One of the challenges of listening to a book of this type is following the scientific explanations orally. Although I got a basic idea of Birkeland's theories, I think reading them on paper instead of listening to them on tape would have been a little easier. I also missed the footnotes and biography that must have surely been available in the print version. Nevertheless, the tape was quite enjoyable and very informative.

Thank you for writing this book!.......2003-01-16

Dear Lucy Jago,
I really enjoyed this book! I read the complete title so I knew it was about the MAN who unlocked the secrets of the Aurora Borealis... not about the "powerful and mystical Northern Lights". What an amazing man he must have been. Thanks for showing us his human side, strengths and weaknesses. I'm still left wondering what else he might have been able to accomplish if he had lived longer (and had a more healthy life style!)
I thought this book had a good balance between the technical aspects and storytelling. I didn't want a physics book about Aurora, if I did, then I would have gotten one. I wanted a history of science book, I wanted to know the "story", I wanted to meet the people, I wanted to know the community reaction at the time. I got all that and more.
Thanks for your fine work, I had an enjoyable few hours reading it.

Book Description

Ion channels are crucial components of living cells. Situated in the cell membrane, they allow ions to pass from one side of the membrane to the other. This book provides an overview of ion channel study, including up-to-date coverage of the permeability and selectivity of channels, their gating and modulation, their response to drugs and toxins, and the human diseases that result from channel malfunction. Students of molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, and neurobiology will benefit from this modern, concise text.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction.......2005-03-15

Getting a bit old now, but although it doesn't cover some of the most recent work it is by no means out of date. It remains one of the best introductions to voltage and ligand-gated ion channels and to electrophysiological methods of study. A good entry to the field, with an excellent bibliography of the primary literature. I don't know if I can recommend it at its list price (it is a slim volume), but used it could be a great buy.

Average customer rating:

Ion Channels Molecules in Action
David J. Aidley
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7EL96

Book Description

Ecological Informatics promotes interdisciplinary research between ecology and computer science on elucidation of principles of information processing in ecosystems, ecological sustainability by informed decision making, and bio-inspired computation. The 2nd edition of the book consolidates the scope, concepts, and techniques of this newly emerging discipline by a new preface and additional chapters on cellular automata, qualitative reasoning, hybrid evolutionary algorithms and artificial neural networks. It illustrates numerous applications of Ecological Informatics for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, image recognition at micro- and macro-scale as well as computer hardware design. Case studies focus on applications of artificial neural networks, evolutionary computation, cellular automata, adaptive agents, fuzzy logic as well as qualitative reasoning. The 2nd edition of the book includes an index and a CD with novel evolutionary algorithms for the discovery of multiple nonlinear functions and rule sets as well as parameter optimisation in complex ecological data.

Average customer rating:

Multidimentional Relevance

Military Misfortunes the Anatomy of Failure in War

Campus nonsense, no dirty boots

Excellent and highly recommended

What?

Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War
Eliot A. Cohen , and John Gooch
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Weapons & Warfare | Military | History | Subjects | Books | Biological & Chemical | Control | Conventional | Nuclear
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Supreme Command : Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime

Command in War

The Conduct of War, 1789-1961: A Study of the Impact of the French, Industrial, and Russian Revolutions on War and Its Conduct (Quality Paperbacks Series)

The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050

The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme

ASIN: 0029060605

Customer Reviews:

Multidimentional Relevance.......2006-09-18

While this book deals with military failures, the paralels to running a business or a family are rich and rewarding. One example: The story of the US failure in Korea, and how certain branches of the armed forces prevailed but other failed was fascinating ... we tend to think of events as successes or failures, but really they are combinations of successes and failures -- studying in a granular, detailed way illuminates both and allows one to succeed overall by cutting failing tactics and replacing them with successful ones. Many other rich paralels here too.

Military Misfortunes the Anatomy of Failure in War.......2006-03-26

Background

1. Title and subject. Military Misfortunes the Anatomy of Failure in War is about the failure of battle fields.

2. Author. There are two authors of this book, Eliot A. Cohen and John Gooch. Eliot A. Cohen is a teacher at the U.S Naval War College. He is author of two books, and these are:

(a) Citizens and Soldiers published in 1978.

(b) Commandos and Politicians published in 1990.

3. John Gooch is a military historian at the University of Lanchester England. He is author of nine books, like:

(a) Armies in Europe published in 1980.

(b) Military Deception and Strategic Surprise! Published in 1982.

4. Thesis The authors objective is to give a comprehensive look into the battle field, in which the authors have embarked on the study, by saying that the failure in battle, is not always due to genius of the winners. It can also be caused due to the military misfortunes.

5. Contents. This book consists of nine chapters, consisting of 296 pages and was published in May 1991. There are nine chapters in this book. These nine chapters can be divided into three sections. Section one, comprises of first two chapters, in which authors talks about the why misfortunes and understanding disaster. Section two, encompasses chapters from three to eight, in which the authors have discussed six wars of different periods. Last section, consists of chapter number nine and talks about, what can be done.

6. Section One. In section one, the authors tell the readers, that the military failure can be divided into three major approaches and these are:

(a) Man in the Dock. They explain, man in the dock, in terms of human error. According to the authors, one man, who is variably the commander commits, an error of judgment.

(b) The man on the Couch. The author explains this military failure, by saying, some collective way of thinking, which all generals share and for which they cannot be blamed.

(c) Collective Incompetence and the Military Mind. Authors say this military misfortune is between man in dock and the man on the couch.

7. Section Two. In this section, authors have talked about of six wars and these are:

(a) The first war, the authors talk about is the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941.

(b) The second war, the authors talk about is the American Antisubmarine Warfare in 1942, in which German U boats began an assault on coastal shipping in the immediate vicinity of the United States.

(c) The third war, the author talks about is the Israel Defense Forces on the Suez Front and the Golan Heights, 1973. During the war the authors writes that the Israel's were shocked that Arabs will attack, and were subsequently, not prepared for the attack, resulting in 2569 dead and 7500 wounded.

(d) The fourth war, the author talks about is the British at Gallipoli, August 1915. The battle took place on the Gallipoli Peninsula from 6 to 9 August 1915.

(e) The fifth war, the author talks about is the Defect of the American Eight Army in Korea, November - December 1950. The Americans were shocked that they were against well equipped Korean army, and subsequently they collapsed.

(f) The sixth and the last war the author talks about is the, French Army and the Air Force May - June 1940.

8. Section Three. This is the last chapter of the book. In this, the authors say that the causes of military misfortune are complex. They further add by saying that it is imperative to understand the nature of the problem.

9. Evaluation

(a) The author has adequately covered all the wars. They have explained the complete phase of the war. In author's opinion, the centralization of all the resources is the major factor to win the war. The land, sea, air and intelligence services must work as combined arms to win campaigns.

(b) The authors have buildup each chapter logically.

(c) In view of author the centralization is important and leaders must be willing to test ideas, old and, new rigorously and objectively to determine what works and what doesn't.

Campus nonsense, no dirty boots.......2002-04-07

If you're an armchair general who never served in the military and who believes that professors know more about war than soldiers, this is the book for you. If you love dreary writing, buy two copies. If tendentious history is your thing, buy three. This is campus arrogance with little sense of the complexity, confusion and danger of battle. But if you're just aching to believe that generals are all dummies, and that anybody with a doctorate in international relations could run our wars better than the men and women who sweat, bleed and die for our country, this is the perfect book for you. Good trees died for this.

Excellent and highly recommended.......2001-08-30

If you enjoy this type "failure" analysis (such as the book "Normal Accidents"), I think you'll find this to be an excellent read. My interest is primarily in business strategy and related issues (not in military history and strategy per se), but the authors present material which I found to be very useful across many different professions. My complements to the authors for good cases, good analysis and good writing. I really had great fun reading this book. It could have used better proof reading, but the errors enountered in no way hindered the presentation in any material way.

What?.......2001-06-17

I am not sure what to make of this book. The model is nothing new if you really think about it. It's bottled snake oil to some extent. The analysis is arbitrary (that does not mean wrong) and one can find subtle flaws. There are many interesting facts, and other ways to look at events and battles, but the book is useful only to the narrow-minded. I wonder who wrote the other reviews. His friends?

MILITARY MISFORTUNES. The Anatomy of Failure in War.

Average customer rating:

MILITARY MISFORTUNES. The Anatomy of Failure in War.
Eliot A. & Gooch, John. Cohen
Manufacturer: Free Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZ7Q78

Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War.(Book review): An article from: Armor

Average customer rating:

Book Review? More like personal opinion

Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War.(Book review): An article from: Armor
Kevin C.M. Benson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Armor, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2006. The length of the article is 783 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: Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War.(Book review)
Author: Kevin C.M. Benson
Publication: Armor (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 115 Issue: 4 Page: 51(1)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Book Review? More like personal opinion.......2006-11-07

I was full expecting a book review, a break down of the book, this was mainly nothing more then a blog entry, some parts of the book were touched upon but mainly it is personal banter about the army. big let down, waste of money

Book Description

The battle for Saipan is remembered as one of the bloodiest battles fought in the Pacific during World War II, and was the turning point on the road to the defeat of Japan and the end of the war. The island was a blaze of fire and steel for over three weeks in the summer of 1944. Visible reminders of the devastation still exist-one can find human remains scattered on the jungle floor or in caves throughout the island. Emotional reminders still exist as well, for both the soldiers and the civilians who survived the battle. In this work, the survivors of Saipan-including Pacific Islanders on whose land the Americans and Japanese fought their war-have the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words. The author introduces the volume with a history of Saipan and arranges the oral histories by location: Saipan, Yap and Tinian, Rota, Palau Islands, and Guam.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding with Wonderful Personal Touch.......2002-03-07

I've always had an interest in the Pacific front and I find this book a wonderful edition to the previous books I have read. What I really like is the way the author brings in the personal stories. You can tell that Bruce Petty is a compassionate person who cares about the subject AND the people he writes about. I hope to see more work by this author and will definitely buy his next book.

War, up close and personal.......2002-01-06

Bruce Petty does a wonderful job of drawing people out and letting them tell their own stories about the battle of Saipan, which was one of the fiercest in World War II's Pacific Theatre. The narrators include both residents of Saipan whose peaceful existence was shattered by the war and American military men who came away from the fighting changed forever. All the survivors seem well aware that only blind luck separates them from those who perished. This book is a timely reminder that even a just war is truly Hell.

In their own words..........2001-12-14

Very interesting book...

As host of Chamorro. com, I've received literally hundreds of inquiries re our Mariana Islands, Chamorro culture and tradition, our language and on and on. The Pacific War is of particular interest.

I find Mr. Petty's book very interesting and believe it is a good place to start. What better way to know about the past, even if it is only the recent past and only a small part of the past, than to hear about it from those who were there and in their own words?

Average customer rating:
All This Hell: U.S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese.(Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War)(Book Review) : An article from: The Oral History Review
Franklin A. Flesher
Manufacturer: Oral History Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000ALTGCW
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Oral History Review, published by Oral History Association on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1079 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: All This Hell: U.S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese.(Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War)(Book Review)
Author: Franklin A. Flesher
Publication: The Oral History Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Oral History Association
Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Page: 71(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Adsorption Analysis : Equilibria and Kinetics.......2000-11-01

This book covers in detail all the areas of equilibria and kinetics of the adsorption processes and can be useful both for the engineers and scientists as well as for the undergraduate student. The software included can be used for the the analysis of the processes and for teaching/illustration purposes. Particularly interesting, is part III of the book that covers measurement techniques. The only surprise in this excellent book is the omission of the area of Driving Force Approximations where the author of the book has been actively engaged for many years.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books