Managing Interest Rate Risk: Using Financial Derivatives (Institute of Internal Auditors Risk Management Series)

Book Description

As with previous titles in the IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) series this is a clear and practical guide to a subject of key importance to financial managers. Whether borrowing, investing, saving or trading, a company will always have to take into account the cost of capital and therefore interest rate risk. The highly accessible style explains everything from the basic principles through to the techniques allowing those without prior knowledge to understand the nature and use of a variety of financial tools, including derivative instruments. This is the third part of the trilogy on market risk, the previous two being Managing Currency Risk and Managing Commodity Risk.

Customer Reviews:

Great ideas, great book!.......2001-05-08

In the busy world of sales, time is money. This book will save you time (and money) as the games and activities are tried and true and can be used immediately. Ms. Greenwich includes pages to photocopy and a CD Rom with visual aids so you can start motivating and energizing your staff today. This book is a must for team leaders who want to "look good" by the results of their employees efforts. Plus, everyone who uses these recommended methods will find that it is fun!

Book Description

Hardcover w/hidden spiral 9-1/4 x 10-7/8 160 pgs approx. 90 color photos 23 illustrations 21 constellation charts 12 star maps 27 diagrams index bibliography

Customer Reviews:

Dakota (or Minnesota) Starwatch.......2007-01-19

This is a very good book for beginners. It is easy to follow, very interesting, and sticks to the basics. I recommend it for anyone who wants to get into stargazing.

Book Description

From nuclear dating methods to nucleosynthesis in stars… it's all here. The first practical, comprehensive guide to the science of radiochemistry. Radiochemistry and Nuclear Methods of Analysis is the first thorough and up-to-date look for the nonspecialist at the fundamentals of radiochemistry as well as the full range of advances currently made possible by the applications of radioactivity. Without an emphasis on high-level mathematics or abstruse theoretical physics, the book provides a clear, fundamentals-first look at radioactivity, the principles of radioactive decay, and nuclear reactions, as well as:

Modern radiochemical instrumentation
Nuclear dating methods
Methods for the production of radionuclides
The use of tracers and nuclear methods of analysis
The origin of the chemical elements
The biological effects of radiation

The book's user-friendly instructional format, designed for both beginning and advanced students, includes numerous end-of-chapter problems ranging from the simple to complex which familiarize the reader with equations and concepts in the text. References to recent monographs, available in most college and university libraries, provide direction to more specialized literature. Invaluable to both students and professionals in search of a practical grasp of the subject, Radiochemistry and Nuclear Methods of Analysis is a clear introduction to radioactivity and radionuclear chemistry's principles, methods, and applications.

Customer Reviews:

Review of Radiochemistry and Nuclear Methods .......2004-12-19

Although this text was written 1991 it still contains many relevant topics to the field of radiochemistry. Broad topics from nuclear dating methods to nucleosynthesis in star are covered. The text is written for the beginner or "non-specialist" within this field and provides a wide survey for the reader. There is not an emphasis on high-level mathematics or first principles of theoretical physics, the book does provides a clear, "first look" at radioactivity, the principles of radioactive decay, and nuclear reactions, as well as:

* Modern radiochemical instrumentation
* Nuclear dating methods
* Methods for the production of radionuclides
* The use of tracers and nuclear methods of analysis
* The origin of the chemical elements
* The biological effects of radiation

It could be said that although many of the areas addressed are redressed in other relevant texts of its kind, it still provides a useful addition to any serious scientist within the field of radiochemistry.

Good Textbook!.......2000-07-25

Radiochemistry and Nuclear Methods of Analysis is a book based on lectures on that subject. It has been written in a way that is understandable and easy to follow by the Chemistry or Physics student but also by the reader who has never been exposed to this subject before. It is well organized providing the reader information of the discovery of radioactivity and the contributions in this field, the concepts, the applications and the instrumentation used. The text is clear and concise. The text also provide additional reference for the reader who wants to continue reading more about a particular topic given that this book is a survey of the applications of radiochemistry. The tables, illustrations, graphs are easy to follow and the equations are well explained. This book is recommended for those who are interested in this area of Chemistr that usually is briefly mentioned during a General Chemistry course.

Amazon.com

A well-versed hunter or backwoods wanderer can tell the passage of a deer or elk herd by patterns of broken twigs, can guess at the age of a bear by the height of claw marks on a tree, can distinguish bird species by minute differences in their footprints and droppings. Tracks and signs reveal much about animals--and about humans. Martin Lockley, a paleontologist and dinosaur tracker, explores the hidden grammar of those signs in the Eternal Trail, a book full of wonders. Looking for evidence of Tyrannosaurus rex is one thing, of course; but who knew that archaeologists can tell Anglo-Saxons and Celts apart in ancient British sites by the shape of their footprints? Lockley uses such small variations among individuals, the cornerstone of Darwinian evolutionary theory, to explore the remarkable record of the past that lies on the ground all around us, accessible to anyone with keen eyes and a modicum of imagination. "What does it mean to look consciously backward and forward along the eternal trail and see ourselves in motion?" Lockley asks, having taken his readers through a vast catalog of examples. He answers by suggesting that we gain insight into the miracle of evolution across time, and that with this insight we better prepare ourselves to protect the natural world. It's a fine lesson, entertainingly delivered. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

A contemplative tale of evolution-from prehistoric monster centipedes and Jurassic dinosaurs to mammoths, mastodons, and men on the moon-as seen through the eyes of one of the world's preeminent trackers.

Were Jurassic dinosaurs social creatures? Is the legendary Bigfoot merely a myth? Can you determine the shape of a ram's horns from its footprints? Paleontologist Martin Lockley answers these questions and many more in this highly original chronology of tracking and track-making. From the earliest fossilized prints left by a millipede on a volcanic island to Neil Armstrong's footprint, forever embedded in the lunar dust, Lockley reinterprets the story of evolution, recorded over millions of years in the strata and substrata of our planet and its environs. In the process, he offers a new, holistic approach to tracking-one that highlights the self-organizing principles at work in the natural world-and demonstrates how the science of tracking is giving us new insights into the biology, behavior, and evolutionary history of a diverse array of extinct animals. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and surprising discoveries, The Eternal Trail initiates us into the art and science of tracking, while offering a poetic reflection on the continuity of life.

Customer Reviews:

baghhhh. .......2007-03-18

Somebody gave me this book, since I'm an amateur tracker; I doubt I'd have bought it if I read the reviews. Parts of it were truly delightful, I admit, but I got a stomach-ache everytime I read some sort of pseudo-science or bastardization of actual science. When factual claims are made that contradict what we know is true (I won't repeat the other reviewers' comments), or are made without evidence or reliable references, I can't trust anything else the author says. It's a shame, because, for example I suspect the relation between foot shape and being "down to earth" is bunk (in lieu of carefully controlled studies to verify this), there *has* been a recent study showing a correlation between index/ring finger length ratio and the subject's sexual orientation or athletic ability. But, as with most pseudo-science, such actual science is disregarded in favor of wishful thinking.

I couldn't pass the first chapters.......2001-11-24

The philosophy and the ideas behind the first few chapters were so silly that I started suspecting that the author was a creationist in disguise. So I got turned off and didn't read the rest. If I am mistaken, it is the author's fault.

A mixed bag.......2001-01-04

This book has some pretty interesting parts, but there is a lot of marginal material mixed in, and that tends to be a big distraction. I had a tough time getting through the introduction and first chapter, and nearly set the book aside for something else. The problem is that the first part of the book has lots of bad philosophy, and some bad science. For example, Lockley tells us in the introduction that

"... a mystical or intuitive approach to understanding existence is not incompatible with a scientific one."

He then explains how scientists sometimes find insights through intuition. He fails to illustrate, however, that (unlike mysticism) an essential element of the scientific method is independent, skeptical validation and review.

Lockley's personal penchants for things like palm reading are found at both the beginning and end of the book. For example, on page 22 he says:

"There is evidence that palms and hand shapes fall into various categories that reveal much of the character of the person. In palmistry an elongate hand is regarded as a sign of the gift of high intelligence, sensitivity, intuition, and psychic ability, whereas a stout hand, of the type sometimes called the square or useful hand, is a sign of a `salt of the earth' commonsense personality."

He makes the connection between palmistry and footprints by explaining how footprints reflect on the whole being. For example, he explains that Celtic feet tend to be longer and narrower than wide-footed Saxons, and that this can give insight into mental characteristics of these two groups of people. For example, on page 23, he writes:

"As we shall see, inherent qualities are also associated with narrowness and breadth, so we might infer from their foot shape that ancient Celts were more intuitive and mystical, whereas Saxons more practical and down to earth."

There are also some serious technical errors in the book. For example, on page 32 he says:

"In her seminal work Ho reiterates the known maxim that living organisms defy entropy, the tendency of systems to run down, by transcending the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all inanimate matter decays to equilibrium or "heat death."

This is misleading and false. Living things do not posses some mystical capability to "transcend" the laws of thermodynamics. These laws apply to all matter, with no exceptions. Bogus arguments about thermodynamics are common among mythologists and creationist, and I was rather surprised and disappointed to find Lockley using some of them.

Fortunately the book improves once you get past the first part, with the rest of the book being mostly a discussion of fossil footprints down through the ages in a more or less chronological order. This was what I'd been looking for in the first place. It's just too bad that there's so much other stuff mixed in with what's actually a very interesting subject.

The story of the tracks begins almost at the beginning, with Trilobite pirouettes and worm trails from the Precambrian, along with some quite interesting discussions about tracks left by monster millipedes and the earliest land animals. Once again, however, Lockley makes a serious technical error, when, on page 53 he says:

"It is fun to suggest that these ancestors of wood lice were stunned by the sheer enormity of their pioneering explorations on land. Dazed by sudden exposure to atmospheric pressure, they were still finding their land legs."

At first, I thought Lockley must have been joking, but he later describes discussing (in apparent seriousness) this very idea with a class of students. Any physicist will realize that atmospheric pressure is felt below the surface of a lake, just as it is right above the surface. The pressure increases below water, but in a continuous way. The first organisms to leave the seas had lots of things with which to contend, but a sudden change in pressure (assuming they were not deep-water organisms) was not one of them. And while Lockley seems to think that animals emerging from the sea would have been suddenly exposed to an increase in pressure, the opposite is actually the case. The total pressure under water is higher than the atmospheric pressure at the surface.

A good part of the rest of the book consists of examples of track ways, including some interesting personal stories about famous tracks that have been found and preserved. There is a nice discussion about phantom tracks that occur when a footprint is transferred to layers below the one on which the animal trod (sort of like making a carbon copy) and some very interesting accounts of footprints from the Holocene and Pleistocene - including horses and camels. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the section that deals with footprints of our earliest ancestors.

Throughout the book are examples of the author's belief that footprints exhibit clues about the whole animal, including such things as similarities between the shapes of hoofs and the shapes of horns. I find this interesting, and entirely plausible, but I wish the author had provided a more secure scientific basis for the claim. He frequently draws comparisons with a relatively small set of animals, for which the conclusions all hold quite nicely, but he fails to provide a more complete basis for drawing general conclusions.

When Lockley sticks with the subject of tracking and footprints he can be very engaging and quite informative. But he injects his personal philosophy so often that I found it distracting - especially when he starts making erroneous statements about atmospheric pressure and the laws of thermodynamics. Still, I'm glad I took the time to read his book. It made me think, and it taught me some things I didn't know before.

Follow the Trail.......2000-06-15

Lockley's book is an amazing compendium of insights into the evolutionary process as seen by an expert paleontologist. Loosely organized around the morphodynamic schemes of W. Schad and the noospheric views of P. Teilhard de Chardin, *The Eternal Trail* follows the paths of animal evolution and develops a synthesis of observation and process that I never would have thought possible. Lockley not only documents cases of convergent evolution, he is also able (via Schadian analysis) to explain how and why the convergences occur. References to palmistry, dancing angels, iridium homeopathy and subatomic particles as vital entities may confuse or upset more traditionally-oriented science readers. Lockley nevertheless makes a compelling case that there is more to evolution than meets the eye, and as such this book is a track-laying bellwether for a new science.

PONDERINGS OF A WORLD-CLASS TRACKER!.......1999-12-17

THE ETERNAL TRAIL is an important, informative, and exciting read. For years, Martin Lockley's works have played an indispensible role, pioneering in and the sharing of track studies with scientists and the world at large. Now, in THE ETERNAL TRAIL, we learn how this has lead him to deep thought about the nature of life, evolution, and even the forms which life takes. In sharing his facinating thoughts and insights, one perceives commendable courage. Some hounds of late 20th-century materialism may howl well past midnight because a scientist and educator of Lockley's caliber has dared to suggest that maybe we do not encompass the deeper modus of evolution by viewing it as only a result of natural selection manifesting in punctuated equilibrium. Of course, Lockley does not pretend to understand evolution, suggesting only that we may benefit by studing similarities in diverse forms that may have something to tell us. Commendably candid, LOCKLEY IS WILLING TO THINK OUT LOUD, unashamed to question, declaring at least the incompleteness of present evolutionary theory. Indeed, his personal exploration of both the broader and the deeper implications of 'the eternal trail', reflect an appropriate, rather cosmic perspective befitting an age where 'quantum teleportation'and other such wonders are now being discussed. Over past years Lockley has played a major (maybe THE major) role in transforming track studies (paleo-ichnology) from a mere scientific sideline, into a world-wide and world-class scientific endeavor involving geology, biology, paleo-ecology, and other disciplines. THE ETERNAL TRAIL is a continuation of that progress, challenging each of us to a broader playing field. Definitely a read that should not be missed by persons interested in evolution, the philosophy of science, pondering the nature of reality, paleo-ichnology in general, reading the 'signs' of nature or, well, dinosaurs, for that matter!

Eternal Trail: a Tracker Looks at Evolution

Average customer rating:

Eternal Trail: a Tracker Looks at Evolution
M. G. Lockley
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NWMJWW

Book Description

This new Confessions tale explores Ratch's stalking past, from when he was in junior high school all the way up to when he finished college and started working. You'll meet all the girls that he's unsuccessfully attempted to get to go out with him. There's Christina, the girl that he liked since the sixth grade and could never even get up the courage to speak to for five years, Stacey, the girl who had him arrested for sexual harassment after he talked to her in the supermarket, Teresa, the girl that he fell for over the internet, and many, many more. Go with Ratch and his friends Pete, Li, and Roy to college parties, sleazy night clubs, raves, the office, and even the desert. You'll laugh and you'll cry as you read experiences that will make you remember ones similar to your own.

Amazon.com

New York Governor George Pataki is one of the most intriguing American politicians to emerge in the 1990s. In the 1994 gubernatorial campaign, the Republican from Albany defeated incumbent Mario Cuomo, a liberal giant once thought unbeatable--even without the support of New York City's Republican mayor, Rudy Giuliani. Since then, Pataki has reigned over a strong economy and falling crime rates, and some say he will wind up on the GOP presidential ticket in 2000. Like so many memoirs by politicians on the rise, however, Pataki says little of a provocative nature, with the possible exception of a passage in which Pataki describes cooking marijuana with baked beans during his college days. Still, political junkies, especially those right of center, will find this a welcome albeit uncritical introduction to a man who may play a visible role in every American's future. --John J. Miller

Book Description

George Pataki is the real McCoy. He's a small-town boy from Peekskill, New York, where his family's immigrant background and farming life shaped his down-to-earth politics. A second-generation American with roots in Hungary, Italy, and Ireland, Pataki has retained a common touch that his Yale and Columbia educations haven't changed. He finally followed a lifelong dream of entering public service when he left a corporate law firm to join a Senate task force on the reorganization of the court system. In 1982 Pataki became mayor of his hometown, and in 1994 he stunned New York's political world by defeating Mario Cuomo in the gubernatorial election. Suddenly George who? became a GOP power broker. He'll give readers the inside story of his incredible upset victory and bring us into the governor's mansion to show the day-to-day job of running the diverse state of New York--the issues it raises, the choices he makes, the beliefs that determine how he governs. Told with warmth and wry humor, the governor's story shows that winning politics can still come from a simple source--straight from the heart.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Biography.......2001-08-23

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. Casual and right to the point. Interestingly he talked very casually about when he ... at law school and about how much .... Didn't mind talking about himself in not always positive ways. Without using many words, Pataki was able to give the reader a clear impression of his political career and what a longshot he was considered when he started running in 1994 and how he managed to win without the support of Rudy Giuliani. Pataki is one of the greatest politicians in America and wrote one of the greater autobiographies.

Average customer rating:

Pataki: An Autobiography
George E. Pataki
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000IN8KUQ

Average customer rating:

Pataki: An Autobiography
George E. With Paisner, Daniel Pataki
Manufacturer: The Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000T4FN72

Average customer rating:

The Quest For Freedom
Corina Pataki
Manufacturer: Serenity Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0971270155

Average customer rating:

Truly A Gift

Beautiful Character Weaving

40 Acres and No Plot

What a wonderful book!

Catchy and Cool

40 Acres and No Mule
Janice Holt Giles
Manufacturer: University Press of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
South | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Shady Grove

The Kentuckians

Hill Man

The Land Beyond the Mountains

The Enduring Hills

ASIN: 0813108098

Customer Reviews:

Truly A Gift.......2007-01-21

I purchased this book as a gift for my dad. Janis Holt Giles came to me while doing family research, The Kentuckians was resourced in one family's information so I purchased that book. My dad took it up and read it and has been a Giles fan ever since. From then on every month I have bought a new Giles book for him to read and he enjoys them so. He reads the books in one day then passes them along to anyone who will read them.
He believes Janis Holt Giles to be one of the most gifted writers of all times.I just simply get pleasure from finding him books he loves to read.

Beautiful Character Weaving.......2006-07-09

Janice Holt Giles takes you to a small place in Appalacia and begins weaving a picture of the people, the ways of life, the long time traditions, and the religion that is deep in the heart of the country. She does it in a way that actually made me fall in love with the people and yearn for a simpler life (even though logically, I know I would have a hard time adapting to such a life). It took me a long time to decide to read this book because the cover is not engaging, but once I had started, I had a hard time putting it down!

40 Acres and No Plot.......2004-07-23

This was the worst book I have ever had the misfortune of reading. You see, I had to read it for school. I am 13 years old. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not just a stupid 13 year old who hates everything to do with reading; I LOVE to read. I usually like all the books I read, this is the first one I absolutely hated. No offense to the author or anything, but do people really care how she likes her biscuts? Or does she really think we care about the music for the song "Jesus Hold My Hand"? I mean, give me a break! So those of you who want to read this book, please consider this before wasting your precious money on this excuse for a book.

What a wonderful book!.......2002-05-20

I loved this book because it took me on a journey to a part of the United States that is not known to most readers. And to a time that is not today. And to know people who are unlike any neighbors I have ever had.
I really enjoyed learning the landscape and the problems and the social activities of mountain people. Someone who lives in an urban area (or the suburbs of an urban area) may feel superior to these characters, feel privileged compared to such country types but I really admired many of the people for coping so well with their circumstances. Many seem heroic, even.
I'd like to say Thank You to this author!

Catchy and Cool.......2000-06-23

You will enjoy reading this.

I did.

Average customer rating:
40 Acres and No Mule
Janice Holt Giles
Manufacturer: The Westminster Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OO47J2

Average customer rating:
40 Acres and No Mule
Janice Holt Giles
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYQUPC

Average customer rating:
40 Acres and No Mule
Janice Holt Giles
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8879Y

Average customer rating:
40 Acres and No Mule
Janice Holt Giles
Manufacturer: Boston: Houghton Mifflin company, 1967
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZ5NX6

Book Description

Few First Ladies matched Barbara Bush's remarkable popularity. Even her husband's detractors often spoke glowingly of the 'Silver Fox,' whose warmth and generosity have won her friends and admirers across the country. Pamela Kilian paints an unforgettable portrait of the woman who quietly became an American icon, exploring her dark side, her eccentricities, her tragedies, her philosophy, and her take on the 2000 election. Kilian tells Barbara's life story, from her protected childhood, to her early marriage and motherhood, to her journey to the White House and beyond. This riveting and well-respected biography gives a new perspective on the woman who was married to one president, and gave birth to another.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing New.......2003-12-21

I read this book and I was just left wondering where the new material was. This book just goes over some general things that everyone knows. We need something a little meatier. Barbara can really be a great leader when she wants to. I just wish she didn't leave these books up to other people such as biographers and ghost writers.

Nothing New.......2003-09-15

Having read many articles and several books, there was nothing new in this book for the general reader. Lacked substance also.

OK for the general fan, but not much for the historian.......2002-10-08

I call it Clementine Churchill (or if you prefer, Denis Thatcher) Syndrome: spouses of the great and powerful frequently haven't had lives as newsworthy as that of their more famous partner. And as Barbara Bush herself has noted, it's "fate and an extraordinary husband" (p. 141) that have made her part of history. However, Barbara Bush has always been a popular individual -- sometimes much more so than her husband. And for casual fans looking for an inoffensive and readable popular biography, this work by Pamela Killian more than fits the bill.

On its own terms, it does have its weak points. How much weight you choose to give them depends on what exactly you're looking for, I suppose. For example, there's no evidence Mrs. Bush herself was interviewed for this book -- although according to the acknowledgements some current and former staff-members and friends were. Many of the quotes, and much of the other information, are recycled from newspaper coverage and other media sources (including, interestingly, an episode of the A&E cable network's "Biography" program). Author Kilian also gives a disturbing amount of emphasis to those notoriously fickle (as well as politically tendentious) "polls of presidential historians."

There are also a couple of errors (arguably minor) that need to be pointed out, including a misquotation of Al Gore's famous "no controlling legal authority" phrase (p. 217) and an odd mention of the House of Representatives' "interference" with the election of 1824 (there was no "interference," just the process laid out in the Constitution).

Where I thought this biography particularly shined, though, was in the discussion of Barbara Bush's 1990 commencement address at Wellesley College (pp.146-53). Some feminists in the graduating class had objected to Mrs. Bush's presence, on the grounds that she had no individual achievements and was only being honored because of whom she was married to. Mrs. Bush handled that issue well at the time, and Kilian does the same here. I found this chapter, in many ways, the defining point of the book, giving testimony (if any were needed) to the value of the life Barbara Bush has led.

While not terribly in depth or deeply psychologically revealing, this biography does give a good picture of a woman who, in my opinion, justifies the high regard in which she is still held by so many people. Think what you will about her husband's and/or son's politics, it's harder not to like the Silver Fox, as this title helps make clear.

Average customer rating:
Barbara Bush (Senior Lifestyles Series): Matriarch of a Dynasty
Pamela Kilian
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MHNHYM

Average customer rating:
Barbara Bush, Matriarch Of A Dynasty
Pamela Kilian
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTO8MS

Average customer rating:
Barbara Bush: Matriarch of a Dynasty
Pamela Kilian
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press 2003
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MCKCGI

Customer Reviews:

Vivir siempre... Una gran historia.......2007-07-13

La separación familiar, el maltrato infantil, una juventud un poco controvertida, un cancer testicular podría ser un panorama nada prometedor para cualquier persona. Pero para los grandes siempre es motivo de convertirse en alquien inmortal...
Una gran historia, digna de leerse.

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