Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology

Book Description

Most economic theory assumes a pure capitalism of perfect competition. This book is a penetrating critique of the rhetoric and practice of conventional economic theory. It explores how even in the United States—the most capitalist of countries—the market has always been subject to numerous constraints.

Perelman examines the way in which these constraints have been defended by such figures as Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan, and Herbert Hoover, and were indeed essential to the expansion of U.S. capitalism. In the process, he rediscovers the critical element in conservative thought—the "forgotten traditions of railroad economics"—that has been lost in the neoliberal present. This important and original historical reconstruction points the way to a discipline of economics freed from the mythology of the market.

Customer Reviews:

Part history lesson, part cautionary tale, and part scholarly dissection.......2006-11-05

Written by Michael Perelman (Professor of Economics, California State University), Railroad Economics is an openly critical denouncement of the weaknesses in modern economic theory. Denying the prevailing belief in "pure capitalism" or "perfect competition", Railroading Economics explores how the so-called free market is always subject to numerous constraints, even in the United States. Chapters discuss the historic increase of fixed capital, the role of finance, the long-term effects of the railroad industry, the rise of "welfare capitalism" in which consolidated enterprises dared to adopt a relatively progressive attitude toward labor, the impact and legacy of the Great Depression, the Golden Age of industrial dependence, and much more. Part history lesson, part cautionary tale, and part scholarly dissection of the nuances of labor, capital, and changing perspectives within the discipline of economics, Railroading Economics is a welcome contribution to economics studies shelves.

Book Description

In a world of organizations that are in constant change scholars have long sought to understand and explain how they change. This book introduces research methods that are specifically designed to support the development and evaluation of organizational process theories. The authors are a group of highly regarded experts who have been doing collaborative research on change and development for many years.

Customer Reviews:

"The" book for those interested on Process Research.......2005-08-16

I highly recommend this book for its extensive and quality discussion of process research methodologies and philosophy. It's a MUST READ for those interested on the subject.

Methods to develop a grounded theory of innovation processes in the Minnesota Innovation Research Program (Discussion paper / Strategic Management Research Center, University of Minnesota)

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Methods to develop a grounded theory of innovation processes in the Minnesota Innovation Research Program (Discussion paper / Strategic Management Research Center, University of Minnesota)
Marshall Scott Poole
Manufacturer: Strategic Management Research Center, University of Minnesota
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Organizational Change | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00072FTES

Book Description

The tightening of health and environmental regulations by banning chemical pesticides has generated the need for alternative technologies to solve grain storage problems. Aeration is such an option that can be applied to stored grain and a wide range of agricultural commodities to control insects and maintain quality. The Mechanics and Physics of Modern Grain Aeration Management demonstrates the most advanced theoretical solutions and practical approaches to aeration of stored grain. It will help those involved in the handling and processing of grain to maximize the end-use quality of food commodities and eliminate the occurrence of toxins, insects, pesticides, and chemical residues during storage. A stand-alone resource, this book can be used to design and manage aeration systems for all types of grain storage structures in all regions and climatic conditions. It bridges the gap between concepts of the design engineer and the requirements of the postharvest technologist to manipulate the storage ecosystem. It describes alternative, nonstandard aeration practices such as Dryeration, cross-flow aeration, closed loop or recirculation fumigation, and chilled aeration. Not only does The Mechanics and Physics of Modern Grain Aeration Management equips you with the knowledge necessary for aerating properly and efficiently within the context of new regulatory demands and gives you the tools you need to evaluate and test new concepts for assuring stored grain quality.

Book Description

Performing Psychology consists of essays and stage plays by and about Fred Newman, the controversial American philosopher, psychotherapist, playwright and political activist for whom psychology, social action, human development and performance are one. The reader is invited into dialogues currently taking place among psychologists, philosophers, artists, and community activists on such topics as: the nature of human subjectivity; the relationship of theater to human development; the status of traditional science in a postmodern world; the process of therapy and diagnosis; and the re-initiation of creativity and growth.

Arguing that both psychological activity and its study are essentially performance, Newman and his colleagues expose the myths of mainstream psychology and the limitations of its postmodern challengers. More than an academic critique, Performing Psychology offers a new methodology for understanding human life.

Customer Reviews:

Wildlife vs Great Plains Settlers 1865-79.......2003-02-21

The journals, diaries, and other primary accounts of the men and women that settled the American West occasionally describe exciting events, but more commonly these historical records detail the routine life of an isolated settler surviving in a harsh and unforgiving land. I marvel at the courage and perseverance exhibited by so many common men and women.

In "Wild Animals and Settlers on the Great Plains", Professor Fleharty has compiled primary accounts (not reminiscences penned years later) from newspapers and diaries to detail the impact of settlers on the native fauna of Kansas during a short, critical period, 1865 -1879. His reports, while specific to Kansas, can be generalized to the settlement of the extensive Great Plains of western America.

I was pained by some of the detailed accounts of uncontrolled hunting, of unwitting habitat destruction, of seeming obliviousness to the irreversible changes that were occurring. The newspaper accounts seemed so real, because they were.

Professor Fleharty does more than report the decline of the buffalo, bear, deer, antelope bobcat, and other animals during this period of intense settlement. He also shows, again from primary accounts, that a concern for the diminishing wildlife gradually developed, leading to hunting regulations and protective legislation. Our modern understanding and appreciation for protecting wildlife and the environment did not suddenly emerge a few years ago, but evolved steadily from these early concerns.

The strength of this book - its extensive quotations from newspapers and other primary sources - is also its weakness. I commend Professor Fleharty for his extensive research. However, as might be expected, many of these reports are similar, some even repetitious. Some, possibly a sizeable fraction, could have been relegated to an appendix, or possibly footnotes.

Possibly because Dr. Fleharty was trained as a zoologist, and not as an interpretive historian, he seemed reluctant to offer interpretations and extrapolations based on the rather sparse and anecdotal reports. And yet, as a zoologist willing to undertake historical research, his interpretations and insights, even speculations, would have been very interesting indeed.

If Dr Fleharty does revise this interesting book, I would like more discussions on how and why things happened. Tell us more about animal population dynamics in Kansas from 1865 to the present. What other ecological trends were set in motion during this short, catastrophic period? Could more steps have been taken earlier to mitigate the negative impact of the extensive settlement on the Great Plains?

Also, while I recognize that we cannot recreate the Great Plains of the 1860s, I am curious about Professor Fleharty's views on the ongoing movement to create large, natural grasslands preserves in the mid-continent. We cannot change the past, but we may be able to shape the future.

Average customer rating:

A must read for everyone!

Dry let-down

The Ultimate History of Lacrosse

Excellent

Fisher details the complete history of game

Lacrosse: A History of the Game
Donald M. Fisher
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
History of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books
Lacrosse | Other Team Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Lacrosse: North America's Game

American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War

Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition

Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Lacrosse (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Lacrosse) (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Lacrosse) (Ultimate ... Guide to Weight Training for Lacrosse)

Best Seat in the House: A Father, a Daughter, a Journey Through Sports

ASIN: 0801869382

Book Description

North America's Indian peoples have always viewed competitive sport as something more than a pastime. The northeastern Indians' ball-and-stick game that would become lacrosse served both symbolic and practical functions--preparing young men for war, providing an arena for tribes to strengthen alliances or settle disputes, and reinforcing religious beliefs and cultural cohesion. Today a multimillion-dollar industry, lacrosse is played by colleges and high schools, amateur clubs, and two professional leagues.

In Lacrosse: A History of the Game, Donald M. Fisher traces the evolution of the sport from the pre-colonial era to the founding in 2001 of a professional outdoor league -- Major League Lacrosse -- told through the stories of the people behind each step in lacrosse's development: Canadian dentist George Beers, the father of the modern game; Rosabelle Sinclair, who played a large role in the 1950s reinforcing the feminine qualities of the women's game; "Father Bill" Schmeisser, the Johns Hopkins University coach who worked tirelessly to popularize lacrosse in Baltimore; Syracuse coach Laurie Cox, who was to lacrosse what Yale's Walter Camp was to football; 1960s Indian star Gaylord Powless, who endured racist taunts both on and off the field; Oren Lyons and Wes Patterson, who founded the inter-reservation Iroquois Nationals in 1983; and Gary and Paul Gait, the Canadian twins who were All-Americans at Syracuse University and have dominated the sport for the past decade.

Throughout, Fisher focuses on lacrosse as contested ground. Competing cultural interests, he explains, have clashed since English settlers in mid-nineteenth-century Canada first appropriated and transformed the "primitive" Mohawk game of tewaarathon, eventually turning it into a respectable "gentleman's" sport. Drawing on extensive primary research, he shows how amateurs and professionals, elite collegians and working-class athletes, field- and box-lacrosse players, Canadians and Americans, men and women, and Indians and whites have assigned multiple and often conflicting meanings to North America's first -- and fastest growing -- team sport.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for everyone!.......2007-09-24

I played lacrosse for 5 years, including 1 at the varsity level. It is the fastest game on two feet, a combination of power, speed, agility, and skill unmatched by any modern sport. And it's American, North American that is, through and through. I don't read much for pleasure but when I do, I like to read books like Fisher's. I've read it several times; my only regret is not having reviewed it earlier. There is some serious intellectual meat in here but the book is engagingly written, the research is impeccable, and the balance is perfect. (I noticed an earlier reviewer had some odd things to say about Fisher's leftward bias. Fisher does use terms like class but a close reading shows that he is not using the term in a Marxist sense at all. In fact, I'd wager Fisher is slightly right-of-center if anything but I wouldn't put too much money down because, again, the balance is beautiful.) The best aspect of the book, imho, is that it is an example of the history of sport, a subfield of history that places sports into a wide cultural context. The context that Fisher provides improved my understanding of, and love for, the game. I think every lacrosse player, certainly at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, should read this book carefully and thoughtfully. Were I coaching, I'd get at least one copy for my players to read and then give them an age-appropriate quiz to make sure they got the main points. I bet most would as this is one of the best histories of sport, any sport, I've ever seen or heard about.

Dry let-down.......2006-12-12

I was torn between giving this book two or three stars. I wanted to give it a positive review because it is obvious that the man did amazing research and he was very thorough. In that sense, he did a great job.
On the other hand, I disliked it because it was dry and because he projects too much of his own political anxiety and agenda onto the game. I could have over-looked the dryness and given it a positive rating. But I can't overlook the leftist politics that simply get in the way of what would have been a good history of a great game.

The Ultimate History of Lacrosse.......2005-08-14

There are a few good books out there on lacrosse, but this one should be regarded as the Bible of the sport. If you have a serious passion for lax, you have to read this book from cover to cover. It's thoroughly researched, well-written, thought-provoking and enlightening. The book talks about both field lacrosse in the US and the indoor box game in Canada. It covers lacrosse on Indian reservations and even in the Olympics!! It's a very rich and complex history that really makes you think. It's hard to summarize 150+ years of lacrosse history in this review, so you have to read it for yourself. The book also includes a bunch of neat photos.

Excellent.......2003-02-12

A great work that provides a phenominal amount of historical content. A good book about a great game.

Fisher details the complete history of game.......2002-07-23

Anyone with an interest in the game of LaCrosse will find
Don Fisher`s volume most helpful. Don provides a very concise
look into the history of the sport,taking the reader where most
writers have not yet ventured.Although the author never played
LaCrosse in any professional capacity,the knowledge that he
he offers herein shines throughout this book.I recommend Don`s
book to everyone out there.
Jeffrey Bryan
White Oak,NC

Average customer rating:

Interesting Lacrosse Book With Cool Pictures
good read for overall knowledge of evolution of game

Lacrosse: North America's Game
Lacrosse Magazine
Manufacturer: Carpenter Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Anthologies | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Lacrosse | Other Team Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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Similar Items:

ASIN: 0975983407

Book Description

The first book from the team behind Inside Lacrosse magazine, this is a snapshot of the continent's original sport. This exquisite and lavishly illustrated coffee table book takes provides a visual journey through the "fastest game on two feet." With a charismatic prologue written by lacrosse legend Roy Simmons, Jr., Lacrosse is a glossy, photographic encyclopedia of this great game. Chapters are dedicated to the sport's Native American roots, men and women's college play, the pro indoor and outdoor games, and many other topics.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Lacrosse Book With Cool Pictures.......2007-01-16

The book has really cool pictures. I also like how it tells you about the history of lacrosse and other really, really cool facts.

good read for overall knowledge of evolution of game.......2005-08-06

I got this book because I'm an avid lacrosse player and love learning about the roots and evolution of the game. Since I live in Texas where lacrosse isn't nearly as big here as it is in the Northeast, it was interesting to see how the game is played and the culture is so huge at the D1 level. There was too much emphasis on the men's game, however, with only one section devoted to the women's game. But the picture quality was awesome, thanks to Inside Lacrosse magazine, and the layout is also neatly done. Makes for a good coffee-table book.

American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War

Average customer rating:

This is a superlative book!
A fine synthesis of native and sports history.

American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War
Thomas Vennum Jr.
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Lacrosse | Other Team Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1560983027

Customer Reviews:

This is a superlative book!.......2002-04-21

I can't say enough good things about this book! I picked it up while at a book sale and immediately had to have it. It's full of photographs of American Indian teams and tells you the full story of Lacrosse/baggataway and you get so much more--it's an in-depth look at how it affected the peoples and tidbits about their daily lives. Interspersed between each chapter are short 'stories' about lacrosse events.

This is a great book, and a wealth of information. It's about more than just lacrosse. Don't hesitate to get this!

A fine synthesis of native and sports history........1996-08-06

Vennum's work covers a neglected aspect of North American history: the role of lacrosse in native culture. By examining varieties of the game played across the continent, Vennum demonstrates that it was more than just a sport. Lacrosse provided entertainment, served as a substitute for armed conflict (and sometimes was a precursor to it), and was part of native spirituality. Particularly fascinating is Vennum's ability to weave the sporting aspects of the game with the sociological. Also important is his investigation of how the majority culture has taken this game and turned into something completely different: with standardized plastic sticks and a for-profit motive for playing. By taking the story all the way to the present, the author reveals that to native Americans the game still means much more, although many nations no longer even know they once enjoyed playing the "fastest game on two feet." My only complaint, as a Canadian, is that Vennum appears not to know geography quite well, and he consistently refers to Canadian sites incorrectly. But, overall, this a wonderful book

The Composite Guide to Lacrosse (The Composite Guide)

Average customer rating:

A good, complete guide to Lacrosse.

The Composite Guide to Lacrosse (The Composite Guide)
Lois Nicholson
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Lacrosse | Other Team Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0791047199

Customer Reviews:

A good, complete guide to Lacrosse........2000-05-02

This book gives a good overview of Lacrosse as well as moreadvanced techniques for more experianced players.

Book Description

Statistical approaches to processing natural language text have become dominant in recent years. This foundational text is the first comprehensive introduction to statistical natural language processing (NLP) to appear. The book contains all the theory and algorithms needed for building NLP tools. It provides broad but rigorous coverage of mathematical and linguistic foundations, as well as detailed discussion of statistical methods, allowing students and researchers to construct their own implementations. The book covers collocation finding, word sense disambiguation, probabilistic parsing, information retrieval, and other applications.

Customer Reviews:

Good book for people interested in Natural Language Processing........2007-09-15

This is a good book for people who are interested in computational linguists, machine
learning experts who are looking for new application domains and in general for someone who wants an introduction to statistical computational linguistics.

The book is self contained and very well written. It treats most of the general statistical approaches to language processing such as language models, smoothing, etc.. in an excellent, but introductory manner. The book is a good start for any one looking to enter statistical nlp, however for advanced readers who would like to see the cutting edge of statistical computational linguistics they should look somewhere else.

fastest delivery.......2005-07-04

I have never received anything so quick buying off the internet. Few days and I had the book in my hand. I was pleasantly surprised.

very definitive, really a must read.......2003-09-16

this is an import pre-req to any research/inquiry into this field.

Very technical.......2002-08-23

Only buy this book if you want a very technical book about this subject. I bought this book because I was generally interested in this research field... and I never read it. If you are a researcher or a student studying this field, then this might be a good book. Otherwise, there are books that you will probably enjoy more.

Self-contained and instructive, read the TOC first!.......2002-05-26

Compared to the slightly overrated Jurafsky and Martin's classic, this book aims less targets but hits them all more precisely, completely and satisfactory for the reader. That is, just to give you an idea on what to expect, instead of attacking 200 problems on 2 pages each, this book attacks only 40 problems on 10 pages each.

So, read the TOC before you buy the book: if you find your topics there, you're done, you are saved, buy it and be happy. In contrast, you can buy Jurafsky's book without caring to read the TOC: your problem is likely to be mentioned there but it's quite unlikely to be detailed enough to satisfy you.

Some introductory chapters take too much space and some advanced topics are missing. But the book is actually named "Foundations of..." so it seems to deliver precisely what it promisses, which is a precious and rare accomplishment by itself. I recommend this book.

Customer Reviews:

2007 Means square foot costs.......2007-10-17

A very good basic product.
It gives you target starting points.
It stands up in court.
However, I can buy all construction items and services for less than indicated in the book; and it does not matter what city that I am working in.

Contractor's Pricing Guide 2005: Means Residential Square Foot Costs

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Contractor's Pricing Guide 2005: Means Residential Square Foot Costs

Manufacturer: R.S. Means Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0876297637

Commercial Square Foot Building Costs 2005 (Commercial Square Foot Building Costs)

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Commercial Square Foot Building Costs 2005 (Commercial Square Foot Building Costs)

Manufacturer: Saylor Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yearbooks & Annuals | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0974626384

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