Globalization and the Perceptions of American Workers

Book Description

A number of recent events in the United States attest to a "globalization backlash" in opposition to continued liberalization of trade, foreign direct investment, and immigration. This backlash has been commonly characterized as reflecting the interests of small groups whose diverse agendas have very little connection, if any, to the economic consequences of policy liberalization.

The authors of this book argue that this characterization is wrong. The backlash reflects widespread skepticism among US citizens about globalization, and these perceptions seem to be closely connected to the labor-market pressures that globalization may be imparting on US workers. The empirical case for the book's argument is based on three key findings. First, a wide range of public opinion surveys indicates that US citizens recognize both the costs and benefits of integration with the world economy, but they tend to weigh the costs more than the benefits. Second, these policy preferences cut most strongly across labor-market skills. Less-skilled workers are much more likely to oppose freer trade and immigration than their more-skilled counterparts. Third, this skills-preferences gap may reflect very different wage-growth levels across skill groups in the US labor market since the early 1970s. Less-skilled US workers-a group that still constitutes the majority of the US labor force-have had close to zero or even negative real wage growth and have also seen sharp declines in their wages relative to more-skilled workers.

While concerns about the impact of globalization on the environment, human rights, and other issues are an important part of the politics of globalization, it is the link between policy liberalization, worker interests, and individual opinions that forms the foundation for the backlash against liberalization in the United States.

Book Description

Creative Leadership: Skills That Drive Change demonstrates how creative thinking is an essential element of leadership, especially when bringing about change. In this engaging book, authors Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance provide a unique combination of conceptual arguments, practical principles, and proven tools to enhance future leaders’ effectiveness in creating and managing change.

Key Features:

Intimately connects leadership and creativity: Leadership is now characterized as the catalyst for change, while creative thinking is the process that leads to change. This is the first book to make an explicit and elaborate conceptual link between creativity and leadership.
Utilizes the Creative Problem Solving process: This book explores the more than 50 years of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) research and application. While other books focus on creative thinking and CPS, this is the first to offer a philosophical position that is then followed up with specific principles and procedures that leaders can employ to deliberately enhance their effectiveness in creating and managing change.
Promotes “deliberate creativity”: The authors are all faculty at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, Buffalo State—State University of New York, internationally renowned as a leading authority on the topic of Creative Problem Solving. Their rich experience encourages students to take a proactive approach toward the production of novel and useful ideas that address a predicament or opportunity.

Intended Audience:

This is an excellent supplemental text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Leadership, Creativity Management, and Change Management in the departments of Business and Management. It is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in improving their leadership skills using a creative approach.

Talk to the author! www.buffalostate.edu/centers/creativity

Customer Reviews:

Books Shows How Creativity Powers Change.......2007-02-16

The authors put up a strong case of the leadership-creativity connection. Using research by other scholars, the authors highlight problem solving as an important skill set of a leader. The book takes the reader through the creative problem solving process that Buffalo is renowned for and the techniques to facilitate divergent and convergent thinking.

The book is easy to read with practical examples to aid learning. The coverage is comprehensive including sections on creative styles and climate. There is theorectical basis which helps the reader to understand and build confidence.

This book guides me on how to get out of the rut and inspires me that things can be different. A great resource book.

Book Description

While fertility rates in the post-industrial world have fallen below replacement levels, the birth rate and survival rates in the developing world are escalating rapidly. Changes in agricultural technology, food production and consumption patterns, as well as the global economic system itself, have created an unstable food production system worldwide.

Population and Food examines trends in food production and assesses the prospects for feeding humanity into the 21st Century. Synthesizing a mass of statistical data and a wealth of case material, this book suggests that food production in most world regions has kept ahead of population growth. Considering likely future trends in climate, land resources, water availability, farm imputs and technnological innovation, the author argues that in all probability the people of the world will be better fed in the 21st than in the 20th Century.

Amazon.com

Many books provoke a visceral reaction, but few really make you itch. Science writer Carl Zimmer's Parasite Rex does just that, provoking a deliciously creepy sense of paranoia in the reader as it explores a long-misunderstood realm of science. While entomologists love to announce that there are more species of insects than all other animals combined, few parasitologists choose to trump that by reminding us that "parasites may outnumber free-living species four to one." That figure is based on the multicellular chauvinism of the 19th century, which excludes bacteria and fungi from consideration (athlete's foot, anyone?), but Zimmer looks at the E. coli in our guts as well as the worms, flukes, mites, and other critters that earn a healthy living at our expense--and the expense of our domesticated plants and animals.

The author traveled to Africa to see firsthand the effects of sleeping sickness and river blindness. He learned from physicians and researchers that the parasites that wreak so much havoc are much more than the simple degenerates we've taken them for. Their complex adaptations to their environments--us--are as lovely and awe-inspiring as any eye or wing. The examples of hormonal and other behavioral control of hosts, causing changes in feeding habits and other life essentials, are chilling when personalized. Zimmer knows his subject well, and his writing, while robust and affecting, never descends to the all-too-easy gross-out. You wouldn't expect to find respect for a tapeworm, but Parasite Rex will show you how beautiful Earth's truly dominant life forms are. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction.
IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules.
IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites.
WELCOME TO EARTH.

For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead.

This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.

Download Description

For decades parasites were the pariahs of science, considered too aberrant and insignificant to study. Only recently have biologists begun to appreciate that these diverse and complex organisms are the most highly evolved life forms on earth. In this compelling, gracefully written work of popular science, Carl Zimmer takes us on a tour of the strange and bizarre world that parasites inhabit -- and delightfully recounts the fantastic voyages of these wonders of creation.

Parasites can: rewrite DNA; rewire the brain; genetically engineer viruses as weapons; and turn healthy hosts into the living dead. From a lab in California where the grisly secrets of parasitic wasps are coming to light, to remote Sudan, where the subtle horror of sleeping sickness is threatening millions of lives, Parasite Rex follows researchers in parasitology, one of the hottest fields in biology, as they attempt to penetrate the mysteries of these omnipresent creatures who control evolution, ecosystems, and perhaps the future of the human race. It is life science at its most thrilling -- by a writer who, according to John Horgan, "brings evolutionary biology to life more vividly than anyone in recent memory".

Customer Reviews:

Very interesting and important, if a bit plodding.......2007-09-24

The book its an excellent review of the parasites among us. It also does not miss any key topics, although some of them it glosses over a bit. For example, the chapeter on how these criters beat our immune system could have been much better and more detailed, particularly as this was for me one of the key quesitons I had as I continued to read. While we are told that basically it is too costly for organisms to proof themselves against even particular parasites, that was never explained in sufficient detail. On the whole, however, it covers the important parasite concepts and the evolutionary twists and turns in the battle between parasites and their hosts, and responsibly differentiates scientific speculation from experimental fact.

Perhaps the biggest flaw in the book is the lack of diagrams and its minimal number of photos. One of the coolest things about parasites is how gross they are and I wanted to see more of them. Also the same parasites seemed to keep coming up as examples of everything. Perhaps there are only so many types of parasites so it just doesn't matter whether one discusses blood flukes of humans or some other animal. But the book makes bold statements about how much more diverse parasites are than so called "free living" organisms, so it seemed a bit weird to continually be presnted with the "usual suspects" as examples of each of the parasitic principles.

The writing is clear and well organized, but goes on too long and is repetitive in places. This would probably have been a better book if were 30 pages shorter. But that's a quibble.

On the whole, a very good book that should interest anyone interested in natural systems and evolution, and parasites in particular.

Amazing.......2007-07-12

This book literally changed how I view EVERYTHING. It is as incredible as it is scary. Fantastic work, Mr. Zimmer.

Plenty of Bugs to Creep You Out .......2007-03-19

Wow. That's all I really need to say about "Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures" by Carl Zimmer. The book is gross and alarming, and you simply cannot stop reading it for a second. Malaria-spreading mosquitoes, elephantiasis-causing worms, gender-altering slugs, and all sorts of creepy things that turn their hosts into zombies or free meals or living cocoons for their young are the "heroes" of this nonfiction work, which talks about how each parasite has adapted to survive in our world.

"Parasite Rex" is easy to read and incorporates a lot of ecology and physiology, both written in a clear and understandable way. Plus, there are some nasty photos with even nastier captions (1.3 billion people have hookworms inside them). This book is a fascinating read for anyone of any age, no matter if they are interested in parasites or not. Believe me, once you read it, you will see parasites (and the workings of the human body) in a completely different light. Highly recommended.

Lovely........2006-10-17

Carl Zimmer, Parasite Rex (The Free Press, 2000)

The Free Press has a tendency to put out important books full of thick, barely readable language that make one consider, say, spending a few evenings on the rack as acceptable alternative entertainment. Parasite Rex is not one of them. It's an important book, yes, but it's also a fascinating one. It's readable, which is something uncommon not only in Free Press titles, but in nonfiction in general, and even if there were nothing else to make it stand out from the crowd, that would make this an above-average book by itself.

It is not, however, the only thing that bumps the rating on this one up a tad. It's a fun book, pure and simple. "Fun" is, perhaps, not the word that immediately springs to mind when talking about a book that explores the world of, to be vulgar about it, the creepy-crawly. But Zimmer approaches his subject with an enthusiasm (and, at times, a revulsion he doesn't keep hidden, much to the annoyance of at least one of his interviewees) that's, if you'll pardon the pun, infectious. Parasites have gotten a bad name over the years, since early scientists thought of them as animals going backwards on the evolutionary scale, and it's Zimmer's mission here to dispel that myth by showing some of the many interesting ways in which various species of parasite have evolved along with their hosts over the years. The picture he paints is incredible.

More to the point, however, is the cautionary tale underlying the book, the one where Zimmer points out that, on a microscopic level, some of the things we humans do to get rid of parasites have the same effect on our bodies that the introduction of rabbits and cane toads to Australia did on the ecosystem there (for example, Zimmer draws an interesting parallel between the increasing effectiveness of the fight against intestinal parasites and the explosive rise of Crohn's Disease). Yes, Zimmer argues, there are some nasties that we'd be much better off without, because when we contract them, they kill us outright. But we should get to know our parasites a little more before deciding they're all out to take over the world. It's the kind of hypothesis one doesn't hear too often, and Zimmer presents it in such a way that the reader is beguiled into listening. Nice work, this. *** ½

creepy, horrifying, fascinating.......2006-09-07

I picked up this book to read after seeing a science show on television about snails whose brains were controlled by parasites. These creatures were actually visible to the eye, inside the antenna of the snails! In "Parasite Rex", Carl Zimmer tells the grotesque and horrifying and astonishing ways that parasites affect our world. The adaptations these organisms have made to survive and reproduce are amazing, and some of them could not be rivaled by the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft. In addition to accounts of strange and creepy parasites, Carl Zimmer explains how hosts and parasites have evolved to depend on each other, parasites actually making the host's survival possible or performing a service for the host. Mitocondria are likely to have started out as a parasite in forms of early life. The book is very well written, very interesting, and I feel that I learned a lot about my body and my environment by reading it.

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures

Average customer rating:

There ain't no bugs on me, but I don't know about thee.

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures

Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0965007588

Product Description

Worms, protozoa, and other terrifying parasites, capable even of mind control. Author calls them the real drivers of evolution.

Customer Reviews:

There ain't no bugs on me, but I don't know about thee........2007-05-29

"Whence, thinkest thou, kings and parasites arose?" (Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Queen Mab").

"Parasite Rex" is an interesting look at the evolution and biology of parasites--but only for the strong of stomach.

In a sense it was comforting to read that we are not the most savage, efficient predators on Earth. Witness the parasite Sacculina that turns crabs into zombies--the slug-like female enters the crab through a convenient leg joint and gradually fills its whole body cavity, even wrapping roots around its host's eyestalks. The crab continues its shadow-crab life, sidling through the surf, eating mussels and clams. However, it stops moulting and growing as these activities would funnel energy away from Sacculina. If the parasite becomes pregnant, it doesn't matter whether the crab started out as male or female--it will brood and hatch the next generation of Sacculina as if the tiny larvae were its own children.

Sacculina's life-style is rather hard on the crab, but it is only one of the amazingly efficient (and bizarre) parasites described in this book. Other parasites have adopted Sacculina's method of eliminating their host's unnecessary functions such as reproduction (unnecessary to the parasite, that is) while leaving the host enough brain, nervous system, and digestive tract to go on feeding.

I imagine if there were a Sacculina-type parasite for humans, we would soon lose our urge to play football or go swimming. We would lie in front of the TV all day long, stuffing ourselves with---wait a minute, here! Is it possible...?

Zimmer also describes the stratagems that potential hosts have evolved to eliminate, or at least confuse the parasites that view them as mobile homes with well-stocked refrigerators:

"Consider the leaf-rolling caterpillars. They're pretty ordinary insect larvae with one exception: they fire their droppings like howitzers...What on Earth could have driven the evolution of an anal cannon? Parasites could. When parasitic wasps home in on a larva such as the leaf-roller caterpillar, one of the best clues is the odor of their host's droppings...The intense pressure put on leaf-roller caterpillars by [parasitic] wasps has pushed the evolution of high-pressure fecal firing. By getting their droppings away from them, the caterpillars have a better chance of not being found by wasps."

Even plants have evolved defenses against parasites, usually by creating poisonous chemicals that the parasite ingests as it chomps on the plant. Some plants will even emit a scent that attracts predator wasps to the caterpillar that is munching on their leaves (so much for high-pressure fecal cannons).

Be sure to read Chapters seven and eight: "The Two-Legged Host; and "How to Live in a Parasitic World," and ponder the statement, "A parasite that has no self-regulation is going to put itself out of existence and may take its host with it."

Could we humans be considered parasitic to Earth, itself?

"Parasite Rex" has detailed footnotes, a "Further Reading and Selected Bibliography" section, and an index for those readers who would like to pursue this fascinating subject. Carl Zimmer has also written, "At Water's Edge" and is a frequent contributor to "Discover," "National Geographic," "Natural History," "Nature," and "Science."

Average customer rating:

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
Carl Zimmer
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1DIP8

Product Description

The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Soccer is the most comprehensive and up-to-date soccer-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round soccer-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other soccer book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book contains the type of training needed to overwhelm the opposing team with speed, stamina, and overall strength. By following this program, you will have the energy and power to move past and out-muscle your opponent which guarantees soccer players of all skill levels better results when fighting for position, running the field, and scoring goals.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20.

Customer Reviews:

New Edition is Way Better.......2006-01-23

I'm a multi sport athlete who trains all year round regardless of what sport I play. I bought a few of these Ultimate Guide to Weight Training books, and they definitely helped me train specifically for the different sports that I play. Then about a year later I received an email from amazon that there was a new edition out. These upgraded editions are even better than the originals, with more articles and a lot more sport-specific information. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who plays a lot of sports or wants to specifically focus on training for one sport in particular.

Play like Beckham!.......2004-01-26

This book is great for any soccer player! I recommend it to anyone who wants to increase agility and stamina. This book has improved my game through its various exercises and weight lifting techniques. I highly recommend it to any soccer player at any level. A great buy!!!

awesome!.......2004-01-17

This is the best book I have found of its kind! A workout plan just for soccer players that is clear and easy to understand. You can use this program at any skill level and see results fast. Definitely worth the price - I have introduced this program to my whole team!

Money Well Spent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-01-16

I was recommended this book from a friend of mine who is also a soccer nut like myself. I found that this book clearly outlines how the individual player can exponentially increase their level of effectiveness on the pitch. Besides improving my general performance on the field by increasing my level of stamina, strength, and flexibility, I found that this book serves as a very good starting points for players of all abilities and ages.

This book provides advice narrowly tailored towards soccer players. Where other books fail to provide advice about how one can prevent injures and make training fun, this book undoubtedly succeeds!!! Overall, a great buy.

Fantastic Training Aid.......2003-10-27

Its been a long time that I've found a book to be as functional as this one. It outlines soccer specific programs that are easy to follow and even easier to understand. My efficiency in the weightroom has increased ten fold, and I am now faster and more powerful than ever before. Also, I am quicker and able to make sharper cuts on the field and can jump higher now to reach up for difficult headers. All in all, this is a great book that I would recommend to anyone interested in enhancing their soccer playing performance.

Average customer rating:

Huh?

good, but basic

Very Poor

Best book for Students

No Dust on my Copy.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Basics (Mastering the Essential Techniques)
Gene Simco
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Martial Arts | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
Judo | Martial Arts | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

No Rules: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Techniques for Mixed Martial Arts and Self: Techniques for Mixed Martial Arts and Self Defense w/DVD

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory & Technique

Passing the Guard: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques: Volume 1 (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)

Mastering Jujitsu (Mastering Martial Arts Series)

The Guard (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques)

ASIN: 0806526637

Book Description

Learn It Here. Learn It Right. Over the last decade, the growing popularity of mixed martial arts competitions has brought international attention to the powerful and practical art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. BJJ fighters have taken title after title in championship after championship, and now, with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Basics, you can learn the techniques that have made BJJ the dominant style in the world of mixed martial arts.

Author and acclaimed instructor Gene Simco teaches his students that a solid mastery of the fundamentals is essential in creating a foundation upon which the more advanced techniques can be built—and that's where this book comes in. With photos and step-by-step instructions, Simco shows you all the moves you'll need to master to take your training to the next level, including:

Primary positions: the Guard, the Mount, the Back Mount, side control, standing techniques, and Passing the Guard

Submissions: Armbars, Triangle Choke, Collar Choke, Kimura Lock, Guillotine, Mata Leo, and Omoplata

Defenses against punches, kicks, take-downs, and more!

Escapes from chokes, grabs, bear hugs, locks, and clinches

Plus warm-up exercises, tips on choosing a school, and Dojo etiquette Whether you're a novice interested in self-defense or a more experienced martial artist looking to raise your ranking, compete in mixed martial arts events, or supplement your current martial art with BJJ techniques, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Basics is the book to take when you're taking it to the mat.

The Experts Agree ...

"Gene Simco is one of the most Technical Jiu-jitsu instructors on the East Coast. His students are a testement to that." - Brian Cimmins, Grapplers Quest Tournament Director

"I've been training bjj for 35 years and Gene's book is one of the best books in the market. I strongly advise everybody that practise jiu jitsu to buy it."

-- Romero "Jacare´" Cavalcanti (founder of Alliance Jiu-jitsu and one of 5 Rolls Gracie Black Belts)

"I am an old man and a martial arts grandmaster and I thought I knew a lot. I am physically disabled but I practice that which I can practice and even someone with physical infirmities like me can easily learn these straight forward common sense techniques that I somehow missed along the learning trail. But little did I realize how little I really knew until I read the 162 page book BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU BASICS. This is without a doubt the Cadillac, the Rembrandt, the Leonardo De Vinci, the Bruce Lee of jiu jitsu books at the lower belt level." Professor Kenneth L. Haugland

Grandmaster, Soke, Ph.d., 10th Dan

American Combat Judo and Jujitsu Association

Customer Reviews:

Huh?.......2007-10-04

I really was interested in this book b/c it comes with a DVD. I don't understand moves very well just looking at pictures. Unfortunately, a lot of the moves in the book are not on the DVD included. He shows how to do a takedown from the clinch, and a few other things but I can't remember.

Also be aware that there is a lot of controversy regarding the legitimacy of this guy, check any MMA or BJJ forum. Nothing personal against the guy, but I haven't read anything positive about him - but I could be wrong so glean from that what you will. You would probably be better off buying Cesar Gracie's set. It costs more but it's worth it.

good, but basic.......2007-05-22

The book is ok, but there's nothing there that you wouldn't learn in the first couple months of training. So, if your just starting out it's useful.

Very Poor.......2007-01-07

I really don't understand how this book can get 5 stars.
The actual content isn't too bad but what really brings it down is the layout and the photos. Most of the photos are tiny and combined with the poor quality paper they seem faded making it hard to distinguish what is going on.
I am waiting on a few other BJJ books I have purchased based on 5 star reviews.I'm now a little bit woried that they will only be as good as this book which I think is very poor.
The DVD however isn't too bad. Some good stuff there.
I was going to give 2 stars due to the DVD but this is a book review so
stuff it just 1 star.

Best book for Students.......2006-01-03

This book is accurate, intelligent and well thought out. Unlike others, when I buy a DVD player, I don't expect it to cook my breakfast, so when I bought this BASICS books, I was very happy that it contained the essential basic techniques of brazilian jiu-jitsu and not a bunch of flashy moves that will only work on a grappling dummy. I actually purchased this book in an earlier version released by the author a couple of years ago and still use it as a reference now. I did not receive this copy with the DVD included, but purchased the set at Gene Simco's site and am even more pleased with the videos.

No Dust on my Copy........2006-01-03

I personally found this book to be quite helpful. The photos are clear and each person is wearing different colored uniforms, unlike some of the other books mentioned, so the details present themselves very clearly. The descriptions are written in clear, plain English. Any normal human being who is honest will admit that the practice of BJJ is intimidating, so a bit of basic knowledge in book form is a useful tool for any serious student. Anyone doing martial arts for years will tell you that the Basics are all you really need anyway, so yes, I think I really need this book. I also liked the addition of the DVD, very few books on the market have this. I suppose there are a lot of white to blue belt experts out there who think they know everything. If you are too smart to learn any more, than this book isn't for you.

The bottom line is, if you are advanced, what do you need a book for anyway? A Basics book is a much needed tool for any beginner.

Book Description

Coining the term anglosphere to describe a loose coalition based on a common language and heritage, James C. Bennett believes that traits common to America and other English-speaking nations--a particularly strong and independent civil society; openness and receptivity to the world, its people, and ideas; and a dynamic economy--have uniquely positioned them to prosper in a time of dramatic technological and scientific change. In a wide-ranging exploration back to the Industrial Revolution and into the future, The Anglosphere Challenge gives voice to a growing movement on both sides of the Atlantic.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating ideas about history and the future.......2005-10-27

James C. Bennett explores some reasons for why English speaking names with an English heritage have done so well over the last couple centuries, and why they will continue to do well. The author points out that history is a pretty good indicator of the future. If we can understand why certain cultures have been successful, we may be able to understand which cultures will do well in the future.

This book is full of interesting ideas and observations. One of them is there are two types of problems, bounded and unbounded. Bounded problems have clear answers. A simple bounded problem is what is "2 + 2" with a clear answer of four. There are more complex bounded problems, like how much fuel with a 747 use carrying 187 people from Chicago to Atlanta. The problem is well defined, and the issues are all pretty much all known. Unbounded problems do not have clear definitions, let alone clear answers, at least in the beginning. Which video format is going to dominate, VHS or Beta? Who is going to win the next presidential election? What recent technological developments will become important in the future? This reminded me of "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Surowiecki. James Surowiecki says that under certain situations a large group of people can make better decisions than a few experts. James Bennett points out that often the private sector does a much better job of dealing with unbounded problems, and that the culture of the Anglosphere tends to promote private sector solutions.

Another interesting idea builds on the economic principle that specialization with trade allows greater economic development. If an individual had to depend on everything he produced he would have to be a subsistence farmer and/or hunter. But as families, communities, cities, and nations develop, along with the ability to trade with others, people can increase their productiveness by focusing on specific areas of interest or expertise. Adam Smith used showed the value of this when talking about a group of manufactures who each focused on a single step in the production of sewing needles. James Bennett says that by increasing the level of trade and trust to include other nations, there can be greater economic growth. Those nations in the Anglosphere have an easier time trading with each other, which allows even more specialization. It is hard to trade with those who you don't trust, or those who have different cultural expectations. So the Anglosphere has a great advantage in having a large network to work with.

The book explores the idea of separating physical space, from transportation space, and from communication space. We measure the physical space in miles. But transportation space is largely influenced by how easy it is to move from one place to another. Historically moving by ships over rivers and the ocean was much cheaper than traveling by land. Communication space really started to become its own space with the development of the telegraph, and exploded with the development of the internet. Now it is almost as easy to communicate with someone anywhere in the world, as it is to talk with your neighbor.

James Bennett says that in general those with an English Heritage, or who are largely influenced by Anglo ideas, are more flexible and will be able to react quicker than European Nations, Japan, China, India, and so on. They have a greater ability to trust each other, and take initiative on a personal level. His sees the development of organizations which support each other that transcend national boundaries. There are a number of libertarian ideas here.

If you are into books which explore the big picture and deal with new and fascinating ideas, this is a good book to read. I don't think everything James Bennett talks about here will happen, but he does provide some interesting insights into what may happen over the next fifty years. This is not a quick read. This book is meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully, and pondered over time. This book is well worth reading

Bennett triumphs.......2005-02-04

Despite the naysayers, Bennett has been proven right by the recent behaviour of the Anglosphere in two major events. First in the Iraq war most of the Anglosphere banded together to get rid of a vicious genocidal tyrant, while more recent events showed how the Anglosphere could band together to help a region in dire need of aide. Much like Clash of Civilisations, Bennett has written a book that will be refered in positive terms for many years to come.

A New Way to Look at Canada and the World.......2004-11-16

Any serious discussion of the central role of English traditions in Canada is fraught with twin perils: mindless claims of racism/imperialism and founding-nation chauvinism. The Anglosphere Challenge is something very different. It's an exciting exploration of a new way to look a modern global culture and its Canadian flavour, keeping both perils at bay. Leading off with a chapter on the dynamic and converging nature of modern technology (cf. Vernor Vinge's The Singularity), the author makes the case that cultural dynamism and flexibility will be at a premium in the 21st century. His claim for the future pre-eminence of the common law countries (irrespective of their citizens' personal origins) is based on the Anglosphere's history of adapting successfully (and first) to technological and political change.

Bennett shows how respect for the individual, and the effective separation of religious, political and economic powers have a very deep roots in the English-speaking world. Before the creation of Canada and the United States. Before the English Civil War. Before the Protestant Reformation. Perhaps even before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. In the roots of the English common law, we can find the fundamental principle of equal treatment before the law: male or female, lord or commoner. A virtuous circle ensued, freeing individuals from the constraints and predation of the powerful ... in ways impossible in continental Europe let alone other parts of the globe.The history (as opposed to the myths) of this era are eye-opening. And the great strength of the Anglosphere Challenge is the firm grounding in modern scholarship. The book's annotated bibliography is a gem.

Using the metaphor of concentric rings, Bennett sees the Anglosphere as an inner ring (the industrialized common law countries), an outer ring of countries strongly influenced by English language and law, and finally, a periphery of countries exposed to the language and law indirectly, through the international institutions (in trade and politics). A second major contribution is Bennett's outline of the "cultural nations" of the Anglosphere. These "cultural nations," often identified in the turmoil of 17th and 18th century England, cross modern national borders. They provide a more effective tool for understanding the politics and behaviour of modern Anglosphere countries. Finally, Bennett offers the term "network commonwealth" to describe the economic, social, and intellectual connections between Anglosphere nations that will largely overtake (but not replace) the current sovereign nations. Anglosphere nations like Canada, especially in the Internet era, will find themselves quickly and easily co-operating to handle the innovations and challenges of the 21st century.

Canadians will find their past, present and future discussed in the chapters of this book. Our lives have been profoundly affected by the two titans of the English-speaking world, the UK and US. Bennett provides a cultural context for this influence that readers from this country will find fascinating. A book that will make you think. A companion website offers sneak peek at the book plus updates on concepts and sources: anglospherechallenge.com.

Janus-Faced Book Studies the Past to Illuminate the Future.......2004-11-16

James Bennett popularized the term "Anglosphere", which refers to those communities which speak English and share in the cultural practices and institutions inherited from England, e.g. common law, parliamentary democracy, highly developed civil society, private rather than communal notions of property, entrepreneurial rather than state-led economic development, relative openness to innovation and to immigration. These characteristics have been developing in the English-speaking world for at least a millennium, and represent a distinct sub-civilization within the larger West. Bennett draws on the work of Alan MacFarlane and David Hackett Fischer to demonstrate the uniqueness of the civilization which developed in England and which it in turn passed on to its daughter polities, most importantly the United States. This Anglosphere civilization has been the path-breaker for modernity, initiating modern democratic institutions and the industrial and subsequent economic revolutions. Note that Bennett does not offer this analysis in any spirit of triumphalism. This is not the old "Whig theory" of history, since Bennett correctly sees that these developments were the result of fortunate historical contingency. Bluntly, those of us who live in the Anglosphere are not better than anybody else, just lucky to be here. Bennett predicts that the Anglosphere will continue to be the cutting edge civilization in terms of economic and political developments into the future. In particular, the existence of the Web and cheap air and sea transport has already created a unitary Anglophone economic and cultural space, which will develop further as the highest value-added products become increasingly information-intensive, placing a premium on linguistic and cultural commonalities. Bennett offers predictions concerning the institutional form that this new economic reality will call forth, which he labels a "network commonwealth". Bennett believes that this future political form, and a dense and robust underlying civil society, present the best hope for coping with the hazards presented by emerging technology, and obtaining the maximum benefits of that technology. Moreover, Bennett offers numerous, concrete policy proposals to further the development of this emerging Anglosphere network commonwealth, in the areas of trade, immigration, defense procurement and military cooperation. Bennett's book is the result of years of reflection on these historical and contemporary issues. This short paragraph does not even scratch the surface of a book that has many novel insights and profound ideas, and which opens up numerous lines for further inquiry. Five stars is really not a sufficient rating. This is one of the three or four most important books I have read in recent years to understand the world we are living in, why it is the way it is, where we are going, and how we can create a future worth living in.

A profound work.......2004-10-17

For more than two decades, Jim Bennett has been one of the country's most acute thinkers on the frontiers of technology and cultural/political trends. The Anglosphere Challenge shows the strengths of civil society responses to growing state incapacities and failures. Emerging "networked commonwealths", he foresees, will advance universal values of freedom while accelerating innovation across new realms of human endeavor. This book is a storehouse of wisdom and hope for not only for those in the Anglosphere, but for people of all heritages and backgrounds seeking to live in an open world.

Floridizing the world: the urban-renewal hipster Richard Florida looks to Europe for the next big thing.(Books & Arts)(The Flight of the Creative Class: ... : An article from: The Weekly Standard

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Floridizing the world: the urban-renewal hipster Richard Florida looks to Europe for the next big thing.(Books & Arts)(The Flight of the Creative Class: ... : An article from: The Weekly Standard
Fred Siegel
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000ALO3NE
Release Date: 2006-02-04

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This digital document is an article from The Weekly Standard, published by News America Incorporated on February 28, 2005. The length of the article is 1605 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: Floridizing the world: the urban-renewal hipster Richard Florida looks to Europe for the next big thing.(Books & Arts)(The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent)(The Anglosphere Challenge: Why the English-Speaking Nations Will Lead the Way in the Twenty-First Century)(Book Review)
Author: Fred Siegel
Publication: The Weekly Standard (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 28, 2005
Publisher: News America Incorporated
Volume: 10 Issue: 22 Page: 34(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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