Demystifying Economics : The Book That Makes Economics Accessible to Everyone--Expanded Second Edition

Demystifying Economics : The Book That Makes Economics Accessible to Everyone--Expanded Second Edition
Average customer rating:

A Good Economics/Business Reinforcer

Great primer on the US Economy

Reader's response to Demystifying Economics

Demystifying Economics : The Book That Makes Economics Accessible to Everyone--Expanded Second Edition
Allen W., Ph.D. Smith
Manufacturer: Ironwood Publications (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Education | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0964850494

Book Description

DEMYSTIFYING ECONOMICS: EXPANDED SECOND EDITION is a survey of basic economics written in simple language with the use of concrete examples that relate economics to ordinary daily life. The book is designed to make economics accessible to everyone regardless of educational background. The book provides substantial coverage of federal budget deficits and the more than five-fold increase in the national debt just during the past 20 years. The book also deals with such important topics as, "Unemployment and Inflation," "Money and Banking and the Federal Reserve System," "International Trade and Finance," and "Unions and Collective Bargaining."

Customer Reviews:

A Good Economics/Business Reinforcer.......2006-06-10

I picked this book up when I realized I needed to brush up on some economics and cover some bases I did not study adequately enough in school. As an introduction to economics for the layman, it does its job, thus the 4 stars I give it.

I knew since reading Paul Krugman that the national debt was a serious problem, but Table 10-1 of this book, which shows its growth over the past few decades, leaves haunting images within me. I am very concerned about our national debt, in a way I was not before, with the author clarifying for me the nature of the national debt and its relationship to the budget deficits. Clarifying concepts is what Dr. Allen W. Smith does best.

The book covers the characteristics of individual proprietorships, partnerships and corporations, and explains supply-side economics, monetarism, and absolute and comparative advantage, among many other things. The clarity with which the writer expresses these concepts has made me think hard about the pitfalls of starting my own business, in which I would be totally liable for any debts that I incur.

Dr. Smith's explication of the importance of marginal revenue and marginal cost to determine optimal production levels is very good. In school I learned that you can maximize profit when marginal revenue equals marginal cost, but the book allowed me to understand the reasoning behind it.

It's a short book, with a mini-dictionary at the end, and is never boring. It is strongly recommended for those who want to learn more about economics or at least brush up on some topics.

I suspect the book is too elementary for those hard-core into economics, but it has great value for most of the "educated" public.

Great primer on the US Economy.......2003-06-11

With all this talk lately about the condition the economy is in, I thought I'd do myself some good and actually read up a little bit on what the economy is actually all about - I'm in my 30's and it's been some years since those highschool economics classes.

I actually picked this up at my local library - but I liked it so much it's now on my Wish List.
The author takes a subject that's frankly not very exciting or clear to most, and puts it in words almost anyone can understand and states examples of how different concepts would work.

In this book I learned about such things as:

-The laws of Supply and Demand
-Different types of business organizations and what monopolies, oligopolies, and anti-trust laws are all about
-Labor unions and their effect on the workforce, and why some trades tend to make so much more than others due again to supply and demand
-What the gross domestic product is and how fiscal policies effect the economy
-Where the money for unemployment checks comes from and how the government determins what the unemployment rates are
-What causes inflation and why it's not necessarily a bad thing
-How the Federal Reserve System works and what banks do with my money after I make a deposit
-How internation trade effects the economy, and why buying foreign goods is actually good for the economy

Although this book doesn't cover everything there is to know about economics, it certainly is a great book for "US Economics in a Nutshell," and I feel I have a much better understanding of how the economy works now.

Reader's response to Demystifying Economics.......2000-05-02

DEMYSTIFYING ECONONOMICS takes a complex subject and makes it possible for both beginning students and older adults who have forgotten a lot from school days, to understand the basics of economics. The author has over 28 years of teaching experience and it shows. He is a writer who cares about students and the public, not just other economists. The careful reader will learn about the basic problem of economics, that is scarcity. Nations and citizens must choose because we have unlimited wants and limited resources. Readers will learn: the varied ways in which business firms are organized, labor economics, government policies designed to keep from boom and bust excesses, money and banking and international trade etc. The book also tells the story of how our national debt zoomed from 290.5 billion in 1960 to 5 trillion,711.4 billion (est) in 2000. This book belongs in libraries, as a companion text in schools and colleges and in the personal libraries of citizens who wish to make informed choices.

Business Beyond the Box: Applying Your Mind for Breakthrough Results
Average customer rating:

A Good Read!

A "must" for entrepreneurs, business managers, advertisers.

A Breath of Fresh Air!

Business Beyond the Box: Applying Your Mind for Breakthrough Results
John O'Keefe
Manufacturer: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Education of an Accidental CEO: Lessons Learned from the Trailer Park to the Corner Office

ASIN: 185788213X

Book Description

Linear or vertical thinking was always close to tunnel vision. Then came lateral thinking which brought a breadth of thought, but often ended up with ideas too impractical for business. Based on a new concept called triangular thinking, Business Beyond the Box moves beyond limitations by offering a field-proven set of eight thinking strategies that create a flow of ideas and brings about a step-change in actual results.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read!.......2002-09-11

John O'Keeffe's book is worth a read for the simple but powerful message that it conveys: Too many people in business today are devoted to incremental improvement when they should be striving for big goals and breakthrough performance. Also of note are the techniques that he describes for cultivating creative thinking within a business. While much of the remainder will seem like a re-hash of basic problem-solving and common-sense creative thinking methodology, we from getAbstract nevertheless recommend this book for its motivational message: Think big.

A "must" for entrepreneurs, business managers, advertisers........2000-06-05

Business Beyond The Box: Applying Your Mind For Breakthrough Results is a lively, engaging, thought-provoking and even inspiring approach to innovative, creative, profitable approach for success in today's highly competitive, rapidly evolving marketplace. John O'Keeffe presents eight thinking strategies, utilizing creative thinking, acting on innovative ideas, the value of appropriate and productive mind-sets, and a great deal more. Business Beyond The Box is highly accessible, "must" reading for entrepreneurs, corporate managers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, advertisers, and anyone else seeking better and more effective ways to promote and sell their services or products.

A Breath of Fresh Air!.......2000-04-07

Reading this book is unlike any 'business' book I have read over the last few years. O'Keeffe has a very light-hearted, but serious way with words and "Business Beyond the Box" is a very compelling read.

O'Keeffe takes you through a number of steps and strategies that are practical, applicable and which, I feel, give the reader a sense of ownership. By this I mean that it is very easy for the reader to identify with the situations that O'Keeffe describes. Also, although the main theme running through the book is based around 'step' rather than 'incremental' change, it is very easy for the reader to identify instant work-enhancing changes. For instance, mind-mapping, and six hat thinking.

Business Beyond the Box certainly makes you take a step back from (or a step out of) the traditional business way of thinking and makes you question your own thought processes. O'Keeffe gives you an alternative mindset with which to work and live.

Book Description

Tropical ecosystems - the regions between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn - play an important role in global processes, economic issues, and political concerns. In their natural state, tropical ecosystems support a large quantity of above- and below-ground biomass, and constitute a major part of the terrestrial carbon pool. Conversion of the natural ecosystem to agriculture and forestry ecosystems disturbs this ecological balance. Global Climate Change and Tropical Ecosystems presents data on carbon pool fluxes from case studies in 12 countries in tropical regions. The chapters cover: · Characteristics of tropical ecosystems · Soil and biotic carbon pools · Impacts of land use and soil management · Slash-and-burn practices · Crop residue and fertility management This volume adds to the understanding of pedospheric processes in tropical ecosystems and how to better use soils as a sink for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. With Global Climate Change and Tropical Ecosystems you will understand the link between soil productivity, environmental quality and the global carbon cycle, not only in these ecologically sensitive regions but worldwide.

Modeling the interannual variability and trends in gross and net primary productivity of tropical forests from 1982 to 1999 [An article from: Global and Planetary Change]

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Modeling the interannual variability and trends in gross and net primary productivity of tropical forests from 1982 to 1999 [An article from: Global and Planetary Change]
K. Ichii , H. Hashimoto , R. Nemani , and M. White
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR6HA8

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Global and Planetary Change, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The role of tropical ecosystems in global carbon cycling is uncertain, at least partially due to an incomplete understanding of climatic forcings of carbon fluxes. To reduce this uncertainty, we simulated and analyzed 1982-1999 Amazonian, African, and Asian carbon fluxes using the Biome-BGC prognostic carbon cycle model driven by National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis daily climate data. We first characterized the individual contribution of temperature, precipitation, radiation, and vapor pressure deficit to interannual variations in carbon fluxes and then calculated trends in gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP). In tropical ecosystems, variations in solar radiation and, to a lesser extent, temperature and precipitation, explained most interannual variation in GPP. On the other hand, temperature followed by solar radiation primarily determined variation in NPP. Tropical GPP gradually increased in response to increasing atmospheric CO"2. Confirming earlier studies, changes in solar radiation played a dominant role in CO"2 uptake over the Amazon relative to other tropical regions. Model results showed negligible impacts from variations and trends in precipitation or vapor pressure deficits on CO"2 uptake.

Book Description

The availability or lack of nutrients shapes ecosystems in fundamental ways. From forest productivity to soil fertility, from the diversity of animals to the composition of microbial communities, nutrient cycling and limitation are the basic mechanisms underlying ecosystem ecology. In this book, Peter Vitousek builds on over twenty years of research in Hawai'i to evaluate the controls and consequences of variation in nutrient availability and limitation.

Integrating research from geochemistry, pedology, atmospheric chemistry, ecophysiology, and ecology, Vitousek addresses fundamental questions: How do the cycles of different elements interact? How do biological processes operating in minutes or hours interact with geochemical processes operating over millions of years? How does biological diversity interact with nutrient cycling and limitation in ecosystems? The Hawaiian Islands provide the author with an excellent model system for answering these questions as he integrates across levels of biological organization. He evaluates the connections between plant nutrient use efficiency, nutrient cycling and limitation within ecosystems, and nutrient input-output budgets of ecosystems.

This book makes use of the Hawaiian ecosystems to explore the mechanisms that shape productivity and diversity in ecosystems throughout the world. It will be essential reading for all ecologists and environmental scientists.

Customer Reviews:

A thought provoking work that should be read by all.......2005-11-07

Great book! This book was a long time coming and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is about time the world begins to value animals instead of mercilessly killing them (food, sport), exploiting them (circuses, experiments) and abusing them (bull-fighting, rodeos, cruelty)..
The book should be given to children and put on the list of required reading at religious institutions. This was a thought provoking work that should be read by anyone interested in expanding their awareness to include other living beings. The book is a short read and does lack some substance but I gave it 5 stars because of the author's knowledge of the bible and nerve to change passages into verse more respectful toward other creatures.

A must read for all - especially those who don't care!.......2004-01-03

A book that is long overdue. I have always felt that mankind has undervalued animals for too long. I have always loved all of the creatures on this earth. One must be kind to all of creation. A must read for all churches, we could all use a dose of kindness. Please read and pass around this book!

must reading.......2001-05-08

Gary Kowalski is one of today's wisest and best writers about animal rights, about animals' place in this world and the reasons we should respect them. Animals have always been his teachers. In The Souls of Animals, he admitted that his dog was his "spiritual guide," something not often heard from a man of the cloth. In this new book, Kowalski includes five chapters based on Biblical stories and then explains how they might be changed to better include many creatures' stories and perspectives. At the end of each, he rewrites these stories. He believes this retelling of Biblical stories is essential if we are to turn around some of our truly appalling attitudes toward other creatures and their habitats. The Bible According to Noah contains timely, kind ideas, and is one of the year's most intellectually challenging nonfiction titles.

Book of the Year!.......2001-04-12

I encourage everyone to read this thoughtful, moving, and timely piece which inspired me to look at our world, and our impact on it, with Kowalski's fresh perspective. I grew up going to Sunday School, and have since lost touch with my faith and its relevance to my contemporary reality. This book will help everyone, regardless of their religious or political affiliations, regain perspective & respect of our place among our world's creatures. I have read and reread the passages in this book, in awe of Kowalski's common sense style and appeal.

Book Description

ABC's and ESPN's "Mr. Stats" ranks the NBA's greatest players of all time in this provocative and comprehensive book

"Elliot Kalb's work is beyond excellent. He thinks in story lines and uses numbers and history to make compelling and often original points." --Bob Costas

"...a book that any hardcore basketball fan can savor." -- San Francisco Chronicle

When the NBA released its supposedly authoritative list of the top 50 players, basketball fans everywhere begged to differ. In Who's Better, Who's Best? Elliot Kalb, known to TV viewers as ABC's "Mr. Stats," enters the fray.

The ultimate NBA historian and authority in armchair athletes' disputes, Kalb interweaves numbers, facts, and anecdotes to flesh out the central question in every basketball fan's mind: Who's the best? His choices are provocative (Michael Jordan isn't #1; he's not even #2), framed by discussions with unorthodox sources and respected NBA experts, players, and coaches.

A tremendously satisfying book for anyone hungry for statistics and debate, this is the ultimate behind-the-numbers story of the best of the NBA.

Customer Reviews:

I don't agree, but he makes good arguments.......2006-10-21

Too many reviews here are low because they hate Shaq or are mad that Jordan is #3.

I didn't have high expectations for this book. Mark Twain said there are 3 types of lies: lies, d@mn lies, and statistics, so calling himself "Mr. Stats" was not a selling point. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I decided I wouldn't rate the book based on how the list agrees with mine. If I was that much of an egomaniac, I would write my own book and give it more than the maximum rating. What I wanted was a well-thought out list with convincing arguments for each man's place. Even if I didn't buy the argument, because I have a different method of rating the players, I wanted to see someone who could hold up his criteria with consistency and passion. He does so. To prove that I don't like the book because he confirms everything I believe, here is how far apart we are on ranking the top 8 players:

Elliott Kalb's rankings: My rankings:
Shaquille O'Neal Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan Larry Bird
Bill Russell Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Michael Jordan
Larry Bird Bill Russell
Magic Johnson Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Oscar Robertson Shaquille O'Neal

He lists his methods for ranking players in the introduction, using measuring sticks such as MVPs, Championships, All-Star appearances, first and second-team All-NBA honors, outside opinions, and to break ties, he takes big over small, new over old, and winners over losers. He also places heavy value on how well a player peaked versus how he played over the long run (which gives the nod to a guy like Bill Walton over Robert Parish).

A few of the impressive qualities of the book is that he gives older players their due, such as Bob Pettit, Dolph Schayes, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, George Mikan. He doesn't overlook their accomplishments and their contributions, going so far as to rate Pettit over every forward except Bird and Tim Duncan. In addition, while respect is given to the pioneers, youth is served, as players such as Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett are also featured.

The ultimate tribute to this book is that the Kalb convinced me to re-think a few of my own rankings. I still stick to my guns on Oscar Robertson being the greatest guard of all-time, but thanks to Kalb, I moved Bob Cousy ahead of Isiah Thomas and John Stockton among point guards, because he did dominate his era far more than the latter did in theirs. I have also reconsidered how I rate Rick Barry, Bill Walton, and a few other players.

As a breath of fresh air from most books and articles, he mentions things the mass media intentionally overlook: such as Karl Malone's big game chokes (he cites them one by one), Dennis Rodman's contribution to the 1996-98 Chicago Bulls; Michael Jordan's 3 consecutive losing seasons and his 1-9 playoff record before Scottie Pippen, and how Scottie Pippen put up his finest seasons in Jordan's absence. His statistical research is immense and impressive, listing such obscure stats as the oldest players to average 30 ppg, as well as the youngest.

Along with covering detailed statistical parts of their games, he will compare a given player to some contemporaries, asking people from a panel, so that you can get outside opinions. He also compares players to non-NBA contemporaries. Sometimes this works - Bill Russell and Joe DiMaggio was insightful - and sometimes it does not - Charles Barkley and Elvis was a bit cornball.

He also remembers things like Allen Iverson's incredible run in 2001 (whereas most writers forget the guy who finishes #2), and he takes into consideration how players didn't vote for Rick Barry due to personal dislikes, rather than on-court talent.

The only letdown comes with statistics. It's like jump shooting: you live by it and you die by it. They never tell the entire story. For instance, it is hard to gauge defense, before 1974, when blocks and steals were not recorded, and even when they were recorded, they never tell the entire story (Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman didn't amass great totals in either category). With that in mind, it seems like when in doubt, offensive players were given more honor than defensive players, placing some questionable offensive-minded players to fill out the list, when the argument supporting them appears to fly in the face of his standards for comparing players. Let me expound.

While some defensive players got their due (Bill Russell #3, Dennis Rodman #30), there were some questionable people who got on the list who were lousy defensive players, or fair, at best, such as Pete Maravich (#47), Dominique Wilkins (#49), and Bob McAdoo (#44) while guys like Dave Debusschere and Nate Thurmond were left off. There is a chapter in the back explaining while some players were left off, but I thought the explanations were lacking. In all fairness, though, if every argument - pro and con - were carried out to the fullest detail, this would be an encyclopedia, instead of a book, and who is going to pay for a 50-volume set of books? But I will cite what I thought were a few inconsistencies:

Kalb argues that Nate Thurmond never won a title and never made first or second team All-NBA, which is true. However, Reggie Miller never did, either, and the All-NBA team only selects one center, but two guards. Both players played in the finals, but didn't win. These similarities should have disqualified Miller, but Miller's playoff heroics let us know that these standards are not the end-all/ be all. Therefore, consider that Thurmond made first team all-defense twice, which Miller never came close to achieving. Furthermore, if the award would have been given back then, he probably would have won defensive player of the year in 1971 (Kalb does offer "what if arguments, such as 'What if the three-point shot had existed when Maravich and Schayes played?') The two greatest offensive centers in history, Chamberlain and Jabbar, both have said that Thurmond was the toughest defensive center they played against. This gives him a credible argument for being the greatest defensive center in history or at least #2 (behind Bill Russell), and when you combine that with the 20.5 ppg, 22.0 rpg, and 4.2 apg he posted in 1968 (remember, Kalb prefers looking at a player at his peak rather than his longevity), I think he should be an obvious choice over guys who didn't play much defense and shot a lot. To me, putting guys like Maravich, Miller, McAdoo, and Wilkins, who only played on one end of the court, makes as much sense as putting Mark Eaton on the list. Maravich couldn't defend and never played for a competitor, and McAdoo nearly destroyed the Boston Celtics, before he did destroy the Detroit Pistons and was responsible for giving the Celtics the greatest frontcourt in history and forcing Dick Vitale from the NBA into his job as the most annoying man in the world. The only time he won a title was when he became a poor man's James Edwards- type of role player who scored about 10 ppg.

Another inconsistency is that only one MVP is not in the top 50: Wes Unseld. He is listed as the guy who just missed the list. However, all of the arguments that kept Thurmond off the list should have put Unseld on the list. He was MVP. He played in 3 finals, made All-NBA, and won a championship, which gave him more credentials than Wilkins and Miller.

The only area for some improvement involved a small handful of outside opinions/analysis. For instance, asking Stephen A. Smith (who I hold in low regard) who is better between Oscar and Magic, he says Magic and adds "I'm only 35 years old, and I only remember seeing Magic". You can tell that he knows next to nothing about the Big O and that pretty much disqualifies him as a knowledgeable opinion. I'm slightly younger than he, but I've made it a point to research Robertson in order to make an informed opinion, as has Kalb. I think someone like Matt Guokas or Tommy Heinsoln would have better complimented the other two opinions listed in that comparison (Leonard Koppett and Nate Archibald). While I am not a Smith fan, he would be better suited to discuss Iverson versus Gary Payton. And while Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan makes many good points in the book, asking him to compare a Boston Celtic to any player is about as unbiased as asking the guys from Saturday Night Live to compare somebody to Mike Ditka ("Ditka versus Tiger Woods in a game of golf: Ditka!"). This is again nitpicking, as these instances were few and far between. I guess the book was so wonderful, that I wanted even more. I would have loved to see what everyone on the panel thought about each match-up, but again, that makes for a 50-volume set of books.

There is a small section in the back talking about some of the great teams: the best Russell team, the best Jordan team, as well as the best individual season. It wets the appetite to think about Kalb listing the greatest teams ever (how does the '67 Sixers stack up against the '73 Lakers, the '86 Celtics vs. the '87 Lakers, etc), or who the greatest defensive players are by position, who the greatest sixth men were, the greatest coaches, rookie seasons, etc. He's knowledgeable and interesting enough that you care what he thinks, even if you don't agree, which is a high compliment.

Overall, this book is an excellent read. If you don't know your basketball history, this is an excellent way to hop on board and learn about it. If you do know your basketball history, this is your way to compare your opinions to another educated historian and learn a few things. The book is an incredibly fast read, with each player having about 6 pages devoted to him. You get a big of career biography, some statistical analysis (but not too much, which becomes as dull as some baseball books), comparisons to other players, and commentary. It is also a unique book. I have an entire library, but none of them have the audacity to devote the entire topic to comparing and listing the players of history. The book is extremely well written and the research behind it is some of the most thorough research ever put into a basketball book.

Most rankings are alright except for the greatest player..........2006-07-31

Mr Kalb does have a strong point in believing that Oneal is the greatest, but if most fans disagree there may be a even stronger reason to disbelieve. To answer this question we have to be clear on the nature of the game itself, the better we understand basketball, the criteria we use will be more accurate. There is just one word to describe the game of basketball, "versatility", and thus the greatest player should be the most versatile one, i.e. he should be both a Mr Inside & Outside. And, sorry to say, Oneal just can't play the outside, not even the free-throwing line. Imagine the scenerio where the hoop is raised higher, such that dunking becomes impossible, or that a new rule is set that players can only shoot from outside the paint, Oneal is going to have great problems scoring. And in the history of nba, if the criteria of "versatility" is correct, then Bird & Magic must be the two top ballers ever to play. If jordan is taller by a few inches, then there can be no doubt that he is the greatest, but unfortunately, jordan just can't rebound well, and thus it's quite impossible to call him the greatest.

Is this a joke???.......2006-05-18

You can draw any of this names out of a hat and make an argument as to who should be number 1. (take your pick)
Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Oscar. Anyone that even considers shaq as a top ten or even top twenty doesn't know NBA basketball. All this writer saw was that every other book out there had Jordan at number 1 and he felt he needed to grabs someones attention by doing something different. Stats dont say a thing about any of the players I just mentioned, this guys were extra special because they had character, they were winners, they signified what was good about the league. I take the Admiral or Dream in their prime over Shaq anyday. Dont believe the hype, shaq is one of the best ever, but never make the mistake of putting him at number 1. This book should be banned.

Couldn't be more wrong.......2006-04-29

First, let me start off by saying that I didn't read this book. I would have except for one reason: I heard him on WFAN (radio station in NY) and I heard him saying that Shaq was the greatest player ever. That alone is enough for me to discount the book as simply a publicity stunt.

Everyone's giving their lists, so here's my top six:

Jordan
Russell
Chamberlain
Magic
Bird
Abdul-Jabbar

First of all, I don't care how gawdy someone's stats are: if you don't deliver when it counts then it doesn't matter. Year after year, Chamberlain put up gawdy stats. And year after year, his teams got their butts whipped by Russell's Celtics. Year, after year, after year, after year, after year, after year... The point of the game is to win, and Russell was the ULTIMATE winner!

Jordan is the best combination of Russell and Chamberlain and I've always thought this. A man possessed to win like Russell who could put up gawdy scoring numbers like Chamberlain. He shot 84% from the line also, so he wasn't a liability like Russell and Chamberlain were. In today's era, Chamberlain would be hacked to death and his scoring would drop considerably.

Shaq the greatest ever? Maybe the STRONGEST ever, but the greatest is just silly. He played defense for three years of his career (his three championship years), is a putrid free throw shooter, relies exclusively on running people over as his move in the post. His rebouding for someone clearly larger than all of his competition is disappointing. Can you remember a playoff game where Jordan's team needed him desperately and he came through with seven points???? Again, the best ever is SILLY!

Btw, Tim Duncan is not better than Karl Malone, as someone pointed out earlier. Better than Robinson, fine. However, would Duncan win anything if he was playing during the Magic-Bird-Jordan era? Many a great team came up empty simply because they played in the wrong era. The Jazz would have won two championships if not for Jordan. How many times were the Knicks denied because of Jordan? The only reason people give Duncan such high regard is because he won and he won because he never went up against as many great teams as Malone's teams did. Malone's teams had to get through Hakeem's Rockets and Barkley's Suns and the very good Seattle teams and Magic's Lakers and Jordan's Bull to get a sniff of anything. Duncan had to get through a Lakers team that had Shaq and Kobe, that's it. Spurs-Nets final? Come on!!!

Suprisingly non-statistical for a stats-guy........2006-04-04

Good book and interesting read. He often states his opinions which is nice. But his criteria for judging players is suprisingly un-statistical. Kind of the opposite compared to a guy like Espn's John Hollinger who is so statistical that many of his predictions and observations have nothing to do with reality (D-Wade for MVP? Seattle Supersonics 2005-6 team worst defense of all time?)

Kalb like Hollinger, is trying to generate publicity. And admittedly it IS a provocative read. But the arguments are poorly constructed and easy to counter. I feel he did an especially poor job of justifying Shaq at #1. One gets the sense that he was just caught up in Shaq's 3 dominant years during the Lakers Dynasty.

I may not be a statistical wizard, but I just don't buy it. I feel it was aimed at garnering buzz rather than an informed discussion on the best players ever, and this reduced my enjoyment of the book.

His appreciation of Wilt Chamberlain's greatness, I feel however, was right on. The top-2 is an appropriate place for the Dipper.

Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time

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Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time
Bob Costas, Elliot Kalb Elliott Kalb
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFTDQS

Customer Reviews:

A shocker!.......2002-02-25

The Presence of Others : Voices and Images That Call for Response
by Andrea A. Lunsford (Editor), John J. Ruszkiewicz was use in my freshman English course. In the beginning I was not too enthusiastic about the book. It took some time to get used to. Now it has become part of my growing home library. It has great essays ranging from John Henry Newman to Bell Hooks. I love the diversity.Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz did a great job putting this book together. There are subjects that everyone can relate to. Since using the book in my English class I have become a both critical reader and thinker that John Henry Newman had a vision of.

The Prescence of Others.......2000-09-14

This book gave me a new insight into the thoughts and ideas of many of the great thinkers of my time. It let me read captivating speeches which contained the same words that once rallied thousands to march in protest,the same words that showed hundreds what their real drive in life should be, and it also showed me that their are more views to life than just my one.

The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response

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The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response
Andrea A. Lunsford; John J. Ruszkiewicz
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTDT5K

Average customer rating:

The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response
John J.; Lunsford, Andrea A. Ruszkiewicz
Manufacturer: Bedford books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTLJDE

Book Description

Founded in 1951 by visionary textile designer Armi Ratia and her husband, Viljo, the Marimekko Corporation in Finland not only sparked a revolution in pattern making but also pioneered a new definition of fashion that embraced the entire home environment. This book-the first comprehensive study of Marimekko designs-presents more than one hundred examples of the exuberant Marimekko fashions and home furnishings that gave the company a definitive presence on the world design stage. The book considers the history of the company from its founding through today and examines Marimekko's impact on design in Finland and around the world. The company's most important designers, including Maija Isola and Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, their contributions, and their stylistic development are also discussed. In addition, the book examines Marimekko home and office interiors and how they reflected the lifestyle envisioned in Armi Ratia's broad, radical definition of fashion.

Customer Reviews:

Finnish masters.......2005-06-08

This book will liberate you from your everyday's worries. Get carried away by the splendor of Finnish Marimekko, by travelling with them to Northern Europe. A place where people endure long dark winters to enjoy three months of summer-paradise. Always in an overwhelming nature, bound to make you feel a little lonely.

By concentrating on clothing and home-environment, Marimekko superbly reflects this lifestyle. With a distinctive link to the Sixties, by the way. Besides providing a thorough picture of this company's artistic whereabouts, this book leaves you in no doubt Marimekko ranks among the finest designs in the world. There's one afterthought, though: being utterly Scandinavian, one wonders if Marimekko appeals much to American taste.

a thorough tribute to a design giant.......2004-03-11

I just saw the last weekend of this show in New York at the Bard Center and it was inspired, to say the least. The book is the next best thing to being there if you are a Marimekko fan. It is a more thorough look at the company than the older title "marimekko phenomenon". The editor of this book, Marianne Aav (also the show's curator) was responsible for the 1998 show/book from the Bard Center on Finnish Modern Design. Marimekko's brave colors, shapes, and graphics are made more powerful, in my mind, by the fact that the final result appears so simple. While I mourn the lack of this in much of today's clothing/textile design, I think that the renewed excitement about Marimekko, and design in general, indicates that this is changing. There is a lot of exciting material coming out of Scandanavia and Finland by young designers right now, but Marimekko's influence on modern design cannot be underestimated. Their vision ranged beyond textiles into architecture as well, which the book illustrates. This exhibit & accompanying book have done a fine job at giving credit where it's due.

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