Society Books


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Society Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Society
Audubon 365 Songbirds & Other Backyard Birds Calendar 2008 (Picture-A-Day Wall Calendars)
Published in Calendar by Workman Publishing Company (2007-06-30)
Author: National Audubon Society
List price: $12.99
New price: $150.98
Used price: $138.32

Average review score:

Absolutely beautiful!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-21
I buy this Audobon calendar every year; it is absolutely gorgeous; highly recommend it as a gift for any bird lover.

BEST CALENDAR EVER!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
This calendar is the best gift for a bird lover. My husband is a serious bird lover and this calendar makes his day every day.

Beautiful and Informative
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-08
This was purchased as a Christmas gift for an avid "birder" in the family. He is still raving about how beautiful this calendar is. The quality and the quantity of the photography is outstanding - with nice large day boxes for writing. The recipient of this gift has subsequently purchased an additional calendar to give! Beautiful and informative- you'll love it.

Looking forward to 2008
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-02
A great calendar for birders and another fine Amazon acquisition. Each month is filled with birds of the season and their habits. I look forward to just flipping through the months to have a view of nature.

nice gift to myself
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-24
bought it for myself&family. Even though it's not the New Year yet, I have it on my desk - I really love the green bird on the cover. Am really looking forward to seeing what's inside

Society
Audubon 365 Songbirds and Other Backyard Birds Picture-A-Day Calendar 2007
Published in Calendar by Artisan (2006-07-01)
Author: National Audubon Society
List price: $12.95
New price: $49.99
Used price: $48.69

Average review score:

BEST CALENDAR FORMAT
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-03
I received the Audubon 365 Songbirds Calendar as a gift last year and enjoed it every day. I wanted to reorder it and looked for it prior to the beginning of the year. I was thrilled when I discovered that Amazon.com offered it!

With all the wall calendars available on the market, this one has an unusual format. Instead of one large picture at the top with the month's dates below, this calendar utilizes both top and bottom for the month's dates with a picture of a different songbird each day. Truly a calendar for the lover of our feathered friends!

Audubon 365 Songbirds and Other Backyard Birds Picture-A-Day Calendar 2007
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-28
This is an excellent calendar. My five year old grandson has learned a great deal from looking at it each day. The illustrations are accurate and beauitfully done.

A true tribute to feathered friends.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-26
The photos in the 2007 Audubon Calendar are especially colorful and attractive. The information on the highlighted(larger photos) bird(s) of the month is practical and the description is excellent. The size and layout of the calendar makes it perfectly seen from across a room. The details are a handy reference if hung near a window while bird-watching. Very nice addition to any room.

A Chirping Delight
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-15
How better to be greeted every morning than by the gorgeous Audubon Bird Wall Calendar, hanging in the bathroom? The vibrabt colors of the birds' feathers in the very close-up shots will delight you 365/24/7. Could anything with the Audubon name not be great?

The Best
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-12
We love this calendar.....full of bird pictures-a picture for EACH day! It's become a yearly must-have.

Society
Audubon Engagement Calendar 2008
Published in Calendar by Workman Publishing Company (2007-06-30)
Author: National Audubon Society
List price: $12.99
New price: $9.00
Used price: $18.08

Average review score:

audubon engagement calendar
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-08
I love my calendar. Its full of beautiful pictures. It displays a full week per page and gives me plenty of room to write in both work and personal engagements. I also love that its flexible and the size is small enough to fit in my purse, yet not so small as to make reading and writing in it difficult.

AUDUBON ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR 2008
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-03
RECIEVED CALENDAR WITHIN A WEEK OF OREDER.

NEW CALENDAR IN EXCELLENT SHAPE

Disappointed in service from Amazon
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
I ordered this beautiful calendar on January 2 and was just informed that it won't be shipped until possibly February. There was no mention of a delay or availability issues when I ordered it. Amazon should provide better service and information for its customers.

Audubon Engagement Calender
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
Wonderful way to keep organized. The pictures are a combination of grand landscapes and almost intimate views of nature

outstanding
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29
Every year I look at different desk calendars, and always end up buying the Audubon one. The photography is absolutely outstanding.

Society
Automated Defect Prevention: Best Practices in Software Management
Published in Hardcover by Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr (2007-09-17)
Authors: Dorota Huizinga and Adam Kolawa
List price: $95.50
New price: $59.84
Used price: $64.99

Average review score:

Must Read for Software Development Leaders
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-30
I've read this book from cover to cover. I've read many books on software development, software processes, best practices, qualitative approaches, and quantitative approaches, many from SEI. This book has to be one of the top two. For software professionals in leadership positions facing today's pressures of delivering quality software that meets customer expectations according to plan, this book is a must-read. You will be able to implement techniques directly into your organizational processes and deliverables with considerable ease. Kolawa and Huizinga have forged a grimoire that should be on every software leaders' desk, be they Project Managers, Software Architects, PMO Directors, of Vice Presidents of Development. Here are the key take-aways from this book:

1. Clarity: All concepts, practices, and examples were extraordinarily clear. There was never a question as to what was meant, or confusion in the information conveyed.

2. Readability: The text is very user-friendly. Coming from a very technical background, I tend to read challenging and complicated material. In this book, you were able to frame both technical and complex material in a readable way. In other words, I never had to re-read anything in the book. All of the material was very easy to understand. I feel the ability to effectively reduce complexity to simplicity is the hallmark of good authorship.

3. Implementable: I found the practice-side of the book to be what I call `out-of-the-box.' This means I was able to take material directly from the text and apply that into my process(es) or deliverables with very little work or trouble. (I actually did this multiple times.) This is a testament to the subtitle of the book, Best Practices in Software Management.

4. Usefulness: The book is actually aimed at being useful within for-profit businesses. Theoretical books are good for concepts, but it's up to the readers to find ways to translate the theory into executable practices (which often is beyond the role and responsibility of the readers). Your book actually bridges this gap, and provides mechanisms to help readers implement valuable techniques into their organizations, independent of their infrastructure.

These four points make a huge difference for readers looking to improve their software development processes to ensure profitability, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. Producing quality software while building defect prevention into your processes is key in today's competitive software marketplace. With these techniques, your organization will continue to become better, managing, reducing, and even eliminating the traditional sources of defects in software deliverables. You won't be disappointed in buying this book, as you'll refer to over and over again as you build process improvement into your organization.

Effective guide for increasing business productivity and professional satisfaction
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-28
This book offers a straight-forward, realistic approach to solving challenges of day-to-day projects that the software industry faces. Not only does it address the necessity of technology businesses to increase efficiency and productivity, but it also takes into account the psychological need for individual software professionals to be challenged and intellectually fulfilled on a daily basis. The powerful gains of software automation are amplified by the strategic best practices described in this software management book.

A practical handbook to working smarter, not harder
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-26
What sets this book apart from other software quality management books is its focus on real-world solutions. Many quality improvement strategies sound great on paper, but are impractical to implement because they end up slowing project progress and stirring resentment throughout the ranks. Rather than ignore the demands of modern day development, this book embraces them. The result is a refreshingly realistic approach to boosting software quality... while at the same time actually improving team productivity and developer satisfaction.

This offers a key to a missing link for software quality
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-22
Automated Defect Prevention delivers a realistic approach to the nagging software quality problem. If you are responsible for developers who deliver business applications, you need to read this book. If you are an software architect or engineer, the book will offer a pragmatic road map to achieve incremental productivity gains within your software development lifecycle.

When I read this book I had a huge realization. Most of the quality initiatives that I had been involved with or observed had introduced (or layered on) additional tasks and responsibilities for either the architect, developer or QA engineer. Over time, these layered tasks ultimately resulted in dragging down productivity. Investing in the *correct* infrastructure to automate the monotonous/repetitive is the key to success. Quality should be the outcome of intelligent investment in productivity.



Definitely worth having on your desk
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-21
One issue I have with the software industry is that too many project managers, or stake holders managing software people, lack the understanding of just how important software quality is and how it can benefit the software teams and products. As the people most accountable for what happens with a software initiative, managers should have a solid understanding of what options are available to improve developer skills and the software they release. This book provides that needed information and helps explain who is responsible for what tasks, when they should be considering phasing in a particular practice and the benefits of a given item.

I like the way the information is presented in this book because I feel a project manager would be able to quickly evaluate a practice for phasing in without facing an all-or-nothing approach that some other books take. If, for example, a manager felt that they enjoyed the chapter on testing models, this book provides the information on what is needed, the benefits and the roles people need to take to phase that approach into their teams.

I enjoyed this book and I wish that more development teams used many of the practices in this book. While there were samples at the end of the chapters and a chapter on case studies, I would have liked to have seen a bit more information on difficulty and time constraints presented within some of the sections themselves. Overall this is a great book and definitely worth having on your desk.

Society
Before the Dawn
Published in Hardcover by Deseret Book Company (2007-08-20)
Author: Dean Hughes
List price: $22.95
New price: $18.69
Used price: $11.00

Average review score:

LDS Historical Fiction at Its Best!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-28
Most LDS fiction is cheesy and disappointing. This book was a welcome exception. It was well-written, entertaining, insightful, and thought provoking. The characters came off as real people with real feelings and emotions. I feel as though I have learned something about the Depression and about my own LDS people. There is a great message in the book regarding service and accepting service. I will recommend this novel to others.

Loved the book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-31
Dean Hughes seems to make the stories come to life. I always feel like I am there in the book. What a great story line. In the world today, people are going back to basics, learning that they can do things they never thought possible. Taking on responsiblities to make our families stronger. We grow from our callings, more than those that we serve.

A Great Story About a Strong Woman
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-24
Leah Sorensen is raising her two teenage children, running her farm, and trying to survive in the Great Depression. She is a Christian woman and tries hard to do the right thing in her life. Her church bishop shows up one day, as she's plowing behind her horses, and asks her to run the Relief Society as president. Leah, of course, thinks that the bishop has lost his mind and tells him no. He asks her to please think about it and that the Lord told him she would make a great leader. With that added pressure and guilt, Leah agrees and holds the first meeting where she offends most of the "sister's". Leah is very outspoken and says exactly what is on her mind. (She reminded me of myself, a lot.)
Dean Hughes has created very memorable characters that you will enjoy a great deal. Belva, who is everyones grandmother who is full of wisdom, Rachel, her stubborn daughter that Leah has a love hate relationship with, and Wade her adoring son. A host of colorful people that you will meet as Leah tries to bring throught the rough times during the Great Depression.

a great book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-28
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read it in 3 days. It is definitely written for a Christian audience. I learned a lot about the Depression and about how sisters ban together to help each other. Very, very good book.

This is what it is like to be a Mormon woman!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
I am so thrilled with this book. I love the sensitivity, humor, insight and historical facets of Mr. Hughes' writing. The characters are very well-developed...so much so that I felt so connected to them and their situations; it was almost as if I were part of this small town. Not only is this such a realistic story, it tells the truth about the mission of the Relief Society, and the true teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (patience, love, forgiveness, the constant quest for bettering oneself). Although it doesn't delve into specifics of the religion, I would be proud to recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about what it is like to be a Mormon woman...this is it!

Society
Chanting the Hebrew Bible: The Art of Cantillation
Published in Hardcover by Jewish Publication Society of America (2002-06)
Author: Joshua R. Jacobson
List price: $75.00
New price: $47.99
Used price: $44.15

Average review score:

Everything You Would Want To Know About Chanting
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
This is an excellent book covering almost every aspect of not just chanting but understanding what all those lines, dots and wiggles surrounding the text in the chumash mean. There is a complete rundown of every te'am and how it fits into the context of the verses, and there is an example in a later section on how each te'am is chanted, basically in the Ashkenazi tradition. There is also a lot of interesting history of the development of the Torah scrolls and history on Torah and Tanakh traditions and also a section on pronunciation.

One word of warning. In order to understand the significance of the te'amim in the context of the verses, you need to have a fairly good knowledge of biblical Hebrew, both vocabulary and grammar. The context of the words in a verse determines which te'amim is assigned to their accents. This is, of course, separate from the te'amim that are assigned to indicate the vowels and pronunciation.

THE definitive work on the subject
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09
If you want to know absolutely everything about chanting Torah, Haftarah, or one of the Megillot, this book is for you. Every special circumstance is discussed, every rule of reading is discussed and the history and evolution of how and why we chant the way we do today is discussed. It is a wonderful resource for those who teach trope.

Scholarly necessity
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-03
This book is a must for anyone seriously studying the nuances of cantillation. This large tome includes chapters on grammar, punctuation, and epistemology. I recently heard a lecture on the meaning of the trope (musical notation)in relation to the meaning of the Hebrew words; amazingly, they informed each other. Such information fills these pages. My son, who studies old manuscripts elaborating some of these topics, was thrilled to receive this book as a birthday gift. The author, Joshua Jacobson, is also the director of a chorale, specializing in Jewish music and his CDs are well worth the price. He's a master in many areas of music and I was fortunate to attend a conference recently where he was the keynote speaker. He's an outstanding scholar and a mensch.

Is there anything that can compare?
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-30
I know of no book that can even compare to the scope and depth of this one, therefore I cannot give it anything but 5 stars. It is a thorough reference of the history and melodies of the cantillation, including a CD and musical notation of all cantillations used for public reading. It is appropriate for all levels of knowledge--from a beginner to an experienced reader.
The grammar he presents is not quite up-to-date and there are minor problems with the phonetic notation he gives certain letters and vowels. However, all in all it is quite excellent.

Great- First time I can make sense of the Ta-amim!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-06
It is a great book that finally shows that the cantilation is not arbitrary, how it contributes to the sense of the text, how
it works with grammar. Instead of teaching the Taamim as
a dogma, it actually shows how one can understand a text and
put the Taamim himself. It also reveals the grammar of the texts.
I bought four more for my friends.

Society
Christian liberty
Published in Unknown Binding by Lutheran Publication Society (1903)
Author: Martin Luther
List price:

Average review score:

Still The Best Christian Tract Ever (that I've read)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-02
Why Grace Changes Everything
A great Christian theology tract as it gives a succinct summary of why the Protestant Reformation occurred and a nice overview of Protestant theology and the doctrine of divine grace. I read this in college, but not having any background in Christianity at that time, I did not understand it. So I do not recommend this book as a witnessing tool to give to your non-Christian friends; I linked what I consider an easier to understand book by my favorite preacher of God's grace, Chuck Smith, to give to nonbelievers. However, once you understand the basics of your faith, this is a great pamphlet to help keep you anchored in grace and from straying into legalism. It also gives you a basic understanding of Martin Luther's teaching. With so many odd strands of Christian teaching emerging the past few decades, I highly recommend anchoring yourself in the theology of this amazing man of God, so as not to be pushed about by "every wave of doctrine". I try to keep it handy to refer to.

Keeping this review short and sweet, like the tract. For more, I'd read the other reviews on this tract.

Wonderful Tract!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-01
Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in chaity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

Great Tract!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-01
Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in chaity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

Great Tract!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-01
Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in charity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

The Fire and Hammer of the Word of God (Jeremiah 23:29)
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-08
Martin Luther's treatise "Christian Liberty" (or "The Freedom of a Christian") is perhaps the most powerful and concise presentation of the Christian life ever written. I cannot recommend this work highly enough. I rank this among the very best of Luther's works (and that is really saying something). If an inexpensive copy were still in publication I would buy every copy to give as gifts to friends and family. The power, discernment, brevity and readability of this work make a true gem among Reformation writings (and Christian writings in general). Here you will find the essence of the spirit of the Reformation distilled into a guide for practical, biblical living.

With the clarity and bold authority of a true prophet, Luther sets forth the whole of the Christian life in two theses: "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all." We are free from sin and the law (subject to none) but slaves to Christ in love (subject to all). As Paul writes in Romans 6:22, "But now...you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God."

Luther writes as a shepherd of the common people and the tone and content differ greatly from his better-known debate-oriented works (ie. Bondage of the Will, 95 Theses). The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is the heart and soul of Luther's message, founded upon a firm conviction in the authority of scripture alone.

He writes, "One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ."

And again, "It ought to be the first concern of every Christian to lay aside all confidence in works and increasingly to strengthen faith alone and through faith to grow in the knowledge, not of works, but of Christ Jesus, who suffered and rose for him.... No other work makes a Christian.... 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent' (John 6:29)."

And regarding our service to God, "...In this way the stronger member may serve the weaker, and we may be sons of God, each caring for and working for the other, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ. This is a truly Christian life. Here faith is truly active through love. That is, it finds expression in works of the freest service, cheerfully and lovingly done, with which a man willingly serves another without hope of reward; and for himself he is satisfied with the fullness and wealth of his faith."

This volume is currently out-of-print, but this treatise has been published in a number of other individual volumes and in at least one very worthy compilation entitled "Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings" (ed. Timothy F. Lull, 1989) which also contains a number of other infinitely worthy works such as Luther's "Small Catechism," the stirring "Meditation of Christ's Passion," and the thesis chapters of the foundational "Bondage of the Will." I cannot vouch for any other volume than this one and the one detailed above, but any version of this monumental treatise is bound to bless you. It is the fire and the hammer of the Word of God to consume the adversaries and break apart the stone hearts of impenitant men.

Society
Class Acts: How Good Manners Create Good Relationships and Good Relationships Create Good Business
Published in Paperback by M. Evans and Company, Inc. (2005-06-25)
Author: Mary Mitchell
List price: $15.95
New price: $5.20
Used price: $2.84

Average review score:

The perfect gift
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-31
Mary Mitchell's Class Acts is filled with good information, overlaid with a gentle philosophy, and is a good read to boot. It's the only etiquette book I've read cover to cover. It makes a perfect gift -- a lovely compliment to colleagues, clients and friends who are indeed class acts.

Not only for Businessmen
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-29
Mary Mitchell has written a stunningly clear, well thought-out, and concise book. Her background in etiquette, coupled with years of work in the field of corporate governance place her in the unique position of being able to match business accountability with manners at a time when both assets are sadly on the decline. Not only are her points well taken, but the book is well-written and entertaining. The suggestions and advice contained in this book are indispensable for just about anybody interacting with anyone else.

Long Overdue!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-10
At last, someone who "gets it!" Mary Mitchell eloquently makes the case that respectful, ethical, balanced business conduct is not simply "do-gooder" window-dressing but an issue that strikes deep at the bottom line -- via the relationships created with employees, employers, customers, vendors, colleagues and, oh yes, investors. Take THAT, Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Adelphia, and all the rest! This should be required reading for everyone in business.

Class Acts -- A Boardroom to Bedroom Must Read
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-11
Class Acts is an essential book for today's personal and professional environment. The strength of the book comes from it's applicability to one's life lived in a 24/7 world. The lines between professional acts and personal acts are less clearly defined as one realizes that a "whole life" standard to behavior is the only way to conduct oneself. It is precisely this understanding of all "actions" and their impact on daily life, both on the individual and organizational level, that makes this book a boardroom to bedroom must read.

As the CEO of ULiveandLearn, an educational company, we have been involved in developing programs that offer training and continuing education programs. Often, the benchmark programs are the ones that ignite support across a broad group of users, from corporate managers to educators to community-based organizations.

We are looking forward to helping bring Class Acts live through programs that integrate the essentials of the book with case studies and programs for corporations and organizations.

The opportunity to create and sustain an environment of good manners, good relationships and good business benefits us all. Mary Mitchell clearly understands the power of her message and it's long reaching effects on everyone who cares enough to be a Class Act.

Establishing of a good and profitable business climate
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-14
Class Acts by business etiquette authority and consultant Mary Mitchell is a straightforward, "reader friendly" guide to using good manners, etiquette, and positive relationships to improve business efficiency, profitability, and the lowering of daily stress levels while on the job. From the importance of accountability, forgiveness, and trustworthiness; to improving communication skills; to handling disagreement in the most effective manner (always disagree in private if possible, and carefully watch one's tone of voice while disapproving); to coping with the challenges of cyberspace; to knowing better than to pursue a workplace romance (or if one must, to pursue it with caution and close awareness of the other party's feelings), Class Acts emphasizes that it is the creation of good and enduring relationships which, in the end, are fundamental to the establishing of a good and profitable business climate.

Society
Competing for the Future: How Digital Innovations are Changing the World
Published in Hardcover by Cambridge University Press (2007-04-16)
Author: Henry Kressel
List price: $32.00
New price: $9.79
Used price: $9.79

Average review score:

Competing for the Future is a must read for leaders over 35 and aspiring individuals under 35
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-12
Competing for the Future is a must read for leaders over 35 and aspiring individuals under 35. The digital revolution requires clear understanding by every leader in modern society; including those who would guide nations, businesses, and institutions dedicated to education and social services. Older individuals, including those of us in our 60's, will better grasp today's global challenges by accepting the revolutionary changes created by the intellectual horsepower that invented and applied digital technologies, enabling globalization. The "digital" genie is best managed with knowledge, business savvy and a longer-term view of return on investments.

Competing for the Future shows how a handful of U.S. inventions launched the digital revolution, and traces how digital technology has sparked economic growth and improved human life around the world.

Henry Kressel and Thomas Lento reveal how digital technology has sparked the globalization of commerce and enabled the rapid industrialization of previously underdeveloped countries, particularly in Asia.

They warn that the U.S. risks losing its competitive edge - and the basis of U.S. prosperity - by outsourcing - at least more recently - much of the production to the developing countries. The book shows the close link between invention and production, and notes that if you don't produce what you invent, you eventually lose the resources and knowledge to invent it.

Ultimately, Competing for the Future argues, the U.S. must encourage the manufacturing of high-tech products if it is to continue to be an important source of technological and economic progress. The message is just as pertinent to other countries that are allowing their manufacturing prowess to decline.

Readers come away with a basic grasp of the technology, an appreciation of the mechanisms created to finance its commercialization, an understanding of how technical skills have spread around the world, and a sense of what is required for a country to maintain its status as a technological and economic leader.

Once in a while, watershed events are understood in the midst of the very event itself - and those willing to engage in a serious assessment of the challenges can help change the course of history. The United States can avoid mortgaging its future, but only if those in positions of leadership right the ship by rethinking the definition of success in the current era. Delayed gratification - in taking profits - is but one step. So too must educators guide intellectually curious students to refine their minds with the rigors of math and science alongside interpersonal and cultural skills. If the road to hell was paved with good intentions, then most certainly the road to ruin is created by greed, laziness and ignorance. Competing for the Future is a wake-up call - and should be required reading for every student who enters a college or university - regardless of career objective. Competing for the Future is the primer for being a responsible citizen in Twenty-First Century America.

"Must reading" an understatement
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-20
He was in on the development of the first transistor and has been involved in the development of new discoveries and products ever since. What he says about discovery, development and marketing is more than "must reading" for the technocrat or policy analyst; it's a new hornbook for anyone touched by technology. If you want to understand where modern technology has been and where it's going, start here.

Despite the technical nature of the subject, this book is easy to read and understand. Kressel's ghost writer, Thomas Lento, has used simple sentences and kicked deep technical matter into appendices, to keep the narrative going. The text scans in places, and illustrations illuminate.

If you want a quick Ph.d. course in technology, its diffusion, and its implications for national economic and social policy, as well understanding what key tech companies have done and are doing, start here. Even an English major can understand it; I did.

ROADMAP TO INNOVATION
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-27
Dr. Henry Kressel's "Competing for the Future" is a must-read for anyone responsible on any level for technological innovation. Here, captured in one book, is the innovation roadmap as only Dr. Kressel with his wealth of experience and obvious keen intellect could construct. The book transcends industries as it exposes the illusive innovative process critical to creating not only the next generation, but new generations, of products based on technology leaps.

The innovation process is complex, and in a technology driven organiztion, it must be endemic, shared across all functions. "Competing for the Future" helps us understand that dynamic through powerful examples over the years. As such, it's an inspiring and exhilerating read for cross funtional teams and technology leaders across the entire spectrum of industry. Dr. Kressel started out in electronics and my backround has been in pharmaceutical research, but the principles are the same and that's what makes Dr. Kressel's book such a valuable read.

A fascinating journey through the digital world
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-24
In Competing for the Future, Dr. Henry Kressel takes us through a fascinating journey, from the invention of a few basic digital technologies to the birth and growth of the digital age.

As a starting point, Dr. kressel introduces us to semiconductor technologies and devices. It takes an exceptional mastery of the field to summarize the physical basis of digital electronics in a few key concepts, and Dr. Kressel, a physicist by training, manages that feat. He goes beyond the technologies themselves and expands on the history of their development; how and why they came about. With this foundation in place, Dr. Kressel takes us to the next leg of the journey, namely how these new electronics enabled the development of new computing, networking and communications systems.

How did these revolutionary technologies turn into new industries? This is the subject of the second half of the book, in which the author discusses the industrialization and globalization of R&D, the development of new manufacturing processes and finally, venture capital financing of product launches and company build-ups.

Competing for the Future exposes the complexity of the overall innovation process. Dr. Kressel writes with the wisdom, insight and experience of someone who not only took part in, but was very successful at, all the steps of that process. His experiences as a physicist, manufacturing manager, leader of an R&D organization and venture capitalist, give him a very clear overall picture and a unique ability to show how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Competing for the Future provides a timely and comprehensive analysis of the innovation process, and of the various forces shaping the digital age.

Innovation: The Way it Really Works
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-14
"Competing for the Future" is a thought provoking journey through digital electronics starting with the transistor and laser, proceeding through computers, fiber optics and the internet, and ending with a prescription for the future prosperity of the United States that includes technology innovation, risk capital and advanced manufacturing. It is fascinating as Dr. Kressel examines the interactions between the technological innovations themselves, the source of the R&D as it moved from US industrial labs to world-wide start-ups, the funding of the R&D as it evolved in parallel, the tight coupling between R&D and advanced manufacturing, and the role of governments.

Dr. Kressel provides a unique perspective because he is walking this road. He helped create the digital electronics age while he was at RCA Labs with his pioneering work in lasers. After a successful career there, he moved to Warburg Pincus where he funded many of today's successful digital electronics startups. His hands-on experience and lively anecdotes bring the book to life.

This book is "required reading" for anyone who wants to understand the future of hi-tech innovation and what that future might hold for the United States and for the world.

Society
Die Bibel
Published in Hardcover by American Bible Society (2002-03-30)
Author:
List price: $74.95
New price: $74.95
Used price: $50.00
Collectible price: $74.95

Average review score:

German Bible
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
It was a gift and the receiver was impressed with this Bible and that Everything was in German. She was sure I had purchased it on an International website. I like the quality of the book itself.

Ausgezeichnet!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-04
Ich habe diese deutsche Bibel gekauft, um Deutsch besser kennenzulernen. Ich finde es aber erstaunlich, wie viel ich eigentlich dadurch gelernt habe. Am Anfang musste ich fast jeden Vers vergleichen, aber nun kann ich einfach auf deutsch lesen. Ich lese jedes Wort vor, und jetzt kann ich Deutsch fast so gut wie Englisch! Die Bibel auf deutsch zu lesen ist viel besser als alle deutschen Lehrbücher zu studieren, und man bringt viel mehr davon. Wenn man auf eine andere Sprache liest, bekommt man neue Einsichte. Ich empfehle die deutsche Bibel! (Dazu finde ich sie nicht zu klein.)

Good German Bible for those learning the German language
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-02
I have found this to be helpful in my pursuit of German as a second language. The word pictures in German have added to my understanding and adds to the beauty and awesome nature of the written Word of God.

Great Buy
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-22
I received the item pretty quickly and am pleased with the purchase. I had compared prices for Die Bibel with book stores and found Amazon.com's price to be half that of book stores...that solidified, in my mind, where to purchase the book.

The book is small enough to fit on your desk when you study using commentaries and other materials, but the print is not so small that you get a headache while reading. Everything, including appendices, introductions, text, and even the maps are written in German. (what one would expect from a German Bible)

I highly recommend this Bible, if you are intending on purchasing a classic, well-translated German version of the original Scriptures.

Excellent Bibel, but just so small.
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-21
I love the 1984 revision of Luther's Bibel, and this nicely bound book has beautiful pages and a nice Zeitaffel of the history of the Bibel and its translations in German. Only complaint is this book is tiny, at 7 1/4" tall by 5" wide. The typeface is attractive and readable, but it is just so small. All the same, this is the best German Bibel available on Amazon.


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