Underwriters' Handbook of Indiana, 1999 (Underwriters Handbook of Indiana, 1999)

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Ervin Laszlo, a pioneer in complex systems philosophy and general evolution theory who has written or cowritten 36 books, believes we are in the midst of a massive worldwide transformation that will dramatically alter everything from lifestyle to economy. Such total upheaval has occurred only a few times before, he says, and in Macroshift he explains what this might mean and how we might manage its impact.

The gist, according to Laszlo, is that technology and globalization have unbalanced social structures, upended values and priorities, sparked resource exploitation, and "downgraded the livability" of our planet. The result is an unsustainable situation that could trigger political conflict, financial vulnerability, and deteriorating environmental problems during the coming decade unless "a new way of thinking" takes hold. "If we are not to join the myriad species that had once populated the Earth but became extinct," he predicts, "we will have to create a civilization that is more adapted to the conditions in which we find ourselves."

He then offers ideas to do so, including a shift from "competition to reconciliation and partnership" and development of "more responsible and humane community projects" around the world. The proposals are not for everyone, but if Laszlo is correct, this book offers serious food for thought that we all would be wise to ponder. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

A "macroshift" is a transformation of practically all aspects of life, from individual lifestyles to the global economy. Expert Ervin Laszlo argues that the macroshift now upon the planet is unprecedented in scope, and, reverberating as it does at every level, warrants serious attention. This book describes the dynamics of today's macroshift, cautioning that the values and behaviors associated with it have the power to either break through or break down world order. Readers learn about the essential dangers and opportunities they face and how they can begin to make informed, responsible choices.

Customer Reviews:

We need a "fundamental revolution of consciousness"........2005-02-24

Ervin Laszlo has a formidable international reputation as a systems philosopher and the founder of general evolution theory. He has written around 70 books covering a wide variety of fields. His style is lucid, direct and very readable. This book is a brilliant addition to dialogue on an issue that desperately needs clear thinking and the ability to challenge ossified mindsets in a way that is constructive rather than merely strident. It is thoughtful, sober and constructive, in contrast to so many books in this genre that are slick and sensationalist.

Laszlo makes a carefully argued case that the world is in a rapid and fundamental transition, which will become critical during the years 2001 to 2010. Whether the outcome is 'breakthrough' or 'breakdown' depends primarily on building a 'fundamental revolution of consciousness' among a critical mass of people. The three parts of the book describe

the concept of a 'macroshift', historical examples of previous macroshifts and the choices before us
the 'new imperatives' and the logic underlying them; and
the way ahead.

Doctrine to save the world.......2003-06-23

Overall, I think the book carries great meaning and great lessons. We need to have a new mindset - "macroshift", in order to save the planet. I totally agree.

Then why do I only give 3 stars? Because I still didn't see anything new. It is similar to other books, like "Limits to Growth" by Donella Meadows (Club of Rome). The author provides all different kinds of warning signs to ask people "Live simple. Love our Earth and other species". I know it's difficult to have a new pitch to ask people stop wasting or stop smoking, etc. However, we do need a more insightful/creative perspective to really change people.

Overall, I only recommend this book to people who are already buy-in "save the planet" concept.

The Definitive Guide to the Global Crisis..........2003-02-07

As much as it is possible for a single book to give its reader a comprehensive and profound understanding of the impending global social, economic, and ecological crisis, this is that book.

According to Dr. Laszlo, human society has passed through three major stages --Mythos, Theos, and Logos--and is on the verge of its next, and perhaps final stage, Holos. But the transition from our Logos civilization to Holos, like those before it, is not quite as automatic as someone simply climbing the rungs of a ladder. According to _Macroshift, there is some real possibility that our civilization may fail to make the leap, in which case it will almost certainly 'break down' into global anarchy--we may have had a terrible foretaste of this in the September 11 attacks. (For a chilling picture of this kind of world, see the classic sci-fi film _The Road Warrior_). But, should it succeed, humanity will be privileged to witness the birth of the first truly global civilization--and a world whose possibilities surpass our dreams.

One of the best books I've read in a long time.......2003-02-01

This is an excellent book. It embodies what I pretty much believe but in such an eloquent and thoughtful way. I highly recommed it to anyone who is searching for a hopeful perspective regarding the future of our world.

Tom

Disappointed.......2002-05-20

After hearing Ervin Laszlo on NPR (whom I had never heard of before), I looked forward to reading his book. Although the interview with Kojo Namdi was interesting, I did notice that Laszlo had a tendency to pump himself up, but I attributed that to the nature of radio interviews. When I read the book, I was completely disappointed. The concept of "megashift" was little more than "Repent your ways, sinners, it is the end of the world!" Laszlo's theme was that the world was becoming more stressed and on the verge of a breakdown. He used examples from Chaos Theory, but even here he was very sloppy in the application. Further, he made no statement at all about what would happen if and the when the world did break down. Would there be world wars? Would there be food? Many other writers have approached the theory of conflict and systems change in a much better fashion, including Hegel, Marx, Kuhn, Fukuyama and Steven Johnson in his book "Emergence." None of these writers were even mentioned. (By the way, this is an actual quote from "About the Author": "Laszlo is generally recognized as the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory ... " If this is true, it is news to me --- and no doubt Darwin!)
The scholarship was weak and extremely self-serving. If I hear about Laszlo being the President and Founder of the Club of Budapest one more time in connection with his ideas, I think I'll move to ban the organization --- even though I have nothing against peace and harmony in the world.
The book was in many ways an insult to the intelligence and a waste of [money]. The only benefit I did receive was the incentive to learn more about Chaos theory from better sources.
I would not recommend the book unless a reader wants to study the art of subtle self-promotion.

Book Description

The trend towards privatization has been particularly strong in the 1980s and 1990s. In the UK, some of the most important public utilities such as telecommunications, gas, and electricity have been privatized. Following unification, Germany is having to privatize an entire economy. This book examines the form of privatization, a topic which has not previously been subjected to rigorous economic analysis, and provides a comprehensive and thorough survey of arguments both for and against it. Both positive and welfare-economic approaches to deal with the complex problems of the transition from public to private ownership are discussed. The author also examines the central issues of privatization such as why efficiency increases can be expected as a result of privatization, whether full privatization coupled with subsequent regulation is better than partial privatization with the government regulating from within the firm. He also looks at the role of trade unions in the privatization process.

Average customer rating:

Privatization : A Theoretical Treatment
Dieter Bos
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLC6CK

Product Description

This unique collection of 27 of Black Sabbath s greatest songs will be a hit with your favorite HM guitarist. Includes such headbangers as Iron Man, Paranoid, and War Pigs. All guitar solos are notated in both standard notation and tablature.

Customer Reviews:

Good songs, sloppy transcribing.......2007-04-13

All of the songs that the book list as being tuned to D is in reality tuned to C#. Iron man is tabbed one step higher than it is played, so lower everything by one fret. This is a good starting point but make sure you play along with the recording to match pitch. The rhythms are a little off as well, in heaven and hell they list the intro as just 4 8th notes when it is really a 16th note and 3 8th note triplets. Hopefully one day there will be a more accurate book but this is really the best out there right now and it does have a excellent track listing.

Great Selection Gets Points for Simplicity.......2007-02-15

The selection is the main appeal which includes the familiar Sabbath classics, but some not so easily found in sheet music stores: e.g.: National Acrobat, Voodoo, Country Girl, Hard Road, Supernaut, Neon Knights, Heaven and Hell, Children of the Sea, Etc. Many of the "complete" or "recorded versions" of the same songs had numerous guitar overdubs transcribed and since Sabbath are a one-guitar band, the simplified, one-guitar versions were much simpler to follow and that that was the whole idea. The omitted solos to something like "Snowblind" are just pentatonic and are easy to figure out anyway. So the great thing about this book is the simplicity. It is all well and good for someone to notate every last guitar overdub on an album but it can get confusing when you want a one-guitar version of something. Another advantage to the simplified versions is that it takes less space per page for easier reading. Example: the "outro" solo on "War Pigs" is transcribed on one page instead of 5-10 pages and that way you can play along with the record without having to worry about turning the pages. Well worth the money that I paid for it

Good collection, but somewhat lacking.......2006-07-21

I've owned this sheet music book for a couple of years and I still occasionally reference it. The song selection is actually better than on any of the "greatest hits" albums I've seen.

What disappointed me is how incomplete some of the transcriptions are. For instance at the end of "Snowblind," the caption simply says to improvise something, rather than taking the extra effort to finish the tablation. Certain riffs like Children of the Sea would have been better written-out instead of in "rhythm slash" notation. "A Bit of Finger" is present and seems reasonably accurate, but there's no "Warning" to go with it. It happens to be my favorite track on that side of the album.

Every song in this book is vital and worth learning, and I'd recommend it to any intermediate guitarist who wants to take on some heavy blues and hard rock influences. Its incomplete status and semi-official credibility are my only disappointments.

Awsome collection.......1999-09-08

I was looking for that book for a long time. Simply it's the best of the best.

Best Sab Tab Book.......1999-05-14

I'm glad I had twenty bucks on me when I found this years ago, otherwise I would have stolen it. I had a guitar for years, but wasn't much inspired because I didn't know any songs from my favorite bands, and Sabbath was the greatest of them all. I soon learned all the songs in this book (and all the original group's mnaterial). Not all the trancriptions are correct, but it is far better than any other books I've checked out. Great song selection of songs, also.

Average customer rating:

Party On

Come to th Sabbath the Anthology
Black Widow Cdcse 72299
Manufacturer: CASTLE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 630763801X

Customer Reviews:

Party On.......2006-03-16

I believe that Black Sabbath Started the whole metal music thing. this album identifies Black Sabbath for who they really are. A must have for any Black Sabbath fan

Book Description

Australians are surrounded by beaches. But this enclosure is more than a geographical fact for the inhabitants of an island continent; the beach is an integral part of the cultural envelope. This work analyzes the history of the beach as an integral aspect of Australian culture.

Book Description

"If a judgment were ever rendered on all the multi-million words I have spoken into microphones, I hope something like this could be said: `He [Huntley] had a great respect, almost an awe, of the medium in which he worked. He regarded it as a privilege, not a license…. Perhaps the best I might hope is that by some accident of voice tone or arrangement of words I did, on a few occasions, excite, exhort, annoy or provoke a few of my fellow human beings to think with their heads, not the viscera'"—Chet Huntley.

This biography of NBC newsman Chet Huntley, who, along with David Brinkley, anchored NBC's "Huntley-Brinkley Report," covers his youth on a farm in Montana, his education and his graduation from the University of Washington, his development as a radio personality and news reporter for stations in Seattle, Spokane, Portland, and his work for CBS, ABC and NBC radio and television in Los Angeles from 1939 to 1955. It also details his move to New York and his work on the "Huntley-Brinkley Report" from 1956 to 1970, his retirement from the news business, his supervision of the development of the Big Sky Ski resort in Montana, and his death from cancer in 1974 at the age of 62.

Customer Reviews:

Any night would be a "Good Night" to read this.......2006-08-26

Even though Lyle Johnston did mix up etymology and etiology (referring to Huntley's original pre-med plans), this book still offers very fond insight into Chet Huntley's popularity. I majored in Journalism and worked for several radio and television stations. I am just old enough to remember watching Huntley during the final months of "The Huntley-Brinkley Report." This book reveals even more about Huntley's impact than many of the other books I have read about news anchors and reporters.

I was especially delighted with Johnston's list of sound recordings that feature Chet Huntley's voice. I have already located several of them. I have enjoyed the opportunity to hear his voice and reflect on his insights.

"Goodnight, Chet" is a reminder of the respect that broadcast journalism once enjoyed and, sadly, doesn't today. I would hope that Chet Huntley would be appalled by the pandering approach to news that is so evident today - an environment in which the decision makers obviously care more about emotion, attention and ratings than they do about relevant facts that would better serve their viewers.

The writing is so bad, it made me want to gouge out my eyes........2005-03-28

I don't like to write bad reviews, but this book is truly an offense to the English language. Despite its attempt at chronology, the book has no real structure or organization. In the Early Years section, for example, you will learn the populations of every city Huntley lived in and the names of the men his daughters married--presumably, many years after Huntley's Early Years. The author has no idea how to synthesize his research into an interesting narrative or how to paraphrase, so you're left sifting through a bunch of facts, figures, and two-word quotes (many of which are complete tangents and offer no insight into Huntley's character). The straw that broke my back and sent me hurling this book across the room and vowing to warn others away from it was Johnston's assertion that Huntley started college as a medical student, concentrating in etymology. I'm assuming that should be etiology, the study of the causes of disease, not etymology, the study of word origins. Are there no editors in this world (or authors who know how to use the dictionary)?!

Book Description

Save up to $75 on Yahoo! Web Hosting!

Choose the right graphics, include links and feedback forms, and add "wow"

You too can develop cool Web sites with Yahoo! SiteBuilder and this handy, easy-to-follow guide! All the basics of good site design are here, plus step-by-step directions for creating your site with text, links, pictures, and animation. Once you're finished building your site, cash in a special offer from Yahoo! for discounted Web hosting and share your work with the world.

Discover how to

Create and publish a basic site in minutes
Use SiteBuilder templates
Design a site that?s easy to navigate
Avoid common mistakes amateurs make
Offer maps and searches on your site

Download Description

Save up to $75 on Yahoo! Web Hosting! Choose the right graphics, include links and feedback forms, and add ""wow"" You too can develop cool Web sites with Yahoo! SiteBuilder and this handy, easy-to-follow guide! All the basics of good site design are here, plus step-by-step directions for creating your site with text, links, pictures, and animation. Once you're finished building your site, cash in a special offer from Yahoo! for discounted Web hosting and share your work with the world. Discover how to Create and publish a basic site in minutes Use SiteBuilder templates Design a site that?s easy to navigate Avoid common mistakes amateurs make Offer maps and searches on your site

Customer Reviews:

Happy Dummy!.......2007-01-05

I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to attempt to bring an old fool like me into the world of computers. I enjoy my machine and am trying to learn as much as I can about how to use it, so getting a book like this is very helpful. Thanks for putting this material at my disposal.

I'm excited!!!.......2006-12-07

I read the book in sections because I just couldn't stay focused. My mind was racing. The book is really helpful. I am using sitebuilder so half the stuff wasn't as useful, but the other half was really worth it. He really knows what he's talking about.

Not a great book........2006-06-23

I would not recommend this book. It was really not helpful for us. We currently have a yahoo store with over 6000+ items and this book is really geared for stores with 50 or less items. The attached software was not useful. However, I would recommend another book: "Starting a Yahoo! Business For Dummies", by Richard Snell. The Snell book is much more useful and full of informative advance stuff for starting and improving your Yahoo store. David Mark, Cmdstore

Clear and lucid.......2006-02-19

I needed to set up a web site faster than it was going to take me to learn Dreamweaver. Yahoo! SiteBuilder for Dummies successfully walked me through the process of setting up a site at Yahoo! in less than half a days time. It's well written, clear and broken down into distinct components so you can go directly to the material you need without wading through all sorts of stuff that's not relevant to you.

It did the trick for me, I hope it does for you.

quick way to get your own website up and running.......2005-11-13

Ever since Yahoo acquired Geocities, it has aspired to be a major web hosting site. To this ends, it has striven to help users make web sites. Wagner describes how Yahoo's SiteBuilder simplifies a lot of messy details and, hopefully, lets you concentrate on the actual design.

Maybe the most important aid is the numerous templates. For such subjects as a birthday, education, electronics or music. If you are new to HTML, these can greatly help you put up pages. More experienced users might want to start from scratch, however. While the site's templates are well done, the sheer fact that each is used by many hosted sites means that inevitably if your site does likewise, there will be an element of cookie-cutter-ness.

Along the way to describing what SiteBuilder can do for you, Wagner also offers useful and quite general guidelines for site design. These are independent of actually using SiteBuilder. An added advantage of the book.

The advanced section of the book, that deals with using JavaScript in your pages, gives a synopsis of that language. If you are serious about using JavaScript, consider also getting another book, devoted to it. (Like "JavaScript for Dummies".)

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