Mary Farrell's Beyond the Basics: How to Invest Your Money, Now That You Know a Thing or Two

Amazon.com

Although it may sometimes seem that there are more investment books than investment opportunities, it's still unusual to find one written for those who possess more than a passing knowledge of fiscal matters but without graduate degrees in finance. Anyone who fits this description should now take heed, however, because Mary Farrell's Beyond the Basics fills this void quite nicely. The respected financial advisor--and regular guest on television's Wall $treet Week--offers solid advice for readers who know "a thing or two" about money matters but want to learn more.

It opens with a lengthy recap of the basics needed to form a sophisticated investment strategy and concludes with discussions on investing for children and rethinking retirement. But it is the middle of this guide that really sets it apart: Farrell fully explains the development of a diversified portfolio that matches financial needs with acceptable risk. She begins with securities, suggesting that choices meeting individual criteria should come from growth stocks (where potential will increase with "low inflation, slow growth and moderate interest rates") that represent large-cap companies (offering exposure to critical markets) and embrace one of two major economic trends (the aging of baby boomers or technology). She also addresses bonds, describing how to "play a neutral market" and utilize "laddering" to flatten interest rate volatility, as well as mutual funds, which can be incorporated to balance portfolios or tap "off the beaten track" opportunities. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

If you have ever worried -- and who hasn't? -- whether the investment decisions you are making are the right ones, then Mary Farrell's Beyond the Basics can help you cut through the clutter of conflicting advice and reach a new level of successful investing.

Mary Farrell is famous for her investment advice, not only in her work as an investment strategist and managing director of PaineWebber, but also as one of the panelists and occasional substitute host of Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser. Building on the knowledge you already have, she offers new ways of thinking about your money and tells you which investment strategies can make mega-differences in your investment results. Her book covers everything from mutual funds and fixed-income investments to important retirement -- and estate -- planning vehicles such as bypass trusts. She details the crucial process of organizing goals, developing a framework for sophisticated asset allocation, and then selecting and monitoring investments -- always deepening your level of knowledge.

Mary Farrell recognizes that few investors can anticipate short-term movements in the stock market successfully and make money by constantly buying and selling shares. Instead of wasting all your waking hours monitoring scores of economic variables and dozens of financial markets, you will learn a safer, simpler way to profit through thematic investing over the long term. Farrell reveals the major trends that will radically reshape the American economy and offer opportunities for investors who are prepared and who know where to look.

Investment risk is an area that is difficult to measure accurately, even by professionals, but one of the unique features of this book is the risk/reward ratio it provides for virtually every major type of investment. Packed with practical strategies, proven techniques, and fresh insights, Mary Farrell's Beyond the Basics can become the key to your investment success.

Customer Reviews:

Farrell Should Retire.......2003-03-05

I finally read this book and wasn't impressed nor can I be totally negative. If you're new to investing this bland book can't do much harm.

For more experienced folks the tough markets of the last several years should have taught at least one lesson: You can't compete successfully on a dirt track with an old Cadillac - get yourself some new wheels. Same goes for investment advice as we continue in a very tough market.

Farrell served as the lead sycophant for celebrity investing guru Louis Rukeyser on tv's Wall Street Week for almost two decades. She never saw a stock or a market she didn't like. "Buy and hold, the market is moving higher, this is just a pause", blah, blah, blah. Never once did she display any original thinking and it shows in this book. This isn't bad advice it's just the typical swill you'll get listening to any commission money manager.

Farrell made her career safely playing the game for a retail brokerage firm and sucking up to Rukeyser. She made money but couldn't help her customers save theirs. Now it's time for her to step away from table. Want to make some money over the next few years (or not lose any)? Pick up a copy of Martin Weiss' "Crash Profits" and learn about deflation, interest rate plays, and buying low in a bad economy.

Best For Inexperienced Investors Looking for Overview.......2002-07-21

"Beyond The Basics" emphasizes investing early and letting the power of long-term compounding work for you. Saving and time are the keys to investment success.

Farrell strongly believes in investing in equities over bonds, but the book has a solid chapter about bond investing. This chapter discusses the capital gains bond investors of the early 1980's received because the investors bought bonds when inflation and interest rates were high (and, hence, bonds had high yields). Then, of course, inflation was tamed, and bonds increased significantly in value, especially, longer-term, noncallable bonds.

Farrell writes, "Bonds provided annual returns of only about 3.1 percent between 1926 and 1981, but produced returns of 14.2 percent annually between 1982 and 1998."

Most of this bond revaluation was due to the control of inflation, and Farrell expects real returns of only 2% to 3% on bonds in the future. Investors shouldn't expect large capital gains from buying bonds today, she writes, because interest rates are low and under control.

Farrell wisely suggests matching bond maturity to the time when you will need the money. For example, if you need money to send your son or daughter to college in five years, Farrell says to consider bonds of a duration of five years. Zero coupon bonds are also discussed. While bonds serve a good source of income in the short-to-near-term, for investment horizons approaching ten years, Farrell favors stocks. But, if you're buying bonds, Farrell says be willing to buy callable bonds, because today there is little value in locking up the current yields and you might get slightly greater returns.

"Beyond The Basics" has a good section about tax-free, municipal bonds and bond insurance. There is also a comparison of real returns on tax-free versus taxable bonds. The relation is (1 - tax rate)(taxable yield)=(after tax yield). But, I assume most serious investors already know this.

"Beyond The Basics" discusses Farrell's concept of "thematic investing." Thematic investing involves making a top-down decision about what's happening in the world and how an investor might benefit from it. For example, two themes Farrell discusses are 1) the aging of the baby boomers and the likely benefit to the health care industry and 2) the growth of technology.

Health Care, especially pharmaceuticals, and technology are strong and profitable growth industries. Farrell likes buying growth stocks. Farrell also believes larger company stocks should do well, partially, because they have more exposure to foreign markets and more resources for innovation.

In addition, "Beyond The Basics" discusses mutual funds. I especially like Farrell's use of specialized sector funds to round out a portfolio. For example, if you want to favor the medical industry, you could invest in a specialized medical fund. This allows individual investors to make top-down investment decisions just like many professional investors do. However, the investor doesn't need to spend time studying individual companies.

Similarly, Farrell recommends mutual funds for investments in foreign countries. This is solid advice. However, she also briefly mentions that you could buy a mutual fund with a load. Ah, no thanks!! If you are "beyond the basics," you probably aren't into buying mutual funds with loads! But, because Farrell is Managing Director of PaineWebber, a brokerage firm, we can understand that she can't just come out and say, "Don't ever pay a front end sales load because there is absolutely no correlation between fund performance and loads." I can say it. Keep your money management fees low and you'll have much more in the future! She briefly mentions annual expense ratios and suggests keeping them low, which is good advice.

"Rethinking Retirement Planning" is my favorite chapter. Farrell does a great job of summarizing retirement planning. As in all of the chapters, Farrell uses abundant graphs and charts to illustrate her points. We learn that in 1945 there were 41.9 workers employed for each Social Security recipient. In 1995, there were only 3.3 employed workers for every recipient. The point is clear. Retirees shouldn't count only upon Social Security.

The book shows the power of tax-deferred compounding via 401(k)'s and explains why aggressive saving is necessary for retirement planning. Earlier retirement and increased longevity, combined with inflation, demand far more wealth for a comfortable retirement than many realize.

People view retirement far differently today, the author notes. Back in the 50's, for example, when pension plans were more common and more people worked in factory jobs, retirement was viewed as a deserved reward for past working years. Today, many people view work and retirement differently. Only 15% of people surveyed in a PaineWebber study planned a conventional retirement, while most planned to continue working. Today, people tended to view work as an integral part of their lives.

"Beyond The Basics" contains special chapters about "Investing For Your Children" and "Women And Investing." Overall, there is much good information and insight in this book, but it tends to focus more upon the general stock market than it does upon buying individual stocks. "Beyond The Basics" reads quickly and enjoyably. The book is best for both new and intermediate level investors. I think experienced investors will find "Beyond The Basics" a bit too basic.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor."

Simple, intelligent investment advice.......2002-06-19

For anyone who's ever seen Ms. Farrell on Wall Street Week, you know her to be a clear and intelligent thinker. That is exactly what you get in this book. She simplifies and de-mystifies the often complex world of investing into a few key, goal-oriented principles for the average investor. Whether or not this is just another piece of corporate advertising (which I don't think it is) is irrelevent; this is good, straightforward advice anyone who invests or is thinking about investing should understand.

Highly Recommended!.......2001-06-28

Mary Farrell, an investment strategist at PaineWebber, advises investors to put their money in large cap stocks, because they will beat small caps. Why? Large firms have spent heavily to reap the productivity rewards from technological advances. And large caps' earnings and sales will continue to outpace small caps, in part because of big companies' exposure to international markets. Low inflation and interest rates also boost large caps. Aside from this advice, Farrell's investment guidebook offers few specific suggestions. Rather, she writes, investors must determine their own goals and risk tolerance. Farrell gives easy-to-follow explanations of stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, along with an outline of estate planning. In spite of its title, this book is too rudimentary for expert investors. Still, because it contains useful information, we at [...] recommend it to personal investors who are trying to make sense of Wall Street. (Note: Most investments cited are specific to the United States.)

Pretty Complete Book on Financial Investing for Beginners.......2000-08-25

Mary Farrell will be familiar to many from her appearances as a panelist and occasional guest host on Wall Street Week. The simple, straightforward intelligence of those shows comes across in this book as well. The book is written in a gentle, simple way that makes investing seem much more comfortable as a subject.

Although she says that this book is for those who are beyond the basics, one person's basics are another person's advanced methods and vice versa. Actually, she portrays every important financial investing concept in here someplace. It will be especially helpful to those who have done limited investing before and do not have a business or investing education.

The subjects she covers include goal setting, developing and implementing an investment plan, savings for investment, updating your plan, and learning more about investing. To succeed in those five steps towards achieving your financial goals, she helps you understand the importance of compound interest and being in the market for a long time, the role of diversification, where to find investment information and what to use it for, how the Internet should be used, creating an investment team, how to identify powerful investment themes and stocks that represent them, how mutual funds can help, the potential role for bonds and other financial investments (including hedge funds), the special issues that women face, preparing investments for children, getting ready for retirement, and protecting wealth.

The main weakness of these discussions is that they tend to look at things from the perspective of the pros and cons, rather than fully exploring the odds. For example, few mutual funds match the indices over 10 years, and individuals usually do worse. You won't find those facts in this book. Naturally, the success of a brokerage firm (like PaineWebber where she works as an investment analyst) depends on people mostly trying to beat the market so you would expect those arguments to be made here.

For those who would like to invest to beat the market, by far the most interesting part of the book are her discussions of the investment themes of aging baby boomers and the information revolution. You will undoubtedly get some new investment ideas from this excellent, imaginative review.

If you decide to read this book, I suggest that you also read John Bogle's Common Sense on Mutual Funds. It will balance out the missing elements of the message here. After that, you will have moved beyond the elementary level of investment knowledge.

What you will still be missing is emotional experience. The ups and downs of the market cause people to make a lot of mistakes -- especially selling low and buying high. You'll have to be an investor for a while to learn about that. After you experience those issues, you probably should also read one of the many books on knowing yourself psychologically as an investor.

After you read this book, ask yourself what else you have yet to learn the basics of. Do you have the equivalent knowledge of finding the ideal job, buying a home, raising children, and having great relationships? If not, work on these areas as well to overcome your stalled, complacent thinking. Your life could greatly improve as a result.

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Mary Farrell's Beyond The Basics - How To Invest Your Money, Now That You Know A Thing Or Two
Mary Farrell
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IWJDO4

Average customer rating:

Very Informative & Entertaining!

The Everything Managing People Book: Quick And Easy Ways to Build, Motivate, And Nurture a First-rate Team (Everything: Business and Personal Finance)
Gary R. McClain , and Deborah S. Romaine
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Managing Difficult People: A Survival Guide For Handling Any Employee

ASIN: 1598691430

Book Description

Whether youÕre a first-time manager or a seasoned professional, you know that a motivated, productive, and fulfilled team is your most important asset. Completely updated and revised, The Everything Managing People Book, 2nd Edition arms you with all you need to create a winning team, including straightforward advice on hiring and firing, leadership, delegation, and effective feedback.

This new edition contains updated information on:

Changes in todayÕs business world
New laws and regulations
The latest in office technology
Telecommuting and job sharing

Filled with practical tips and innovative strategies, The Everything Managing People Book, 2nd Edition helps you get the best out of your employees by providing the motivation and support they need to perform at their best. This hands-on, informative book serves as a desk reference youÕll turn to again and again to find valuable information on leading an effective team and succeeding as a manager.

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative & Entertaining!.......2003-10-08

This is indeed a very handy book & acts as a good reference to anyone whose job involves in management level either in a manager or supervisor position. Also, beneficial to those at a lower position who wish to learn & develop their management skills in preparation for future promotion & advancement.

Overall, I love the contents as it's clear & concise. The way the writer convey his points is very enlightening & friendly. Definitely the reader won't feel sleepy. I like that part esp dealing with difficult employees, time management & lots more.

In conclusion, whether you are a new manager searching for new skills or a veteran manager trying to refresh/brush up your old hat, there's something for everyone! It's a great book! Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!

Book Description

This important volume contains an extensive collection of Uzbekistan legal texts translated and edited by the eminent scholar William E. Butler. All material is translated anew and is prefaced by an introductory note on the legislative history of each enactment and by a contextual observation. The documents translated in this volume have been chosen for their fundamental importance in understanding the Uzbekistan State structure and legal system. All are in force, and there is a strong emphasis on those enactments of key importance to the foreign investor. The broad scope of this work will provide the practitioner, legal scholar, government legal adviser, and student with an excellent reference tool for understanding contemporary Uzbekistan legal structures. This is the third volume in the CIS Legal Texts Series edited by William E. Butler. The first volume of the series, Russian Legal Texts, was published in 1998; the second is Tadzhikistan Legal Texts, published in 1999.

Book Description

Charged with the ever-present potential for danger and occasionally punctuated by terrible moments of disaster, the history of space exploration has been keenly dramatic. The recent disaster of the Space Shuttle Columbia was a sad but certain reminder that space travel is an extraordinarily dangerous occupation. Oddly enough, it often takes a tragic accident to remind us that we still have a presence in space.

In the decades between triumph and tragedy we tend to ignore the fact that there have been scores of space pioneers who have risked their lives to explore our solar system. Indeed, the International Space Station is sometimes referred to as "Alpha," a moniker that implies that it is our first real permanent presence in space. But this notion is frowned upon by the Russians - and for good reason. Prior to the construction of the controversial International Space Station, a host of daring Russian cosmonauts, and a smaller number of intrepid American astronauts, were living in space for months, some of them for over a year.

In this definitive account of man's quest to become citizens of the cosmos, noted space historian Robert Zimmerman reveals the great global gamesmanship between Russian and American political leaders that drove us to the stars. Beaten to the Moon by their Cold War enemies, the Russians were intent on being first to the planets. They believed that manned space stations held the greatest promise for reaching other worlds and worked feverishly to build a viable space station program - one that would dwarf American efforts and allow the Russians to claim the vast territories of space as their own.

Although unthinkable at the time, the ponderously bureaucratic Soviet Union actually managed to overtake the United States in the space station race. Leveraging their propaganda machine and tyrannical politics to launch a series of daring, dangerous, and scientifically brilliant space exploits, their efforts not only put them far ahead of NASA, they also helped to reshape their own society, transforming it from dictatorship to democracy. At the same time, the American space program at NASA was also evolving, but not necessarily for the better. In fact, the two programs were slowly but inexorably trading places.

Drawing on his vast store of knowledge about space travel, as well as hundreds of interviews with cosmonauts, astronauts, and scientists, Zimmerman has superbly captured the excitement and suspense of our recent space-traveling past. For space and history enthusiasts alike, Leaving Earth describes a rich heritage of adventure, exploration, research, and discovery.

Customer Reviews:

Eye-opening, romanticized view of space station research.......2006-11-19

This book was quite interesting and eye-opening in many ways. I have to agree with one of the back-cover reviews that many Americans, even ones very familiar with NASA and western space activities, don't know much about all that the Russians have been doing in space since the 1970's. At least that applied well to me.

The overall focus is on space station research since the 1970's, which necessarily centers on the Soviets/Russians, esp. the Salyuts and Mir. The account is fascinating, detailing crew working relationships and personality conflicts, medical research on long-term zero-G flights, space greenhouses and biology experiments, and many, many instances where cosmonauts and ground controllers had to improvise repairs to keep things working. It's a survey account, and a good jumping-off point to get into this subject more deeply. The bibliography has some very good references here.

I also enjoyed very much the author's focus on using space station research as a means towards preparation for interplanetary flight. That's an angle you don't hear much. (Though I don't believe he addressed the question: If you're studying bone less etc so much, then why don't you also study the possibility of artifical gravity through rotating stations?)

There were a couple criticisms. Photographs would have been nice, and the diagrams could have been labelled better. The author tends to romanticize and not really express the gravity of some Russian near-catastrophes in space. He presents a fairly one-sided view of ISS, though his points are well taken about NASA's over-control and bureaucratic tendencies.

Overall though, I enjoyed very much the spirit of the book. The focus was on using Space Station research to learn how to live and work in space and for possible missions of the future, rather than as a jobs program. The Russians are shown as being inventive and clever, conducting solid research and solving multiple problems with limited resources. There are some very nice passages about what it's like to experience space, especially seeing the universe when out on spacewalks. It gets one thinking about what might be accomplished in the years ahead, given a similar attitude.

A History of the First Space Stations.......2005-12-14

Zimmerman's book is the detailed story of the first space stations. Anyone interested in manned spaceflight should
read it. My criticisms would be of two sorts; First, he speculates too much about the politics behind the decisions. I especially object to the all too american right-wing bias in his judgements. Secondly, he fails to make connections with the concurrent unmanned space research. "Exploration" is not humans going places and doing sightseeing. Exploration is doing science and doing science is more about unmanned spaceflight.

Insight from the Russian Experience in Space.......2005-07-01

Robert Zimmerman, space historian and enthusiast, combines a love of technical issues with extensive background research in this account of the nine space stations flown so far by the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the United States. As the full title suggests, Zimmerman sees an important rarely stated purpose for the stations: learning how to maintain, operate, and work within vessels that closely resemble those that will first carry humans between the planets.

This detailed historical account of space station development is a powerful demonstration of how people have learned critical skills for living in space through repeated failure of almost every imaginable variety.

Today we remember Mir and Skylab, but the early Soviet Salyut stations were where much of the real learning happened. Fires, propellant leaks, repeated docking failures and failures in all sorts of science experiments (particularly attempts at plant growth) characterize much of the early history. Failures in crew relationships were at least as frequent - some crews (generally 2 men for the Salyuts) got along famously, but others quickly got on one another's nerves and bitterly endured through months of orbital isolation.

Human failure is here too - the toothaches, infections and heart problems of normal life, and then also the worrying problem of loss of bone mass - up to 2 percent a month, in zero gravity. And political failure, which showed up in relationships with ground controllers who seemed to cease caring, in later years, about what were very serious problems in orbit.

The first failures were docking problems, and sadly, the loss of three cosmonauts. Brezhnev gave the go-ahead to the Salyut program apparently to improve international public relations for the Soviet Union, and so missions were much more public than they had been in the past. Soyuz 10, the first mission to Salyut 1, failed in attempts to dock, and had to return. Soyuz 11, carrying a last-minute crew, successfully docked, and was met by the smell of burning insulation when they opened the hatch. At least half the equipment they'd been asked to work with didn't work
as planned in zero gravity. The three men spent three weeks on the station, dealt with another electrical fire, broadcast to the world from orbit, and managed to magnify a few personality conflicts along the way. And then, in their descent module shortly after leaving the station, a pressure equalization valve opened, and, despite their best efforts, they were dead in minutes.

The US Skylab came next, and it too started in failure - the last launch of a Saturn V rocket - during launch part of the meteor/heat shield was ripped away, destroying one solar panel and tangling another so it could not open, and exposing the workshop enclosure to direct sunlight, raising its temperature to as high as 130 degrees (F). Skylab's first crew, launched 10 days later, managed to fix essentially all the problems (except for the lost solar panel) through ingenuity and hard work.

Follow-on crews learned a lot about living in space - but ironically, the science experiments approved did not include any of the plant-growth experiments the Soviets were so keen on - growing plants in zero gravity was not something US scientists were funded to study, despite the apparent usefulness for long-term living in space.

The Soviet Salyut stations followed one after another; the first really successful one, as described by Zimmerman, being Salyut 6, launched in 1977. They had learned a lot from earlier failures and experiences, and now had a station that could sustain itself for long periods in orbit, with human assistance. Salyut 6 had a fire too - these early experiences with fires in space explain why the later fire on Mir was much more frightening to the American on board, than to the Russians. Salyut 7, which was still orbiting when Mir's first pieces launched in 1986, suffered a very severe propellant leak that nearly disabled the station; a later crew ripped open the outer shell of the station to get at the various bits of tubing they needed to test and replace, and managed to make the repairs needed over a series of space walks
that amounted to more than all previous Soviet space walks combined.

The Russians had learned how to deal with problems in space, how to fix them with their own ingenuity. Since Salyut 1 they have not lost a single person, not even had any severe injuries. There had certainly been some very close calls - the fire on Mir and the later collision of a Progress freighter with the station could have been very serious. But somehow they managed, through luck and ingenuity, to keep things working. As Zimmerman puts it, the station had proved that the technology for going to other planets was available, and buildable. "Provide human beings with the necessary tools and supplies and they can go anywhere."

The Soviet space program had become, in the new Russia, independent and profit-oriented - driving hard bargains and keeping a technology edge. In the US, in contrast, things had become very rigid, bureaucratic, and "focusless". In Zimmerman's phrase, the two "ships passed in the night": America's efforts in space now resemble those of the early Soviet Union; astronauts have little freedom to do their own things, with everything prescribed down to the minute. No room for learning, or ingenuity among those who are actually experiencing spaceflight firsthand. Problems and risks are ignored or downplayed by the bureaucracy. Commonsense is thrown out the window. And tourists like Dennis Tito are seen as threats, not vindication.

One of the strengths of Zimmerman's book is the focus on the people - but this also leads to many somewhat formulaic biographies of many cosmonauts and figures such as Boris Yeltsin. The psychological interactions among the different crews are certainly interesting, as are all the wonderful historical details Zimmerman has dug up. A great book for space history buffs, and anybody interested in the experiences of the first to practice what we'll need to do to travel between the planets.

Leaving Earth.......2004-08-02

Every page of this interesting book is packed with details of the evolution of the Russian manned space program. It is very well researched and Robert Zimmerman does an excellent job describing the interaction between on-the-ground politics and space science. The stories of life, survival and endurance on the space stations is facinating. This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the history of man's quest for conquering the many problems of surviving in the harsh space environment.

Crazed Cosmonauts out in the Cosmos!.......2004-03-12

One of two aspects of Mr. Zimmerman's book that most reviewers seem to have missed is his recounting of the many errors, problems, and dilemmas, large and small, trivial and hazardous, that the cosmonauts encountered. Mysteriously missing antennae, fogged-over helmet visors, balky space ship hatches and no power are just some of the hardships that had to be surmounted.

Another aspect of the book is the recounting of the many personality conflicts between the cosmonauts. Grueling work schedules, close quarters, and differing backgrounds of the cosmonauts drove wedges between the crew members. Oftentimes they would just stop speaking to each other. Other times, the crew member with the higher ranking would pull rank in the most inconsiderate manner.

I found the examination of these weaknesses (structural and psychological) to be fascinating. They brought a human element to the book and made it a very interesting recounting. The same holds true for the examination of how politics, economics, and the fall of the Soviet government changed the Russian space program.

I highly recommend this enjoyable and informative book

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LEAVING EARTH SPACE STATIONS, RIVAL SUPERPOWERS AND THE QUEST FOR INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN
Manufacturer: J. Henry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSTNG0

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Student Study Guide and Solutions Manual for Seager and Slabaugh Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry

Manufacturer: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
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Don't be mis-lead

Why?

A must read for open minded science readers and educators

It's a rehash of soundly debunked occult nonsense

The usual silliness.

Shattering the Myths of Darwinism
Richard Milton
Manufacturer: Park Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Evolution: A Theory In Crisis

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Release Date: 2000-03-01

Book Description

Compelling evidence that the most important assumptions on which Darwinism rests are wrong.

The controversial best-seller that sent Oxford University and Nature magazine into a frenzy has at last come to the United States. Shattering the Myths of Darwinism exposes the gaping holes in an ideology that has reigned unchallenged over the scientific world for a century. Darwinism is considered to be hard fact, the only acceptable explanation for the formation of life on Earth, but with keen insight and objectivity Richard Milton reveals that the theory totters atop a shambles of outdated and circumstantial evidence which in any less controversial field would have been questioned long ago. Sticking to the facts at hand and tackling a vast array of topics, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism offers compelling evidence that the theory of evolution has become an act of faith rather than a functioning science, and that not until the scientific method is applied to it and the right questions are asked will we ever get the true answers to the mystery of life on Earth.

Customer Reviews:

Don't be mis-lead.......2007-04-29

Although Milton begins the book by claiming he is not writing in the usual creationist vein, the entire book reproduces all of the standard arguments creationists have been rehashing for decades (and some since the 18th century). All are mis-representations of science in general (not just evolution) and pure sophistry (arguments that seem logical, but don't actually make sense when examined carefully). Reading some of the other reviews, it is clear that this book has mis-lead many (one reviewer even gave a reasonably accurate summary of how evolution by natural selection occurs, and then noted that this book had convinced him this characterization was wrong).

I am a Christian and as a Christian found this book rather silly. The reviewer who thought ratings fell along Christian vs. non-Christian lines is simply wrong. I reject the creation myth because it is illogical and any claim to read the bible literally is irrational (if you think it can be read literally, just sit down and try).

If you are really interested in evolution I would stay away from any book on the evolution-creation debate (even those that come down on the side of evolution). Instead, you would be better served by reading some of the more accessible and accurate descriptions of evolution. Try Jonathan Weiner's 'The Beak of the Finch' or the just published 'Evolution for Everyone' by D. S. Wilson.

Why?.......2007-04-05

I have read numerous books in this genre, and this is another great one. However, when I checked the reviews for this book, I saw that Christians rate it five stars and non-Christians rate it one. So I have to ask, do non-Christians spend all their time searching out Christian Theology/Intelligent Design books, just so they can "prove" them wrong? I've noticed that very little of this goes on the other way around when rating books written in favor of evolution. I would be much more interested in reading the non-Christian viewpoints regarding books on Intelligent Design if I thought they actually read these books.

Anyway, I would most definitely recommend this book.

A must read for open minded science readers and educators.......2007-04-03

It's time for some truth. For the last 150 years since Darwin injected his theory in science, people all around the world have been fed lies and fantasies. Read some of the negative comments about this book, which shows the angry reactions of those who have been brainwashed by Darwinism. It is like a kind of scientific priesthood, they ostracize anyone that will not side with their philosophical views. If you can't challenge science or test it, how can it be science? And if evolution is a fact, why are evolutionists so afraid or it's critics? Instead of dealing with the critique, they attack the challenger's character and try to discredit their education and experience.

If you want real science, don't buy everything that evolutionists say. Read both sides of the story and then form your opinion without the bias. Evolutionists often complain that their challengers are bringing religious ideas to the table, yet when evolutionists are questioned, they are the ones that bring their anti-theistic views in the open. I thought there was supposed to be scientific discussion, instead we hear evolutionists bringing up God and their blind faith in the process naturalism. Evolutionists don't need more time to gather their evidence, they've had more than enough time to do research and dig up fossils. What they need is open minds.

It's a rehash of soundly debunked occult nonsense.......2007-03-10

This is something that I read a long time ago and a comment about it turned up on my inbound mail box prompting me to consider checking it out of the local library for another review. In retrospect I don't think I'll bother, and here's why.

The author confuses the undeniable fact of evolution with a number of other subjects, including the various _theories_ of evolution and also including various philosophical opinions of Darwin and his colleagues.

No scientist speaking within his or her venue denies the fact that evolution takes place. The odd characters who still deny the fact are overwhelmingly Christian cultists who mistakenly believe that the fact that evolution has taken place and continues to take place some how detracts from their deity constructs.

Only it doesn't: Science doesn't address the notions of deity constructs, their attributes, what they like and what they don't like. Science is a methodology which usually starts with observation, and the fact of evolution is a directly observed phenomena that's not subject to debate.

What _is_ subject to debate is the method and mode of evolution, and the author not only falls under the mistaken notion that evolution doesn't happen, the author thinks that there's only one "theory of evolution" and that the _fact_ of evolution is some how "just a theory."

In fact there are a wide variety of theories which attempt to explain and describe the fact of evolution. The author starts out with an unevidenced set of beliefs: That there are gods, that evolution some how detracts from the existence of those gods, that the fact of evolution therefore some how disappears, and numerous other unscientific, cult-drive notions.

What's also outrageous about this author's internal dishonesty and occult superstition-driven external dishonesty is that all of the usual falsehoods and soundly debunked occult notions expressed in this rehash of all the old debunked notions are subject to debunking by visits to the local library. The author has no excuse for repeatring the same outrageous lies and occult notions -- such as those from the likes of Gish and the usual flock of cult nuts -- simply because the local library contains numerous popularized text books which would have helped the author understand the science that he wants to believe some how detracts from his deity constructs and thus must some how be "mistaken."

Enumerating all the outright falsehoods and all the blatant lack of understanding about basic scientific tests which the author puts into this piece has been done -- for other books which makes the same outrageous claims. The local library of any moderately sized city or town will have such debunkings, and the author has no excuse for not knowing he was repeating debunked notions.

I picked through the book once, found that Henry Morris, Gish, or any of the others one might immediately think of already expressed this ignorance and occultism in books, religious tracts, and other publications and speeches which are in no way different than what this author provides here.

When people wish to learn what evolution is, what it is not, what the various theories of evolution are, they shouldn't devolve into purchasing religious tracts like this one; they should visit the local library, find out what the actual biological sciences have to say about the subject, then examine the fact of the countless instances of directly observed speciation events which have taken place within the lifetime of humans, then one will accept the fact of their own brains.

And come to that, this author expects that the brains of his followers have already been turned off: His readership are cultists who are looking for both scientific vindication of the existence of their current crop of deity constructs as well as looking for scientific vindication that science itself is some how equal to religion.

It's all been said before. Cultists have spewed this nonsense for something like 10,000 years, and the advent of the Scientific Method had put "PAID" to these notions something like 300 or 1000 years ago -- so it's outrageous that there are _still_ people out there who labor under delusions which more intellectually and morally upright individuals set aside long ago.

The usual silliness........2007-02-14

A rehashing of the usual attempts to poke holes in "Darwinism".
This book was given to me by a well meaning friend, but I find I spend more time annotating the margins about the deceptions and mistakes than in actually reading the book. For example, the chapter on radiometric dating harps on the innacuracies of carbon-14 dating (actually around 15%)and trots out an assortment of mistaken K-Ar dates, without acknowledging the millions of dates that DO accord with other evidence. Interestingly his references are nearly all from the 50's and 60's, and he is apparently unaware of dating with mass spec. The remainder is similarly vacuous and/or deceptive.

The Facts of Life: Shattering the Myth of Darwinism

Average customer rating:

Extremely refreshing, honest and non emotional presentation of research
You know...
Incompetent fluff leaves Darwinism unchallenged
Is Evolutionary Theory built on the sand?

The Facts of Life: Shattering the Myth of Darwinism
Richard Milton
Manufacturer: Fourth Estate Classic House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Extremely refreshing, honest and non emotional presentation of research.......2007-01-30

Personally I found the book, "Shattering the Myths of Darwinism" by Richard Milton to be extremely refreshing, profound, enlightening, totally honest, free of emotion and cuts through dogmatism of both polarized positions (neo Darwinists and so called "Scientific Creationists") I found Richard Milton's book to be very honest and intelligent without the vilification and arrogance often found by some credentialed authors. The honest enquirer looking for truth loses out by not reading this book.

You know..........2006-07-11

I think that it should be a requirement to actually READ the book that your review is about, not just to parrot what the neo-Darwinist faith tells you that you must say about a book.

Because this book is aimed at disputing much of what is treated as fact by neo-Darwinists despite their not actually haven proven any of it, I can see why it would get its share of criticism. But to describe this book as being written for the average layperson when parts of it are so technical that I had to struggle to grasp what was being said (this being said by a woman who qualifies for Mensa membership)... This is clearly written by someone who has not read the book.

The basic premise of the book is that much of what is being taught to our children regarding the origins of life and how species develop is simply untrue. As a recent college student, I can verify that this is still what is being taught, even though biologists and others have reason to doubt that it is, in fact, accurate information. As Richard Milton observes, Darwinism/neo-Darwinism is as much a matter of faith as Christianity or Buddhism. It has not been conclusively proven thus far, but scientists are treating it as truth and no longer searching for answers.

He attacks neo-Darwinism on the basis that its proponents either ignore the evidence that doesn't fit or go to extraordinary lengths to *make* it fit. He seems to believe that science is suffering for having decided that Darwin was completely correct and, instead of evaluating new evidence as it comes to light, eschewing those who have any evidence that we might not have the total answer just yet. If you don't subscribe to the Darwinist faith, that seems to disqualify any credibility you might have on the subject of science. Milton thinks that is leading science to overlook important evidence that might one day point us toward the truth.

Milton is not a creationist. "I am not a creationist and do not hold an religious convictions. I can find no scientific or logical reason to believe or disbelieve in a creator and I remain open-minded on the question" (p 233). He lists his reason for writing the book as being "to sound a cautionary note about the extent to which ideological Darwinism has replaces scientific Darwinism in our educational system. My message is that the world is full of people who want you to believe in their 'ism'--Darwinism, Marxism, Freudianism, and the rest. Don't accept anything they say unless they can substantiate it with scientific evidence, however persuasive their arguments" (p 235-6).

Incompetent fluff leaves Darwinism unchallenged.......1999-05-28

Directed at the non-science-literate, The Facts of Life does nothing more than parrot tired old creationist saws that were debunked decades ago. Much of the book contains gross factual errors that are easy to check with only a moderate background in science and the rest is little more than a rehash of claims that range from patently false to simply ignorant. Much of the book is based on information that was superceded long before the book was written, suggesting that Milton's own research is shallow at best. A true embarrassment that isn't even as interesting a read as other creationist books like Behe's Darwin's Black Box or the rants of Phillip Johnson, The Facts of Life is a guaranteed candidate for the remainder table and a complete waste of time for anyone who wants to know the facts of the issue.

Is Evolutionary Theory built on the sand?.......1997-11-05

At last, there is a readable account which looks at the reality of the facts underpinning Darwinism. This book is written by a non-Christian, non-Creationist science writer concerned that scientists have forgotten the philosophical basis of their art and made a theory an article of faith. Unfortunately, in failing to recognize the potential weaknesses of evolutionary theory, biologists are closing the door to new knowledge. (If classical physics had had such a fanatical following, would Einstein have come to prominence?) If you would like another reason to read this book, take one from Richard Dawkins of Oxford University: His review of "The Facts of Life" printed at the beginning of the book convinced me that it was worth reading. He resorted to ridicule and personal attack, but never (in a reasonably lengthy article) did he begin to refute the actual evidence reported in the book. If an eminent practitioner cannot use the tools of his trade to support the basis of his convictions it certainly raises questions about their quality. If you are an interested scientist or layman disturbed by evolutionary blind faith - read this book.

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The Facts Of Life: Shattering The Myth Of Darwinism

Manufacturer: 4th
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5X5RI

Average customer rating:

The facts of life: shattering the myth of darwinism

Manufacturer: Quality Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H60VDI

Book Description

The International Conference on Calorimetry in Particle Physics is the major forum for the state-of-the-art developments of calorimetry technologies. The Tenth Conference was attended by more than 150 physicists from 16 countries and covered all aspects of calorimetric particle detection and measurements, with emphasis on high energy physics and astrophysics experiments.

The proceedings contain three parts: introductory papers, contributed papers and perspective papers. The introduction starts with a historical review of calorimetry developments, and continues with overviews of the current status of calorimetry in high energy physics and astrophysics, which are followed by discussions on calorimetry in future accelerator facilities, such as linear colliders and the Super B factories. A "hot" technology regarding the "energy flow concept" is also discussed. The contributed papers are organized in 11 sessions. The perspective papers summarize the physics and limitation of calorimeter applications in high energy physics, astrophysics and medical industries.

Book Description

A new collection of short stories is a fascinating experience. Pieces of the Puzzle is such an adventure. These are stories of the human experience--happy, sad, sweet and bitter. They reflect our times and the memories of yesterday. A short story collection that is sure to be a treasure.

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