The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered

Book Description

George Soros is a legend in the world of finance, a man whose name is known from Wall Street to Wuhan, from Manchester to Moscow, from Brussels to Bangkok. His Quantum Fund has been the best-performing investment fund in history and his foundations have helped reshape the post-Cold War world. Now Soros applies all of his wisdom, expertise and insight to explain what's happening in the collapsing global economy. The result is a brilliant work of profound importance, a startling critique of what's gone wrong and an inspiring vision of how it can be fixed.

In THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM, Soros dissects the current crisis and economic theory in general, revealing how theoretical assumptions have combined with human behavior to lead to today's mess. He shows how unquestioning faith in market forces blinds us to crucial instabilities, and how those instabilities have chain-reacted to cause the current crisis-a crisis that has the potential to get much, much worse. But there is a way out, and it involves embracing the concept of the open society. And by doing so we can save not only our financial system, but also our civilization.

Customer Reviews:

Cramming World Government Down Your Throat.......2006-05-09

It's a good idea to find out what financiers like George Soros are thinking because it may give some hints of what is in our future. His book, "The Crisis of Global Capitalism" was rushed into print "at breakneck speed." That should give a hint about Soros' power and influence.

Soros, once a Hungarian Jewish refugee, is now a big shot. When he isn't masterminding international financial scams or working toward world government, he makes public appearances, testifies before Congress, and writes books.

The stimulus for the book was the global financial crisis that began in Thailand in July 1997. The crisis steamrolled through the economies of many nations, collapsing the Russian banking system before the recovery began. Malaysia shut down its financial markets to foreigners, pointing to Soros as the source of the problem.

After that close brush with global economic meltdown, perhaps Soros is trying to convince us that we should create a mechanism to clean up after his meddling. Soros' "remedy" is international supervision over the national authorities. World government.

How much world government is enough? "You cannot have a common market without a common currency. You cannot have a common currency without a common fiscal policy, including some kind of centralized tax collection."

And of course he says we need the International Criminal Court. Still not enough world government for you?

"A society without social values cannot survive and a global society needs universal values to hold it together." In case you missed it, we are talking about a global religion. Maybe world government is like sex--you can't be a little bit pregnant, and you can't have a little bit of global government.

Soros clouds the issue with a lot of talk about "open societies," although world government would be anything but that. Soros touts democracy and open societies, but he obviously favors bureaucratic secrecy over an open society. Soros favors some type of powerful paternalistic oligarchy that falls somewhat short of actual totalitarianism-or better yet, makes people think that it stops short of totalitarianism.

This book is loaded with contradictions. Soros' definition of an open society diametrically opposes his desired stable society. Soros calls Communism a cure worse than the disease, yet he maintains that we must put common interest ahead of self-interest. He says that the US can't go it alone, yet somehow the US can save the world.

Soros is too dishonest to admit that pumping capital from advanced nations to the third world will lower US living standards, although he predicts that the US will have to dismantle the social safety net to become more competitive.

Soros decries the profit motive as the basis of human behavior, but what other motive is there for international capital flight and destroying national sovereignty?

What does internationalism deliver? If you look at the US in the age of internationalism, then the answer is war, low wages, unemployment, and loss of self-reliance.

The fact is, free movement of capital is a relatively recent phenomenon. At the end of the Second World War, economies were largely national in character. Since 1980, the balance has swung so far in favor of financial capital that multinational corporations and international financial markets have supplanted national sovereignty. The ability of a nation to provide for the welfare of its citizens has been impaired by the ability of capital to escape paying taxation and decent wages by moving elsewhere.

Regarding the 1977 financial crisis that sparked this book, the international financial system itself constituted the main ingredient in the meltdown process. The big difference with China was that its currency is not convertible; otherwise it's economy would have been exposed to the "wrecking ball," as Soros puts it. The countries that kept their financial markets closed weathered the storm better than those that were open. India was less affected than the Southeast Asian countries; China was better insulated than Korea.

Economic theory has misrepresented how markets behave.......2006-01-14

Reflexivity, is the two way interaction between thinking and reality. Reality is not separate from thinking. Reflexivity is acceptance that there is a reality and we are a part of that reality. Reflexity, strength of its statement is contingent on their impact.

Fallibility means there is a lack of correspondence between the participants thinking and the actual state of affairs. When one recognizes a fallible belief, he can correct for error, this is another name for learning. All human designs are bound to be defective. In finance the value of a hypothesis is measured in money. Money accumulation measures the degrees of success in a belief system and the exploitation of observed fallacy. No fertile fallacy is likely to last forever and eventually, it will be replaced with a new fallacy that will occupy people's imagination. There are two ways to deal with deficient design, one, to look for an escape and two, to look for improvement. Marxist philosophy and economics is not scientific provable.

Karl Popper's theory of scientific method involves predicting a specific phenomena then testing and explaining the phenomena. Therefore, prediction and explanation are reversible. Testing is comparing the initial and final conditions and establishing whether they conform to the hypothesis. One should accept the hypothesis provisionally, until is can be falsified. This approach allows the hypothesis to provide predictions and explanations without insisting on verification. The predictions can be either deterministic or probabilistic. However, generalizations made about reflexive events cannot be tested.

Equilibrium in supply and demand means there is exists no unsatisfied sellers and buyers. Economics is the study of the relationship between supply and demand, not the conditions. All markets have radical fallibility and are liable to be flawed. Economic theory has misrepresented how markets behave. The conditions of supply and demand are unknowable because financial markets are discounting the future contingent on how they discount the present.

Rational expectations of price are based on fundamentals, such as, future earnings, dividend, and the prospect of future transactions. Therefore, it would be irrational for an investor to believe they can outperform the market.

Self-interest is the best explanation why free markets succeed. Different people work with different bias. A sequence of events occurs and these events affect a person's bias. Rational expectations philosophy contents that markets are always right. However, in reality financial markets are almost always wrong, but have the ability to validate them selves to a point. Divergence from outcomes and expectations can be taken as bias.

For example, credit expansion and contraction are followed by a boom or bust, in the business cycle. Collateral value depends on the amount of money the bank is willing to lend. Investors had sought fast per-share growth rates and certain companies had exploited this bias using their high-priced shares to acquire companies with lower multiple of earnings and producing higher shares and growth earning increases, for which, the investors appreciated. These companies become bestowed with higher P/E multiples far from the mean and reality cannot sustain these expectations.

The turning point formed because there were size limits and the company could not sustain momentum. Investors got carried away with expectations. The moment of truth occurred when reality could not support investor expectation. People only increased their pain by continuing too play the game when they, themselves no long believed, hoping a greater fool would arrive and bail them out. The crossover point would be followed by a downward trend and eventual crash. Markets are in constant dis-equilibrium: Prices do not clear the market and there are dissatisfied buyers and sellers in the wings, who could not execute order at the last sell or could not make up their minds.

1972, Citibank enters the market and starts using capital to simulate stock prices, raise additional capital, and made purchase acquisitions. 1973, Oil crisis causes a boom and swing into dis-equilibrium. 1982, radical change caused the international banking crisis. 1989, the Soviet empire collapsed and robber capitalism emerged, as, management tool control of companies and private property by cheating workers of vouchers and buying up companies cheap. State to Private property distribution became the problem of a free for all. The Russian central government was unable to collect taxes.

1998, IMF negotiates with Russia, a $22.5 billion rescue plan. Emerging market Russia's stock had fallen 48% in four weeks. Prior too the bailout, Russia had $11 billion in hard currency in its reserves, but this was not enough to cover debts come due. The USSR was on the verge of breaking up and building a free-market system in the stead. Peoples exchanging their rubles for dollars had depleted the central bank by $2.4 billion. Russia was too big and too nuclear to fail and IMF bailout mandated and required. The IMF role in the financial intervention of Russia would be too help Russia make the transition into a free-market. Russia lacked many of the components needed in a free-market: viable commercial banks, stocks and bond markets, and laws to protect private property and enforce contracts. The IMF used "shock tactic" to dismantle communist command and control hierarchy and liberalizing price and markets. Soon after shock tactic private retail shops opened and imports of foreign goods increased. Bloated budget deficits caused an explosive rise in Russian money supply and in 1993, inflation topped 843% and 224% in 1994. 1995, Russian reforms acquired a $6.8 billion IMF loan aimed primarily to tame inflation and inflation subsided. The ruble was pegged too the dollar ending a slide in currency value. The next stage of reform was modern banking. By 1997, inflation was 11 %, the ruble stable, communism vanquished, and portfolio investor were infusing money into Russia. Portfolio investment surged to $45.6 billion. Russia economy looked health, but its heavy dependence on short term borrowing subjected it to heavy costs. Russia had to borrow $1 billion each week by selling GKO to replace the maturing ones with increase costs of 25%. The

"policeman to the world"... on second thought..........2005-12-29

One of Soros' most compelling arguments comes out of his experiences during the 90's- mostly during the Clinton years- that the Open Society should take an active role in becoming a strong advocate for creating nascent Open societies in areas of political and economic strife. He berates America (as the leader of the free world) for not taking an active role in promoting stable and fair markets in Russia, and not doing enough to prevent the tragedies in the Balkans. He even goes as far as to say that America should step up and become the "policeman of the world".

Then again... isnt that exactly what he's spent the years after this book was authored trying to stop in his attacks on the campaign of George W Bush? Soros is fascinating in the sense that he feels perfectly comfortable documenting his complete ineptitude at coming up with theories about world politics. He even deconstructs his earlier writings, pointing out his flaws, suggesting that the fact that he can be falsified reinforces his self-title as thoretician.

Soros makes the bold claim that if you can get people to agree with you, you can make money off them on the upside, and then make money off them on the downside as long as you don't continue believing your own guff past the sell-by date. He defends this as moral, because it is playing by the rules. He trumpets his years of philanthropy as the justification for a life spent in raiding the economies of the world.

This is a book well-worth reading, and attempting to understand, because he makes/confirms his own point about the evils of market fundamentalism in autobiography. It is an expose on the evils of self-deception and over-reliance on the rules of the game to create morality. Laws and civility, like economics, do not construct good morals and ethics. He leaves himself lost, essentially falling into recourse to a higher power (of a more perfect UN or WTO or IMF, rather than a deity), but calling upon a higher power nonetheless to check the excesses of which has been his daily bread and butter for fifty years.

Soros and capitalism..........2005-07-22

George Soros, one of the greatest speculators of all time wrote this book which is an ode to govenment and bureaucracy intervention. It seems at first sight that Soros realized that true liberalism (not the liberalism of the left wing in America) was wrong and thus the Estate should intervene to fix the market's problems.

Now you may be asking, How come a guy who made 1 billion dollars in one day thru speculation against the british pound in the 90's is now a critic of the system that let him speculate and get rich?. Well, Soros changed his mind about capitalism when he lost 2 billion dollars during the russian crisis. He tried to convince the World Bank and the IMF to save russian markets like they did in Mexico in 1995, but no help was approved.

So, what's the solution according to Soros? Easy: create new bureaucracy. He wants a Global Fed, Government intervention in the markets and a more robust and strong Estate. If this solution were to be implemented, Soros would be denying to others the opportunities he had to get rich. I think what Soros wants is to prevent others to compete with him perhaps because he is tired of today's competition.

If you are into Mises, Hayek or even Friedman, this book will only be useful to show the clichés that the left wing repeats over and over against capitalism. It doesn't add something new to the debate, just shows us that Soros is a great speculator but a poor economist.

Soros is right, the economists are dead wrong.......2005-05-25

The ideas in this book are based on Soros' experience as successful speculator and market observer, and are described further in "The Alchemy of Finance". One basic idea is that financial markets are inherently unstable, and deregulation makes them even more unstable. Second, but related, there are social needs that cannot be met by `market solutions'. This is the opposite of what's taught in standard economics texts, where the Pareto Optimum is presented as if it would describe real markets (but empirical evidence indicates strongly that it does not). Recent empirical research shows that Soros is right: financial markets are neither stable nor show any tendency toward either dynamic or statistical equilibrium. According to Soros, imposing `market discipline' means imposing market instability, and he is right, empirically seen.

Soros presents his argument in the interest of preserving the global capitalist system, as opposed to any desire to destroy it. Rightwing pundits, blinded by free market ideology, are unable to read his words objectively. The central point of the book is that "market fundamentalism" (radical free market ideology, or free market extremism) is a greater threat to a free society today than is totalitarianism. The book was written in 1998 before Islamic Fundamentalism in the Mid-East, and Christian Fundamentalism in the US, made their aims fully apparent to the rest of us.

Pointing out that preferences are not stable, which is opposite the notion of time-invariant preferences taught in mathematized neo-classical economic ideology, Soros contrasts two extreme societies: `transactional society', where everything is freely traded and all values are priced in dollars, and a society that believes in `fundamental values', as in fundamentalist religion. His main point is `reflexivity', that in social phenomena what we think about affects what happens, on the one hand because we can make wishes come true by acting on them (a problem of self-reference), and on the other because we can never foresee all the consequences of our actions (incomplete foresight). This is not the case in natural science, where thinking about the orbit of a planet cannot affect that orbit (unless we would then fire a large enough nuclear rocket to shift the planet's orbit). Soros as trader is always sceptical, because he knows that there is always a gap between reality and his present perception of reality, that no one can be in possession of the absolute truth. This awareness emphasizes the danger posed by `Fundamentalism' or `Fundamental Values' of all brands, if one labors under the dangerous illusion that those values represent inviolable truth. Likewise, transactional society (money-based society) is unstable, chaotic, for lack of any values other than `price'. His idea of an `Open Society' lies somewhere in the no man's land between those two extremes, and is based on the recognition of human fallibility, on the fact that no one is ever in possession of the ultimate socio-economic-religious truth, nor can anyone ever be.

Soros was strongly influenced by Popper in his early years and gives much weight to falsifiability, which he thinks is limited in the social sphere to finding out eventually that one or more of one's perceptions is wrong, and why. But he is optimistic that, via scepticism, we can iterate toward (non time-invariant!) social truth, even if we cannot ultimately reach it. E.g., a financial hypothesis doesn't have to be true to be profitable, but if one doesn't realize that the hypothesis is flawed and get out of the market fast enough, then one will get burned. Soros calls such gaps between perception and reality `fertile fallacies'. Osborne-Black-Scholes was a fertile fallacy until 1987, after which point options traders said it was wrong. The market model that is correct in our era is another fertile fallacy. The assumption from 1990-2000 that the market would only go up was a fertile fallacy, a much more profitable one than a mathematical market model! Believers in 'fundamental market values' held onto an impotent fallacy in the era 1990-2000.

Soros says that the events in which we participate do not constitute some sort of independent criterion (as in hard science) by which the truth or falsehood of our thoughts can be judged. By this, he means that there is always a gap between reality and how we perceive reality. However, he is not entirely right that Popperian falsification is beyond the pale: if `reflexivity' is correct, and if we could mathematize that idea as an agent-based trading model, then we could test reflexivity on historic finance statistics. Why do that? Because if reflexivity is correct, then it must have produced those statistics. This mightn't bring us a whit closer to predicting the future, and surely would not, but at least Soros' idea can perhaps be tested, it may be falsifiable after all.

Now for the many mistakes in the text. Neither chaos theory nor 'evolutionary models' have anything to do with exploring phenomena that cannot be determined by timeless laws (pg. 12). Newtonian mechanics is full of chaotic examples, and `evolutionary models' (`complex adaptable systems') have so far explained absolutely nothing about biology. Logical positivism and Deconstruction/Postmodernism are certainly not the only worldviews available! Wigner (1967) has explained implicitly the difference between the hard and social sciences in his essays "Symmetries and Reflections". A model needn't be a timelessly-valid law of motion (like Newton's Laws) to be falsifiable (pg.30), it need (like the Gunaratne-McCauley finance market model) only be empirically correct over a large enough time interval. Our model is correct over the last fifteen years, e.g., and is falsifiable. The following errors occur on pg. 36: pendula are not `ergodic', movement toward `equilibrium' occurs in no known real market, Osborne (1973) gave the correct definition of observable demand-supply curves, they are noninvertible step-functions where, e.g., x=D(p,t) exists but p=f(x,t) never exists. Stock market limit orders provide the canonical example. Pg. 39: equilibrium is not a special case of reflexivity, equilibrium does not exist in markets, which are both far from equilibrium and complex. Sunspot experiments did not establish General Relativity. On pg. 42 Soros disparages Black-Scholes, which was a good zeroth order model and was falsifiable, and gives credence the economists' impotent notion of `equilibrium', which is not only falsified by real markets but was never even approximately true of any known market. Soros is not close to finance theorists (no disadvantage in making money in the markt) but is apparently close to two or more NYU economists, and is still too much influenced by the `equilibrium' ideas taught in standard economics textbooks. "Dynamic disequilibrium" should read simply "disequilibrium", there being no such thing as `static disequilibrium' (another term that he misuses elsewhere). A good dose of Newtonian physics, or at least a basic course in dynamical systems earlier at the London School of Economics might have prevented such misconceptions. "Value" is discussed on pg. 43, but we have shown in our recent work that there is no time-invariant definition of the (fundamental) `value' of an asset, there is only the most probable or `consensus' value attributed by most traders at a given time. Consensus value fluctuates much more wildly than the market statistics that are distributed about it. On pg. 49 Soros gives a wrong definition of equilibrium, analogous to one that Black apparently had in mind in his paper "Noise". Pg. 55, market statistics have nothing to do with fractals, but are described to zeroth order by nonGaussian (nonlognornal, non everything you've read if you haven't yet read Gunaratne and McCauley) `Brownian motion' still with Hurst exponent H=1/2, in agreement with the efficient market hypothesis, which simply means that the market is hard to beat (the market shows no systematic patterns, to zeroth order). Pg. 59, no known market phenomena are susceptible to `equilibrium analysis'. Pg. 62, `static disequilibrium' should be replaced by `closed system with small fluctuations', maybe equilibrium, maybe far from equilibrium. Indeed, the only known way to reach statistical equilibrium in an otherwise free market is to impose upper and lower price controls (see "Dynamics of Markets" by JMC). By 'dynamic disequilibrium' Soros sometimes means far from equilibrium markets with volatility and fat tails (normal liquid markets), and sometimes he means market crashes. Market bubbles fall into the former category of a normal liquid market. On pg.66, another wrong definition of `equilibrium' is given. There, Soros only means the gap between appearances and (the unknown) reality of the market that will make itself better known in the future. Pg. 67, the claim about near and far from equilibrium for water is physically completely wrong. Pg. 70, there is no evidence that 'open society represents near equilibrium conditions', we certainly know nothing of the sort. On pg. 90 is discussed valuing everything via money, and Spengler's "Untergang des Abendlandes" could (and should) have been acknowledged.

In general, I'm in strong agreement with this book and recommend it very highly, not only to laymen but especially to economists and econophysicists, many (if not most) of whom have bad misconceptions about real markets. In particular, there is the myth of stationary markets, or asymptotic `market equilibrium' in the face of nothing but market instability. Market instability is shown by our model, which is inferred from hard, empirical data. I would like to have been invited to correct the wrong definitions and misleading terminology in the book before it went into print, but apparently that task was given to Economics Professor Roman Frydman at NYU. Maybe next time around.

References

1. G. Soros, The Alchemy of Finance, Wiley, NY, 1994.

2. E.P. Wigner, Symmetries and Reflections, Univ. Indiana, Bloomington, 1967.

3. J.L. McCauley, Dynamics of Markets, Cambridge, Cambridge, 2004.

Crisis of global capitalism: open society endangered.: An article from: Harvard International Review

Average customer rating:

Crisis of global capitalism: open society endangered.: An article from: Harvard International Review

Manufacturer: Harvard International Relations Council, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Harvard International Review, published by Harvard International Relations Council, Inc. on March 22, 1999. The length of the article is 1128 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Crisis of global capitalism: open society endangered.
Publication: Harvard International Review (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1999
Publisher: Harvard International Relations Council, Inc.
Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Page: 81-2

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM (OPEN SOCIETY ENDANGERED)

Average customer rating:

THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM (OPEN SOCIETY ENDANGERED)
GEORGE SOROS
Manufacturer: LITTLE, BROWN & CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SIJ70I

Book Description

An organization's work culture and its business success are tightly linked, say the authors of this unique study, yet to understand and manage work culture one must first know how to measure it. The best way to do this is by measuring your employees, but an employee measurement program must be carefully developed and properly implemented. Rollins and Roberts review the major literature,focusing on employee measurement, detail the continuum of corporate cultures, and compile for the first time "best practices" in employee measurement. They also provide six case studies that give highly detailed accounts of how successful companies have implemented employee measurement programs to examine their work culture and then used the resulting information to improve performance and the bottom line. This book is important reading for corporate executives, specialists, and academics involved in human resource management, change management, organizational behavior and development, organization effectiveness, management theory and techniques, organizational measurement, and employee attitude/opinion measurement. Chapter 1 introduces the major topics, and provides perspective to the overall discussion. Chapter 2 reviews the evidence for the work culture-performance link, from other authors and HayGroup's research. Chapter 3 summarizes HayGroup's four culture models--functional, process, time-based, and network--and shows why it is important to be aware of the full cultural continuum. The next three chapters present a literature review of employee measurement applications, and in-depth discussion of best practices in employee measurement, followed by six detailed case studies from the authors' own consulting experience. The last chapter concludes with a summary and description of important future trends.

Book Description

Agroecologists from around the world share their experiences in the analysis and development of indicators of agricultural sustainability in Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies. The authors build on the resource-conserving aspects of traditional, local, and small-scale agriculture while at the same time drawing on modern ecological knowledge and methods. They define the relationship between agroecology and sustainable development. Leading researchers present case studies that attempt to determine 1) if a particular agricultural practice, input, or management decision is sustainable, and 2) what is the ecological basis for the functioning of the chosen management strategy over the long term. They discuss common findings, define the future role of agroecology, and explore strategies for helping farmers make the transition to sustainable farming systems. Preserving the productivity of agricultural land over the long term requires sustainable food production. Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies covers topics that range from management practices specific to a particular region to more global efforts to develop sets of indicators of sustainability. It links social and ecological indicators of sustainability. From this foundation we can move towards the social and economic changes that promote sustainability in all sectors of the food system.

Book Description

A textbook for a one-semester graduate course in the mathematical foundations of biostatistics, the prerequisite being a year of undergraduate calculus, and a course in basic statistical or biostatistical methods. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Average customer rating:

tiger's new...i mean old swing

Tiger's new swing

Andrisani Does It Again!!!!

A great addition to the Tiger Chroncles

Padding, Padding, Padding

Tiger's New Swing: An Analysis of Tiger Woods' New Swing Technique
John Andrisani
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Golf | Coaching | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Short Game Magic of Tiger Woods: An Analysis of Tiger Woods' Pitching, Chipping, Sand Play, and Putting Technique s

How I Play Golf

The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need: Easy Solutions to Problem Golf Swings

The Plane Truth for Golfers Master Class

The Plane Truth for Golfers

ASIN: 0312363672
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

Experts and fans alike were skeptical when Tiger Woods switched teachers and swing techniques almost ten years into his record breaking career. But his new swing has worked, putting Woods back on top. The overall improvement in Woods game has everyone asking the same questions: what is he doing differently since switching to teaching guru Hank Haney, and how can I use these lessons to improve my own game?

Customer Reviews:

tiger's new...i mean old swing.......2007-08-17

I completely agree with the previous reviewers.This is complete nonsense.Haney is very much closer to the Jim Hardy school of thought(one plane flat) than Butch Harmon is.In fact Tiger's woes with the driver have continued and it's interesting to note that for the US PGA he seemed to be back to a slightly steeper plane which,as we all know,he went on to win. This book makes no sense to me at all.

Tiger's new swing.......2007-05-13

excellent book, skip first chapter and go to the following. requires more than one reading for proper comprehension and comments from your pro if you are middle or high handicap.

Andrisani Does It Again!!!!.......2006-06-27

How many times can John Andrisani reach perfection. Every book has the proper recipe for greatness. Illustrations, quotes, and a language that is easily translated onto the practice tee and course. Andrisani is clearly at the top of his field. A must read!

A great addition to the Tiger Chroncles.......2006-05-09

Sometimes so much is written and talked about a living legend, Tiger in this case, that it's easy to get lost in the endless details of events and lose sight of the bigger historical picture. John Andrisani always paints the big picture built on the detail of his well practiced observations. He has spent a lifetime chronicling the great players and the evolution of the game as an editor and author. He combines a sharp eye and savvy writing talent to give us many important contributions to the ongoing conversation we golfers will forever have about our favorite game. This book is like sitting around the fire with friends on a rainy Sunday afternoon as we reflect on the current challenges faced and overcome by the greatest golfer or our time.

Padding, Padding, Padding.......2006-05-03

How does an 8 page article become a 127 page book? By the most annoying padding ever attempted in a single book.

The author wanted to sell a book, but had no material. He never talked to Tiger or Haney. He used photos from a driving range. What does he do to fill the pages? Mention how many majors Tiger has won-at least every chapter. Tell the reader he was once an editor at Golf Magazine- 15 times. Plug every book on golf he's ever written. Write a chapter on the grip. Say it is important- quote everyone who said the grip is important. Talk about Hogan. Tell about his book. Mention Nicklaus. Never write 6 words when 80 will do. Here is an example- He doesn't write "Tiger won the 2005 British Open." Instead he wrote, (this is an actual quote!): "On Sunday, July 17, 2005, Tiger Woods raised his already great game to an even higher level to win the coveted claret jug that is given to the winner of what Americans call the British Open and golf aficianados overseas refer to as the Open Championship. On that beautiful Scottish evening at St. Andrews, the home of golf, Tiger was also crowned the 'champion golfer of the year' as he was given the gold medal presented to all champions."

There is more, but I don't want you to throw up.

Tiger's turbo swing: efficient use of body physics has made Tiger Woods' drive the most powerful in golf. A noted golf writer explains how he does it.(POST ... : An article from: Saturday Evening Post

Average customer rating:

Tiger's turbo swing: efficient use of body physics has made Tiger Woods' drive the most powerful in golf. A noted golf writer explains how he does it.(POST ... : An article from: Saturday Evening Post

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000F2CE4S
Release Date: 2006-03-16

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Saturday Evening Post, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 437 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tiger's turbo swing: efficient use of body physics has made Tiger Woods' drive the most powerful in golf. A noted golf writer explains how he does it.(POST BOOKSHELF)(Tiger's New Swing: An Analysis of Tiger Woods' New Swing Technique)(Book Review)
Publication: Saturday Evening Post (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 278 Issue: 2 Page: 14(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

for the BIG BOOK THUMPER or someone wanted to understand more........2007-07-03

I've been a great fan of the big book since I've gotten sober, this gave me more insight to it. I've bought quite a few and have given them away.

Annotated Big Book, a study in OC!.......2007-05-17

This is an exhaustively annotated AA Big Book, for all who want definitions of words, sources of citations, etc... fascinating if slow reading...

American Cult.......2007-02-26

The A.A. story about your relationship with God is rather curious. The way that Bill Wilson tells the story, you must surrender yourself utterly to your Higher Power (Who is supposed to be God, but who might be a doorknob, a bedpan, a mountain, a motorcycle, a Group Of Drunks, or something else), and be His slave, and do His bidding every day forever after. In return, He will do some magic tricks and take away your desire to drink alcohol, and will also grant a few other wishes, starting with restoring you to "sanity" and taking care of your will and your life for you, and then removing all of your "defects of character" and "moral shortcomings".

We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him: "God, I offer myself to Thee -- to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" We thought well before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last abandon ourselves utterly to Him.
A.A. Big Book, 3rd Edition, William G. Wilson, page 63.

Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
The Big Book, 3rd Edition, William G. Wilson, page 100.

I can't help but notice that the last time I heard about that particular bargain, the Higher Power's name was not spelled "G-O-D", it was spelled "S-A-T-A-N" or "D-E-V-I-L". You were supposed to sell your soul to the Big Horned Creature with the cloven feet in a Faustian trade for getting your list of wishes granted, and then you ended up being a sycophant slave of that Scaly Creature, doing His Will forever after, and living in His "new and wonderful world" that features faulty air conditioning...

"Yes, Satan, I will surrender myself to you utterly. I will worship you and love you and give you my soul, and be your grovelling servant for all of eternity, in trade for you granting me this list of wishes right now -- starting with the wish that you making me quit drinking. ...And then you have to take care of my mind, my will, and my life for me, and restore me to sanity, and remove all of my 'defects of character'..."
One thing that the preachers told me about that Evil One is that he is very clever and lies a lot. They say that Old Beelzebub, the Lord of the Netherworld, isn't above claiming to be, and appearing to be, God or the Angel of Light or some other Higher Power, while he bargains with you...

And a church that starts off by instructing you to lie and deceive -- "Fake it 'till you make it" -- "Act as if" -- "Don't tell the newcomers..." -- "...lure the reader in..." -- "Don't raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are." -- "Dole out the Buchmanism 'by teaspoons, not buckets'..." -- is highly suspect. Did Jesus tell you to lie to the newcomers, and tell them that the program never fails, to get them to join the church? Was it Jesus or Satan who was called "The Great Deceiver"?

"Yes Higher Power, I will lie for you, and practice deceptive recruiting for you, and tell the newcomers that God is 'a Group Of Drunks'...

So I can't help but wonder, if you sell your soul to -- "turn your will and your life over to" -- Bill Wilson's vague Higher Power, or his "God as we understood Him", who can be anything from a doorknob to a bedpan to a "Group Of Drunks" to a "god", well, just who or what are you really dealing with and giving your soul to?

"Come on, hurry up. Sign the contract. Abandon yourself to me utterly. And would you quit looking at my feet?"
Just a thought...

Come to think of it, if "God" can be a "Group Of Drunks" in Alcoholics Anonymous, and "God" can be a "Group Of Drug addicts" in Cocaine Anonymous, why can't "God" can be a "Group Of Devils"?

Annotated AA Handbook Review.......2007-01-18

I am very pleased with this product, and candidly it was much more than I expected. The author obviously did his research homework.

In the Family Afterwards, Chapter IX, the author of the Big Book, descibes the recovering father as discovering a new treasure and states "He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitiless lode, which will pay dividends only if he mines........"

The Handbook is a valuable resource to me because I am interested in continuing study of the Big Book. I would recommend this book to others willing to follow through on the references contained in this valuable work.

I commend the author for his effort.

Shipment was timely , the book was in excellent condition

Recovering Alcoholic.......2007-01-17

I have not read it yet. However, what I have reviewed I think it will help me to better understand the Big Book.

Customer Reviews:

A good beach read.......2007-07-06

I started laughing on the first page -- a case of kayak whiplash ? ? ?

Lilly Cleary's snappy and irreverent view of just about everything makes for a good read. For instance: "Practicing law is like juggling a dozen raw eggs . . ."

Thoroughly enjoyable.

great first mystery.......2006-04-06

I loved this book, maybe more than some other people might because I am a lawyer (although not a litigator like Lilly). There are a few plot holes, but the writing is so entertaining that I only thought about them afterwards. My biggest gripe is - proofreading is even worse than todays's unfortunate average. There are some really noticeable mistakes.

A winner first time out of the chute!.......2005-12-28

Author Claire Hamner Matturro has put together a winner in her first novel. Bringing her journalistic knowledge, legal writing skills and insight into human nature together, she has created a protagonist in the form of Lilly Rose Cleary that will likely last through several sequels.

Alternatively exhibiting inner strength, self-doubt and a prickly sense of humor, Lilly is the type of character where most readers can find a component that matches their own psyche.

The book is short enough to be read in a weekend or a few evenings and lighthearted enough to leave the reader feeling satisfied with the effort. With a few autobiographical splashes thrown in, Matturro adds realism. Can she carry it forward to future editions as personal experiences fade and Lilly's character becomes more complex? I'm betting yes!

We need more ............2005-05-24

I really enjoyed this book. It's nice to read a book where the main character is flawed or in other words - like a real person. Her comments and actions brought a lot of smiles to my face as I read it. I found the inside look at the lawyers and the insurance companies to be fascinating and scary. I already have ordered her second book and can't wait to receive it and start reading. Claire Matturro has been added to my "must buy" list of favorite authors.

3.5 stars! Here's hoping for more........2005-05-06

Lillian Cleary is an attorney for a prestigious law firm in Sarasota. No matter how over worked she is, Lilly gives each case her all. She wins MUCH more often than she loses. She is well known for her in-depth investigations of each case and her killer cross-examination technique in the courtroom.

The senior partners are notorious for dropping ridiculous cases on her desk, as well as, for giving her cases that THEY cannot win. One of these cases is a malpractice lawsuit. Lilly soon finds herself with a bulls eye on her back and a suspiciously deceased doctor client. Finding an expert witness is no easy task either apparently.

*** A good legal mystery, but at times the humor falls flat. I found Lilly Cleary to be a fast thinking, very intelligent lady that often gets through problems by sheer luck or good timing. She is definitely a character that I would like to read more about in the future! ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books