Book Description
Eurodollar trading volume is exploding, with no end in sight tools phenomenal growth. The Eurodollar Futures and Options Handbook provides traders and investors with the complete range of current research on Eurodollar futures and options, now the most widely traded money market contracts in the world. The only current book on this widely-followed topic, it features chapters written by Eurodollar experts from JP Morgan, Mellon Capital, Merrill Lynch, and other global trading giants, and will quickly become a required reference for all Eurodollar F&O traders and investors.
Customer Reviews:
Very Useful.......2006-07-21
Great book with very detailed examples on the relationship between different fixed income instruments. My only complaint (and it is a very minor one) is lack of problems at the end of each chapter to help solidify the concepts. Otherwise, an excellent book.
Ver practical book with detailed examples.......2006-02-25
This is a very practical book with detailed examples to help reader with the basic concept and Eurodollar Futures and Options. Very useful for beginners in this field. The last half of the book is dealing with more advanced topic more suitable for fix incoming researchers.
The Standard!.......2003-08-06
Clearly the best book on Eurodollar futures and options. The book is a must for anyone involved in fixed income securities.
Highly recommended.......2003-07-23
Having just finished reading the author's treatment of bond futures in the 'Treasury Bond Basis,' I was happy to see that Burghardt was updating some of his material from the early 1990s on Eurodollar futures. The 'Bond Basis' was an excellent and thorough analysis, and 'The Eurodollar Futures and Options Handbook' follows the same trend.
He provides an excellent overview of the institutional details of Eurodollars and their uses. The book is at its strongest when dealing with issues of the convexity bias and also scores high by not neglecting important issues like the stub period. Perhaps my favorite chapter was on callable bonds and the extension/compression risk, which, while a little misplaced in a book on Eurodlllars, still provided a very lucid explanation of the relevant issues.
With regard to options, the author touches upon some of the interest strategic combinations using serial and mid-curve options, but I feel that he could've delved a bit deeper in this part of the book. It's the only area in which I felt the book was somewhat lacking.
Having said all that, if you're looking to learn about Eurodollar futures, I can't imagine there's a better book out there. This is an excellent compilation of a number of Burghardt's research from the 1990s together with more recent updates. Even if Eurodollars are not your main area of expertise, this book will still help you to gain a more solid understanding of many of the pertinent topics in fixed income.
Highly recommended.......2003-07-23
Having just finished reading the author's treatment of bond futures in the 'Treasury Bond Basis,' I was happy to see that Burghardt was updating some of his material from the early 1990s on Eurodollar futures. The 'Bond Basis' was an excellent and thorough analysis, and 'The Eurodollar Futures and Options Handbook' follows the same trend.
He provides an excellent overview of the institutional details of Eurodollars and their uses. The book is at its strongest when dealing with issues of the convexity bias and also scores high by not neglecting important issues like the stub period. Perhaps my favorite chapter was on callable bonds and the extension/compression risk, which, while a little misplaced in a book on Eurodollars, still provided a very lucid explanation of the relevant issues.
With regard to options, the author touches upon some of the interest strategic combinations using serial and mid-curve options, but I feel that he could've delved a bit deeper in this part of the book. It's the only area in which I felt the book was somewhat lacking.
Having said all that, if you're looking to learn about Eurodollar futures, I can't imagine there's a better book out there. This is an excellent compilation of a number of Burghardt's research from the 1990s together with more recent updates. Even if Eurodollars are not your main area of expertise, this book will still help you to gain a more solid understanding of many of the pertinent topics in fixed income.
Book Description
In 1955 Walt Disney presented the world's first theme park. Disneyland opened with just 18 rides and attractions. Today there are eleven Disney parks around the globe. Visitors can spend weeks at a time in these resorts, often staying in one of Disney's own hotel rooms. But in the last fifty years the Disney Imagineers have designed thousands of rides, attractions, hotels, and even entire theme parks that have never been built. Many of these concepts have remained hidden in the company's private archive for decades. until now. The Disneylands That Never Were documents the biggest, best and most outrageous of these abandoned plans. It details everything from Walt Disney's initial ideas for Mickey Mouse Park to his planned ski resort in California. From small developments like The Disney Hotel in New York's Times Square to the huge Port Disney concept, over five decades of dreams are brought to life in The Disneylands That Never Were.
Customer Reviews:
Lot of Information but not too much.......2007-06-20
This book give us lot of very interesting information but without pictures. It's a bit frustating. Else, my first impression was a few spoofing with the use of a very big font for all pages.
Fun stuff!.......2007-06-08
For Disney park aficionados, this is a great read to hear about ride, land, park, and resort ideas that never came to be. One caution: the book contains little in the way of verification or validation: it reads like a high-school book report without supporting references. Not a scholarly work, but certainly fun for those with a Disney Jones!
A good Premise For A Book-- But Only Decent writing And No Pictures.......2007-05-31
For true fans of the Disney theme parks, this book is a good list of the many ideas considered by Imagineers for projects that, for various reasons, were never completed.
If you can ignore the many typos -- and the self-published vibe -- of the book, you'll enjoy the research that reveals the dozens-and-dozens of concepts for attractions, hotels, shops (and entire theme parks) that were never built due to politics, finances and/or public resistance.
My one MAJOR complaint is the complete lack of any photographs or artists renderings of all the "lost" Disney ideas. The writing is decent, but in no way is able to fully convey some of the GREAT ideas that have been tossed-around in the hallways of Disney's Imagineering division. Not having pictures for this sort of premise is silly (though I understand that Disney was probably uncooperative on this venture), and in a way, self-defeating. I'd love to see a revision -- under the Disney publishing arm -- loaded with the artwork from Imagineering's "morgue" of discarded ideas. Maybe the author can approach Disney with that proposal in a year or two?!? One can hope...
Required Reading for Disney Addicts.......2007-05-14
This book is required reading for Disney Addicts. The information in this book is extremely interesting to even the most seasoned Disney lover. The book is an easy read with tons of interesting info. You can't go wrong with this book...a definite buy!!!!
Amateur Writing, but Interesting Info Nonetheless........2007-05-12
This book is a flawed product of good intentions. It is poorly edited, misstates facts and names, and generally makes a mishmash of its subject, but it is still full of interesting stuff for the casual and inexperienced fan of things Disney. Most of the info here is better told in first-hand memoirs of Disney people, the book is poorly organized, and the author, who clearly hails from the UK, uses mistaken terminology to describe American subjects in a way that grates if you care about language as I do. The book jumps back and forth, repeats itself, and is kind of painful to read...BUT...the info is there hiding beneath the bad writing, so if you really want the basic background on many historical curiosities about the Disney theme park empire and especially about the attractions and plans that were never completed (even though many of the reasons and facts given about WHY they weren't are wrong or half-baked) then read the book anyhow. But you've been warned. It is realy rough going.
Customer Reviews:
Serious research, must read.......2007-05-08
After reading negitive reviews of this book I decided to read it. And I am glad I did. Among other things, the book explains very thoroughly how anti-Semitic bigotry has been cultivated in Europe, mainly in France, during the last 30 plus years. The book's author did excellent job researching roots of European antipathy toward the U.S. and utmost hatred toward Israel. She shows how ridiculous and at the same time how wide-spread is joint Arab-European modern mythology about Islam's great contribution to world's science, art, and the cause of human rights, while in fact Islam remains the most backward, intolerant, and barbaric ideology ever created on this planet.
The book includes a very impressive list of appedices (real documents), notes, and bibliography. I think it should be a required reading for anyone interested in the subject.
A Frightening World.......2007-03-10
Bat Ye'or writes intelligently about recent developments and changes in the world. Sixty years after the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust, it seems that we are once again facing a perilous situation in Europe. Through the ages, more people have been killed in the name of religion than for any other reason. Will we face that reality once again in the twenty-first century? Her book is definitely worth reading.
An Important Book.......2007-01-10
This is an important book that eveyone with an interest in Islam and politics must read. This book explains in detail how and why Europe is undergoing a process of Islamization. Not just allegations, the author fills the book to overflowing with references, citations, and ample evidence to prove her point. This is required reading.
A true Zionist and a Manipulator.......2006-12-22
I have never read such an exagerated propaganda in all my life's reading and academic studies. Bat Ye'or needs to repent and to apologize to the world especially to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ye'or must have undergone some sort of trauma as a child with a bit of brainwashing by the zionist movement. I do not recommend anyone to invest in this unscholarly crap. The book trashes everyone except the zionist movements and its supporters. I wish I could rate this book a zero rather than 1 star. Ye'or and her followers need psychological and mental help. If you do not believe me read the book with a critical eye and you will question her credibility and dismiss her as a fanatical zionist for blood.
White birthrate to blame, not Islam.......2006-12-02
The book is based on false premises and a lack of broader understanding. There wouldn't be millions of Muslims in Europe if the White Europeans didn't have such a low birthrate. The Muslims arrive there for work and those countries need their labor. Are Arabs to blame because Euros refuse to have children? I don't think so.
Book Description
Oracle Spatial is changing the way spatial information is used in organizations. This book addresses: (1) the special nature of spatial data and its role in professional and consumer applications, (2) the issues in spatial data management such as modeling, storing, accessing, and analyzing spatial data; (3) the Oracle Spatial solution and the integration of spatial data into enterprise databases; and (4) how spatial information is used to understand business and support decisions, to manage customer relations, and to better serve private and corporate users.
Pro Oracle Spatial shows how any Oracle application that has a spatial element (e.g. postcode) can take advantage of Spatial functionality. Thoroughly tech reviewed, this book contains case studies of more advanced applications of spatial in healthcare, telecom, retail, and distribution industries. Pro Oracle Spatial is based on extensive feedback from training courses, discussion lists, and customers. It recommends best practice approaches to the most common problems with which developers struggle.
Authors Ravikanth V Kothuri, Albert Godfrind and Euro Beinat, are all experienced and well-respected experts. The Oracle personnel contributing have a decade of experience with Spatial and in helping partners and customers fully leverage its capabilities.
Download Description
Most information used by organizations has a spatial component (addresses, phone numbers, locations, etc.). Organizations within the healthcare and telecom industries as well as several branches of the government, depend on spatial components for mission-critical decisions and daily business activities. Retail, distribution, and marketing organizations use spatial information for strategic decision-making, such as location choices, investment decisions, market segmentation, and customer support. Finally a growing number of web and wireless services are based on the ability to provide relevant information to users, where information relevance strongly depends on where things and people are located. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are specialized software for storing, processing, analysing and displaying spatial data used in a variety of application domains. Until recently GIS has employed specific spatial data models and proprietary development languages thereby separating key data from the enterprise databases of organizations. This presented a barrier for the full deployment of the added value of spatial data. Oracle Spatial is changing this situation. Spatial data is stored in a database and thus processed, retrieved and related to all the other data stored in that database. The storage of spatial data and its attributes together eliminates the need for coordinating multiple data sets and applications. This book discusses the potential of spatial information in organizations and how it can be realized using Oracle Spatial.
Apress' Essential Guide to Oracle Spatial shows how any Oracle application that has a spatial element (e.g. postcode) can take advantage of Spatial functionality. Thoroughly tech reviewed, this book contains case studies of more advanced applications of spatial in healthcare, telecom, retail, and distribution industries. Essential Guide to Oracle Spatial will be based on extensive feedback from training courses, discussion lists, and customers. It will recommend best practice approaches to the most common problems with which developers struggle.
Authors Ravikanth V Kothuri, Albert Godfrind and Euro Beinat, are all experienced and well-respected experts. The Oracle personnel contributing have a decade of experience with Spatial and in helping partners and customers fully leverage its capabilities.
Customer Reviews:
This is it . . . until . . . the . . ........2007-07-20
For RIGHT now, this is the definitive guide to Oracle Spatial. There is another book coming out soon (also by Apress) for Oracle 11g. I bought this book as a beginner. It presents the concepts and provides detail very well. Being an Oracle DBA I find that this book is more oriented towards Developers. Nevertheless, I found this book a great starting point and feel that it brought me to the point of being able to understand Oracle Spatial to a point where I can hold an intelligent conversation. The use of example in every chapter brings theory to reality in a tangible manner. I look forward to purchasing Pro Oracle Spatial for Oracle Database 11g (Pro) when released.
Need to get started with Spatial ? Get this book........2006-05-25
Excellent book. I have been using Oracle Spatial for years but found various useful insights in this book. It is well laid out, accessible and covers pretty much all the bases. Good examples and case studies. Tackles the thorny issues around spatial indexing as well as I have seen.
Why can't Oracle do documentation like this ?!
Only drawback is that I found some errors in the discussion of transportable tablespaces WRT Spatial data.
Excellent Book.......2006-03-18
Lack of discounts aside, the book is a tremendous value. It's well-written, indexed, and edited and a pleasure to read. It's been great fun for me to work through the examples. I only have 2 significant complaints: (1) there were far too few diagrams (i.e., maps), particularly in chapter 7 where they would have helped greatly and (2) there should have been more discussion about mapping basics including map projections since this is a subject about which most DBA's and developers have little knowledge and an area where mistakes in storing, manipulating, and displaying geographic data are often made. I know there are cartography books dedicated to this sort of thing, but I suspect many Oracle users would not even know enough to bother with them.
I would recommend the book, Mapping Hacks published by O'Reilly as a nicely complementary addition to your library.
In short a fantastic book well worth the price.
Good book, no discounts.......2006-01-14
First off this book seems to be excellent for the topic at hand. However I am giving it 1 star since the publisher has put a restriction on it that it can only sell for the full book price. Retailers are not allowed to sell this book for less than the publisher price of $69.99
How do I know this? I tried to purchase it in a Barnes and Noble and was told that the Publisher has put a restriction on retailers for this title.
Therefore buying it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookpool or anywhere else will not get you a discount.
Instead it will have to be read in a Barnes and Noble store over coffee.
Simply because of the publisher not allowing the price to flex I am giving this book a rating of 1 star.
Publishers please pay attention and remove this restriction.
Get up and Go: Oracle Spatial!.......2005-07-13
I had a very bad accident back over the Christmas (2004)/New Year (2005) period and while confined to bed, a copy of "Pro Oracle Spatial" arrived in the mail.
Loving a good book, I quickly scanned the Table of Contents (nice to see it has a good Index as well!) and decided this was worth a read.
Well, it is no novel, so it took me a few months to digest; but digest it I did. No "heart burn" here: rather more it "lit the inner fires" of one of my passions: database-based spatial!
I started out in computing nearly 20 years ago on mainframe databases migrating to GIS within 5 years as it was a more interesting field of computing than business computing (and it allowed me to combine my computing science qualifications with my geomatics degree). However, the thing I missed the most was the solidity of the science underlying databases which allowed for logical separation of application from internal implementation: the GIS world was fixated on physical data formats (1960s computing). It took many years before the work of people like Michael Stonebraker and the science and math underlying Abstract Data Types (ADTs) finally hit the work of relational database management (RDBMS) to give us ORDBMS.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Oracle Spatial has come a long way since the days of Multi-Dimension. The hard working team of dedicated developers up there in New Hampshire have built a rock solid piece of technology and deserve recognitition for it. Books like this go a long way to giving them that recognition and widen the audience for database-based spatial to a group of people who will appreciate what they have done because it is "familiar territory" and mainstream.
As a GIS professional and long standing database expert, I found this book covered much familiar territory, but even I found it gave a fresh perspective on what can be the tedious read of online documentation (no offence to the Oracle documentation team intended). In other words: I learned a few things I didn't know!
The more familar base concepts that are covered in the book are clear and lucid and a great adjunct to the manuals. The will make it easy for non-spatially literate people to "get up to speed".
I particularly liked the Case Studies as it is always enlightening to see how others made the rubber hit the ground.
The Common Mistakes and Errors chapter (14) had me nodding in ascent. I was "tickled pink" to discover that the original Multi-Dimension roots of Oracle Spatial are still there in the HHENCODE function described in "Reorganize the Table Data to Minimise I/O". My only regret was that I have wasted time implementing a version of the PEANO space curve (linear_key) in Java and PL/SQL and deployed it into 8.1.7.4 when I hadn't needed to do it all along! The discovery of the HHENCODE function (page 582) came at a time I was dusting off the old Peano code for the organisation of some Lidar data for my current employer. Thanks Oracle Spatial team for leaving the function in the product even at 10g!
I found the MapViewer and Network Analysis chapters clear and accessible and I particularly liked the Appendix on "Additional Spatial Analysis Functions" as this was an "eye opener" that confirmed for me that the Oracle team really do understand the uses for spatial data. Again, I could see immediate application at my workplace.
If you are their target audience ie [... application developers who are familar with Oracle technolgies and want to enhance their applications with spatial information ... but ... do not know much about spatial data] ("Who Should Read This Book?", page xxx) then this book is for you. If you are from a more traditional GIS background (and want to know what all the fuss is about) then you should get a copy of this book because the sort of technology that is described within it is part of the future of the geospatial data management and processing. For more seasoned Oracle and GIS veterans: even you will find something in it that is worth the price.
Order one today.
Simon Greener
GIS Manager, Oracle Spatial enthusiast
Allens Rivulet, Tasmania, Australia.
Longitude: 147.2048
Latitude: -43.0141
Average customer rating:
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The Euro-Asian World: A Period of Transition (Euro-Asian Studies)
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 0312229496 |
Book Description
This volume establishes the concept of Euro-Asia as the means to discuss the European and Asian countries that are undergoing transformation. The authors cover crucial elements of the transitional changes: conflicts and peacekeeping, geopolitical issues, economic realities. All of these points are addressed in depth, and the authors' analysis highlights features and lessons to be learned from Euro-Asian experience.
Book Description
Avoiding the traps of sensational political expose and specialized scholarly Orientalism, Carl Ernst introduces readers to the profound spiritual resources of Islam while clarifying diversity and debate within the tradition. Framing his argument in terms of religious studies, Ernst describes how Protestant definitions of religion and anti-Muslim prejudice have affected views of Islam in Europe and America. He also covers the contemporary importance of Islam in both its traditional settings and its new locations and provides a context for understanding extremist movements like fundamentalism. He concludes with an overview of critical debates on important contemporary issues such as gender and veiling, state politics, and science and religion.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing better.......2005-11-19
This is a splendid book for anyone who is trying to understand Islam. No other book situates Muslim concerns in global contexts and thoughout history. The author is a master at clear writing. In my experience when I have recommended this book to people, they come back with smiles on their faces and a new view of today's world. It does not get any better than this for students and the open minds outside the academy. Clean your glasses and read it again, fellow reviewers.
The Same Old Song.......2005-10-25
I began to read this book because I thought it would help clear up some of my western baggage (choke, choke). After all, how can we in the West even begin to understand Muhammad. But lets mention the good parts first. Ernst does mention the numerous accomplishments of Islam in the fields of medicine, art and spiritualism (the Sufis). He pays particular attention to the influence of the Greeks on Islamic thought. He does not say, but hints, that the writers of the Quran were probably influenced by Greek philosophers.
However, this book is not really about Muhammad at all as one can not go through any chapter with seeing the following 2 words: 1.colonialism and Orientalism. Sure, one can read that Muhammad is seen as an ongoing model for "ethics, law, family live, spirituality not anticipated 1,400 yrs ago" (p.74). But where is the authors historical honesty. Is he talking of the same man who allowed his men to have their way with captive slave women and stated that: "the majority of people in hell are women." Later Ernst complains that Europeans (again)were cynical of Muhammads elavation of Mecca as the spiritual center of their faith. Certainly, he insists, Muhammad was never so gauche as to have political/relgious motives (that's to colonial). This, despite historical evidence, during and after Muhammads life which indicate that Muhammad was a colonial crusader in his own way. Even his contemporaries noted that;"prophetism is finished and the empire is beginning." And it was after Muhammads death that Islamic theologians began to spread the rumors that the Bible was corrupt and that Jesus did not die on the cross but obtained a double to take his place-thus assuring Muhammad the title he always wished-The Final Prophet.
Thus the title of my review: It's the same old song. Islam is no danger to Western thought or Christianity. If it appears so it is because colonialism has penetrated the Muslim mind and they are unable to return to the great old days under the Prophet.
Less about Islam then about how to start looking.......2005-10-13
I was recommended this book by a professor of comparitive religion from a respected private school near where I live. I had mentioned to him that I was nearly totally ignorant of Islam, but that I was extremely curious, given the recent history of the clash between east and west. While this book didn't delve deeply into the actual structure of Islam, it brought to light several things to consider before starting an indepth study. I'm very glad that I read this book before starting on my quest to understand Islam, because it helped me to understand the baggage that I'm bringing, just by being an American who watches western media and went to a western school.
Read it for yourself.......2005-09-06
This book is written by one of the world's foremost scholars in Islam and Sufism. He delivers a balanced approach to the topic which cannot be said for the other reviewers of this book. I suspect they never read it.
The perfect introduction to Islam.......2005-03-21
"Following Muhammad," the way Ernst sees it, is a book that fills a special niche. Although solid scholarship on Islam is available, it is often rendered inaccessible by impenetrable prose and circulated in very narrow academic circles through specialized journals. On the other hand, commercial publications approach the topic from the sensationalist angles and too often betray ideological attack agendas. What Ernst tries to do in "Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World" is to offer the lay reader a balanced, unimpeachably scholarly but thoroughly accessible, fair-minded but critical introduction to the religion of roughly one fifth of the world's population. By extension, the book sheds light on many of the references, and some of the misperceptions, that have become common currency in the rhetoric of the clash of civilizations.
If September 11 influenced the presentation of the book, it is "to highlight how we have constructed the notion of religion in recent history around the ideas of competition and confrontation, since all too often this modern world-imperial concept of religion is allowed to pass unexamined." For too many people, confrontation is the only way they have heard Islam described, he points out, and the culture of mass media today tends to create the notion that the present is the only time worth considering. Ernst therefore devotes the first part of the book to the interplay between religion and history across the ages, and traces the evolution of the long relationship between Islam and the West from the Middle Ages through colonial times to the present. Ernst, who is not Muslim, does not engage in apologetics on behalf of any religion, but rather tries to examine images and their reverse, or negative: each civilization tends to project on the perceived rival its own prejudices and motivations.
Another section of the book examines Islam in terms of the modern concept of religion and gives an overview of the fundamental sources for Muslims: the Quran or scripture, and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. From this Ernst moves on to the concept of Islamic religious ethics deriving not only from these authoritative texts but also from philosophical inquiry, including the Greek tradition. In his exposition Ernst hopes to provide the reader with independent and appropriate tools to understand the contemporary, and often ill-informed and inflammatory, debate about Islam.
The book's outstanding readability lies in the choice of the interpretative essay as the basic form for each chapter. Despite, or perhaps because, of his stellar academic credentials, the author deliberately eschews the "blind them with science" approach many academics take to impress their ivory tower peers with the impenetrability of their prose. Footnotes and glossaries are kept to a minimum.
Tellingly, one of the goals Ernst sets for this book can seem deceptively modest, by his own admission: to restore full, three-dimensional human complexity to well over a billion people homogenized and caricaturized in the eyes of the West in a manner wholly unacceptable if it were applied to any other religion, race or ethnicity. The fact that this seemingly modest goal is considered so controversial reinforces the timeliness of this book.
Book Description
With Pimsleur Language Programs you don't just study a language, you learn it -- the same way you mastered English! And because the technique relies on interactive spoken language training, the Pimsleur Language Programs are totally audio -- no book is needed!
The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. The various components of language -- vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency.
No other language program or school is as quick, convenient, and effective as the Pimsleur Language Programs.
The Comprehensive Program is the ultimate in spoken language learning. For those who want to become proficient in the language of their choice, the Comprehensive programs go beyond the Basic Programs to offer spoken-language fluency. Using the same simple method of interactive self-practice with native speakers, these comprehensive programs provide a complete language learning course. The Comprehensive Program is available in a wide variety of languages and runs through three levels (thirty lessons each) in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. At the end of a full Comprehensive Program listeners will be conducting complete conversations and be well on their way to mastering the language. The Comprehensive Programs are all available on cassettes and are also on CD in the six languages in which we offer the Basic Program on CD.
Customer Reviews:
Better than Most French Classes.......2006-05-18
This set of tapes provides hour after hour of French instruction, with an endless opportunity to practice speaking. As you listen to the tapes you train your ear. Repeating in French after the narrator or responding to questions enables the student to develop that elusive ability to speak. I found myself building a basic fluency using these tapes. A first-rate product that, despite the high price, is a very worthwhile investment.
Bookchip version is better and easier to use.......2006-05-09
Bookchip version is better and easier to use, ( 3 bookchips compared to 52 cds) I bought bookchips and cds, send cds back. Buy Bookchip (Audiofy Bookchip) instead.
Terrible speakers.......2004-07-09
I went through French I and II and thought were very good. I just started volume III and I'm not sure I can continue. I have the 1998 edition and I have to say they chose the worst speakers they could find.
The female speaker (Carpenter) talks like an old lady in a high pitch voice like she's always screaming. The male speaker (DeRobert) varies his speech that you think he is trying to over act a play or trying to win a reading contest. He sometimes does not fully pronounce the words. The French instructor speaker (Clement) is very good though.
It's a huge difference from volume I and II. If you;re getting volume III, get a different edition with different speakers. For me, I might just sell this one on eBay and get a new edition because the speakers are too annoying and can't learn much.
Adequate as an Adjunct to Regular Classes.......2004-04-30
I got this set from my library, for free, which is what I'd recommend others do as the price is ridiculous for what you get. I have had several years of formal university-level French, and try to keep up with occasional conversation classes at Alliance Francaise, etc. I got this to brush up on listening/pronunciation for an upcoming trip, as I haven't spoken French much or used it for a while. That is context for my review, which is that these discs were much more limited and basic in their content than I expected, and I gather this is their top level (there is no French IV).
I don't believe anyone who says they learn to speak French solely through Pimsleur. I think we must have very different ideas as to what "speaking" a language means. Sure, you could parrot a few basic phrases, but have little understanding of grammar, conjugation, or even what you are saying or how to spell or read it. Pimsleur focuses on some topics which are not of particular importance, either, and beats them to death. For example, they are obsessed with people being engineers for some reason and have many lessons devoted to saying so-and-so is an engineer. This is not something I have ever had to say in France. I know this is a Pimsleur obsession as I have also used their Spanish I-II sets (I don't know Spanish as well as French), and they spend a lot of time talking about engineers on those discs, also.
They are also obsessed on the first few lessons of this set with the phrase "I was raised in .... wherever." Okay, maybe that's something someone might want to know, but they go on and on with this phrasing for several lessons (so far, I haven't finished). That isn't usually what people ask you in France, or what you want to say -- they may ask where you are from (right now), not where you were raised as a child.
I don't think Pimsleur really translates some of the things they teach on their discs correctly, either, they paraphrase. Sometimes this is okay, and sometimes it isn't necessary, as a correct translation of what they are really saying would be more instructive and useful to know. This is another reason I don't think you can learn French very well from these discs, because they aren't accurate as to what they are saying.
In some ways, the dialogue often seems like they are gearing it to business travelers, as Berlitz does, rather than what I guess is their main target (regular vacationers).
I can understand these folks on this disc as I've had several years of real French classes and have travelled to France, but for the level this set is (which is perhaps around the end of the first year of a regular year-long French class in a regular school), the woman, in particular, speaks very quickly and I think would be hard for many to understand. I think it is inappropriate for this level of language lessons to have someone speaking that fast.
Too pricey and too limited.......2003-10-16
The reviewer from Ireland expressed it well. What you are taught, you are taught well, but for the price you should expect to be taught much more.
The FSI courses, althought they can be boring, are much better value.
Customer Reviews:
As egaging as when I first read it at 17.......2007-08-02
Although Barzini's The Europeans tends not to go into too much detail in comparison to other writings, the book cuts straight to the point as to the details of what makes the European community (as well as the uncanny Americans)tick. European Union is promoted within this book, as well as some of its' possible dangers and why the Americans should have been heavily invested in the European marketplace from the practical get-go; rather than taking the stance of the world's unofficial boy scout. The book is a look back in time to what was happening around it as well as what had happened before, and why. What tends to be so interesting in this novel is how what was said in the book in 1984 still holds true today. If one is interested in the European framework this is definitely a necessary primer in ones' education in comparative government and political histories.
The only thing you can count on Europeans, is to be European.......2007-05-29
First published in 1983 makes this book now 24 years old ,or almost a quarter of a century.This book is as informative and pertinent today as when it was written ;except for two things that are having a huge impact on Europe.Surprisingly, neither of these two influences were even mentioned;and probably not even forseen by the author. Eurpoe has had a long history and has always lived in it and continues to do so today.This approach to things is brought out clearly throughout the book and consistent with each country. Europeans consistently look to the past for guidance into the future. The author shows,whether intended or not,that each country believes they are superior to the others,and are guided by this over any desire to cooperate with one another.Even when they have been helped to overcome adversity by others,they soon forget,and yes, even resent the help they have received.
Even after the disasterous WWI and WWII,brought on by themselves,and God only knows where it would all have ended ;were it not for America,Britain ,Canada and others outside Europe ,that put an end to it ;and helped immensely in its rebuilding.Has Europe learned from it and finally got itself out of the past and into the present...hardly.
The prejudices,hatred,jelousy,historical rememberances and revenges,attempts to put down one another still remain.If they ever act in unison ,it is only when they spout their anti-Americanism.And why,when America has come to their help and has been successful in all the areas where Europe has failed so miserably? Europeans continue to live in the past,and cannot accept the fact that America was formed mainly by people of Europe and Britain who had had enough of the past and left to find a new life, free of the institutions,royalty,isms,opulance, position and entitlements by birth,and all the things that Barzini talks about in his book. The concepts upon which America were built,were;Life,Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness . It seems if Europeans want to create a unified country ,they have to give up the things that have kept them divided in the the past and maybe take some advice from what President Abraham Lincoln said in the beginning of his Gettysburg Address;
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continient,a new nation,conceived in Liberty,and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
As long as each european country thinks of themselves first and a unified Europe as "arrangement" of countries ,they will never attain what America has been able to do.
What Europeans have to do is believe in the concept of "One for all and all for one";hardly a concept that has been associated with europe in the past and a long way from what exists today.
Now about those two immensely important things that the author has not addressed, and which were ,to a large extent,not seen at the time he wrote this book.
With the massive decline of the birth rate in Europe,these countries are no longer the cultures that they once were. The fall in numbers of these nationalities are being replaced with non-europeans ;who are now making up 25 30 percent of their populations.And what do we see? Do they come to unify or continue to promote their differences.
Rather than buck America's successes,who will continue to believe in its founding principles;Europeans have even greater challenges ahead and must ,more importantly than in the past;get out of the past and start embracing the future.
Will the words "God Bless Europe" ever mean the same as "God Bless America"? That will be up to the europeans themselves.
E PLURIBUS UNUM
One of the most insightful books ever written.......2007-01-06
Luigi Barzini is truly an indiviual of great perception and much understaning in his analysis of the European peoples and of also the citizens of the USA. In a world where it is popular to claim that we are all "the same" it is good to see that common sense and discernment have prevailed in this outstanding insight into the understanding of nations and the differences that separate them.
Still True Today........2006-02-27
This 1983 book surprised me in how rich and true many of the author's views are in the present. It is a light analysis of the western Europeans. With brief histories that have formed their individual national identities and how they react to the world. Mr. Barzini is cogniscent of the limitations of his assessments and is tongue in cheek in his approach. I interpreted this book as half memoir, and half observational. His insights can be seen in the very titles of the chapters. The Elusive Europeans, The Imperturable British, The Mutable Germans, The Quarrelsome French, The Flexible Italians, The Careful Dutch, and The Baffling Americans. I am very confident that most people with even a modest interest in current events and European history would find this an entertaining book.
Engaging and informative.......2002-03-21
I found this at a local used bookstore and bought it on a whim. It is an ambitious but breezy analysis of the peoples and pasts of the nascent European Union, and how their individual national identities have formed the way they respond to one another and to the rest of the world. What makes this book especially interesting is that it was written back in the early 80s, before the Euro and really before the European Union itself was thought a likely reality, so the author approaches the possibility of an EU with some skepticism, and much of his analysis on the need for an EU is predicated on the threat of the no-longer-extant Soviet Union. Having read the book, I would have loved to meet the author--a journalist, he's witty, erudite, laconic, chatty, gossipy, sophisticated and frank--an incredibly well-traveled, multi-lingual raconteur. Yes, there are some cliches here, especially in his analysis of Americans (whom he considers alternately with affection, awe, and dismay), but he's honest about the limitations of his approach, and his assessments of European attitudes toward America are enlightening. This reads more like a memoir than serious non-fiction. Even so, and despite being twenty years out of date, the insights in this book shed light on international matters today. I thoroughly enojoyed this.
Average customer rating:
- Reprint quickly Pls.
- Good book for understanding the economic impact of Euro
|
The Euro, 2nd Edition
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0471987220 |
Book Description
The euro is the national currency of eleven European countries from 1 January 1999. The change is truly a revolution. But it will not be until 2002 that euro cash - notes and coin - comes into circulation. This three-year 'transition' period raises many fascinating issues regarding the operation of financial markets, economies, companies, governments and the consumer. The second edition of The euro takes an expert look at the issues involved.
Written by an internationally renowned team of expert contributors from the worlds of banking, finance, economics, regulation, accountancy and business consultancy, the second edition of The Euro addresses all the key issues involved in the final implementation of Europe's new currency.
Amongst the issues of crucial importance addressed in the book are:
* Will the euro be a strong or a weak currency - will it rival the US dollar?
* Can Europe's economies really work properly with the 'one size fits all' approach to interest rates?
* Will the long-term benefits of the euro outweigh the short-term pain which has been endured as a result of higher taxes and government spending cuts?
* Are companies ready to cope with the euro?
* Will the consumer benefit?
* To what extent will a 'United States of Europe' be created?
* How can Europe's citizens cope with the dramatic changes brought about by the combination of the euro plus the IT revolution and Europe's ageing population?
The Investor described the first edition as "a work of reference - although an unusually readable one" and this approach ahs been continued in this fully revised and updated new edition. The skill of the team of expert contributors ("Europe's most highly-regarded analysts" according to City Life) is in their ability to present the complicated issues that arise out of the single European currency in a style that is both highly informative and accessible, making this new edition once again required reading for all readers who need or want to know what will happen to Europe's economies in the future.
The euro, second edition, is published under the auspices of the European Bond Commission of EFFAS (the European federation of Financial Analysts' Societies). EFFAS was established in 1962 and is a pan-European representative group of investment analysts from some seventeen different countries. The European Bond Commission is a standing committee of EFFAS responsible for matters relating to fixed income securities.
Reviews of the first edition:
".. what has been sadly lacking in the thousand of column inches that have been written about monetary union over recent weeks and months is a detailed analysis of what it will actually mean in practice. This is what The euro provides... for the reader who is keen to find out more about the issues that lie behind the development of the single currency. The euro will make matters considerably easier to understand."
The Investor
"Written to appeal to finance and business readers, it is a comprehensive, readable guide to the likely consequences of this momentous and radical change."
Lavoisier Management
"The EFFAS-European Bond Commission has obtained the views of Europe's most highly-regarded analysts. The results are startling."
City Life
"...the roll call of experience is longer and more illustrious than a Cruft's winner's pedigree... Anyone searching for the meat-and-potatoes lowdown on the single currency should look no further than The euro."
Chartered Banker
"Tim Congdon argues coolly that the euro plan simply will not work. He likens the euro programme to building a house with different sized bricks (dual pricing, parallel currencies), without a roof (no clear redenomination of currencies) and on a bog (planning documents are incoherent about money as a means of exchange). More rethinking for Chancellor Brown?"
Evening Standard
Customer Reviews:
Reprint quickly Pls........1998-07-16
Being an outsider of European Intergration as asian, I can catch layout picture from this book about the EURO system. Even it will bring new future in major regions on focus economy and business. This book is not under academical theories only but also on practical issues. And the writing is not hard to read for non-inglish speaker.
Good book for understanding the economic impact of Euro.......1998-02-20
It's a book about EURO which you'll find interesting. It is actually a collection of articles written by various industry specialists. It examines the impact of EURO on many areas like Bond Market, Equity Market & foreign exchange rate etc, it also illustrates the role of ECB.
It's recommended to students who want to have a quick grasp of knowledge in the EMU. It contains many graphs and diagrams which can raise your speed of reading. However, the impact of Euro on Equity market is a little bit too short.
Highly recommended to overseas students in Europe.
Product Description
Just two years ago Dutch Master Designer and California resident René van Rems, AIFD, published his first book, "Rene's Bouquets", to accommodate his presentations and teaching. Thousands have been inspired by the Euro-techniques and styles he portrays in this full color, high definition, Spanish/English language coffee table issue. René showcases four simple techniques for hand-tying fresh flower bouquets whether for a vase or a bride to carry. This "how-to" guide, the second edition, is a must have for bridal consultations, the design room, or any flower and garden lovers' coffee table or library. This Amazon 5 star rated edition is highly artistic yet realistic in concept and for every-day budgets. Este libro contiene texto Español y Ingles.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful book with fresh ideas.......2006-10-02
In the book, Rene gives step by step instructions on how to create a European inspired hand-tied bouquet. We were able to follow the instructions and create fantastic bouquets based on Rene's advice. The photographs are beautiful.
Absolutely Beautiful!!.......2006-09-07
I had the pleasure of seeing Rene give a talk in Houston to our group of "grocery store florists"....a very under-rated group of talented folks in our industry....He treated us as professionals!! What a wonderful talk and what a wonderful teacher and person!! His book is absolutely beautiful and very inspiring; His wonderful design talent shows in every detail....Many thanks to Rene for his time and the kind way he treated our group!! We all really appreciated the way he spoke to us as designers with something to contribute to our industry!
Thanks again!
The best book ever written on the subject.......2005-08-12
Anyone who has ever seen René on stage knows what an astonishing master he is of every facet of floral design; from the flowers themselves to foliage, botanicals, containers, and fabrics. We expect greatness from René and this book delivers it. The photography sets a new standard of excellence, the design is very Euro, and the binding and paper are like a fine art book. The best part though is that he is such a great teacher. It is wonderfully written with excellent step-by-step instructions and images. The text is in both English and Spanish. This book looks and feels like a book that sells for twice the price. The bouquets shots alone are worth the price of admission.
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