Common Sense - The Way Back Review

Common Sense - The Way Back
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
By remarkable coincidence, Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue: An American Life just came out, jumped to the top of my 'waiting to read" stack, and includes the phrase "Commonsense Conservative" is featured in that book. Combine it with Richard Branson's "Gaia Capitalism" and you have the makings of something special.
This book is short (123 pages), easy to read, and an inspiring patriotic labor of love, a gift to all of us who care deeply for American the Beautiful and are confused and/or angry about all that has been done "in our name" by the festering cesspool of Washington-based politicians and senior bureaucrats who live to claim budget share (inputs) rather than deliver public service (outputs).
The author provides the single best, most complete, and most sensible demarche against EARMARKS that I have ever seen. Included are eight illustrations and I will list them here because they capture the essence of this book's common sense:
1. System analysis by "Prohibition Peers"
2. Real system analysis of Prohibition
3. Nation's Wealth
4. Value of the Dollar
5. Production of consumable assets
6. The Nation's and the "Commons" Wealth
7. Prosperity versus Freedom
8. The Iron Triangle--the Politics of Collusion
Although the author lists and address five "showcase" programs of excessive federal authority that should be nullified by all 50 states (and I would added, secession is most certainly an option for many including Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, Vermont, Flordia, and perhaps Maine and New Hampshire as well), he focuses primarily on EARMARKS. The five are the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Interstate Commerce Commission, Inflation, Earmarks, and Income Tax.
Early on I am impressed by the author's pointing out that all the "isms" are in fact the same, a concentration of power in the hands of the few at the expense of the many. His focus, "the real deal," is on individual sovereignty, on the individual's ability to create new wealth without destroying the commons.
The author says that monopolies would not exist and I absolutely agree, observing that "home rule" is sweeping across the USA and corporations as well as absentee landlords may one day find they are barred from counties no longer tolerant of carpetbaggers. A couple of references:
War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
The reader should be prepared for a lot of UPPER CASE sentences, what the online world calls "shouting" but once you get used to it the book reads very well.
Among the various recommendations of the author that are outlined in "The Way Back," I am particularly taken by two: 1) recognize that inflation is a tax and mandate annual reporting on anything leading to inflation; and 2) eliminate the individual income tax.
In 1992 Alessandro Politi, an Italian journalist, coined the term "intelligence minuteman" to capture my concept of public intelligence (decision-support) of, by, and for We the People. Today for $75 billion of our hard-earned dollars, the secret intelligence community provides the President with less than 4% of what he needs to know, and nothing at all for most others. I myself have beaten the US Intelligence Community in a benchmark exercise on Burundi for the Aspin-Brown Commission. This author is an intelligence minuteman, and he offered all of us a gift of intelligence (decision support).
Below I list a few books within my Amazon limit of 10 links. Those interested in hyow 1,400 other books across 98 categories might be connected to this book are invited to visit Phi Beta Iota, the Public Intelligence Blog, where I provide access options that Amazon has refused to implement for over four years, e.g. you can see all the books reviewed on Democracy, or Pathology of Power, or Congressional Failure, etc.
In this constained review context, see also:
An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard
Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect
Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
The Revolution: A Manifesto
Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!
Secession: How Vermont and All the Other States Can Save Themselves from the Empire

Click Here to see more reviews about: Common Sense - The Way Back

The tyranny that destroys wealth, inhibits the creation of wealth and punishes political dissent is expanding at an alarming rate.
The Congress is passing 1500 to 2000 page laws (the Bible is only 1500 pages), without debate or even disclosing the content of those laws.Is passing laws without disclosing the content or allowing debate different from a Dictatorship?Is our freedom already lost?
These laws bloat the bureaucracy and increase the power of the government over the individual.This increase in government power threatens to completely eliminate the individual freedom that produced the 'Industrial Revolution" and created unprecedented wealth.This loss of individual freedom could return the World to the 'Middle Ages".
The book, "Common Sense-The Way Back," proves that freedom results in the creation of wealth - tyranny results only in poverty and despair.
The Wannabe Peers are the politicians who lust after the personal power and prestige possessed by the 17TH Century English Peers.They have already reclaimed much of that power and prestige at the expense of our liberty.The primary constituency of the 'Wannabe Peers" is the poverty stricken and destruction of wealth increases that constituency.Is it any wonder that the 'Wannabe Peers'" programs are proven to have destroyed wealth, inhibited the creation of wealth, destroyed individual freedom and punished political dissent?These programs have brought us to the brink of a severe economic crisis that will make the 1930's seem like the good old days.
"Common Sense-The Way Back" contains the recipe to undo the offending programs, regain our freedom and prosperity.
"Common Sense-The Way Back" is an abridged version of the author's earlier book, "21st Century Common Sense".

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Common Sense - The Way Back

Read More...

Cloaked Review

Cloaked
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Seventeen-year-old Johnny has worked hard for years to help his mother keep their family shoe-repair shop afloat since the day his father mysteriously disappeared when Johnny was a young boy. Even though the shop is associated with a ritzy South Beach hotel, it doesn't make much money in the summer off-season, and Johnny and his mom have to choose between paying the electricity bill for their apartment or paying the rent. Johnny would far rather be creating designer shoes for the wealthy than repairing shoes they already own, but he's afraid the rest of his life he'll be stuck in his dead-end job, because his mother needs him and he can't desert her.
Then suddenly one day, a real, live princess shows up at the hotel, and she changes Johnny's life forever. A witch's curse has transformed her brother into a frog, and only a good, kind, loyal boy like Johnny can save him. With the aid of a magic cloak that can transport him anywhere he needs to go, and the advice of various magical animals that were once human, Johnny sets out on a wild adventure with the promise of a $10,000 reward from the princess and her hand in marriage if he rescues the frog prince.
I discovered this author the way thousands of people are these days, because her book Beastly has been made into a movie, which I am very much looking forward to seeing. I read and enjoyed that book, which is a contemporary, fairy-tale retelling. This book is, too, but it goes a step farther. Rather than dealing with only one fairy tale, it is a "modern fairy-tale mash-up." The author has cleverly woven together multiple Grimm's fairy tales, among them "The Elves and the Shoemaker," "The Frog Prince," "The Six Swans," "The Golden Bird," and "The Brave Little Tailor."
As all of this author's other books seem to be dramas, before reading this book, I assumed it would be a drama, too. I was delighted to learn that it is actually a comedy, because I love YA comic fantasy, and I devour it whenever I can find it. It is great to discover an author this talented who realizes that magic creates wonderful opportunities for humor because of all the hilarious ways that magic can go wrong.
There is ton of that type of magical mayhem in this book as Johnny and his trusty magic cape face constant danger from dastardly, magical villains. If many of these villains were presented in the usual gritty, dark manner of YA contemporary fantasy, they might be quite overwhelming. But in each action scene, the threat always has a comic twist that keeps the villains from being overwhelming to read about, and there is no overt violence. As an additional parental guideline, there is no sensuality, no drugs, drinking or swearing.
In short, this is an extremely well written, highly entertaining, G-rated story which younger siblings can safely borrow from the teenagers in their family.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Cloaked



Buy Now

Click here for more information about Cloaked

Read More...

The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months Review

The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I cannot tell you the positive impact this book has had on raising our son. My friends and family can't believe how well my son has slept using the schedule in this book. Before reading this book, my son did not sleep at night at ALL! After THREE DAYS he began sleeping 4-5 hours and he has been sleeping through the entire night since he was 8 weeks old. This book should be the definitive guide on how to get your baby to sleep through the night.
Don't believe the negative review of this book stating that you have to let your baby cry it out. That is not what this book is about! It tells you in great detail how to put your baby on a schedule that will make him sleep better and be happier! Babies thrive on a routine and look to us as parents to provide one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months

Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker are on-call pediatric nurses and mothers. While answering parents' questions, they realized new parents lack the basic information needed to care for their infants. Moms and dads no longer have the advantage of grandma living next door to share her years of wisdom. They're on their own--and they need help. This simple guide addresses real-life, basic infant care needs for new moms and dads. Topics range from feedings and bedtime routines to common medical questions. The included instructional DVD gives parents visual step-by-step demonstrations of how to care for a newborn to six-month-old.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months

Read More...

How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label Review

How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This book is a must have for new designers. I have a B.A in Design and half a business management degree. During and in between study I have managed many retail boutiques. This book illiterates every point that needs to be addressed if you are wanting to venture into the fashion industry. I knew 90% of this book, however, it was a fabulous read to regain information that had disappeared from memory.
As most new entrants to the market you will find wholesaling the easiest way to start out. This book takes you through important terms to be aware of when selling and has many templates to think of.
I can not recommend this book enough. I now feel after many years of putting my dreams on hold due to fear, I am ready to take my first steps into the industry on my own.

Click Here to see more reviews about: How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label

No matter how talented you are as a designer, if you are going to run a successful fashion label you also need to know about business—from marketing and PR to manufacturing your collection, and where to find the money to finance it all. In How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label, Toby Meadows presents a no-nonsense guide to running your own business, whether it is within the clothing, accessories or footwear sectors. Packed with tips, case studies, and tasks to help you analyze yourself, your market and your product, the book is designed for anyone wanting to start their own fashion business.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label

Read More...

Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea Review

Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I started surfing about 3 months ago. That was also around the same time I started seriously looking at Buddhism. It is amazing that I discovered Jamail Yogis's book while going through a vaguely parallel experience.
Coming from this perspective, Saltwater Buddha is an amazing book that blends personal memoir with spiritual insight. It is thoughtful, well-written, and an entertaining read. The last point is worth emphasizing - a spiritual journey may be very interesting to the person going through it, but it will not necessarily resonate with others. Yogis has accomplished the task of translating his inner journey into a narrative that holds the reader's attention and can speak to people from varied spiritual backgrounds.
From a purely descriptive perspective, the book is about a man's intellectual, emotional, and spiritual maturation. Yogis lived a life that many of us dream of. Several times during his life he followed his impulses and went to Hawai'i to pursue his passion for surfing. However, these excursions to Hawai'i were bracketed by emotional growth and learning to take responsibility. As easy as it would be to lose oneself in a tropical paradise, Yogis realized that he needed to balance his passion with the more mundane aspects of life. The book traces his journey back and forth between these twin forces.
At the same time, Yogis is going through significant spiritual growth. Whether it is through private meditation or a stint in a monastery, his spiritual education moved through both formal and informal channels. More significantly, much of his spiritual growth came out of his movement between passion and responsibility. Life is often the greatest spiritual guide. For him, it was surfing that had one of the largest impacts on his journey. Not only did it serve as a metaphor for many of the formal principles in Buddhism, but it also served as spiritual practice.
Most of the surfers that I know acknowledge the spiritual impact surfing has. While they may not recognize it inside a specific dogmatic framework, they are certainly aware of the connection between surfing and some larger cosmic mystery. One reason that Yogis's book is so fascinating is that he looks at surfing through the lens of a particular spirituality. This helps to give structure to thoughts about how surfing impacts people.
Looking at surfing through the lens of Buddhism is not, obviously, just a literary device used by Yogis. However, this particular perspective is what makes Saltwater Buddha unique and engaging. Buddhism is capable of embracing so many different paths of spirituality and surfing was one of the paths for Yogis. The structure of the book reflects this interconnection - spiritual insight is interwoven with the narrative of his life. Each piece serves to illuminate the other.
This is, of course, how life is actually experienced. We do not experience inner and outer experience as separate things. Instead, our spiritual/emotional/intellectual life is completely intertwined with our experiences in the world. We find meaning in the events of our lives and those same events give validation (or challenge) our worldview. It is difficult to capture this in an effective way and even more difficult to convey this to another person in a structured and coherent way. Again, this is a task that Yogis has admirably accomplished.
I have purchased several copies of the book because I plan to give them to friends; to both surfers and nonsurfers. I have found that Saltwater Buddha gives expression to many of the experiences I am having myself. I have found it so difficult to explain my experiences to people that don't surf - which makes Saltwater Buddha even more impressive. Yogis has found an effective way to give voice to the deeply emotional and spiritual aspects of an activity that many dismiss as idle fancy. We should all be thankful for this gift.
I am confident that this book will open your eyes to a different world; even if you have no interest in surfing or Buddhism.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea



Buy Now

Click here for more information about Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea

Read More...

Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up Review

Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is a very important book. Many people should read it. All who offer evaluations of how people are faring around the world, and every single politician and policy maker, needs to take its recommendations into consideration. The topic at first seems way too specialized for the general reader: why GDP -- gross domestic product, a monetary figure that claims to sum up all the goods and services produced in a country's economy and has reigned supreme as the most cited economic statistic -- is misleading as a straightforward indicator of human well-being. But this brief book is intended for a wide audience.
"Mismeasuring Our Lives" tells us, in clear, concise and non-technical language why GDP is a problematic measure, what other measurements we should use or develop, and why this is so important for all citizens to understand. The book is the report of a commission called together by French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The lead authors, who convened a broad and distinguished international panel of experts, are the Nobel Prize-winning economists Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, along with Jean-Paul Fitoussi, head of the French center for economic research. They begin by pointing out how much economic activity GDP leaves out, such as the work of a stay-at-home parent or the full benefit of government-provided health care. And GDP can be misleading: rising national output can still leave behind middle and low earners; China, despite authoritarian rule, can appear to be a "better" society than democratic India, if you just look at GDP per capita; France, with more guaranteed vacation time for workers, rates lower than the frenetic U.S.; selling more expensive, gas-guzzling SUVs raises GDP, but at the cost of raising global temperatures and reducing oil reserves.
The report suggests ways to rectify these problems, both using currently available statistics and calling for new measurements. But the commission clearly recognizes that measures of economic performance, particularly the GDP focus on market activity, do not equate to human satisfaction. So they call for a new and extensive move toward better understanding -- and measurement -- of the quality of life. A final third of the book seeks to do the same for sustainability -- how do we improve life for everyone now in such a way that we are not robbing from our children's future? As President Sarkozy points out: "We will not change our behavior unless we change the ways we measure our economic performance."

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up

In February of 2008, amid the looming global financial crisis, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France asked Nobel Prize–winning economists Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, along with the distinguished French economist Jean Paul Fitoussi, to establish a commission of leading economists to study whether Gross Domestic Product (GDP)-the most widely used measure of economic activity-is a reliable indicator of economic and social progress. The Commission was given the further task of laying out an agenda for developing better measures.Mismeasuring Our Lives is the result of this major intellectual effort, one with pressing relevance for anyone engaged in assessing how and whether our economy is serving the needs of our society. The authors offer a sweeping assessment of the limits of GDP as a measurement of the well-being of societies-considering, for example, how GDP overlooks economic inequality (with the result that most people can be worse off even though average income is increasing); and does not factor environmental impacts into economic decisions.In place of GDP, Mismeasuring Our Lives introduces a bold new array of concepts, from sustainable measures of economic welfare, to measures of savings and wealth, to a "green GDP." At a time when policymakers worldwide are grappling with unprecedented global financial and environmental issues, here is an essential guide to measuring the things that matter.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up

Read More...

The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization Review

The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)

Those who have read any of Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton's previous collaborations, notably Managing with Carrots: Using Recognition to Attract and Retain the Best People (2001) and The Carrot Principle: How Great Managers Use Employee Recognition (2007), already know that they have exceptional reasoning and writing skills, their observations and recommendations are research/evidence-driven, and they are world-class pragmatists, determined to know what works in the business world, what doesn't, and why so that they can share what they have learned with as many people as possible.
In The Orange Revolution, they share the results of a 350, 000 person survey (involving participants from 28 different industries) to identify the characteristics of the most effective teams. By now, we know a great deal about great non-athletic teams such the Disney animators who created so many film classics (e.g. Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Dumbo), the Manhattan Project, Lockheed's "Skunk Works," and Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). In fact, some of the most important business books written in recent years have focused on teamwork and they include several written by these authors: Chip and Dan Heath (Switch), Jon Katzenbach (The Wisdom of Teams and Managing Outside the Lines), John Kotter (A Sense of Urgency and Buy-In), Patrick Lencioni (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), and James O'Toole (Leading Change). All are worthy of careful consideration as primary sources for teams involved in change initiatives.
So, why another book on change? No other book of which I am aware, on the subject of breakthrough teams, is driven by research/evidence to the extent this one is. Nor is there a book of which I am aware that explains more thoroughly than this one does what motivates members of breakthrough teams. In The Orange Revolution, Gostick and Elton limit their attention to such teams. (You know when I think about it, ALL teams should achieve breakthroughs to ensure that their organization remains competitive.) They base their observations, insights, and recommendations on the results of the aforementioned survey. "What we found was unexpected - and eye-opening. We were able to statistically establish a pattern of characteristics displayed by members of the best teams, as well as a set of rules that great teams live by. Even more rewarding was the realization that these qualities could be shared with other teams." The business subjects and themes that Gostick and Elton rigorously examine include these:
o Commitments all breakthrough team members share
o The transformational common causes these teams establish
o The four top obstacles related to neglect of leadership basics
o The "Basic 4+ Recognition" formula to achieve enhanced business results
Note: This formula is based on a ten-year study on which The Carrot Principle is based.
o The five areas most likely to indicate positive and productive employee engagement
o How breakthrough team members communicate effectively
o Six "secret" ingredients to achieving world-class results
o Common consequences when violating the "No Surprises" rule
o "Tips on how to ensure an effective recognition program
o Seventeen of the most common teamwork challenges and how to respond to each
o How to establish and then sustain a breakthrough teamwork culture
o How to recruit, hire, train, and retain high-potential workers
o How to develop effective breakthrough leadership at all levels and in all areas
This list is incomplete but, I hope, gives some idea of the nature and extent of the business subjects and themes on which Gostick and Elton focus. They cite hundreds of real-world situations, many of which feature exemplary organizations that are consistently ranked among the best to work for, the most highly admired, etc. It is no coincidence that they are also among the most profitable with the greatest cap value within their respective industries. For example, American Express, Best Companies Group, Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, Medical City Dallas Hospital, Nash Finch Company, NBA, Royal Australian Navy, and Zappos.
I highly recommend this book to leaders in organizations in which there is an urgent need for what can be accomplished by breakthrough teamwork. The wider, higher, further, and deeper that teamwork extends, the greater the number and impact of the breakthroughs that result from results-driven, highly-motivated collaborators who, in Teresa Amabile's widely-quoted words, "do what they love and love what they do."
In my opinion, this is the best book that Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have written...thus far. They invite those who read this book to visit carrots.com/orange to obtain several free resources: "The Orange White Paper: Teamwork and Your Bottom Line," "Weekly Esprit de Corps: Fresh Cheering Ideas in Your Inbox," "Film #1: WOW," "Film #2: No Surprises," and "Film #3: Cheer."

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization



Buy Now

Click here for more information about The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization

Read More...