5 comments about Macroeconomics (11th Edition) (Addison-Wesley Series in Economics).

1. This is the required text book at Santa Clara University and I can't overemphasize how badly the book is written. The questions and problems are not directly related to the content in that chapter. He refers to pictures a few chapters back easily. The way the material is presented is just impossible to grasp. In some of the problems, he gives the value of a variable and asks a question about what is the value of that variable.



2. I am afraid that people who cannot understand this book have low IQs or poor reading skills. They are not qualified to read this book. Do not expect a first-grader to evaluate a university professor.
   
   This is an excellent book. It clearly explains major concepts in the macroeconomics. With the help of this book, now I am able to understand many economic issues. I can discern some nonsense in daily discussions. Do not listen to anyone who talks about economics issues but still cannot understand this book.



3. This product was in excellant condition and I would use them again to order a book



4. I am also a Park University student taking EC301 (see prior review) and I'm required to use this book. I concur with the other negative reviews. The book is so poorly written that it compelled me to write a review...for a text book! The assigned problems for each chapter do not correlate to the written material for the chapter. The chapters are extremely long for the content that must be digested. If anyone is considering buying this book who doesn't have to, DON'T.



5. Textbook received on time. Textbook in excellent shape for being a
   used book.

5 comments about Lights Out: The Electricity Crisis, the Global Economy, and What It Means To You.

1. Electricity provides the fundamental power that drives our economy. The complex quilt of regulation, special interest groups, ownership, and consumer behavior make it a very difficult industry to comprehend and manage. This eclectic set of interests obfuscates the issues that we must address to keep our economy strong and our environment clean. Too often zealots high jack the debate putting our future at risk.
   
   "Lights Out" sorts through these interests and presence a coherent way to insure our countries electricity supply while protecting the environment. The author has accomplished the rare feat of writing a very readable book on a complex technical topic. Many parts of the book read as a novel. I just about finished it in one reading. The book accomplishes its goals of: describing the electric generation and distribution industry, providing a roadmap for the future, and call each of us to action. It looks at the challenge from several dimensions and ends with a call to personal action. I found myself in agreement with virtually all of the recommendations with the exception of placing some constraints on the financial aspects of private equity entering the market. I understand the author's concerns for open and transparent operations. If these are insured I believe that open financial markets will enhance the solution not hinder it.
   
   My favorite part of the book was the call to personal accountability. As Pogo said, "we've met the enemy and he is us." Each of us can play a role in the solution by: simply conserving electricity through changing our light bulbs, turning off equipment, insulating our houses, and running appliances more intelligently. We can also play a role by reading about the industry; abandoning our prejudices, opening our mind, and writing our elected officials and holding them accountable.
   
   The point of the books is that the future of our electric supply system merits national attention. If we get involved, we can make this happen.



2. As someone who's got a couple years under my belt in the industy, I thought this was a great story for someone with no knowledge or someone that has been in the business 30+ years.
   
   There's no preaching about renewable solutions that won't happen or the concept of a hydrogen economy... Just down and dirty dealing with the state of the industry, and what needs to happen on the generation, transmission and consumer side of the equation.
   
   The book is very up-to-date, provides a little bit of history and a solid solution for what needs to happen for the United States to succeed in upcoming challenges.



3. I had high hopes for this book, but it's a very disappointing book. And I'm amazed at the reviews by others of the book. Makansi knows a lot, but he does a poor job of communicating precisely the problems he perceives with our electricity grid. The book is lively and eccentric, but very poorly edited.
   
   I think it's a waste of time.
   
   I happen to know Jason Makansi (from the long-ago past) and believe him to be a very capable person, but he could write a much better book if forced to show some discipline in the writing process.



4. As a person fairly new to the Utility Sector this is the most definitive book I've read on the Industry and I have made it a `must read' for my entire staff.
   
   I have recommended this book to industry savvy vets and the general public alike, and all have stated the book is an easy and very informative read. Makansi brings unbiased insight with a `matter of fact' manner in his description of North Americans current energy infrastructure and the pitfalls we face.
   
   What's refreshing is the lack of a personal agenda. With all of the polarized debate on energy and our environment, he simply spells out all aspects of our current global energy situation and lets the reader make his/her own conclusions.
   
   This book should be required reading for our politicians and Utility Industry employees.



5. Lights Out: The Electricity Crisis, the Global Economy, and What It Means To You

No comments about Introduction to Modern Economic Growth.

No comments about Macroeconomics Demystified.

1 comments about Consuming Life.

1. "Consuming Life" by Zygmunt Bauman is a masterful analysis of the commodification of the individual in "liquid modern" (postmodern) society. The powers of observation displayed by the octogenarian author are without peer; Mr. Bauman seems to effortlessly assess myriad facets of contemporary culture while drawing upon a deep theoretical and practical knowledge base of philosophy, economics, politics and sociology. Taken alongside Mr. Bauman's other works in the liquid modern series (including "Liquid Life", "Liquid Love" and "Liquid Fear"), this outstanding book will no doubt further cement the author's reputation as one of the most original, important and insightful thinkers of our time.
   
   Mr. Bauman brilliantly compares and contrasts the "society of producers" of what he calls the "solid modern" era with the "society of consumers" of today. Mr. Bauman explains that the values of mass conformity, durability and permanence associated with 20th century Fordist production has been displaced by an individuated 21st century society that is characterized by a continuous search for instant gratification. The author posits that linear progress has given way to a "pointillist" conception of time where the promise of perpetual happiness requires a continuous process of self-reinvention, forgetting and waste disposal. As the marketer's creed of dissatisfaction conditions consumers to keep the treadmill of production in motion, the social skills required to maintain long-lasting interpersonal relationships decline. In fact, the author contends that Internet dating helps to satisfy the growing expectation that relationships can be consumed like packaged commodities and disposed of when desirability has waned.
   
   Mr. Bauman finds that whereas sovereign power was once expressed as an obligation to dutifully serve the nation state it is now exemplified by the coercive seductions of the market. Neoliberal ideology encourages individuals to improve themselves for entry into the job market where their subsequent busyness and acquisitiveness provides a false sense of living full and satisfying lives. In this manner, Mr. Bauman explains that individuals are at once both commodities and the consumers of commodities. The illusion of freedom offered by the marketplace to choose from among the latest styles obscures the loss of working class political power. Indeed, the author shows how the state is no longer concerned with ensuring the welfare of all citizens and is instead preoccupied with law enforcement, and especially with the disposition of the criminally defective underclass who comprise the "collateral casualties" of consumer society.
   
   Mr. Bauman goes on to explore these and related concepts with consummate skill and erudition throughout all 150 pages of this fascinating text. I highly recommend this noteworthy book to all readers who are interested in a thought-provoking and unique perspective on contemporary society.

5 comments about Macroeconomics (5th Edition).

1. The book is generally a good text. However, I have a lot of problems with how illustration of ideas by calculus is handled. I find several inconsistencies which even my instructor have problems in explaining. I recommend it to the mathematically challenged person not to mathematical enthusiasts.



2. Excellent book very educational and particularly suitable for non economists.
   Macroeconomics (4th Edition)



3. As an undergraduate student, I found this text to give reasonable coverage in several areas- especially expectations based models and investment theory. The explanations are fairly clear, but not quite as intuitive as Mankiw which I often reviewed at the library before tests (had his principles text, perhaps this conditioned me in his parlance). Overall, the book is fairly comprehensive, but lacks clarity in certain respects. Teachers may want to offer some supplementary materials with more concrete explanations. Don't make us buy it though, this book costs enough as it is!



4. I got the item about 10days after placing its order. The book came in condition describled. Good purchasing experience, however if it came a little earlier then would be great



5. I t was an excellent purchase! I got it before what I expected and new!=)

5 comments about Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds.

1. If I had a lot of money, I would give this book to all my friends who have young children or are about to have children. If you have ever suspected that something is deeply wrong with our consumer/TV culture - especially where our children are concerned, this helps you put a definite finger on it. We and our children are being manipulated and harmed by money grubbing companies who hide behind "learning" as a way to rake in the cash. They both incite and take advantage of parents' concerns that they are simply not doing enough for their children and that they can somehow boost their children's IQs/talents by putting them in front of gadgets and videos. Some of the questions and research findings presented in the book have recently been supported by a U of W study showing that videos such as Baby Einstein are not helpful for infants and may even delay language development. The marketing profiles of the different kinds of moms out there, depending on their age and income/education level, are spooky. Marketers and the companies they work for know all about you and what makes you tick and spend. Some people call this free-enterprise, but some of the marketing and R&D you will read about in this book are completely unethical and some are really asking for a class action lawsuit. Squash consumer culture. Turn that TV off and talk to your baby, go take a walk, go to the park,...



2. One of the key points the other reviewers may have missed is Thomas' finding that most of the marketing people and product designers she interviewed seemed genuinely interested in making a good product for children -- they too seemed to misunderstand the research, subconciously recalling the bits favorable to their beliefs and discounting the opposing studies. Many just did not have time to think about the culmulative effects of what they were doing. The book seems as much a call to stop and think about the big picture as an indictment of an industry.
   
   For parents who recall the early days of "Program Length Commercials" (PLCs) like He-Man, and Transformers, and G.I. Joe, one might think that Strawberry Shortcake and the new Care Bears are nothing new, but Thomas points out that the trend is towards marketing to ever younger kids -- a phenomena called "kids getting older younger" (KGOY). She also raises serious issues about commercial culture sneaking into preschools via free products and materials, lending a sense of the school's endorsement of the commercial message.
   
   A disturbing read that reaffirms one's desire to spend as much time as one can with one's kids in "free play" with generic toys.



3. My title pretty much sums up my thoughts, though I'll add that this book focuses on baby TV rather than consumer culture broadly.



4. I found this wonderful resource as part of research for my own guide for parents on interactive media in young childhood. A mother and excellent reporter sought answers to her concerns about the place of media on her little child. She offers us a readable and balanced summary of current knowledge. Together with Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five, by another concerned mother, we get an excellent picture of how babies actually interact with media, commercial claims aside. Highly recommended.



5. What a facinating, well written, and relevant book! I was drawn to it for 2 reasons besides the shocking title. First being, I am a mother of 2 young children ages 7 and 5. Second being, I am also a Kindergarten teacher. This book allowed me to wear both my mom and educator hats as it explored how marketers target parents as well as educators in order to drive profits and rasie brand awareness.
   
   Susan Gregory Thomas does an excellent job of taking her experience as an investigative journalist and using it to uncover some interesting facts about marketing research over the past 20 years. One of the things that hit me the hardest was finding out educators in this country are not the only ones who study and use Educational Psychology. So do marketers of major toy companies. They use the research in order to give themselves validity to parents for their so called "smart toys" AND use it to carefully develop toys and merchandise children cannot resist.
   
   After reading this book, I felt very impowered. It reaffirmed many of my personal thoughts about child development both at home and at school. I suggest to anyone who is a caregiver of young children to read this book. I will be suggesting it to anyone who will listen!
   
   Elizabeth Cates
   Mom, Educator, Graduate Student
   Raleigh, NC

No comments about Structural Macroeconometrics.

1 comments about Microeconomics Demystified.

1. As a MBA student taking Managerial Economics, I found this book extremely helpful. It removes a great deal of confusion and foggy Economic mumbo gumbo, enabling the reader to truly understand Microeconomic concepts. The quizzes at the end of each chapter assists greatly in your understanding of how well you have grasped what was presented. The final exam at the end of the booked helped me with the final exam in my course. I strongly recommend this book for any Economics course for which microecomonics is an integral part. The only real thing of value that I can share is perhaps the fact that I got an A in the class and a great deal was due to this book! I hope more are to come. This author knows his stuff.

5 comments about Lectures on Macroeconomics.

1. Brilliant book, the bit in the front from Serena, 1988 is by far the easiest.



2. I loved this book since I first read it. It's a complete book in terms of modern macroeconomic theory topics covered and in the treatment of them. The authors have focused in modern development in the field and have tried to gather a significant collection of models and theories which explain several aspects of the macroeconomic analysis (just check the index to find out all that you can read here!).
   A drawback of this book is that it's kinda specialized in modern macro development and its methods: it assumes that the reader knows about basic macro theory, macro models, has strong mathematical foundations (calculus, systems of equations, optimum control theory, etc.) AND is used to the kind of relationship economists do between models and real life. This is NOT a book of macroeconomic policies, like how to manage a nation's deficit in the public budget, or so; but researches could find here the basis for developing more specific recommendations and policies to address such problems.



3. Some people seem to mistake bad writing for brilliance in content. The reason that many reviews seem to have trouble understanding some of the contents in the book should be an argument against the book, not an argument for its technical difficulties derived from some people's own uncertainty about their skills in maths.
   I thoroughly advise people not to waste time looking into this book, let alone buy it which will be a waste of money as well.
   I have not found a perfect macroeconomics textbook yet. But David Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics is much better than this one in every way.



4. I have read many books in macroeconomics and I think this one is the best of them, so personally I spent my money to buy this book (among all macro- books) and keep it on my shelf for references. The book is not a complete guide to macroeconomics (and no other macro book is either). But what it covers, it covers well with preamble to the idea and empirical evidence, then proceeds to formal discussion and derivations and conclusions. It covers topics on consumption theory, economic growth, money and monetary policy, labor and employment models, and competetive equilibrium and business cycles. Still you need complementary texts if you want to get too much focused in a field (like monetary policy). I recommend this book for graduate level macro- courses. For one thing the book comes with lots of exercises at the end of each chapter.



5. The book arrived in a timely manner and the condition was just as described. Very satisfied!