Social Sciences Books

even though i just read the sample iloved it it is really hard for me to find books i like but i@lovedthis on and all my friends loved this book to

Good book, not as good as the first three, but enjoyable. It wraps the story on a happy note, despite a few inconsistencies, and leaves the door open for a book 5 if need be.
Having said that, there are a number of reviews bashing Stephanie Meyers for missing a chance to teach a lesson. Not all stories need to set an example. In fact, counter examples are just fine. Yes, it seems as if Bella lives happily ever after, married and pregnant at 18, a mother by 19, and no education in sight. However, Bella's story cries out for discussion. Anyone missing that has either lost an incredible opportunity or (perish the thought!) is just reading the book for enjoyment!
Additionally, fantasy, particularly urban fantasy gets pretty dark, and Meyers, knowing her audience is mainly in their teens, toes the line. Other reviewers seemed uncomfortable with the possessiveness of Edward and the way Jacob seems to take some liberties that he should not, but read some Anne Rice, Laurell Hamilton, or Kelley Armstrong. Meyers is staying true to genre, just with a lighter hand.

What an amazing end to the series! I've spent the past several nights reading this giant and it killed me to put it down every single time. Stephanie Meyer truly delivered with this one.

As for her critics here, I'm a little put off by your judgmental attitudes. We're here to review a BOOK, not a fictional character's personal life choices. I was married at eighteen to the man of my dreams. That was nine years ago and we are still very happy together and have two beautiful young children. Getting married young is sometimes the natural conclusion to choosing purity. There's nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, a few generations ago, getting married at 18 was completely normal. You know...back when marriages used to LAST???

And besides all that, Bella and Edward clearly have a supernatural connection. There is nothing NORMAL about their relationship. So WHY are you trying to place normal societal standards on them? Good grief, people, we're talking about VAMPIRES here.

In the end, the popularity of this series speaks for itself. If you don't like Stephanie Meyer's choices, go write your own book.

Ok so my sissy got me hooked on the twilight series and I am so in love with them. When I was going to buy the 4th book I was reading the reviews and was very disappointed when everyone was bashing the book as terrible. It is in no way terrible it is awesome! It was how it was suppose to end a true happy ending. People say that Bella wasn't suppose to get everything that she wanted (handsome husband, child, best friend, money, immortal,beauty, great sex, etc.) that life isn't that way but people, remember that this is FICTION as well as a YOUNG ADULT series. Would we really have wanted to see something bad happen to Bella, Edward, Jacob, the Cullens? The answer is NO. OH and give it a rest with the literary BS that some people are talking about like plot, character development, etc. GET OVER YOURSELF! If you want literary masterpieces then read the classics and steer away from Young Adult sections. This is an amazing book with great resolution at the end. A true twilight fan will love that all is well in the vampire world. Don't let the other crappy reviews taint your opinion. Yes the book is sappy and all matters are resolved a true fairy-tale ending.

I was very disappointed at this book, looking at the other 3 previous books. Everything was very expected and it was all obvious. Pregnant part was the only unusual part because i didn't know that it'll come so early in the book.
I don't want to write all the details but the book disappointed me.. I thought Stephenie could've wrote a much better story.

The book would be more accurately entitled "The Unlimited Wisdom of Reinhold Niebuhr." Heavy on criticism of nearly any foreign policy official since the FDR administrastion - very light on recommdations. The author is an angry, bitter man, perhaps for personal reasons. But he offers no definitive alternatives, and therefore remains largely a critic.

The author gives a concise if perhaps over simplified appraisal of what is wrong with America and how it came to be. I have to agree with him wholeheartedly. His appraisal of America's military is right on. We have mercenized our army. We give the job of defense to 1% of the population and we all feel good because we have a "Support Our Troops!" sticker on the back of our cars. The Greatest Generation this ain't!

A dense but highly thoughtful analysis of our current problems. Right on target. How the heck did we ever let our country get into such an awful state. This is not only a great study of how we got here, it's a call to arms to change.

Good insight into the people events of the US armed forces together with the impact on political decision making. Overall well done but jumps around somewhat.

I have purchased and recieved this book last week. The author is very eloquent and convincing in his argument. Very objective and straight to the point. you can read other reviews about the contents. But my advise is get the book and read it, It is a must.

Do you believe that a personal story built on facts can persuade you to view the world differently? If your answer is `maybe' or `what do you mean?' or `yes' then I invite you to consider Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time. If you live in America, and do not yet know of Greg Mortenson, you need to hear his story and his larger-than-life dream.

Prepare to be entertained. Prepare to be wowed. Prepare to ask yourself, `is this guy breathing the same air I breathe?'

This is an adventure story way beyond "adventure." If you know a serious mountain climber, for example, you probably recognize his or her capacity to subordinate their basic human fears; don't know about you; in a world of X-games, that kind of adventure doesn't impress me so much anymore. However, that's where Greg Mortenson's story begins, climbing K2 in the Himalayas, and that's where Mortenson fails. It's in his failure and the resulting debilitating weakness that he resolves to go after a dream that requires more courage and grit and heart than any mountain climb.

What he discovers is the beauty and kindness and generosity of a people that we in America would instinctively (1) mistrust - they're Muslims, (2) minimalize - they're poor and uneducated, and (3) not connect with - they are very different from us Westerners - most of the folks Greg comes to know and work with have ancient customs they live by in making decisions that seem to ignore time or efficiency or modern advantages.

The political landscape of the mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and other parts of central Asia can fairly be described as unfriendly and unwelcoming to an American with a northern European heritage. In fact, it seems to be THE source of our `terrorist problem' today. And yet, Mortenson figures it out. He goes where military operatives have tried and failed. How? Well, that's why you need to read Three Cups of Tea.

Greg Mortenson's determination to realize a dream of schools for girls in the rural mountain communities of central Asia is a living breathing bigger view of life, a deeper, more compassionate understanding of human nature, and a clearer picture of what we all can do to make this world a better place and a safer place for our grandchildren.

If you read (or listen) to one book or 30 books in the next twelve months, make sure you read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...one School At a Time [Mp3] [Audio Disc] [Unabridged] [Audiobook].

One of the best books I've ever read. It is beautifully written - a door is opened to you on a precious culture, a way of life, and a people that face their many challenges bravely. We are welcomed in and inspired by this story. One cannot read this book and harbor narrow views of the people of Pakistan, Afganistan or the Islamic world. One cannot read this book and not want to make a contribution to the ongoing development of schools and other necessities to reach the peoples of these lands.

The book three cups of tea, is a story of monumental dedication and superhuman efforts to build schools for people who had no hope of education. An inspiring story for any age.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. In retrospect, it is difficult to imagine the difference a single person can make. Dr. Greg Mortenson is building schools in the most hostile situations and is the real hero for America and people world wide.
This book is a must read because it truly gives a glimpse of the world we are mostly unaware of.
Greg fought against all adversaries - fatwa, kidnapping and being caught between a free for all shootout. These are extraordinary situations and require extraordinary character to work under those circumstances.
Some readers complained that the book went back and forth between US and Pakistan quite often and the reading is not clean. I disagree. The book is very well written and the back & forth is not much different from hos own life. He is living in two parallel worlds, working under bullets half a world away away from his family to make a difference.

His is the right way to fight evil - through education. I wish there were more like him.

I think the least we can do is read the book and educate ourselves about the real problems and real solutions to the current menace (terrorism, poverty, depravity) around the world.

Third cup of tea is a gesture in certain cultures to accept another person as part of the extended family.

This is such a great book that I do not want to (and cannot) write a feedback about the book and will only encourage you to read it.

Of all the people I have had the pleasure to meet or read about, Greg Mortenson is the most heroic by far. This book is an incredible read but not near as incredible as what this man has done and continues to do. He's fighting terror and violence at its source by actually not fighting. Not threatening or pushing or forcing. Instead by listening, learning and then acting out of sincere compassion and understanding, not a hidden agenda. And thats why he is so credible. His risks are greater then I can imagine but he's sketched out a path to peace that seems far more effective then any governmental intervention. This story proves that even today incredible changes are possible just by starting with a sincere caring for other people. There's hope for us yet!

I needed this book for formal written papers for nursing school. It is exactly what was needed based on school requirements. It gives you all the examples needed for references and for publications.

Helps with APA format, but sometimes easier to just search online because this book can sometimes be confusing. How many pages can one read on APA format?! But brand new, perfect condition.

This book is very boring and painful to read. However, the quality of information is of great value to anybody in the behavioral sciences. I gave it a three because it was boring but I think people in the field definitely need to have this book.

This is a required textbook. It really is needed for anyone in college. I would also recommend getting the MLA publication.

This text has every possible option for citing in APA. Can get overwhelming, but very useful for my thesis.

For many reasons I banned reading this book. Working in retail with teenie girls barraging the bookstands demanding for the next Stephanie Meyer book was just annoying and made me believe these books were meant for the intelligently-deficient. A friend online said I should at least try it and see for myself. I thought about J.K. Rowling's work. I hated Harry Potter at first, then gave the books a chance since all my friends did, and turns out I loved them all. In thinking that Harry Potter wasn't just meant for kids, maybe Twilight wasn't just meant for dumb teenie girls.

So I read it. I freaking loved it!

I'm not big on romance novels, but this isn't just a romance novel. It's so much more than that. This is by far the most original vampire story I've read since H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shunned House." Meyer wasn't biased by all the Hollywood stereotypes of vampires like Buffy, Dracula, Lestat, or Blade. She had her own image in mind and stuck to it creating the most beautifully elegant vampires I've seen yet. In fact, I much more prefer these vampires over the others. They're more powerful, more understandable, have so much depth to them, you really feel for them, and their histories certainly make you wonder.

This being Stephanie Meyer's first book just impresses me. I must buy the other books now. A female coworker told other coworkers, "I can't see a guy reading this." I felt challenged, and did it anyway finding out that I am a male that loved Twilight. Bella and Edward share a love that can only be called "true love": limitless, eternal, and unbreakable. This is the only love anyone, whether they admit it or not, truly wants. I'm a helpless romantic, I confess, so this touched me in a different way. Albeit, I hold a dark sense-of-humor, and Meyer seems to also hold a wee bit of a dark sense-of-humor too. There are many moments I laughed, almost broke out in tears (I can imagine sad teenaged girls doing so), and nodded in great gratification. I didn't see any godlike battles between the superhuman vampires in this one, which I started expecting about halfway through, but I know there are more books to come and I'm sure I'll be in for a treat.

One day I may have to reread this book again. For now, I'm keeping it on my Kindle and can't wait to start reading "New Moon." Next on my list! This is like Harry Potter where it's like reading a soap opera where so much happens.

Suspense? Yes. Active? Oh my yes. Hard to put down? Yeah!

This is one man in the world who has read Twilight, and personally loved it. Has nothing to do with the fact I live in the Phoenix area and a part of the novel takes place here. I'm actually a northern person who grew up in the Northeast, so I could envision all the settings perfectly. (That may have helped in my case.) Anyways, if you're looking for a book that will help you feel something and keep you locked to the pages, then go ahead and pick up Twilight, because you won't be disappointed.

I had to take a break from reading the series after book two because I had circles under my eyes from lack of sleep that were darker than Edward's when he's thirsty. These books are unbelievably addicting and everything ever said about Edward is true. Read with caution!

I read this book (and the rest of the 4 book series) because my 11 year old niece was reading them. I was a little concerned with the romance theme but overall this was a an excellent book and fun to read. It opened up the ability to talk about dating rules in the future, responsible love versus this fantasy version, where it would possibly be harder to get a teen to talk about it with an adult. I have read this book and book 4 twice.

i absolutely LOVED this book. stephenie meyer has this uncanny ability to capture a reader's attention and actually keep the reader's attention. this is the book that readers dream of. an unrequited love, a forbidden and intense love. bella and edward's connection is palpable and one that we all long for. meyer's writing drips of fluid imagery and it's a definite page turner. i've read all 4 books in the twilight saga and i am always drawn back to this one. i highly recommend this book for all ages!

I'm not sure if Stephanie Meyer is trying to be the new Anne Rice here, but she has created her own world - a world where vampires glow! The first 3rd of the book was boring, dealing with the daily life of insecure Bella. The novel only got interesting where Bella was introduced to the Cullens and the subsequent fight with another hunter vampire from another coven, who was hunting her.

If you're into teenage romance and daily life events that are repeated over and over again or if you want to relive your high school days, this book is for you, otherwise, I don't think this novel is mature enough for adults to read, it just seems rather retarded in the romance and emotional department.

A movie is in the making though, starring Robert Pattison (Cedric Diggory) & Kristen Stewart. I wonder if they will portray the female character Bella as weak, insecure and needy - that will be sad!

This is an amazing book. It may sound extreme, but the information in this is mindblowing.

Not only is it extremely well written, but it explores the different sides of the same topic, giving you multiple perspectives.

I had started reading my friend's copy on a visit, and had to order the book immediately so that I could continue reading it...and have struggled to put the book down every day since.

Probably the most important book about the state of food in this country, and maybe the world. Michael Pollan's calm voice is the call to tune in, wake up and choose the food you consume rather than give in to corporate and government default as we have been conditioned to do for the last 5 decades. We don't have many ways to "vote" these days except with our money. Buy and eat locally. Its a more important choice than we know. Thanks, Mr. Pollan for your informative look at how we can regain our food autonomy.

Healing the Rift: Merging Science and Spirituality

As a scientist and biotechnology executive I was intimately involved in the food industry for over a decade and visited agricultural sites in over a dozen countries on four continents. I applaud Pollan's expose' of of modern agriculture's cost.

Michael Pollan exposes the high price we pay for industrialization of food production. The fact that the majority of deaths are caused by the Western diet and many of the major diseases are a result of how and what we eat is incalculable in economic terms. The damage to the environment from industrialized farming is staggering. The sacrifice to food quality and nutritional benefits are explained by Pollan.

A must read! Then get Pollan's In Defense of Food.

Pollan is an extraordinary writer: here he takes a subject that could easily be dry as dirt and turns it into a completely absorbing, thought-provoking tour de force. Though very occasionally overwritten, this book is never boring. It will teach every reader to think twice about both the source and the true cost of the food they eat. Recommended reading for absolutely everyone; even more particularly for anyone with a real interest in food or simply in developing their social conscience.

This is educational/advocating writing at its finest. It is written in an engaging style that makes it easy to read. Yet, at the same time, it manages to fill the pages with facts that are, in themselves, challenging. The book has changed the way I think about food, largely just by making me think about food. This is something we do rarely, but it is becoming more and more necessary as food has become a concoction of chemicals and corn and has drifted away from being truly based on plants and whole grains. Just the mere information about how the food gets from the factory to you will make you want to reevaluate the way you eat and think about food.

I have recently turned to a diet based on plants, fruits, and whole grains. As someone who loves good cooking and gourmet restaurants, I was a little worried at first. But, the truth is that this kind of cooking can yield some fantastic flavors and awaken taste buds that seem to have been dormant for too long. Though this decision was not a direct result of this book alone, this book helped me figure out the best ways to go about a fundamental change in diet. For further reading on diet and its relationship to health, I also recommend "The China Study."

This is a fantastic survey of modern globalization- its benefits, dangers, history, major players, affects for all the world's citizens.... mostly from an economic and social standpoint. Friedman covers the "Globalization 3.0" phenomenon, which, rooted in the Internet, now includes the individual as the major player instead of corporations (2.0) or nations (1.0). The effects of globalization on art and spirituality are not touched upon very much, but are arguably not the subject of this book and are certainly not Friedman's area of expertise. This book is written in a light hearted tone, with many interviews, stories from trips, and facts that support his theories well without being overbearing. He is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and demonstrates his skills fully in this comprehensive look into what will be the backbone of the 21st Century economy. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any member of Generation-Y for that reason.

I actually had to get this book for a college class, and while it isn't the kind of book I would choose for myself to read, it has had quite an impact on my way of thinking.

The world is changing, and those who sit with their eyes closed and pretend it's going to go away are in for a rude awakening. Friedman gives many insights into both the benefits and consequences of having a global communication via the internet, the world wide web, and other technological advances. This is just scratching the surface, but to go over everything in the book would take much more than just a few paragraphs.

Overall, I found it tough to get into (maybe because I was required to read it), but once you get into it, it really makes you realize what is going on in the world today and where we stand as a society as the changes come.

Simply put, this is a book that any student of business or politics needs to read to claim currency. It's insightful, controversial, yet raises valid arguments for globalization.

In summary---"You can't put the genie back in the bottle" so get with the program or be left behind.

Thomas Friedman shares with us the most updated human value system, Philosophy, we have to live on with passion and curiosity. This book presents the direction of human evolutiion with increased demand for more personal touch to thrive in this automated society. Thank you very much for your humanity.
Hak-Nam Kim from McAllen, Texas

Friedman is excellent at 'at the factory' reporting on supply chains, outsouring, reporting on the strengths of Bangalore and China, how services are now exported and imported and how all corporations are now effectively multinational. The world really is quite different than it was fifteen years ago and Friedman describes this well. Friedman's analysis of how to 'surf the wave' however amount to little more than bromides. Friedman encourages constant learning, stresses engineering and the sciences, avoiding slip ups etc. It is not the Friedman is mistaken it is that Friedman doesn't develop anaylyses of the trials and tribulations of the 'flat earth' in depth. Friedman seems to be saying both that 'this is paradise' and the 'sky is falling' with the message going back and forth between the two. Friedman's analyses of how to take advantage of and how to avoid the pitfalls of the 'flat earth' are lacking. The first 200 page deserve five stars but the rest is more or less padding.

If you've enjoyed Twilight Collector's Edition (The Twilight Saga) and New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2), you're bound to love Eclipse, as it hurtles toward a resolution of Bella Swan's dilemma: how to cut herself off from her family to spend undead eternity in the company of her beloved Edward. Where most teenagers associate 16, 17, 18 and so on with increasing privileges and freedom, Bella sees each passing year as separating her further from her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen, forever preserved as a (incredibly good looking) seventeen year old boy. Bella wants very much to become a vampire and enjoy eternity with Edward. However one mortal milestone after another gets in the way.

Jacob Black is really the character development study in the novels - Bella falls in love with Edward and suffers for her love, but once she's in love, she stays in love and that's that. Edward remains the perfect vampire boyfriend throughout. It's Jacob who has to cope with personal changes on every level, and who grows into his manhood as he does.

Eclipse has a lot of exciting vampire action, but it's really the bridge to Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4), the fourth and final book in the series. The vampire action is either the backdrop to Bella's senior year in high school, or the other way round. Bella and Edward are filling out college applications in a process that owes as much to fantasy as the vampires do.

Hang on for the ride, and queue up Breaking Dawn, because most readers don't want to pause between them.

This was a wonderfully written book. I read it then passed it to my teenage daughter, who also loved it. Upon finishing this book I immediately started reading Breaking Dawn, which is even better than Eclipse!

If you liked Twilight and wasn't as excited about New Moon, you will love Eclipse. There's love (of course), vampires, werewolves, and a series of killings.

What's nice about this one is that both Edward and Jacob are present. Although quite different, both add interesting elements to the story and the Bella/Edward/Jacob triangle. The reader learns more of the werewolves and the stories of some of the vampires. Finally, Bella realizes things aren't as simple as 'happily ever after' if she becomes a vampire. Funny thing is, as immature as Jacob can be, it is their relationship that causes Bella to grow up a little and think things thru a little more than just 'me & Edward' - something Edward's been trying to do since book 1.

For me, Edward is the character than draws me into the story. Meyer does an excellent job of conveying Edward's wit and charm in his behavior and dialogue as in Twilight. Although his love for Bella can sometimes make him come across as a little weak or pathetic, this is simply because of his struggle in realizing he can't give Bella somethings he wishes he could or that he feels she needs. The scene in the woods when it is Jacob's body heat that protects Bella is a clear indicator of this. Edward comes across as the 'bigger person' throughout this novel understanding that Jacob was there for Bella when he wasn't. Eclipse continues building on the relationship between Bella/Edward/Jacob and finally forces Bella to make a decision.

This is the 3rd book to Stephanie Meyer's awesome Twilight series. With every turn of the page I swear the books get better and better. I do not want to give the whole story away so I am going to end with BUY THESE BOOKS, you will not be wasting any money and you will be extremely pleased.

Eclipse wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was still good. For me, it was too much history and background and not as much of the hopeless romantic stuff. I mean, who wouldn't want Edward Cullen as a boyfriend!

This whole right-brain-left-brain thing is soooo left brain. Right brainers have no idea what the issue is about and perhaps it's better that way. But us left brainers have to sort and organize and categorize.... it's obsessive! The truth is that big-picture, extraverted, emotive people already are in the highest ranks of management. Check out our president. They may still be left-brained but far more right-brained than the lowly programmers and IT staffers. This is nothing new; while the techies labor long and hard to learn and problem solve, the right-brainers are smoozing and golfing their way up the corporate ladder. Now as to nurses and graphic artists ruling the world.... problem is these may be right brained jobs but the barriers to entry are low and so will be the salaries. An MFA may be the next MBA but it doesn't pay as well....

This book is an excellent argument for the need for creativiity, decision making and other right brain functions in our current economic system. It points out that left brain functions can be sent overseas or computerized but the right brain functions add the most value. An easy read. We used it for the foundation of an arts leadership class.

I loved this book. Very interesting. Very insightful. Like eating something nutritious and delicious.

[...]

Pink starts with the inarguable premise that we live in a changing economy. The smokestack industries moved overseas long since, and white-collar jobs are fast following. Countries with low labor costs, compared to the West, have growing pools of highly skilled technical workers. As a result, things like programming, accounting, and circuit design have changed from specialty skills to commodity tasks, just as happened with material goods like toasters, toys, and sneakers. Pink declares that the new differentiators include aesthetics, design, and the human experience. His examples include car manufacture considered as an art form, holistic legal services, and the medical value of doctors' empathy.

Although I agree with many of Pink's points, the logical, left-brained underpinnings of his argument just aren't strong enough to support the weight of warm feelings piled onto them. For example, he notes that good product design has value to the product owner. Then, as a counter example, this book's front cover includes a die-cut that leaves little tongues of paper pointed out into the cut's opening. Those tongues catch on things, fray, and even tear into the cover around them. Mr. Pink: good design does not unintentionally self-destruct.

Elsewhere, Pink notes the established fact that mothers commonly carry infants in their left arms. Because of a crossover in neural wiring, Pink asserts that this puts the child in contact with the woman's right brain. Well, maybe. It also frees the mother's right hand to stir the pot or do other work at the same time as kid care. Even left-handed mothers often carry their children on the left side, possibly because the heart is on the left and its rhythm tends to soothe the child. But no, Pink has taken the right-brain bit between his teeth and runs with it. As a result, he gently sweeps aside little things like the basic fact that right/left brain duality has always been stronger in men than in women, and that Asian researcher sometimes have trouble reproducing the results at all. It might, in fact, just be an artifact of Western males.

I have an engineering degree, but art school training as well. At least one of the algorithms I developed was hard to describe, but physically obvious once my listener experienced it in her own hands - leaving her with the problem of explaining it to others. I understand the importance of the human terms in engineering equations. Unlike Pink, I also know that science and engineering are intuitive practices, and expressions of deep human feeling in themselves. I actually agree with Pink on many points. I just don't agree with his one-sided approach to two-sided problems, with his selectivity about facts friendly to his case, or with his weak logic in making the case that we need more than just logic.

-- wiredweird

A Whole New Mind is written for those who are looking to increase their abilities and engage their brain. The book offers a holistic approach to changing your life and changing how you see the world and approach problems. Pink makes the argument that we all need to incorporate more empathy and play into our lives because it enables one to relax, enjoy life more and engage the unused capacity of one's intellect. He makes a strong argument that our society pigeon holes us into thinking a certain way and approaching life without the tools we really need to enjoy it and get the most out of it. I can't do justice to his theories here, but
the book is full of useful tips and strategies in addition to a call to action in your own life.

Another great book I read this week that I strongly recommend because it changed how I think is The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book

This is the book I drag around everywhere, you can only read a few pages at a time because you need to think while digesting. the author is very knowledgable - sometimes too knowledgable, but that's a good thing, because he has a lot to say, a different point of view, a chip on his shoulder, intelligence to burn, a worldview bought to american shores, and he is conflicted about the class system - shrugging his shoulders at the suits, but flinging out big names here and there. No matter, it is worth the price of the book, because he stimulates thought. A sure sign of a good teacher, as well as tossing out more than a few investment strategies and his well-concieved notions about our financial system.
Love Taleb and hate him. I look forward to whatever he is working on now, and will go back & buy the Random book that everyone keeps referring to.

Taleb was unbearable in "Fooled by Randomness." Fooled was, however, worth the read. "Swan" is targeted to a general audience; in this attempt Taleb has lost his potentcy. But to greater effect, Taleb now seems deluded. For example, he tells a story of his past when as a tween he frightens the government of his home nation into granting him immunity from political offenses. Sad naive existence

Black swans are rare, unpredicatable events that pack a big punch. As Teleb explains, they are not accounted for by modern financial theories. Black Swans are particularly relevant to today's market calamity...and they will likely arise many times in the remainder of our lifetimes...to our benefit...if we are prepared. The lesson is to prepare for these events...and to exploit them.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable A highly disappointing text from an erudite and capable author. The book is fallacious, mislaeding and mischievious. The abuse of simple statistical distributions alone warrants not taking it seriously. It is oversold by the blurb and does not do what it says on the cover. Extremely disappointing.

... but Dr. Taleb goes too far by claiming that the quantitative analysts, including statisticians, are (or even were) mesmerized by the Gaussian curve or any other quantitative concept, for that matter. Even the undergrads here at Purdue are taught to understand that the mean and standard deviation are not always descriptive of the distribution and that a single outlier can have a great impact on the fit of simple linear regression. As for PhD-level people, there are enough of us able to handle data with care and who are well aware that Pareto & Barabasi is not a cool label of Italian fashion. By the way, how come that Extreme Value Theory (at least 60 years old) is never mentioned in the book dedicated to the extreme?

I don't believe that such people as Markowitz, Scholes, or Samuelson thought even for a second that their job was to create models that would alleviate the hardship of the long-suffering investment banking community. That was never a requirement for academic promotion or the Nobel Prize, which was their ultimate goal, whether they admit it or not. Therefore, any "quant" who took those models at face value deserved all he got.

Most importantly, I believe such misguided model-worshippers have always been few in the industry, especially after 1998. MBA graduates, too, have enough sense to know what is what even after being through a Modern Portfolio Theory course. Courses like that, according to Dr. Taleb, have to be wiped out along with the academic disciples of Markowitz and Samuelson. But will that "ethnical cleansing" do any good?

Perhaps the sad truth is that in the industry both MBAs and PhDs quickly realized that claiming they can quantify any financial product generates a fat stream of immediate bonuses, although at the expense of possible (but surely very distant :) blowup. If that is the case, all those people consciously use bogus models as a front. Hence, contrary to what Dr. Taleb thinks, Nobel Prize winners and their followers in the academia are hardly to blame. So, why don't we leave the distinguished professors alone and turn to those who set the malign short-term incentives in financial institutions.