Book Description
"Impressive... This is an evidence-based bottom-up account of the realities of globalisation. It is more varied, more subtle, and more substantial than many of the popular works available on the subject." -- Financial Times
Based on a five-year study by the MIT Industrial Performance Center, How We Compete goes into the trenches of over 500 international companies to discover which practices are succeeding in today’s global economy, which are failing –and why.
There is a rising fear in America that no job is safe. In industry after industry, jobs seem to be moving to low-wage countries in Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe. Production once handled entirely in U.S. factories is now broken into pieces and farmed out to locations around the world. To discover whether our current fears about globalization are justified, Suzanne Berger and a group of MIT researchers went to the front lines, visiting workplaces and factories around the world. They conducted interviews with managers at more than 500 companies, asking questions about which parts of the manufacturing process are carried out in their own plants and which are outsourced, who their biggest competitors are, and how they plan to grow their businesses. How We Compete presents their fascinating, and often surprising, conclusions.
Berger and her team examined businesses where technology changes rapidly–such as electronics and software–as well as more traditional sectors, like the automobile industry, clothing, and textile industries. They compared the strategies and success of high-tech companies like Intel and Sony, who manufacture their products in their own plants, and Cisco and Dell, who rely primarily on outsourcing. They looked closely at textile and clothing to uncover why some companies, including the Gap and Liz Claiborne, choose to outsource production to foreign countries, while others, such as Zara and Benetton, base most operations at home.
What emerged was far more complicated than the black-and-white picture presented by promoters and opponents of globalization. Contrary to popular belief, cheap labor is not the answer, and the world is not flat, as Thomas Friedman would have it. How We Compete shows that there are many different ways to win in the global economy, and that the avenues open to American companies are much wider than we ever imagined.
SUZANNE BERGER is the Raphael Dorman and Helen Starbuck Professor of Political Science at MIT and director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative. She was a member of the MIT Commission on Industrial Productivity, whose report Made in America analyzed weaknesses and strengths in U.S. industry in the 1980s. She lives in Boston , Massachusetts.
Customer Reviews:
Nice one.......2006-02-26
A real page turner, plenty of insight into outsourcing and globalisation, very impressive piece of work!
We Should Not Accept Second-Best Ever!.......2006-02-20
In the boom years of mass consumption after WWII, the vertically integrated companies flexed all their muscles. Giants like RCA, IBM, Levi Strauss, and Volkswagen coordinated all the functions from research and development to distribution within their own control in the company. "For the first time in history, a great number of complex manufactured goods, like automobiles, refrigerators, canned foods, bicycles, and radio and television sets, became affordable for people with ordinary earnings."
In this book, they attempt to report on what the team learned about constraints and strategic choices in the global enonomy. "As far as I know, this is the first large-scale analysis of globalization that starts with a view from the trenches -- the people under great pressure to respond to new challenges in hundreds of companies around the world." If all manufacturing leaves America, can research, design, and services be far behind?
Firms locate production abroad or contract out to foreign manufacturers to get the cheap labor. It doesn't matter that the quality is poor and not up to standard. "Finding workers at lower wages is the main concern." Who makes Dell computers and where? The December 19, 2004, 'New York Times' article quoted Kevin Rollins as saying that "Dell makes them in the United States." They even moved a production group to Nashville, Tennessee. "None is outsourced; none is made in other countries and shipped in." It has been pointed out that Dell laptops are assembled abroad." In 2005, 'Fortune' named Dell "America's most admired company." Ms. Berger maintains that "the only operation that take place in Dell factories in the United States are those involved with final assembly -- in other words, screwing in the parts and burning in the software options selected by the customer" and that Dell outsources all the manufacturing of the components which are included in its computers.
Lenova Group Ltd. may be the world's third-largest computer maker after acquiring IBM's personal computer business, but it's a household name only in China. It provided an Internet cafe in the Olympic Village at Torino with free access to thirty-four computers for email service for the athletes and trainers. NBC's Olympic crew leased 1,000 Lenova notebook and desktop computers. Because of this exposure and the expensive sponsorship, its aim is recognition as a worldwide brand.
Global trade has railroads humming again. The right train of thought can take you to a better station in life. Norfolk Southern is leading the way. As manufacturing moved abroad, more finished goods needed to crisscross the country from ports. In the 20th century, train engines, railroad cars, and thousands of miles of railroad tracks were all Norfolk Southern needed to reach prosperity. With the assistance of University of Tennessee as a key management tool to a broader understanding of the global logistics economy, Norfolk Southern is now more integrated in the global supply chain.
Many of their trains are reassembled at the John Sevier Yard where my dad worked in the Fifties for the Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern who bought them out operates in twenty-two states and Canada, employing 30,000 people with Knoxville as a key hub because of its location and the CSX local Railroad. Sourcing of parts and materials is more global not only on a 21,000 mile cross-country route, but the Asian products headed to the Midwest will use Eastern ports like Norfolk, Virginia.
At present, six major U. S. ports including Miami, Florida, are being used by Arab Emirates businesses which merged with a subsidiary of a London-based firm purchased by Durai Ports Wrold for $6.8 billion to allow direct access to American soil. Medicare is already substituting generic medicines manufactured in Israel and Germany in its new drug "insurance" whereby the American patient has no say in the matter. And it is not free! Competing globally for manufactured goods is one thing but putting the American population, especially the fragile elderly, at risk for chemical warfare -- or national security -- is another matter.
Previously, I reviewed Thomas Friedman's THE WORLD IS FLAT which this author takes a differing opinion. She says that he claims "talented individuals from all over the world are now competing on a level playing field." She advocates that our world is still round. When MIT came out with another study, "Made in America" in 1988, "we learned about senior corporate delegations making visit after visit to Japanese plants to fathom the secrets of Japanese success." The Toyota and Nissan plants were built in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Lexington, Kentucky, and Detroit lost some of its automobile production to Spring Hill, Tennessee. Now, the digital companies have decided on Middle Tennessee to relocate.
This is a five-year study by a dozen (nine men, three women) MIT Industrial Performance Center Globalization Team of which the author was a member. She teaches political science at MIT and was also in the group which produced the earlier study, "Made in America." Established in 1991, the IPC is headed by Richard K. Lester. There is a group picture on page 335 of the illustrious group which has now decided "How We Compete." I say, we don't!
They Can't See it Coming!.......2006-01-21
More than two million jobs disappeared from the U.S. between '01 and '04 - half a million in high-tech industries alone. Further, Steven Roach, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, estimates that there have been about 8 million fewer jobs in the current recovery than would have been expected from prior history, and most of the new jobs come with low wages and few benefits.
Berger knows these numbers have caused a rising fear that no American job is safe from low-wage countries. To discover whether these fears are justified, Berger and a group of MIT researchers visited over 500 workplaces and factories around the world. Their conclusion is that cheap labor is not the answer.
This conclusion is currently true in some instances; however, the authors fail to see that cheap labor (the "China price") is increasingly dominating decision-making - both in services and manufacturing. Jobs that formerly were not candidates for outsourcing (finance, market research, industrial design, computer systems design, paralegal research, reading X-rays) now are; strategies that previously fought off Asian alternatives often fail to work several years later as China and India adopt new techniques; in fact the authors often cite previously highly successful American companies that subsequently succumbed.
G.M. and Ford are additional examples where this may yet happen - despite years of world-leadership. Part of their problem was believing that they could let Japan have the low-cost market - this worked for awhile, but now Toyota et al have applied the lessons learned in that market segment, and leveraged their distribution etc. systems on to producing competitive SUVs and innovative hybrids as well. Meanwhile, Toyota sees Korea and China as its most formidable future challenges, and despite its vaunted Toyota Production System, maintaining direct control throughout all stages (so does Microsoft, but that hasn't kept it from substantial outsourcing to India), and co-locating with suppliers, is seriously looking at China. Remember Visteon and Delphi (Ford and G.M.'s former parts arms)? Spinning them off was supposed to encourage more companies to utilize them, and it worked - for a time. Today's successes are far too often ephemeral!
To be fair, the authors also point out that studies and analyses on the impact of outsourcing reach conclusions all over the map. However, I think the most accurate (and certainly highly credible) conclusion is that of former MIT economist (and Nobel prize-winner) Paul Samuelson - globalization should increase the world's total income and average standard of living, but there's no reason to think any particular country or region's advances will outweigh its losses.
Berger, et al, also go on to recommend substantially improving American education. The "bad news" is that this has been tried for at least 30 years, with little impact. Further, others have determined that Asian IQs average about ten points over that of American whites. Regardless, what difference would improving education make, even if we did achieve equality with Asian outcomes, when the workers are paid but a fraction of Americans?
Berger does mention the rationale for foreign corporations choosing to continue building millions of cars in the U.S. - laws requiring U.S. content. Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW, Subaru, VW and others have built large plants in the U.S. as a result of this act. However, the authors fail to recognize this as a potentially strong and viable overall solution to the hollowing of America.
Another important omission is the problem of outsourcing large numbers of jobs to illegals within this country - in fact, Berger et al reference a situation involving such as a solution! Estimates are that AT LEAST nine million illegals from Mexico are here - depressing wage levels and stealing jobs that Americans formerly did. And what about the large number of Canadian truck drivers within the U.S. - soon to be augmented by Mexicans. (There are NO American truck drivers in Mexico that I know of, and very few that I've seen in Canada.) Then there is the self-inflicted problem of L1 and H1B visas bringing hundreds of thousands more, albeit legally. While technically not "outsourcing," the impact of each of the preceding is the same.
Another thought from some "experts" is that sending off the lower-level jobs allows the U.S. to focus on "higher level" jobs such as innovation. That's ridiculous for at least two reasons: 1)Manufacturing, for example, involves more than drilling, welding, molding, etc. It also involves design, production management, production layout, machine design, etc. These are NOT low-level jobs, nor is operating highly technical equipment. 2)How are all the displaced workers going to become eg. biomedical researchers, rocket scientists, etc.? (Oh yes, the Chinese and Indians are moving into those areas also; I have encountered a number of Americans who took recommended training in new areas after being "outsourced" from a long-term occupation only to become outsourced again.)
Also missing from "How We Compete" is any discussion and recommendation on healthcare. Auto manufacturers repeatedly claim that having to pay healthcare for their employees adds $1,000+ cost to each car - creating government-funded universal healthcare like other nations would help save jobs in America.
"How We Compete" address an important topic - however, its focus on CURRENT approaches (vs. trends) results in conclusions that are seriously over-optimistic. (Inadequate analysis by Berger and others helps explain the maze of contradictory conclusions on this topic; political and economic motivations of short-sighted clients are additional drivers.) Eight million jobs here, nine million there, etc., etc. - it adds up and hurts a lot. Meanwhile, America's competitive status declines daily and our government does little or nothing in defense.
Book Description
Speaking together in Cuba in 1991, Mandela and Castro discuss the place in the history of Africa of Cuba and Angola's victory over the invading U.S.-backed South African army, and the resulting acceleration of the fight to bring down the racist apartheid system.
Also available in: Spanish; Farsi
Customer Reviews:
Untold Facts.......2005-08-19
What facts untold and blind to the American population is that Nelson Mandela needed not to turn to the United States for aid in the battle for the spread of white supremacy because the leaders of the United States had already taken a side in this battle.
The side of inhumanity.
What is often not known is the truth in whom supported South Africa and funded South Africa in its spread of Apartheid, The United States of America. Knowingly, under the Presidency/Administration of Ronald Reagan.
There is a reason as to why Fidel Castro opposes Capitalism and United States methods:
1.Capitalism is a system unfit for humanity and is impossible to succeed globally as many people blindly and ignorantly believe. If this was truth, then why do we witness United States presence in so many countries world-wide, yet their economy and way of life has yet to improve under United States authority and rule? It is up to you to stand on the side of human beings, analyze communism, and stay on a base of neutrality until you begin to find out the truth of how this world has been functioning in all time leading to now.
2.The support for Apartheid is among the many inhumane acts the United States has participated in, in the last 200 years, both within the nation and outside the nation.
3.It was under United States aid to former dictator of Cuba Fulgencio Batista that all of Cuba was run by a corrupt mob-authority that constantly brutalized the Cuban population. All wealth from Cuba was directed to the United States and not enough to the people of Cuba whom it belonged to. Cuba was a third world nation before the start of the Cuban Revolution and is still one today, but the improvements and continued improvements are remarkable. Cuba would be ever more successful...well tremendously more succesful if the United States dropped its 40[I believe] year illegal economic blockade on Cuba which is against the Geneva conventions and which has been voted several times in the United Nations as a cruel policy which is genocidal. Most recently, in the U.N., 173 countries voted against it while 3 voted for it. This economic blockade is no way to bring THE PRESIDENT OF CUBA to his knees. It affects entirely the citizens of Cuba. The United States does this so that in hopes to crush the Cuban Revolution because it inspires other third world nations to rid themselves of cruel rule and imperial control and because it wants Cuba to become once again, a slave to the interest of the United States.
Here are the results of whom voted opposing the economic blockade: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Cameroon, Chad, Comoro Islands, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Equatorial, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Central African Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, The Grenadines, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PDR Korea, South Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, Tonga, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Kiribati, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Poland, United Kingdom, San Marino, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Moldavia, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
And countries that voted for the economic blockade: The United States, Israel, and the Marshall Islands.
If you do not believe all that I have said, look it up for yourself. I urge you to do so.
I myself choose the side of truth. And a system that promotes humanity. The immense majority of the world, not the few.
the Cuban revolution and the overthrow of apartheid.......2002-06-20
Speeches by Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, given in Cuba in 1991, discuss the role that Cuba played in the movement against apartheid. Mandela gives tribute, not only to Cuba?s military action, in defending Angola from South African invasion, but also its example of successful resistance to the oppressors. Castro, for his part, hails the contribution the South African people mad to the worldwide fight for justice, and his growing confidence in the capacities of the exploited.
Hidden history of Cuba's role in Southern Africa.......2002-03-15
Did you know that Cuba played a crucial role in the successful battle to end racist apartheid in South Africa? Probably not. In the United States, this is a non-fact. "How Far We Slaves Have Come" breaks the curtain of silence about these dramatic events. And it does so in the words of two of the principal figures involved -- Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro. They describe how combined Cuban and Angolan military forces defeated the South African army, which had invaded Angola, at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale. An army of Blacks and mestizos crushing the army of South Africa -- the supposed all-powerful bastion of white supremacy? This was not supposed to happen!
Coming after years of resistance and struggle by Blacks in South Africa, their defeat at Cuito Cuanavale demoralized the apartheid regime. As Nelson Mandela says in the book, "The defeat of the apartheid army was an inspiration to the struggling people inside South Africa! Without Cuito Cuanavale our organizations would not have been unbanned!...Cuito Cuanavale has been a turning point in the struggle to free the continent and our country from the scourge of apartheid!"
If you're interested in South Africa, Cuba, or just in history you're not supposed to know, you should read this book.
We Can Win!!!.......2002-01-12
Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela together in Cuba, not simply celebrating the victory of the South African Freedom struggle, not simply celebrating the continued life of the Cuban revolution, but speaking the truth about how the oppressed of the world can fight,can struggle, can win.
Just the idea that this little book exists, let alone its stirring, intelligent words, reminds me that though the battles have been tough, working people fighting like these two fighters can win.
While this book may not be directly available from Amazon at times, they are available from the booksfrompathfinder on Amazon that you can find by clicking on the new and used books on this page.
Nelson, Si! Fidel, No!.......2001-06-27
Interesting pamphlet from a joint appearance of Nelson mandela and Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1991. Mandela's purpose is clear, to thank the Cubans for their support in African freedom struggles and this he does, educating people of the Cuban role in support of the ANC, Angola, and the Congo (via Che Guevara, all sides conveniently forgetting how Castro double-crossed Che).
Then we hear from Fidel. Same old stuff about US Imperialism, Cuba will never surrender to capitalism, etc. etc. If you hear/read one Fidel speech, you've heard 'em all. Read that aspect of it just to see for yourself.
Book Description
Why read about the history of Christian thought? Because, if you are Christian yourself, it helps you to understand the faith--addressing everything from where Christians got their ideas of the Trinity and how Christ can be both human and divine to what they think about issues like feminism, globalization and social justice. And because, even if you are not, all Western society has been shaped by the influence of thinkers like Augustine, Aquinas and Luther. You can't understand the world as it is without knowing something about Christian thought.Jonathan Hill has the uncanny ability to sketch portraits of his subjects--whether early church apologists, medieval doctors of the church, Reformation giants, nineteenth-century philosophical behemoths or contemporary feminist scholars--that are simultaneously lively, brief and revealing. Similarly, he ably penetrates to the nub of their thought, combining apt description with pithy quotations from their work. Significant events, councils, movements and terms are introduced and explained, which put the cast of characters in context and illumine their place within the development of Christian thought. Not content to merely describe, Hill offers pertinent assessments that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of his subjects' contributions to Christian thinking and spurs you to reflect on significant issues for yourself.A society with no grasp of its history is like a person without a memory. So Hill, in this lively and accessible introduction, offers you a wealth of insight on the history of Christian thought and the colorful personalities of those who gave it shape and form.
Customer Reviews:
From Ante-Nicene to Post-Modern: A Panoramic View of Christian Theology.......2006-06-22
When an author undertakes to cover 2,000 years in under 400 pages, inevitably something or someone is going to be left out or neglected, and cognoscenti are going to be disappointed that their own pet subjects were given short shrift. I, on the other hand, brought a wealth of ignorance to the subject and was consequently well-satisfied with the work.
Hill begins his survey with the closing of the New Testament canon and tries to address the biography, career, thought, and impact of every major Christian theologian from that day to this. The reader may quibble over some of his omissions, but cannot argue with his inclusions. Hill also attempts to outline various movements and schools of thought that have arisen and flourished during the long history of Christianity.
The reader will meet many admirable men, many strange ideas, and much convoluted thought between the covers of this book.
Bites off more than he can chew. .......2006-03-27
This is a well-written introduction to many interesting and important thinkers. Hill introduces each era and movement, tells about the lives of his subjects with lively anecdotes, then sketches an outline of their thought. He has a good sense of humor; his discussion of post-modernism, for example, is suitably wry.
It seems to me, though, that Hill has bitten off much more than he can chew.
First of all, what does he mean, "Christian thought?" In the ancient world, a "philosopher" was someone who sought truth of all sorts, without being constrained by our modern concept of academic disciplines. Most of the ancient thinkers Hill discusses are "philosophers" in this sense, and so are many Medieval and Renaissance "thinkers." But in the modern era, Hill narrows his scope to recognized "theologians" (Bultmann, Barth, Tillich, etc.) He doesn't so much as mention folks like Chesterton, Girard, Solzhenitsyn, Plantinga, Stark, or C. S. Lewis. A narrative so potentially vast must limit itself, but the failure to mention such influential thinkers seems odd to me.
While his treatment of some thinkers left me thirsting for more (Pannenberg, for example), I hardly recognized his monochromatic caricature of Augustine. (I doubt he likes him.)
Worse is Hill's shallow and misleading treatment of four important topics: the relationships between faith and reason, attitudes to past thought, Christianity and culture, and the "historical Jesus."
On faith, Hill seems to buy the "Enlightenment myth" lock, stock and barrel. "Whether we like it or not," science and religion "do operate according to different value systems, and they do make conflicting claims about the world." Well, gee, glad to have that settled -- paying attention, Polkinghorne, Lewis, and Niebuhr? "People were looking at the world with new eyes -- the eyes of reason, not those of faith." Recently, I researched what thirty great Christian thinkers said about faith and reason, beginning with Justin Martyr. For most, faith and reason were like the wings on a single bird, as Pope John Paul put it, complementary though distinct. It is more plausible to say this phoney distinction between faith and reason is one of the fundamental errors of the Enlightenment. (See Jesus and the Religions of Man for details, or the anthology on faith and reason at christthetao.com.)
Rather than referring to the cogency of arguments or new data, often Hill exhibits a cloying "chronological snobbery" (as Lewis put it) to explain why new ideas supplant old ones. Origin's idea of a succession of universes "sounds like science fiction" but was "more reasonable" in those days. (Has Hill never heard of the oscillating universe or multiverse hypothesis?) "Deism seems hopelessly naive to us today." (Has he read Steven Hawking or Anthony Flew?) "Barth put the Trinity and Christology at the center of Christian thought." (Oh? And where had they been?) Hill's discussion of feminist theology suffers from a naively critical view of the past. (See "The Sexual Revolution" in my Jesus and the Religions of Man.)
Hill's treatment of faith and culture is even weaker. "For the first time (during the Enlightenment) cultured people were becoming aware that other religions were not simple forces of darkness but had worthy ideals and concepts of God." Hill has read the Church fathers; he ought to know better. Justin, Clement of Alexander, and Origin, all said that pagan philosophers not only shed light, but were "tutors" to bring the world to Christ. Augustine became a Christian through Plato, and Dante credited Virgil for his faith.
Hill's treatment of Asian Christianity is especially weakened by this error. His discussion of Nestorian Christianity in China ("Jingjiao" not "jinjaio" as he renders it) seems tacked on. He spends four paragraphs on Marco Polo, but absurdly, does not so much as mention the great Matteo Ricci. He says nothing about the Chinese Christians who developed Ricci's Biblical (and Augustinian) approach. Nor does he mention key later thinkers like James Legge, Lin Yutang, or Yuan Zhiming, any Indian thinker, or such interesting thinkers as Uchimura Kanzou in Japan. Instead, he focuses on a few obscure theologians, writing as if the idea of relating Christian faith to Asian culture were a modern idea!
Finally, Hill does not deal seriously with the "historical Jesus" question, which looms large in late chapters. Barth, he says, "rejects the whole enterprise" of the search for the historical Jesus, "cutting Christianity adrift from its historical foundations." What Hill does not explain is why Barth did that, or what it means. In Why the Jesus Seminar Can't Find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could, I described twelve basic errors in history, logic, and epistemology that undermine secular "historical Jesus research," errors implicating some of Hill's subjects. Again, Hill makes little effort to sort these issues out or critique "enlightened" views.
These are epic seas, over which Odysseus himself could not sail without occasionally grounding. Hill simply and succinctly describing the lives and thought of many important figures. Apart from these reservations, this is not a bad book. But it does show, as Hill himself admits, that there is no substitute for reading the originals.
An excellent, highly readable survey.......2005-01-10
Unclear just what Arianism was, or what the Monophysites were upset about, or exactly why the Eastern church split from the Western? Not quite sure about the difference between liberal theology and liberation theology? Here's the book for you. This is an extremely well-written survey of Christian thought from Justin Martyr and the early church fathers through contemporary theologists, like Moltmann and Pannenberg. That's a lot of ground to cover in less than 350 pages, but Hill does about as good a job as I can imagine anyone doing. The background theological, philosophical, and cultural issues are clearly described, the key ideas of the particular theologian or thinker are carefully presented, and brief evaluations are provided. The book is published by InterVarsity Press, which might indicate a strong Evangelical bias, but Hill is scrupulously fair throughout; in fact, if anything, he leans in a moderately liberal direction. There is no lack of seriousness here, but lots of interesting anecdotes enliven the text and show the decidedly human side of men more known for weighty ideas and arduous prose. For one example, it is interesting to contemplate the teen-aged Aquinas brandishing a smoking log from the fireplace to chase a naked prostitute out of his room, a woman sent by his family to seduce him in a more worldly direction. Later, he got so fat a semicircle had to be cut from the front edge of his desk so he could sit close enough to do his writing. John Henry Newman, in contrast, was so skinny and bony he had trouble getting comfortable enough lying down to get a good night's sleep. Albert Schweitzer worked all night, with his feet in a tub of cold water and drinking black coffee to ward off sleep. The ideas are interesting, and so were the people who produced them. I had never heard of this book, which I picked up on a whim, and I'm very glad I did. It does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it in a consistently interesting and entertaining fashion, while never losing focus on the intellectual issues under consideration. What more can you ask? Highly recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Ridgeway has his say on Korea.......2002-08-19
One of the finest books written on The Korean Conflict by a man who ought to know as much as anyone about combat and Korea. As a personal hero of mine in WWII he took over an army totally unfit to fight and win against the new enemy, the Chinese. How he turned this sorry situation around is spelled out in many other books. The General simply tells his story about how he helped to make the 8th Army combat effective again. As far as I'm concerned South Korea is the nation it is today partially because of him. This book pulls few punches and the truth rings clear to anyone who has worn our nation's uniform in battle.
Ridgway and Limited War.......2001-05-19
Matthew Ridgway is a fairly unknown general in US military history. This is unfortunate because he was incredibly insightful and capable. In fact, he was probably the United States' best general of the Cold War.
_The Korean War_ is an account of his experiences commanding first the Eighth US Army and then the entire United Nations Command against the Communists. He entered the war at a time of catastrophic defeat. The Chinese Communists had forced the Eighth Army into a disastrous retreat, the longest in US military history. Ridgway took command of the Eighth Army and forged it into a more capable weapon. By doing so, he was able to halt the Communist advance and retake much lost ground.
_The Korean War_ explains how Ridgway did this. Moreover, though, the book demonstrates his ability to grasp how the Cold War meant that the US needed to fight different kinds of wars. Total war was now very dangerous because it could result in a Third World War with the Soviet Union or a much larger war with China. Ridgway, therefore, endorsed the necessity of fighting limited wars. He developed this stategy as well as an operational approach of attrition. He wanted to wear down the Communists and force them to concede in negotiations. He focused on reducing the risk of escalation and minimizing his own losses in order to form a sustainable strategic and operational approach. As such, Ridgway played a formative role in the development of US strategy in the Cold War. This book explains how and why he did so. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand conventional military strategy during the Cold War.
Excellent book for a military perspective of the Korean War.......1999-11-10
General Matthew Ridgway commanded the U.S. Eight Army in Korea from December 1950 until April 1951 when he succeeded General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the United Nations forces in Korea and Supreme Commander of the U.S. Far East Command. The Korean War is his personal account of the military and political aspects of the conflict and his view of the implications the Korean conflict would have on future U.S. foreign policy. Ridgway does a fine job of explaining the impetus for U.S. involvement in a war on the Korean peninsula, a war in which America was incredible unprepared and downright disinterested. Ridgway's analysis of the U.S. failure to anticipate the invasion is insightful. The U.S. believed the next war would be another global conflict similar to World War II in which Korea would play very little importance. Ridgway states that the U.S. was not concerned with Korea mainly because it was beyond the traditional U.S. defensive perimeter that would be protected against the next global conflagration. Furthermore, Ridgway points out that the U.S. had faith in the United Nations to forestall any serious aggression and, in the event of a failure, the U.S. felt confident in the power of its nuclear deterrence. Ridgway claims confidence in these factors left America believing in a psychological Maginot line in Korea. Little fault can be found with Ridgway's analysis of the North Korea's invasion of South Korea and subsequent unprepared U.S. entry into the Korean War. Ridgway states "diplomacy is only as strong as the military muscle willing to be put forth." The amount of military muscle put forth is driven by the resolve of the American populace and with Korea there was little. Had the U.S. demonstrated or even indicated a resolve to protect the South Korea, the invasion probably could have been averted. Ridgway dedicates much time to the civil-military dispute between General MacArthur and President Truman during which MacArthur was eventually relieved and replaced by Ridgway. Ridgway claims that the outcome of this dispute settled once and for all the debate over military versus civilian supremacy when determining the course of U.S. policy. From the beginning of the Korean War, MacArthur had his sights set on a victory that was not the limited to South Korean liberation but included to global destruction of Communism. President Truman on the other hand was mindful of the politics at home and abroad and did not support MacArthur's calls for the isolation and destruction of China and all of Communism. Truman knew what MacArthur refused to recognize -- that America would not rise to fight World War III as it did to fight World War II. Additionally, Truman was very aware that the new dynamics of the Cold War and of nuclear proliferation were changing the face of warfare and bringing to light a new concept of conflict, limited war. Ridgway does a superb job of analyzing the conflict between MacArthur and Truman as only someone who was intimately involved at that level could. MacArthur was a military officer trained to fight the wars of the nation, and he was perhaps unmatched in his prowess; however, Ridgway argues, in a democracy the politics of war should be left to the civilians. MacArthur believed that with the right resolve the U.S. could defeat China, but America did not posses the necessary resolve. Ridgway blames MacArthur for much of the confrontation and paints MacArthur as narcissistic. While this may be true, MacArthur's personal failings cannot be the sole cause for the abrupt end to his career. More importantly it may be the failings of the civilian leadership that did. MacArthur had to be relieved to protect the tenets of American democracy, but had the civilian leadership intervened earlier, as it is empowered to do so, perhaps MacArthur could have departed with the dignity he earned and deserved. One area where Ridgway does miss the mark is in his evaluation of the Korean War's final outcome. Ridgway sees the armistice in Korea as a U.S. victory, not a total victory, but as the first resounding defeat for Communism, and the "battle that began to turn back the tide." Korea may have been a military victory against Communism, but it was foreign policy failure. The U.S. created the Korean War by neglecting Korea as a nation and its strategic importance. Moreover, the U.S. failed to anticipate North Korean and Chinese intentions even with substantial intelligence, and it failed to convey to these countries U.S. resolve in the region. Written in 1967 near the height of the Vietnam War, Ridgway's book takes lessons learned from a superb historical account of the war and uses them as a basis for critical evaluation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In modern warfare, Ridgway sees no room for open-ended warfare. He states U.S. objectives of world policy should be defined with care, should lie within the range of (U.S.) vital national interests and that their accomplishment should be within (U.S.) capabilities. He believes U.S. objectives in Vietnam at the time were "not set within this frame." History eventually proved him correct. Most importantly Ridgway addresses the impact that nuclear weapons had on the Korean conflict and what they will have on future warfare. The U.S. had only two choices in Korea - truce or broadened war, which could have led to the use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons could have brought the U.S. victory, but that would have forced America to cede the moral high ground. Ridgway questions this cost and uses this as the basis for accepting the concept of limited war and the fact that traditional victory may be a thing of the past. He states, "we had final come to realize that military victory was not what it had been in the past. It might even elude us forever if the means we used to achieve it brought wholesale devastation to the world or led us down the road of international immorality past the point of no return."
The commander tells how he saw the war in Korea.......1999-09-08
Matthew Ridgway was arguably the finest general officer to serve in United States forces in the 20th Century. Whether one agrees with this ranking or not, no one can dispute that he performed a feat of leadership unmatched by any senior general in American military history - he took an American army that had suffered the greatest defeat in its history and rebuilt it through the force of his personality and gifts of leadership and turned it around and had it successfully on the offensive in only one month. Had he done nothing else, his fame would be unmatched, yet he additionally kept the United States out of the Indochina morass that ten years later would be Vietnam - when there were no Ridgways to warn of the dangers of commitment there.
The author's intent was to display his error-free ego.......1999-07-11
Gen. Matthew Ridgeway is so full of himself that he cannot err. He is quick to point out his perfection by comparing himself to others of his calling, and although forced by history and fact to admit the other fine leaders of the 8th army did actually perform well in Korea, he is obviously reluctant to write of anything unless the sentence begins with "I". His book is garbage, and I'm ashamed to have served under him in that war.
Book Description
Where are you when people
• go to the coast instead of the beach
• tote things as well as carry them
• wait on line instead of in line
• get groceries in a paper sack instead of a paper bag
• say things like "The baby needs picked up" and "The car needs washed"
• eat solid rectangular doughnuts that are also called beignets
• complain when something is spendy ("costly")
• are chilled by a blue norther
• ask for tonic instead of soda
• go "dahntahn" to shop.
Allan Metcalf answers these and many other fascinating questions in his new book, How We Talk: American Regional English Today. In short, delightful essays, Metcalf explains the key features that make American speech so expressive and distinct. He begins in the South, home of the most easily recognized of American dialects, and travels north to New England, then on to the Midwest and the far West, even to Alaska and Hawaii. It's all here: the northern Midwest "Fargo" accent, Louisiana Cajun and New Orleans Yat, dropped r's as in Boston's "Hahvahd Yahd," and intrusive r's as in "Warshington," especially common in America's midlands. With additional chapters on ethnic dialects and dialects in the movies, Metcalf reveals the resplendence of one our nation's greatest natural resources â its endless and varied talk.
Customer Reviews:
Not good enough.......2001-03-17
If you were thumbing through the American English section of your bookstore, this would not be the book you would take home. Research is what distinguishes the books in this category, and this one has only shallow, and sometimes incorrect, insights to offer. A much better book on the same topic is "How To Talk American" by Jim Crotty. Example: there are 15 pages on New York City vocabulary and pronunciation in "How To Talk AMerican", only 3 in this book. "How To Talk" is more articulate, and serves up such accurate items as Losaida and DUMBO and NoLIta that is lacking in "How We Talk". There are inaccuracies in How We Talk that I found distracting, and the contrast in value between the books is instructive. If you are interested in this topic, "How To Talk American" is accurate, well-researched and well-articulated, and "How We Talk" will let you down. Also, Bill Bryson has written a couple of books on this general topic, and they are all good reads.
An educational examination of modern regional oddities.......2001-02-06
How We Talk surveys American regional English, examining local sayings and figures of speech and moving across the country to access both statewide and regional quirks of language. Any studying regional language will find it an appealing, educational examination of modern regional oddities.
Great Read.......2000-10-25
This is a wonderful book. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. A perfect gift for anyone on your holiday list -- in great short essays Metcalf brings us back to the speech of the people we grew up with. Whether your grandmother cooked dropped-eggs, or picked up her groceries in a paper sack you'll love this book! A must read.
Book Description
Travel 2,500 years back in time to find out where many of our modern holiday traditions originated.
• Charming full-color ink and watercolor illustrations throughout.
• This valuable resource for teachers and parents uses hands-on activities, natural science facts, and observations to explore the concepts of measuring time, making calendars, and marking seasonal celebrations.
• Shows how our popular holiday traditions are rooted in nature, beginning as the seasonal festivals of an ancient society.
Children love holiday celebrations but most don't know why they wear masks on Halloween or watch for the groundhog on February 2. Now they can discover that many of our modern traditions started with the festivals of the ancient Celts. The Celts were farming people, so their festivals marked the important events of the agricultural year. Imbolc, in very early spring, celebrated the birth of new lambs, while Samhain, in late fall, celebrated the end of the growing season and the beginning of winter. If we look at our modern calendar, we'll find Groundhog Day falling where Imbolc did, Halloween where the Celts celebrated Samhain, and a host of other holiday correspondences. That's because descendants of the Celts were among the first Europeans to settle in the New World, bringing their holiday traditions with them.
In a world of electric lights and store-bought foods, The Ancient Celtic Festivals can help children make the connections to nature that their ancestors did. Whimsically illustrated activity pages invite them to bake a harvest corn bread, stage a spring festival, or warm up the cold depths of winter with hot spiced cider. Teachers, librarians, parents, and children alike will welcome this book as a fun-filled resource.
Customer Reviews:
nice.......2007-04-26
i liked it. my kids liked it. i love reference books. this isnnt a reference book, but it has all the info on holiday origins i need, so when i want to explain why we celebrate halloween and my kids ask how come some kids think its devil worship, i can just go here, or when they ask how come we have a tree on jesus' birthday, they can even look it up themselves, this book is very kid friendly!
Require good reading skills but reward with many insights.......2001-08-17
Ancient Celtic Festivals deserves ongoing mention as a fine resource for kids ages 8-12 years, which explains how modern celebrations are rooted in ancient Celtic history and festivals. Links between the ancient rituals and how they are celebrated today require good reading skills but reward with many insights.
Book Description
Each of these three books (Developing a Christian Worldview of Science and Evolution, Developing a Christian Worldview of the Problem of Evil, and Developing a Christian Worldview of the Christian in Today's Culture) is drawn from Colson's highly successful How Now Shall We Live? Shorter in length and accessible to readers, the Developing a Christian Worldview series is ideal for small-group study and classroom use. Each chapter begins with pre-reading questions, and each study session is made up of newly written discussion questions, role-playing activities, and challenges to implement key insights. All are designed to help readers grasp Colson's arguments and learn how to use the points effectively with non-Christians.
Customer Reviews:
Great companion to How Now Shall We Live.......2003-09-30
If you enjoyed the Colson/Pearcey hardback of How Now Shall We Live, you will find this a great discussion guide. This paperback is essentially the last section of the Colson/Pearcey hardback with questions for individuals or groups. (The first two sections of the hardback can be found in discussion guide format as well). If you are interested in the basics of living out the Christain worldview this is a great place to start. Although not exhaustive in content, the book offers some great stories to illustrate the main points as well as discussions on such topics as education, crime, family life, art and music--all in the context of the historical Christian worldview. Colson/Peacey also contrast the Christian worldview with the dominant secular worldview. For a person interested in the basics of the Christian worldview regarding culture or for the Christian who is tired of hearing that a Christian has nothing to offer in modern culture, this book will be a welcome read.
Christian in Today's Culture by Colson Disappointing.......2003-08-08
Although the book contained some ideas that were thought provoking, I found much of the book dogmatic and narrow-minded. Most of the author's conclusions about education, for example, were based on opinions and distorted, and inaccurate information. Knowing how wrong he was about education, also made me question whether his conclusions on other topics were also just opinions or distortions.
Customer Reviews:
Christians- The most persecuted group in the world now!!.......2001-05-03
An insightful and powerful book addressing Christian persecution throughout the world. Shea declares that more Christians have died for their faith in the 19th and 20th century than throughout the whole of history.
I do think this book could be ammended... It deals priamrily more with abuses in Islamic and Asian countries. Stalin's purges were specifically targeted at some Christians. Moreover, Christians endure a hostile media environment in America and Europe that no other group seems to be subject to.
Tales of modern Christian martyrdom and persecution.......2000-05-02
Nina Shea delivers a powerful book that should be used by the U.S. government in investigating issues of religious persecution and human rights abuses worldwide.
Shea examines abuses against both Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians (unlike the Paul Marshall book Their Blood Cries Out) comitted primarily in the countries of China, Sudan, Pakistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Egypt, Nigeria, Cuba, Laos, and Uzbekistan.
Published in 1997, Shea could no doubt write a companion volume based on the persecution and death of Christians in the years since.
The book offers some excellent resolutions and calls for ways that Christians can respond to the persecution and help.
This is an important book that has received far less attention that it ought.
Good overview of Christian persecution.......1998-10-11
Good overview of the current situation of the persecution of Christians around the world. Somewhat lacking in specific examples.
Product Description
Four volumes comprise this original edition of the collection: I. Reform in the Process of Change, II. What We Believe, III. How We Live, and IV. Leader's Guide (prepared by Joel Soffin). The set is an expoloration of Reform Judaism, from it's dynamics, to belief and practice. Pages: Vol. I: xxv+139; Vol. II: 201; Vol III: 196; Vol IV: xii+178; 7.25" x 4.25"
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- India 2020; a Vision for the New Millennium
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Books Index
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