Bored Bookworm | Environment

Nir Kshetri’s Global Entrepreneurship: Environment and Strategy provides a window into the economic, political, cultural, geographical, and technological environments that affect entrepreneurs as they exploit opportunities and create value in economies across the world.

The book begins with a discussion of the theories, concepts, indicators, and measurements that impact entrepreneurship differently in different regions. From there, it offers helpful insights into global variations in entrepreneurial ecosystems and finance. Kshetri methodically examines entrepreneurship patterns in diverse economies through the lenses of economic system, political system, culture and religion, and geography (both by country and continent).

Offering case studies at the end of each chapter illustrating concepts learned, as well as three detailed cases in an appendix for broader reflection, the book also includes online data resources, and international business planning support, making it a valuable resource for students in entrepreneurship, and international business classes.

Studies have shown that parents have more influence over their child, both emotionally and physically, during pregnancy and the first years after birth than at any other point in life. With The Attachment Pregnancy, you will learn how to use this important time to form a deeper connection and introduce your child to a loving environment--even before birth. Childbirth experts Tracy Wilson Peters and Laurel Wilson guide you through each stage of development with advice for providing consistent and nurturing care as your baby grows, so that you can ensure that every need is always met.

From the moment your child is conceived to the day of delivery, The Attachment Pregnancy shows you how to strengthen your bond and give your baby the best life possible from the very beginning.

How to recognize and combat the external factors that cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight

Tackling a weight problem is often viewed as a personal responsibility that requires making healthier choices. The latest research, however, shows that external factors—from family and friendships to advertising and the workplace environment—have an equal, if not greater, impact on America's growing waistline. Just look at the stats: A person's chance of becoming obese increases by 57 percent if a close friend is obese, 40 percent if a sibling is obese, and 37 percent if a spouse is obese.

That's where Thinfluence comes in. Through a research-based examination of the various social, environmental, and policy-based issues that are influencing the nation's health, Harvard researchers Dr. Walter Willett and Dr. Malissa Wood examine how relationships, workplace, media, and other factors are affecting readers' weight. The book offers a clear three-step action plan—analyze, act, influence—for readers to identify hidden factors affecting weight, develop a personal toolbox to combat external effects, and become positive influences on others around them.

Thinfluence doesn't tell readers to ditch their friends and family, change jobs, or move to another state. It helps them identify barriers to weight loss success and arms them with the tools to overcome these negative forces. This book takes a fresh look at today's weight control discussion, taking it where it has seldom gone before: outside of the individual.

The phenomena of increasingly global business enterprises with valuable intangible property expose companies to transfer pricing enforcement by different countries around the world. Many of these countries are increasingly aggressive in enforcing their local transfer pricing rules, as they attempt to protect their tax revenue base. To avoid double taxation of the same income in this environment, companies often are required to deal with the highly specialized, bilateral treaty-based competent authority process developed to prevent double taxation at a time when trade mainly involved only two established countries. Even more challenging today, companies and tax authorities increasingly are faced with the potential for multiple taxation of the same income, as supply chains cross many borders and as the tax authorities of emerging countries become players in the global taxation process, and the resulting stresses, strains, and limitations of the bilateral treaty-based competent authority process have become more apparent.

In light of the high-dollar risks presented by the increased enforcement efforts of tax authorities worldwide, the complexity of the ever-changing, inherently uncertain transfer pricing standards, and the continually evolving business models of businesses adapting to the constantly changing global economy, companies need practical guidance to permit them to develop and defend their transfer pricing strategies.

Transfer Pricing Answer Book 2014 gives companies such guidance by discussing all aspects of transfer pricing, from initially planning a transfer pricing strategy, to alternative ways to defend the strategy from attack by two or more tax authorities, to resolving a case before competent authorities, to bringing a transfer pricing case to court. The book’s non-technical discussion is presented in a question and answer format that will appeal to readers regardless of their prior level of experience or familiarity with taxes in general and transfer pricing in particular.

Transfer Pricing Answer Book 2014 is an invaluable resource for company executives and their advisors who are seeking to better understand this important area of tax law that has become such an important economic facet of so many businesses.

The Mangle in Practice opens with a fresh introduction to the mangle by Pickering. Several contributors then present empirical studies that demonstrate the mangle’s applicability to topics as diverse as pig farming, Chinese medicine, economic theory, and domestic-violence policing. Other contributors offer examples of the mangle in action: real-world practices that implement a self-consciously “mangle-ish” stance in environmental management and software development. Further essays discuss the mangle as philosophy and social theory. As Pickering argues in the preface, the mangle points to a shift in interpretive sensibilities that makes visible a world of de-centered becoming. This volume demonstrates the viability, coherence, and promise of such a shift, not only in science and technology studies, but in the social sciences and humanities more generally.

Contributors: Lisa Asplen, Dawn Coppin, Adrian Franklin, Keith Guzik, Casper Bruun Jensen,Yiannis Koutalos, Brian Marick, Randi Markussen, Andrew Pickering, Volker Scheid, Esther-Mirjam Sent, Carol Steiner, Maxim Waldstein

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or where you want to go, if you don’t have the proper social etiquette the doors to success will not easily open for you. Our society is based on social interactions, from obtaining our first job to landing large promotions, starting our own business, traveling in foreign countries, enrolling in universities, or speaking about causes and experiences closest to us.

THE KEY CLASS is your go-to-guide for mastering social and business etiquette. Taught by world-renowned special event producer John Daly, The Key Class presents a rare and unique program custom tailored to fit the needs of any organization, school, corporation, or individual. Although the keys to social and business etiquette are universal, there is no one-size-fits-all route to achieving personal success.

Whether you are an educator seeking a valuable social skills resource for your students, a professional student needing that extra edge in job searching, a foreigner who needs to know American etiquette, a returning veteran, or a director of a non-profit or corporation looking for ways to increase employee value within your organization, The Key Class has the unique trajectory to help you reach those goals.

The purpose of The Key Class is to teach the tools of successful social and business skills for anyone, especially youth, who wants to succeed in life. In both personal and professional situations, every society has traditions in place that determine the way people are judged by the people they meet. Understanding these guidelines in society can make or break a person in social and business circles.

Along with being informative, The Key Class is user-friendly and fun! The use of high-energy interactive teaching methods increases student participation and enhances the learning environment. A series of four classes provides lecture, interactivity and role-playing to give students the knowledge to enter worlds that might not otherwise be achievable without it.

• communications technology modifications, involving cell phones, email and social media
• handling applications;
• research;
• securing appointments;
• phone etiquette;
• proper introductions;
• positive body language;
• conversing;
• following up after an interview;
• creating an effective resume;
• what to wear and what etiquette to use for interviews that take place over a meal;
• financial literacy.

Yearly global mean temperature and ocean levels, daily share prices, and the signals transmitted back to Earth by the Voyager space craft are all examples of sequential observations over time known as time series. This book gives you a step-by-step introduction to analysing time series using the open source software R. Each time series model is motivated with practical applications, and is defined in mathematical notation. Once the model has been introduced it is used to generate synthetic data, using R code, and these generated data are then used to estimate its parameters. This sequence enhances understanding of both the time series model and the R function used to fit the model to data. Finally, the model is used to analyse observed data taken from a practical application. By using R, the whole procedure can be reproduced by the reader. ~pscowper/ts.

The book is written for undergraduate students of mathematics, economics, business and finance, geography, engineering and related disciplines, and postgraduate students who may need to analyse time series as part of their taught programme or their research.

Since the first edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds was published in 1999, much has changed, and no one is more aware of this than mutual fund pioneer John Bogle. Now, in this completely updated Second Edition, Bogle returns to take another critical look at the mutual fund industry and help investors navigate their way through the staggering array of investment alternatives that are available to them.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this reliable resource examines the fundamentals of mutual fund investing in today's turbulent market environment and offers timeless advice in building an investment portfolio. Along the way, Bogle shows you how simplicity and common sense invariably trump costly complexity, and how a low cost, broadly diversified portfolio is virtually assured of outperforming the vast majority of Wall Street professionals over the long-term.

• Written by respected mutual fund industry legend John C. Bogle
• Discusses the timeless fundamentals of investing that apply in any type of market
• Reflects on the structural and regulatory changes in the mutual fund industry
• Other titles by Bogle: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing and Enough.

Securing your financial future has never seemed more difficult, but you'll be a better investor for having read the Second Edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds.

In The Triumph of Improvisation, James Graham Wilson takes a long view of the end of the Cold War, from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 to Operation Desert Storm in January 1991. Drawing on deep archival research and recently declassified papers, Wilson argues that adaptation, improvisation, and engagement by individuals in positions of power ended the specter of a nuclear holocaust. Amid ambivalence and uncertainty, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, George Shultz, George H. W. Bush, and a host of other actors engaged with adversaries and adapted to a rapidly changing international environment and information age in which global capitalism recovered as command economies failed.

Eschewing the notion of a coherent grand strategy to end the Cold War, Wilson paints a vivid portrait of how leaders made choices; some made poor choices while others reacted prudently, imaginatively, and courageously to events they did not foresee. A book about the burdens of responsibility, the obstacles of domestic politics, and the human qualities of leadership, The Triumph of Improvisation concludes with a chapter describing how George H. W. Bush oversaw the construction of a new configuration of power after the fall of the Berlin Wall, one that resolved the fundamental components of the Cold War on Washington's terms.

What does the crisis in the Eurozone mean for our markets—and how can you protect your portfolio against a breakup of the Euro? A leading currency expert explains

Little has been written about the instability of the Euro, but it’s a very real threat to investors worldwide, as well as to the global economy. In The Fall of the Euro, the Global Head of Currency Strategy at Nomura describes why the breakup of the Eurozone remains a real risk and outlines investment strategies for the most likely scenarios.

Over the last two years, swings in global asset markets have been increasingly driven by developments in Europe. This is something new: in the past, Europe was one of the most stable parts of the global economy, and its typically minor economic fluctuations would have little bearing on US equity markets. In the new environment of European turbulence, Europe's economic and political developments will be a persistent source of shocks for global financial markets. If the path ahead involves a disorderly breakup of the Eurozone, the instability to come will be much more intense than what we have seen to date. As an investor, you need a roadmap. This book provides it.

Jens Nordvig is Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Research, Americas and Global Head of Currency Strategy at Nomura, the global investment bank. Previously, Nordvig worked as a Senior Currency Strategist for investment management firm Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world.

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.

One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people “locked in”...including the President's wife and daughter.

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can “ride” these people and use their bodies as if they were their own.

This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....

John Scalzi's Lock In is a novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern science fiction.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

“Ideas of economic democracy are very much in the air, as they should be, with increasing urgency in the midst of today’s serious crises. Richard Wolff’s constructive and innovative ideas suggest new and promising foundations for much more authentic democracy and sustainable and equitable development, ideas that can be implemented directly and carried forward. A very valuable contribution in troubled times.”—Noam Chomsky

"Probably America's most prominent Marxist economist."—The New York Times

Capitalism as a system has spawned deepening economic crisis alongside its bought-and-paid-for political establishment. Neither serves the needs of our society. Whether it is secure, well-paid, and meaningful jobs or a sustainable relationship with the natural environment that we depend on, our society is not delivering the results people need and deserve.

One key cause for this intolerable state of affairs is the lack of genuine democracy in our economy as well as in our politics. The solution requires the institution of genuine economic democracy, starting with workers managing their own workplaces, as the basis for a genuine political democracy.

Here Richard D. Wolff lays out a hopeful and concrete vision of how to make that possible, addressing the many people who have concluded economic inequality and politics as usual can no longer be tolerated and are looking for a concrete program of action.

Richard D. Wolff is professor of Economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is currently a visiting professor at the New School University in New York. Wolff is the author of many books, including Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It. He hosts the weekly hour-long radio program Economic Update on WBAI (Pacifica Radio) and writes regularly for The Guardian, Truthout.org, and the MRZine.

When it comes to HDR, only three key ingredients are needed: hardware, software, and post-processing technique. Hardware is simple–there are only a few things you need to set up and shoot an HDR series. Software is vastly improved, making it easier for anyone to create an HDR image. The hard part is the post-processing technique. There are only two options: hours and hours of experimentation or The HDR Book.

Featuring real-world interviews with passionate HDR photographers, this updated edition of the popular The HDR Book, by Rafael “RC” Concepcion, is more than a how-to and different from any other HDR book out there. While other books on HDR tend to lean toward the esoteric or formulaic, this book takes another approach. It's a complete and total HDR workshop that teaches you the one thing that most other books miss— once you've tone mapped your image with HDR software, you're still not finished.

Within the pages of this book, you'll find 10 projects–now updated!–shot with everything from a point-and-shoot to a 37-megapixel, medium-format camera. The projects are designed to show you how the subtle differences in each scenario (lighting, subject, environment, etc.) dictate the post-processing needed to achieve one of the many final looks covered. You'll learn not only the different tone map settings RC used, but you’ll also learn the final steps taken in Photoshop to complete each image. Then, you'll recreate these looks your self using the exact same RAW files that RC used! Plus, you get four bonus images to play with and create your own look. The end result: a more intrinsic understanding of the nuances of HDR that will help you create the images you’ve always wanted.

Best of all, The HDR Book is written using the three top HDR processing programs in the industry today: Photoshop’s HDR Pro, Photomatix Pro, and HDR Efex Pro. No matter which program you use, you'll be able to follow along and create your own stunning looks in no time.

Our Beautiful, Fragile World features a career-spanning look at the images of photojournalist Peter Essick taken while on assignment for National Geographic magazine. In this book, Essick showcases a diverse series of photographs from some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world and documents major contemporary environmental issues, such as climate change and nuclear waste.


Each photograph is accompanied by commentary on the design process of the image, Essick's personal photographic experiences, and informative highlights from the research he completed for each story. Our Beautiful, Fragile World takes the reader on a journey around the globe, from the Oulanka National Park near the Arctic Circle in Finland to the Adelie penguin breeding grounds in Antarctica.

Our Beautiful, Fragile World will interest photographers of all skill levels. It carries an important message about conservation, and the photographs provide a compelling look at our environment that will resonate with people of all ages who care about the state of the natural world.


Foreword by Jean-Michel Cousteau.

An essential toolkit for understanding architecture as both art form and the setting for our everyday lives

We spend most of our days and nights in buildings, living and working and sometimes playing. Buildings often overawe us with their beauty. Architecture is both setting for our everyday lives and public art form—but it remains mysterious to most of us.
     In How Architecture Works, Witold Rybczynski, one of our best, most stylish critics and winner of the Vincent Scully Prize for his architectural writing, answers our most fundamental questions about how good—and not-so-good—buildings are designed and constructed. Introducing the reader to the rich and varied world of modern architecture, he takes us behind the scenes, revealing how architects as different as Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, and Robert A. M. Stern envision and create their designs. He teaches us how to “read” plans, how buildings respond to their settings, and how the smallest detail—of a stair balustrade, for instance—can convey an architect’s vision. Ranging widely from a war memorial in London to an opera house in St. Petersburg, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., to a famous architect’s private retreat in downtown Princeton, How Architecture Works, explains the central elements that make up good building design. It is an enlightening humanist’s toolkit for thinking about the built environment and seeing it afresh.
     “Architecture, if it is any good, speaks to all of us,” Rybczynski writes.  This revelatory book is his grand tour of architecture today.

• Historical Background of Feng Shui
• The Foundation of Theories of Feng Shui
• Feng Shui Mastery for Home
• Feng Shui Mastery for Health
• Feng Shui Mastery for Happiness
• Feng Shui for Enhancing Love and Relationships
• BONUS! Find Inside…
• and much more!