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A must read!
A very rivetting and hard-hitting collection of essays! A must read for anyone interested in social issues and the African American experience in America. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Recession Buster
My company is fighting hard in the global market and doing well.One of the reasons we are successful is not only the product but who we do business with.This Book, China Calling, A Foot in the Global Door, saved us from potential difficulties with Chinese packaging suppliers by explaining how the Chinese think and how they negotiate.It is an absolute must for anyone creating contracts with Chinese businesses.
Highly Recommended

Fantastic Insight
Our company has dealt with China for some time and the recent NZ agreements on trade mean we will do more.This book is the first one which covers how to deal with the private Chinese entrepreneur and what they are looking for.Most other books I have found are too political or too big picture - great for journalists but useless for business.China Calling : a foot in the global door explains all that you need to know in order to deal with the modern Chinese manager and I highly recommend it.I really hope these authors also do something similar on India which also needs a bit of explaining !five stars . ... Read more

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Many people feel that the impact of technology and the pressure of the market economy on alpine communities leads to a loss of biodiversity, authenticity and cultural diversity, affecting animal husbandry, local food production, social networks and traditions. It is undeniable that "progress," "development" and "integration" are transforming working routines, recipes for dairy production and patterns of communication in rural communities. This book explores the many tensions at the core of present local practices and debates in the Italian Alps, highlighting the many transformations undergone within skilled practice and cultural heritage as a result of commoditization, professionalization and technification, with a special focus on the ways in which this also means, quite literally, changing one's vision of locality: of the landscape, of local products and of local animals. ... Read more

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This book is the first comprehensive post-war history of one of Europe's most vibrant cities throughout an extraordinary period of social, cultural and economic change. The capital of Italy's economic miracle of the 1950s and 60s, Milan was a magnet for immigrants, as industry, design and culture created a heady mix of wealth, innovation and conflict. By the 1980s, heavy industry had all but disappeared and the city had reinvented itself as the world capital of fashion and a dynamic post-industrial metropolis. Meanwhile, the urban landscape was darkened by the bleak estates of the peripheries and the corruption scandals that exploded in what became known as "Tangentopoli"-, or Bribesville.

This fascinating book traces Milan's "biography" through its buildings, design, fashion, cinema, families, immigrants and television. The city emerges as a potent economic powerhouse and laboratory for change, where art and culture converge in a modern but problematic urban space. ... Read more

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Excellent intro or update to Milan's complex recent history
There's little to add to the enthusiastic reviews above. Over the course of three visits to Milan, I have been happy to discover hidden layers to this multi-textured city, a city which does not lay itself bare to a first gaze. Dr Foot's highy readable book brings to our consideration the myriad social, cultural and economic aspects (the unique or emblematic problems and successes) of the recent history of this great city.
The book certainly enriches our knowledge and gives us several insightful views of the Milan we thought we already knew as being the rich and complex capital of St Ambrose, the Viscontis, and the Sforzas, not to mention the industrious workshop of Leonardo, Bramante and many other artists and intellectuals and today's fashion and design legends.
I am increasingly intrigued by the unique Italian experience of urban history and city building. More than the rest of lovely Italy perhaps, Milan has been historically highly attractive to successive waves of invaders and now of immigrants. Simply at that level, it has a unique history to tell. Dr Foot has unravelled some of the most recent layers -- and I might add that this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in cities. ... Read more

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India's North East is fast becoming yet another zone of natural and man-made disasters, intercommunity strife, and violent conflicts. This has lead to its accounting for the largest number of people constantly on the move in the country, and hence the analogy in the book title with Blisters on their Feet. This book is a compendium of case studies drawn from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Tripura - the four worst-affected states of the region. This book is the first of its kind, weaving the stories of the people of this region with rare insight, sensitivity, and commitment, and without any theoretical pretensions.

The editor's introduction serves as a useful key to conceptualizing internal displacement as a research problem and a matter of national concern. The book helps us understand the human tragedy of this region in a wider comparative context. ... Read more

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The crippling custom of footbinding is the thematic touchstone for Judy Yung's engrossing study of Chinese American women during the first half of the twentieth century. Using this symbol of subjugation to examine social change in the lives of these women, she shows the stages of "unbinding" that occurred in the decades between the turn of the century and the end of World War II.The setting for this captivating history is San Francisco, which had the largest Chinese population in the United States. Yung, a second-generation Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco, uses an impressive range of sources to tell her story. Oral history interviews, previously unknown autobiographies, both English- and Chinese-language newspapers, government census records, and exceptional photographs from public archives and private collections combine to make this a richly human document as well as an illuminating treatise on race, gender, and class dynamics.While presenting larger social trends Yung highlights the many individual experiences of Chinese American women, and her skill as an oral history interviewer gives this work an immediacy that is poignant and effective. Her analysis of intraethnic class riftsa major gap in ethnic historysheds important light on the difficulties that Chinese American women faced in their own communities. Yung provides a more accurate view of their lives than has existed before, revealing the many ways that these womenrather than being passive victims of oppressionwere active agents in the making of their own history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good information
The book provides good information with a huge bibliography. It's very complete, and factual. The writing is good and provides a great overview with real quotes from real women of the time.

Impressive Addition to Chinese American Woman's History
Through Unbound Feet, Judy Yung explores the history of Chinese American women in San Francisco from the turn of the century to the Second World War using the Chinese custom of footbinding and the gradual steps away from this tradition as an outline for her narrative. She traces the growth and changes of women through their immigration, experiences and lives in America. By the completion of the book, Yung has concluded that the experiences of Chinese women "have been as much in response to economic, social, and political developments in China as in the United States" (5).

Moving through history from "bound feet" to "in step," Chinese American women gained a new sense of independence not before known to Chinese women. Yung attributes the many changes these women underwent to Christianity, Chinese nationalism, and acculturation to American culture. With bound feet, women were not able to exercise of control over their lives. They lived their lives in seclusion; unable to walk away from the restrictions placed on Chinese women. Yung asserts that by the time of World War II, women had not only managed to walk away, but they had also managed to establish a new way of life that was acceptable for Chinese women. Yung claims that this role more accurately reflected the lives and roles of American women, rather than the traditional role ascribed to women in the Chinese nation.

Yung, perhaps inadvertently, shows how Chinese women used the American culture to further expand their roles within their own culture. The scenario presented by Yung is, once in America, Chinese women were introduced to the applied gender roles of women in a different country. In America, women may not have enjoyed anything close to equal rights, but they were allotted many more rights than women in China. Considering women in China were praised for ignorance, the differences between the cultures is not hard to imagine. However, Chinese women were patriotic to their country, as Yung proves, and while they were assimilating many aspects of American culture, they also held onto much of the culture from their home country. Yung shows how in America, Chinese women adopted certain aspects of American culture without fully accepting it and retaining many traditional gender roles.

Yung uses firsthand sources for examples such as letters, newspapers, interviews, and government data. The writer herself admits that this information she presents is more biased toward "experiences of educated, middle-class women" (9). Therefore, her study cannot fully represent the history of Chinese American women, but being one of the few investigations on the subject, it does provide important knowledge not otherwise presented. Obviously Yung's study of San Francisco women is not a fair representation of all Chinese women. Yung explains her decision to concentrate on this city because "it has served as the port of entry for most Chinese immigrants throughout their history" (8).

Being a second-generation Chinese American woman, it is possible that Yung uses Unbound Feet as an attempt to somewhat glorify the history of Chinese American women. Undoubtedly Yung provides an accurate description, but is it possible that the purpose of her narrative is not to merely provide a history, but also to provide an impressive history? Many aspects of Unbound Feet, after all, depict her own personal family history, providing stories of earlier women in her family. It is understandable for Yung to want to invoke honor in her heritage and culture.

Yung presents a historical explanation to the present culture of Chinese American women. With her many examples, Yung follows Chinese American women through five decades of history. Throughout this time, numerous changes occurred in these women. Speaking from a personal viewpoint, Yung concludes, "Consciously aware of how race, class, and gender intersect our lives, we follow in our mothers' footsteps, doing what we can to improve the overall quality of life for ourselves, for our children, and for all" (292). From this conclusion, Yung asserts her belief that modern Chinese American women must learn from the women who came before them.

History of Chinese American women
Judy Yung traces the social history of Chinese American women from 19th century to post World War II, how events and circumstances shape the women to be who they are today. She talks about the changing roles that these women played, from 19th century, when women played limited roles in society, how they were still influenced by traditional Chinese values to post war where they participated in the war effort, gained independence and had an active role in the society.

The main theme of this book is the discrimination they faced being Chinese and women. It is astounding to see how far they have come, from the days when Chinese school children were being called "Chinks" and were excluded from the mainstream society because of their gender and race.

This book would definitely appeal to those who come from minority communities and to those who are interested in ethnic, women or immigration history. I definitely recommend this book as it deals with issues that have so far been ignored in our textbooks, but definitely played a major role in shaping our society today.

Educational AND Fun!
At first the size of the book was a bit daunting, but I found myself sucked into the lives of the Chinese women as they navigated through American society.I also appreciated Ms. Yung's use of her own family to weave the history of Chinese women in America.I look forward to checkingout Unbound Voices as well. ... Read more

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A Canadian Bestseller! Demographics is the key to understanding thepast and forecasting the future. From financial planning to urban planning,Professor David Foot shows us how to track the trends that will have a profoundimpact upon our lives.

The boomers, the busters, and the echo generation: discover the nation's future -and yours - in demographics, the simple but highly potent tool for understandingthe past and foretelling the future, by Canada's foremost expert. What are thebest investments? Where are the new business opportunities? What will become ofour cities? What are the prospects for real estate? The job market? Education?Health care? Foot and Stoffman provide answers in a book full of arrestinginsights and practical ideas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Puts life in perspective
As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social anddemographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, forall you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of peoplein their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

Puts life in perspective
As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social anddemographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, forall you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of peoplein their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

I liked it so much, I made my wife read it.
I read this book in the summer of 1996, and found it to be an excellenttool.It takes a very organized approach to presenting the history ofdemographics and applying demographics to trends that we have observed overthe past.It is highly relevant to life in rural Ontario which is where iwas living at the time.Issues like the future importance of hospitalclosings, school development, and social programs should all be viewed inthe context of demographics.

After reading this I went on to read FaithPopcorn's books, and found them to be rather flat predictions thatdemographics could easily fortell.Boom Bust & Echo is a usefultoolkit for business people with lots of examples to draw from.My wifeand I had our own company at the time, and I had to make her read the bookso we could re-assess our strategy in light of this under-used tool, and itallowed us to reposition our company without straying from our originalmission. ... Read more

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Demographics - the study of human populations - are a powerful, butoften underused, method for understanding the past and predicting thefuture. In Boom, Bust & Echo 2000: Profiting from the DemographicShift in the New Millennium, economist David Foot and journalistDaniel Stoffman take a look at the importance of demographics. Theytry to predict what baby boomers, "baby busters", the "echogeneration", and other groups in the coming years can expect. Thisfully-revised edition of the highly successful Boom, Bust &Echocontains the most recent information on demographic trends in Canadaand how they can affect your future.

Demographics play a critical role in the nation's economy and sociallife, and they affect every one of us as individuals. The more we understanddemographic realities, the better prepared we will be to cope with them - and toturn them to our advantage.

In Canada, the aging of those born between 1947 and 1966 - the baby boomgeneration - has changed the economy, driven housing and other markets, andtransformed social mores and lifestyles. As the boomers enter mid-life, as the"baby-busters" behind them come of age, and as the "echo generation," thechildren of the boomers, reaches maturity, how will the country change? Wherewill Canadians choose to live? What are the prospects for employment? Whichinvestments will be favoured? What lies ahead for Canada's health care andeducation systems?

Everyone who plans for the future - whether it be for a large corporation, aretail store, a school system, a nonprofit enterprise, or for personal well-being- needs effective forecasting tools. Boom, Bust & Echo 2000 goes beyond thetraditional methods of focus groups and opinion surveys to an analysis ofstatistical facts. Here is an original and indispensable work filled witharresting insights, provocative assertions, and practical answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Know Your Audience: First and Foremost - How Old are They?

`Know your audience' is the first rule of communicating, and an essential tenet of dealing with people is to know them, especially if you want to persuade, motivate, or get them involved.


This book provides a fascinating look at how demographics can shape attitudes, beliefs and, most important, actions.The authors maintain that: "Demography, the study of human populations, is the most powerful-and most underutilized-tool we have to understand the past and to foretell the future.


Demographics affect every one of us as individuals, far more than most of us have ever imagined. They also play a pivotal role in economic and social life."


Boom, Bust and Echo is a very unique and interesting book; it is well worth reading for the insights that it provides into the behavior of consumers or, as the authors claim, at least two-thirds of that behavior.

Interesting read but methodologically unconvincing
The problem with this approach is the simple assumption that a commodity enjoys demand depending on what age group it appeals to, and what is the percentage of this group within a country's population overall.

That is exactly the main argument of the author: show me the population trends, birth rates, percentage of age groups, and I will tell you what's going to be in demand.

This assumption needs to be defended more thoroughly, however. Education is a good example. Although birth rates declined in the US for the last 20 years, more people get university education today compared to the past. Obviously, the economy of the 21st century demands that.

Growth or decline rates of the population cannot be the only major independent variable predicting demand.

Interesting read but methodologically unconvincing
The problem with this approach is the simple assumption that a commodity enjoys demand depending on what age group it appeals to, and what is the percentage of this group within a country's population overall.

That is exactly the main argument of the author: show me the population trends, birth rates, percentage of age groups, and I will tell you what's going to be in demand.

This assumption needs to be defended more thoroughly, however. Education is a good example. Although birth rates declined in the US for the last 20 years, more people get university education today compared to the past. Obviously, the economy of the 21st century demands that.

Grouth or decline rates of the population cannot be the only major independent variable predicting demand.

Still ahead of it's time and will be until people catch up.
Having a bookshelf full of futuristic reading including Boomernomics, Next, Pig and the Python and the complete series by H S Dent and many books from Harvard press as well as every new economy magazine printed I foundmyself continuing to reach for Boom Bust and Echo as it has more backbone,the chapters contain more substance and historical data to back it up. Icommend this book to be carried at all times with a copy to be kept by thebed. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Forest Products Journal, published by Forest Products Society on February 1, 2010. The length of the article is 6713 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Trends in lumber processing in the Western United States. Part I: board foot Scribner volume per cubic foot of timber.
Author: Charles E., III Keegan
Publication: Forest Products Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2010
Publisher: Forest Products Society
Volume: 60Issue: 2Page: 133(7)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Underground Construction, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1498 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Deep challenges: 60-foot deep sewer direct bury installation in rock conditions.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Underground Construction (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 62Issue: 11Page: 22(3)

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1955 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Soul-Stirring Account of True Freedom in PostWW2 Philippines
"Bare Feet in the Palace" is an excellent account of the people of the Philippines during the transition time after WWII, (1948-1952), as they became a truly independent country. It describes post-war Manila aswell as the other areas of the country. There is a very heart-stirringaccount of the first free election which had me looking for the tissuebox!! It makes you want to read it to all America to remind us howimportant a vote really is.Included are ancedotes about her family's lifeduring their time in Manila. Her adolescent son, her husband (who workedfor the British Government as a Forestry Expert previous to WWII, but inthe Philippines, works for the UN), herself and their life with the localsmake for interesting reading.I've enjoyed any book written by Agnes Keithbecause she writes about the people; how they felt, why they felt that way,how they overcame, why they didn't overcome, and the circumstancessurrounding them. It makes me feel right there.Her books are trulyEnrichment reading! ... Read more