The Winning Portfolio: Choosing Your 10 Best Mutual Funds is an excellent guide to mutual find investing and ideally suited to the informational and strategic planning needs of the novice investor. Written by CBS MarketWatch's dean of funds Paul Farrell, The Winning Portfolio aptly presents how best to choose between the top 100 mutual funds and create a diversified, solid portfolio that will effectively put your money to work for you. Written in clear, easily understandable language for new investors and long-time market veterans alike, The Winning Portfolio is a must-read for everyone putting a sizeable chunk of their financial well-being into the mutual fund market.

There are so many books on investing right now, that it is difficult to know where to turn. "The Winning Portfolio" is a gem that stands out from the rest of the crowd. This book is easy to understand, even for a novice, yet is not beneath those who have already been investing.

He explains how to build a winning portfolio using mutual funds with emphasis on asset allocations. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. He helps the reader determine how to build a portfolio based on their needs, then offers examples of how to meet financial goals. Yes, it takes a bit of work, but it doesn't require the diligence (and the stomach) of a day-trader to maintain. This system will work for the average person.

After reading this book, I have a solid plan in place and an idea of where I'm headed and why I'm going there. I agree with the previous reviewer... Dr. Paul's column at cbs.marketwatch.com is also required reading.

If you have not yet read Paul Farrell's internet column on the CBS Marketwatch page, you are missing out on a lot! This book, and his daily column on SuperStar Funds, are a must for anyone planning their future.

The telecommunications industry needs a lot of standards and
detailed information for true inter-operability. So, no book
is going to be perfect in its coverage of the material - there
is simply too much information.

Having said that, I find this book to be an excellent way to
understand the issues associated with WIN. It provides the basis
for further study and points people in the right direction for
increasing their knowledge.

I use this book as a basic reference and recommend it highly.
You will not go wrong reading this book - whether you are a
wireless telecom professional (which I am) or not.

The book succeeds in presenting an inherently complex and multi-disciplinary subject in a clear manner with sufficient references to allow further study as needed.

The book provides a broad view of wireless networking, including financial, market, and technical views. The technical information is well organized and presented from more than one perspective. Rather than presenting volumes of minute details, architectural principals are introduced and illuminated.

This is one of the outstanding technical books that I have ever read. I would highly recommend it to experienced hands in the fields of wireless or wireline voice networks.

I would also recommend it to beginners with the following cavaet: this book plumbs some fairly deep waters, and does not delve too deeply into the related fields that are the building blocks of Wireless Intellegent Networking. SS7, AIN, PSTN architecture, and mobility management are all presented, but having some previous background (or somebody handy who can fill in details) would be a big help.

Wireless Intelligent Networking is an excellent publication with rare characteristics: easy to read, well organized and extremely efficient in what concerns quantity and quality of information. Technical protocols, market trends, services deployment, integration, among other IN hot issues are thoroughly dissected in WIN. This is definitely an essential tool for anyone in the Telco business, saving time and money in training for beginners and helping experts on a daily basis. A "dot.safe" investment for any company in the industry!

Out of left field, from the editors of The Collected Letters of George Gissing, comes a refeshing new view of Gissing--plus some charming turn-of-century Americana. The oddly successful combinaton comes about in this way. When the English novelist, desperate to escape for a time from his miserable marriage, visited Italy in 1897-98, he met there a 20-year old American traveller named Brian Boru Dunne. The precocious young man, who would later become a journalist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, kept a diary of their conversations over several months, recording Gissing's opinions on literature, modern and ancient Rome, and everything else that interested them. Years later, he wrote p some of his notes. The diary is lost, but the editors have used Dunne's surviving materials to create a fascinating portrait that shows us a more unbuttoned and humorous Gissing than we knew. Because Dunne is worthy of interest in himself, they have seen fit to include some other pieces: William Jennings Bryan's unconsciously hilarious rules for oratory; Cardinal Gibons' recipe for longevity; and an interview with Mark Twain written by Twain himself. Their 40-page introduction to Dunne and Gissing is unexpectedly fascinating. The voluminous footnotes explain so much, and in such style, that they are an integral part of the reading experience. This beautifully produced, amusing, and illuminating miscellany should attract all Gissing readers, and they will be rewarded by more than they bargained for.

As a long-time student of George Gissing's work and one of his first biographers, I was delighted to read this vivid and perceptive first-hand account of his activities and opinions. Few people who knew Gissing personally have left memoirs of him, and Dunne's is certainly the fullest up-close portrait that we have. He describes Gissing's writing and eating habits, his attention to clothes, his reactions to Italy and his people, and his opinions of other writers, and all this helps to clarify the novelist's character. I especially appreciated the excellent informative notes, which provided much needed background, and brought Dunne himself forward as an interesting and significant figure.

I stumbled onto George Gissing two years ago through his travel classic "By The Ionian Sea: Notes on a Ramble Through Southern Italy." I had not read much late-Victorian writing, except for brief forays into Thomas Hardy. Now I have found a new champion -- George Gissing -- and am discovering that post-industrial era through his works. In this process, I discovered Dunne's delightful memoir and was drawn to it because it recalled a time in Gissing's life when he seem most happiest: his 1897-1898 tour of Southern Italy, the setting for "By the Ionian Sea." Dunne's memoir -- wonderfully edited to fully explain all references, from obvious to obscure -- can be read on more than one level. First, it gives a vivid recounting, through an innocent young journalist's eyes that miss little, of a golden three or four months or so in Rome, hobnobbing with Gissing and two other Victorian writers, H.G. Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. It also can be seen as "a work in progress" where the reader can examine how Dunne, by now in middle age and an accomplished writer in his own right, moved from diary through drafts of memoirs. And particularly important for the Gissing enthusiast is the introduction, which puts the era in perspective and paints a vivid picture of the players in Dunne's Roman holiday.

DCL is the native scripting language of OpenVMS. Like batch files in DOS, or shell scripts in Unix, DCL makes all features of the VMS operating system available to you. This book takes a very useful, complete, and organized approach toward DCL and the VMS operating system. If you're just starting in VMS, or if you want a well indexed sourcebook of powerful VMS DCL services, this is an excellent book for you.

This book is very good for beginners in DCL and also a very good dictonary for already experienced people. This book was one of my most borrowed ones in my bookshelf.

This book starts off reviewing the basic concepts of OpenVMS and then gets into some real solutions for real problems. Nicely updated for todays VMS programmers.

Although Maxwell Maltz is listed as the first author (he passed away in 1975), I know that Dan Kennedy has played a huge role in writing this book and making it happen. Dan Kennedy is currently President of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation and has been one of my success mentors for years. His wisdom is easy to follow - but more than that it is right on! I started out as an engineer and a very timid salesman. Dan Kennedy is has helped to change that. Because of him I know myself better, which has helped me to better serve others in my business. I guarantee that if you read this book you will be a changed person - it's that incredible.

Kennedy covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Many of his ideas are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to live a proactively life that is God centered and fulfilling.

Everything that I have put into practice that Dan Kennedy has recommended in his books has worked. He has brought me success by focusing on what is important in selling and using my God given talents and my thinking ability to be a better salesman. Nearly every bit of our success starts in our minds including sales success. This book makes it very clear as to how to think in the right way so that your success is assured.

You will find that this exciting book becomes a part of you. Don't hold back - let it happen. In fact, I plan on spending 10 to 15 minutes every morning for the next several days focusing my thoughts on the truths of this book, thereby allowing them to seep deep into my subconscious mind. If you do this too I guarantee God's wisdom will most assuredly bring you the success and abundance you deserve.

Enjoy this book and your new proactive and successful life!

What do you get when you put Dan S. Kennedy--the all-time, number one, best salesman and marketer in the world, and Maxwell Maltz--the world's leading innovator of self-image building, and blend them together--well, you guessed it...one powerfull piece of work. Invaluable to anyone needing to learn the inner game of selling, and by this I mean, one must master their inner self (Maltz) before they can master thier salesmanship and certainly bestow their conquering effects of marketing (Kennedy) on the world. Worth the read, very easy, flowing and has readily available and practical exercises for training your mind...to SELL! Top 10 sales book, on my list. Steve Adele

I am a sales trainer from Singapore and I like your book very much. I have certainly benefited a lot from the book. I will recomend this wonderful book to as many sales peoples as possible. Could you please send a copy of " Zero-Resistance Living " report to me. My address in Singapore : Mr Paul Ong, No 70 CASHEW ROAD< #03-03, CASHEW PARK, SINGAPORE 679646 REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE OR EMAIL TO : dulcia@cyberway.com.sg

Warmest Regards, Paul Ong

I have been free from nicotine addiction for 12 years thanks to Paul Lagergren's "Tiger Process". After trying other methods to quit smoking, and failing, I was convinced that I did not have enough willpower. Other people could do it but not me. This process empowered me to take back control of my body and my life. I followed the instructions, step by step, and freed myself forever. No willpower required. Just a commitment to work the process. Thanks Paul!

After trying everything else, from mini computers to pills and patches and books, Paul Lagergren's Tiger process helped me beat a powerful nicotine addiction. The secret is, I think, the way this program cuts all the important steps into tiny and manageable actions so that all a person has to do is concentrate on that day's step, one day at a time, one step at a time and then you are there and you are successful and you are saying "Jeez, that wasn't so hard!" You learn how to quit smoking while you're still smoking and then you set a date and when it comes you are prepared and you have all the tools you will need.

I tried the nicotine gum, I tried the patch, and I tried support groups. Nothing seemed to work. I worked this program, and I am now nicotine free for over three years. THIS BOOK SAVED MY LIFE! I am also a social worker and have worked in the field of addictions treatment for 10 years. Not only did this program work for me, but it makes sense from a scientific perspective. If you are looking for a strong self-help workbook to help you break free from nicotine addiction, I strongly recommend this book.

1812 is a compilation of Austin's three earlier books on Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Austin's work is deservedly a classic, but due to its complexity is not for novices to Napoleonic history. Nor should this work be read by the faint-hearted, given some of the rather gory and explicit details of a rather savage chapter in the history of warfare. This book is not a comprehensive history of the campaign, since the main focus is on those units that marched to and then retreated from Moscow. Austin uses 100+ eyewitness accounts as the basic material to stitch together a portrait of the campaign as seen by the participants. Readers who seek discussions of grand strategy, the causes of the war or detailed orders of battle will be disappointed by this approach (they should instead turn to Chandler's and Riehn's excellent accounts), but those who want to gain a birds-eye view of the campaign will be very pleased.

Although the account starts with the invasion in June 1812 and covers the battles of Smolensk and Borodino, the most gripping part of Austin's work is the last 400 pages on the retreat from Moscow. The reader will find this account both agonizing and spellbinding, due to the appalling suffering and courage in adversity. This book is about real soldiering, when the chips are down, you are starving and the temperature is sub-zero. Although destroyed by the retreat, the bravery and ability of the soldiers of the Grande Armée shine in these pages. On the other hand, the battle accounts, such as Borodino, are good but a bit confusing and not particularly unique. Better maps with annotations where the major characters were located on the battlefield would have been very helpful.

Unfortunately, this very well researched and written book tends to fall apart a bit in the last few chapters (perhaps due to writer fatigue, after 1100 pages). Austin's account of the campaign ends once Marshal Ney leads the French rearguard across the Niemen River on 12 December. However, the retreat lasted two more weeks across a Prussia that was about to declare war on France. Austin provides no accounts of the final tally of survivors at Konigsberg. After following many of these characters for 1100 pages, Austin only informs the reader of the final fate of a few eye-witnesses, and then only in footnotes. A solid epilogue with notes on each character is missing.

These eyewitness accounts are the heart and soul of Austin's monumental work. However, certain facts should be made clear. First, they are not representative accounts; staff officers and inner-circle types make up 50% of the accounts, with only a handful of enlisted soldiers, NCOs or junior officers included. This is for the obvious reason that very few of the later made it back to publish accounts, but the staff officers had a better chance for survival. The second fact relates to the subjectivity of some accounts. There are cases of exaggeration, distortion and lies in the accounts, which Austin does his best to correct. One eyewitness for example, claims that the Grande Armée lost all its artillery in Russia which Austin corrects in a footnote (the French brought back at least 50 artillery pieces). Thus it is critical for readers to glance frequently at the footnotes to see where accounts are misleading. Nevertheless, Austin cannot eliminate the subjective factor in these accounts. One glaring case I found that goes without notice by Austin involves one of the principle accounts, by Colonel Lubin Griois, commanding the light artillery in the 3rd Cavalry Corps. Griois constantly complains about General Armand Lahoussaye, who took over the corps after the Battle of Borodino in September 1812. According to Griois, Lahoussaye is new to the corps and is an "imbecile". Austin repeats this every time he refers to Lahoussaye. Unfortunately, this does not mesh well with the facts. According to the authoritative dictionary on French generals by Georges Six, Lahoussaye had been a division commander in the corps for nine months so he was not a newcomer as Griois claims. Furthermore, Griois fails to mention that Lahoussaye had 20 years of combat experience in the cavalry, including the 1805-1807 campaigns in central Europe and 1808-1811 in Spain. Nor does Griois mention that Lahoussaye was seriously wounded at Borodino, which probably interfered with his command ability. Austin fails to mention that Lahoussaye was a baron in the Legion of Honor and that his name is inscribed on the Arc d'Triomphe. Napoleon did not allow "imbeciles" to command for 20 years and thus, Griois' account is probably a case of axe grinding against a former superior. Austin should have provided the background on Lahoussaye to provide balance.

Finally, a critical factor is how Austin uses the accounts, which are often missing crucial pieces. Based upon the pieces of the accounts he offers for example, it seems that almost nobody made it back from Russia. Colonel Chlapowski, commander of the Polish Lancers in the Guard, figures prominently in Austin's account, as do the Lancers themselves. Austin infers that almost all of the Lancers died escorting Napoleon out of Russia. Actually, in Chlapowski's full account, he states that the Lancer's went into Russia with 915 men and came out with 422. Austin uses partial accounts to suggest that the Old Guard came out with only a handful of men. While the Old Guard suffered very heavy losses, it went in with 5,286 infantrymen and came out with 1,430.

Nevertheless, 1812 is an excellent account of the Russian campaign. Reading it will certainly give one an excellent "feel" for the events, if not for all the facts. Therefore, this book should be used in conjunction with other standard campaign histories for balance.

The author did a wonderful job of stringing together a diverse canvas of first person accounts into a coherent narrative. A must read if you are interested in what "actually" happened in 1812. You'll not find strategic analysis or detailed orders of battle info here. But if you want a unique and first rate narrative on the subject, this is it.

The book is a combination of Austin's 3 previous works: The March on Moscow (out of print), Napoleon is Moscow, and The Great Retreat. Previous reviewers have correctly described these books as providing an atmospheric mood of the unfolding catastrophic events. The descriptions are mainly from army officers observing the campaign and Napoleon. The book is better at providing insights into human nature and reactions to chaos than as an detailed analysis of battlefield strategy.

This should not be the first book one reads on Napoleon. The style assumes a knowledge of generals and familiarity with military vocabulary that I lacked when I started it. A reading of Elting's introduction to his Military Atlas of Napoleon would be helpful to neophytes before starting Austin's book to prevent bewilderment over terms such as voltigeur, hussar, cuiassier, etc.

Nonetheless, the images of these first hand accounts are haunting.

The ARRL Handbook is a world renowned "bible" of communications. In teaching ham radio classes, where I use my own book "Ride the Airwaves with ALFA & ZULU", the ARRL Handbook is recommended to students of all ages as the ultimate source of information. Years ago, when I was studying electronic engineering in college, I used the ARRL Handbook often for a clear, practical explanation of technical material. Whether you become a ham or not, this is one book that is a "must buy"!

The ultimate book on radio technology for over 75 years. The ARRL Handbook is a must in any ham's, technician's, or engineer's technical library! No book in the wireless field is more respected and admired for its in-depth coverage of RF circuits, ham projects, practical theory, and operating practices than the ARRL Handbook.

Cotter W. Sayre, Author of "The Complete RF Technician's Handbook"

My last ARRL Handbook I purchased was in 1980. I kept putting off getting another for the past 10 years and kind of glad I did! The 1999 ARRL Handbook is jammed packed with valuable electrical formulas and theories, componant data and any degree of challanging projects you desire from the beginner to the advanced. Satellite communications and data tranmission protocols are well covered. This book is a must have for those who want everything in one place and not needing 3 or 4 different books to reference.

This book is a very easy read...easily read in one setting, but it has some very powerful ideas that are sometimes forgotten.

I especially liked his "POE", your company's points of encounter...are you giving the very best service that you can in every aspect of your business that touches your customers? If you're not what areas can you improve in?

I think this book is a great stepping stone to more brainstorming to help you get new customers, as well as techniques to start implementing.

This book took me a quick two hours to read, but had many useful ideas and techniques. There were a lot of commonsense approaches to customer service, but this book but it black and white and very concise.

This is definitely a book to buy if you can spare two hours to have a bounty of customer service techniques.

Five Stars!

Well worth reading. But I'd also recommend you supplement it with the standard small business resources. Jay Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing. Barry Maher's Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising (if you have to advertise in phone books as most of us do, this will make all the difference). Ed Nash's Direct Marketing if you do direct marketing. Ries & Trout's 22 Immutable Laws, if you need to learn about positioning (and if you're unsure about your positioning, you need a copy).

This is a gem of a book. The author is a very seasoned world traveler, and it shows in both presentation and information. Why only 4 stars. Sadly, I have a ton of "how to" books, and most of the information presented as not new to me. However, if your starting to travel, this is a fine book to pick up!

With the virtual plethora of travel trash flooding the book market right now, it's hard to find a down-to-earth, practical, yet philosophically inspiring guide to backpack travel. This one emerges from the crowd as the THE go-to guide if you just want to get up and go. Don't read this book unless you're ready to drop everything and buy a plane ticket to Bombay. Bon voyage....

Otteson writes in a down-to-earth tone so that by the end of the book, you feel as if he is your friend. He talks about the mental preparations involved in backpack travel, unlike any of the guidebooks, and helps you to define your true expectations for travel. I have just finished the book and have loaned it to a friend who is loving it as much as I did. Because my friend still has it, another friend of mine went out and bought it because she couldn't wait to read it---I raved about it so much. If you are having any qualms about backpack travel, or want some basic things clarified for you, such as where to do your laundry, this book covers it all in a real and personal tone. I was so much more sure of my plans after reading it. I felt educated and inspired!