I found the book to be extremely wordy. As I read the book, I found myself having to remind myself what the chapter (or topic) was suppose to be covering. Many of the statements in the book are common sense and points are repeated over and over through-out the text. The books is loaded with long list consisting of from 4-12 items. The list appear to be attempts by the authors to include every possible idea they could think of. My Professor used the questions from the test bank and many of the answers were buried in the readings. The cases studies were interesting, and the information on the website helps with the case analysis. Although after reading one of the chapters, any reading was interesting. Reading this book became a chore. If the book is required for class, start reading now because the way the book is written will make you procrastinate.

As commented by other reviewers, the book is indeed wordy. However, its usefulness and value lies in the illustrative examples and Illustration Capsules. The basic principles of strategic management may be simple but its intrepretation and application in different circumstances make strategic management a critical thinking topic. This accounts to a good extent for the length of the book as Thompson & Strickland have included in the book numerous illustrative examples on the application of the concepts of strategic management in practical situations. The 12th edition also introduced two whole new chapters which addresses globalisation and the internet world. Further, nearly all the case studies in the book have been either replaced or up-dated. In fact, the 'up-to-dating' of the book, barely 2 years after the 11th edition hit the market clearly shows the changes in the business world which has merited the issue of the 12th edition. What would have been good would be chapter on Strategies in Managing Change & Transition as any programme in strategic management invariably has to address issue of change in organisations. A very good text on Strategic Management.

strategies for the competitive world with the help of well written cases about the most famous companies in the global world. This book is just perfect. You will deal the problems from the CEO's perspective. good luck and have fun.

This is a clumsy work most notable for what it lacks rather than what it presents. Despite handy bullet points at the beginning of each chapter, one finds that half way through a chapter one must start again after the author reveals a hidden limitation such as only being concerned with games for children.

I was disappointed with the way Berger allows his personal suppositions to dominate his arguments without any basis in either research or the existing literature (and occasionally with no basis is common sense). At one point Berger claims that playing video games means you are not interacting with family and friends; despite that he earlier included a set-up cost analysis for a system with two controllers (for 2 players).

This book is of little academic interest, but may be suitable for media scare-mongering or to back up the dogma of certain interest groups.

this book is very simplistic, and tends to make large claims whilst discussing only the most basic details. It's clear that the author is very new to video games, and may only have been introduced to a few games for writing this books. Many times, he will make the most obvious observations e.g. a scifi-themed game has a narrative similar to a scifi movie - and write 3 or 4 pages about obvious observation.
Also writes in a rather old-fashioned way .

In my mind's eye, while walking the wooded hills of southern Indiana on any sunny day, I can viscerally imagine being immersed in a natural cathedral-like theatre of abruptly changing Light and Shadows with senses like phototropic sensations common to video games. Perhaps there are mnemonic roots present in the human experience responding to various "natural theatres" of luminous immersion, such as illustrated in traditional media by the atmospheric landscapes of the Hudson River School (and the Hoosier Group) of painters. As a young research assistant at the Army's Human Engineering Laboratories in 1960, I briefly sampled a prototype trial for training of human interaction control of missile guidance with a souped-up oscilloscope/CRT visualizing system. The accelerating feedback on the screen of joystick control, produced the "wow effect" very much like the rush consumers would experience in the primitive video games of the '70s and later [alas, my eye doctor soon after suggested I had been "working too close to microwave transmission"].

From repose to the wandering mind and through its disconnects, the subject can feel as though navigating through a metadata atmosphere not unlike a video game interface for the 9 year-old player. Video games are not just a fantasy theater, as some fear, for the furious expression of male adolescent rage fueling new ideologies of terror, misogyny and brutalization throughout the modern world. In our "modern times", some groundbreaking museum venues are beginning to provide a quiet, safe harbor for contemplating and celebrating the best of this new American media, even while acknowledging the fears emanating from among its dark shadows that can be millions of times more [exponentially] powerful than the limitations we've known of the Gutenberg effect. For example, Rochelle Slovin, the Director of the American Museum of the Moving Image (ammi.org), has pointed us along an insightful path beginning with "Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade" 1989, then continuing through "Expanded Entertainment" 1996, "Computer Space" 1998, and " Digital Media" 2002, (see elsewhere "The Medium of the Video Game" by Mark Wolf, 2002). Ms. Slovin's new path markers extend an historic trail of kinetic luminism tracing back through recent television and 100-year old movies to the magic lantern Phantasmagoria of the Renaissance and to the Shadow Puppetry Theatre in Bali 1000 years earlier.

This slim volume by Arthur Asa Berger, a prolific writer, is a serious look at biological, psychological and social significance ands provides a social perspective of sexuality not usually found. For instance, his comments "Lara Croft, scopophilia and the male gaze..." frames a valuable context of sexuality. Let me suggest that Berger in this essay, like too many reporting scholars, doesn't always clearly distinguish between anecdotal references and more organized research statistics. "A neurologist ... has suggested that video games may affect [not effect?] changes in neural pathways in players in a manner somewhat like biofeedback ...". "This 'conditioning' must be seen, of course, as an unintended consequence..." This is highly recommended for critical reading because its sometimes seemingly shallow predispositions do reveal the underlying, crucial, fundamental questions. So, as critical readers of Berger's essay, we need to tiptoe through and dodge around the rhetorical thickets. In summary, we see Berger's essay frequently posits whether video gaming is alienating. His conclusions, anecdotal and otherwise, put into perspective that this is indeed the Question to be centered in the limelight. But the reader can find enough evidence elsewhere in Berger's musings that the power of the enveloping digital lifestyle may in fact be in the connecting, involving and the socializing of shared values. The reader might also look at the "Ultimate History of Video Games" by Steven Kent, 2001 for putting David Grossman's fiery challenge to video game violence (Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill) into an expanded context.

"What-if" in twenty years a 9 year-old kid comfortably uses a common, personal digital tool that is a million times more powerful than that NASA used to put a man on the moon? Let's reflect on the Gutenberg Effect. Victor Hugo might now opine about the invention of our digital lifestyle (instead of the printing press) as "... thought is more imperishable than ever; it is volatile, irresistible, and indestructible. It pervades the air... Now she is a flock of birds, flies abroad to all the four winds of heaven, and occupies at once all the points of air and of space...".

After third time reading, purely in the angle of fact finding, couldn't help to add this view. In chapter 19, too much assumption is made on the similarity of monohull and catamarans, when it's not. With the growing popularity of catamarans, many beginner and small builder will attempt to cash in on this idea, DON'T EVER! The complexity of a catamaran is way beyond the scope of this chapter. When the hulls split their own way in the mercyless sea, no amount of investigation, debate, and effort can bring the death alive. DO NOT attempt a catamaran without formal training. This chapter should not be written at all! This chapter do not deserve any star rating at all, but there isn't such option in the review.

I have recently read (and bought) few books about boatbuilding and desing and this book has been most fruitless so far. First of all
it is VERY short for the topics it covers (only a bit over 200 very, very short pages) and hence none of the topics are discussed in detail. Anyone who is considering of building his/hers own boat will probably want to read all books of the subject, since there aren't too many.
There is however much better books for this subject. From early 80's there is "Fiberglass Boatbuilding For Amateurs" By Ken Hankinson which is much more profound text of fiberglass boatbuilding. It is out of the print (I think) so you need to find it used.
This book is only one that is in print and covers fb boat building in practice (at least only one that i know). So If you can't find Ken Hankinsons book, this works as poor substitute.

This book will give the information needed to build a quality boat but the craftsman must have basic knowledge and good skills. I have been a shipwright for more than 40 years and still learned from this book. I don't believe it is, or was even intended to be, the last word on boat building but it is well worth reading regardless of your talents. Add this to Mr. Edmunds Designing Power & Sail and the reader will be well on the way to a complete understanding of design and construction.

For a potential boat buyer the bonus is learning what makes a well or poorly constructed boat.

Both of my sons and both of my nieces have been through this curriculum. If we were given any alternative math options, we would take them.

While this program was rated highly by an educational group, it has been a major disappointment to us. Many of the parents have supplemented the math taught at the High School with extra courses for high school students, given by State Universities.

As an engineer, math is extremely important to me. My oldest son hopes to become an engineer, and I'm struggling with how to 'patch' his poor math background. He frequently comes to me with questions that he should understand, but that are poorly communicated in the book.

The teachers often would say "there's an error in the book on page..." My kids said this happened daily.

This shouldn't be necessary. Math is foundational, and texts written for math should be very critically edited, to make sure mistakes are removed, that concepts are well explained, and that the fundamentals are all covered. These steps did not happen with this coursework. And the creators of this material have not responded with improvements to the curricula.

Integrated math as a concept may be very positive. But this series is probably one of the poorest ways to do it. If you're sold on integrated math, try another program.

I have studied this curriculum intensively as a potential math teacher. I have seen it in action in urban schools. I have taught it briefly. My daughter suffered through it two years ago.

There is a lot of mathematics in this curriculum. The curriculum is a rich source of ideas for teachers. Every potential math teacher should work through it. It is a poor choice for a high school curriculum for several reasons.

First, Core-Plus is a very, very wordy math curriculum. At risk students will not understand it. Nor will they work with texts that are this dense. As a very well educated and mathematically sophisticated parent, I had to struggle with the text to help my 14 year old daughter because it is so poorly written. The essence of mathematics is the precise use of language and I often became infuriated at how hard I had to work to figure out what they were trying to say.

Some students with very strong verbal skills and a good work ethic will do well, with Core-Plus without learning enough mathematics to succeed at the university level in the sciences. The assessments put a premium on busy work, written and oral communication skills and social skills. Mastering symbol manipulation to the point where a student is equiped to learn physics gets short shrift. On the other hand, Core-Plus will strengthen non-math skills for many students.

Most high school math teachers are not equipped to teach this curriculum well. Because the approach is almost exclusively problem solving, the interconnections between the different strands of mathematics are below the surface and often are just not there. The teacher must be skilled enough to bring them out, reinforce them through review and extra practice and supply the missing links when necessary.

This curriculum is deficient vis-a-vis the 2000 Standards in that there is an over-emphasis on data-analysis (statistics) and a serious underemphasis on symbol manipulation (algebra) algorithms and proof. The latest version of the NCTM standards corrects the many extremes and deficiencies in the 1989 standards and is far closer to a consensus of what mathematicians, teachers, educationists and psychologists believe are best practices in math education.

My daughter and all her friends hated Core-Plus passionately. She's no mathematician, but I find it so so tedious. There is no joy of discovery, no pleasure in mathematics itself in these books. The texts are ugly. There is no humor. I love Michael Serra's reform Geometry textbook because he thinks like a 13 year old, has a phenomenal sense of humor and is infectiously in love with math.

Core-Plus should not be used with heterogeneous classes in inner city schools because 75% or more of the students lack the requisite math skills and study skills. There are not enough students who are sufficiently competent to sustain the pace of the group work. These students, who have some hope of a college education, simply will not be prepared for serious study in any field that requires math skills.

Contemtorary Mathematucs in Context is a program that build on the theme of mathematics as sense-making. Through investigations of real-life contexts, students develop a rich understanding of important mathematics that makes sense to them and, in turn, enables them to make sense out of nes situations and problems. Yes, it enables them to think.

The materials are designed to implement the vision of high school mathematics portrayed in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Standards" documents. The curriculum materials include thew following features:

Multiple Connected Strands (Algebra and Functions; Geometry and Trigonometry; Statistics and Probability; and Discrete Mathematics.)

Mathematical Modeling (including data collection, representation, interpretation, prediction, and simulation.)

Access to core mathematical topics for all students. Differences in students in performance and interest and be accomodated by the depth and level of abstraction, by the nature and degree of difficulty of applications, and by providing opportunities for student choice on homework tasks and projects.

Technology (Numerical, graphical, and programming link capabilities found on many graphing calculators are assumed and capitalized upon. These provide opportunities to emphasize multiple representations and to focus on mathematical thinking, rather than mere computation.)

Active Learning (Instruction and assessment practices are designed to promote mathematical thinking. Collaborative groups and individual work are used as students explore, conjecture, verify, evaluate, and communicate mathematical ideas.)

The curriculum promises to make mathematics accessible to a diverse student population. Developing mathematics each year along multiple strands nurtures the differing strengths and talents of students and simultaneously helps them to develop diverse mathematical insights. Developing mathematics from a modeling perspective permits students to experience mathematics as a means of making sense of data and problems that arise in diverse contexts. Engaging students in small groups to work together on tasks develops their ability to both deal with, and find commonality in, diversity of ideas. Using calculators as a means for learning and doing mathematics enables students to develop versatile ways of dealing with realistic situations and reduces the manipulative skill filter which has prevented large numbers of students from continuing their study of significant mathematics.

Furthermore, in cases where the mathematics departments or admissions offices have reviewed Contemporary Mathematics in Context, the courses have been approved as meeting the mathematics admission requirements of those intitutions. Many students have applied, been accepted and are succeeding in many colleges and universioties across the country.

Lastly, I have been teaching high school mathematics for 27 years and have seen many programs come and go. I have also heard others use the phrase "This too shall pass." The reform movement is the right movement for students in this country. We do not need to focus on a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch thick. Contemporary Mathematics in Context provides the depth to allow students the opportunity to be able to think, not just process. I hope that this mathematics movement does not just "pass." I really wish that I would have written these texts. I believe in them and the curriculum embedded within. And so do my students!

This book has a bunch of useless detail combined with a lack of context. If you knew a ton about Spain and just wanted to go to little excursions, and didn't mind not knowing much about what was suggested, and didn't mind getting totally lost because the maps are close to useless, then buy this book immediately. Otherwise, it's a total waste of paper.

I rated this book four stars based on others in the series I have found helpful. The reviews for this book do not seem to be for the current edition of the book. The most recent edition was published April 2000 and the reveiws are written before that date. The editorial information states the new book has been completely redesigned and updated. Anyone out there used the April 2000 edition?

I think this book was excellent in helping you plan for a driving trip through Spain. I used this book last year while driving along the east coast of Spain from Zaragoza. The photos are pretty acurate, and the information is still very true. As with all guide books, you have to use several to plan a wonderful trip, I would also recommend Lonely Planet: Spain and Rick Steves guide to Spain and Portugal.

It is hard to believe a book this poorly written could make past the editors! There were so many run-on and incomplete sentences I had trouble reading it to my daughter. I can only imagine what my second grade daughter went through reading on her own. We will keep this book if only to serve as an example of how NOT to construct sentences. There is a year's worth of grammar exercises in this book.

I agree that this is not the finest book written on King Arthur, but it is one that can be read aloud, and easily enhanced by a grandmother anxious to read these legends to a second grader---- finding something appropriate for a young listener has not been easy!

I think this is a very good story because its placed in history. I like when the giant takes off his head. You should get this book for your child.

Definitely not as good as the List of 7. Sparks's fall is very disappointing and, I think, unnecessary to the story. It takes away from his being the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

Not nearly as good as the List of 7. Sparks's fall is disappointing and, I think, unnecessary to the story. It really takes away from him being the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

I was not nearly as disappointed by this sequel to Mark Frost's The List of 7 as many of the other "customer-reviewers." In fact, although I understand the reasons for this disappointment, they are minor compared with the deeper treasure of this two-book story: it is a well-crafted tale of evil, redemption, love, and forgiveness, written with the clever, suspenseful build of the Victorian adventure novel. The addition of so many new characters may leave fans of the first novel feeling bereft of that book's tightly-woven play of Sparks-off-Doyle and vice versa, but the scenes where they communicate directly: darker, more mature, human, and alive than in the more light-hearted List - are a superb, deeply felt address to the question of the nature of evil as it exists in its most powerful tools: human beings. As for the ending: do not mistake "abruptness" for the power of brevity. Although many readers would love to see the story continue, it would meander and lose meaning if an Epilogue were provided within this novel. The last sentence of the book beautifully sums the whole of the two books: Sparks redeemed by his own choice, true friend Doyle waiting with open arms. Classic and well-worth the read. Thank you, Mr. Frost, for continuing the original story of us all. Any chance of a third book? After all, there's always life after redemption.

The book "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court"starts out with a man named Hank Morgan getting hit over the head witha crow bar during an argument. He awakes to find himself in 600ADCamelot where he gets taken captive by a knight and is to be burned at the stake. Hank tells everyone he's a magacian and uses a solar eclipse to his advantage to be freed from death. He becomes good friends with the king and goes on many adventures with him. Hank tries to modernize civilization but in the end fails miserably. I absolutely hated this book. It would go for pages on end where you wouldn't understand a single word they said. Many times they would attempt to throw in humor but... This book was VERY unrealistic with warping through time and having a solar eclipse fall right on the day of his execution. In conclusion, this book was a waste of my time and and will probably a waste of yours too.

I am a fan of most of Mark Twain's works; his wit and charm are unsurpassed, and are ultimately what makes his books worth reading. However, although the book contained elements of these traits, I felt it read more like a technical manual for modernizing a backward people. This made it a tedious read.

I read Connecticut Yankee and found it quite good. However, instead of reviewing the book per se, I would like to post a rebuttal to the views posted by the person from Minnesota and the person from Tibet.

The Minnesota person claimed that reading this book was a complete waste of time and furthermore that there were long passages that seemed incomprehensible. I can see how this might be true for a person of finite literary sophistication, so I'm going to assume that the reader must have been a high school student who tackled reading beyond his/her level of understanding, patience, and appreciation. The book is rich with historic accuracy about medieval life and every page is packed with subtle, humorous digs at both 6th century ignorance as well as criticism of his own 19th century attitude toward progress in the industrial northern states from where our protagonist hails. Obviously, the reader from Minnesota missed the point.

The reader from Tibet accused Twain of having anti-religious views. Twain's criticism was not of religion; it was of the church's hypocritical practices in _both_ the 6th and 19th centuries. It is still true today. In chapter 10, Twain writes: "Everybody could be any kind of Christian he wanted to; there was perfect freedom in that matter. But...I was afraid of a united Church; it makes a mighty power, the mightiest conceivable, and then when it by-and-by gets into selfish hands, as it is always bound to do, it means death to human liberty, and paralysis to human thought."

When was this more true than in the middle ages, when the Catholic Church orchestrated Crusades, was genteel in an age of feudalism, and later killed infidels in their inquisitions? It's clear that Twain simply doesn't wish to have a sectarian bias influence secular affairs; our First Amendment supports Twain's point of view.

You'd do best to disregard those other reviews, which hold Twain responsible for their own lack of understanding and appreciation of his novel, and read the book for yourself. It will be well worth your time.