Since the collapse of Soviet communism it's much easier to laugh at the dogmatic, unsubstantiated, absurd theories like the one presented here by Mr. Chase-Dunn. It seems hard to believe now that people actually believed in this intellectual detritus, actually studied it, pondered it, discussed it around cocktails. It's been exposed now, in the real world, as worthless left-wing flotsam, but just to refresh the potential reader's memory, let me point out a few of the most ridiculous, obvious, shout-in-your-face errors of Mr. Chase-Dunn's theory of the "capitalist world-economy":

(1) the interstate system is not a result of capitalism. If anything, it's the other way around. National sentiment and territorial integrity, hallmarks of the interstate system, provided the necessary stability for long-term capital formation and its resulting technological progression. These two factors are essential elements of capitalism.

(2) Mercantilism is not capitalism. Mercantilism as an economic theory posits an effective use of territorial resources (e.g., exporting); capitalism posits an effective use of capital (i.e., investment of capital in ever more efficient means of production).

(3) Warfare is not the result of the capitalist world economy, as Mr. Chase-Dunn claims on page 108. Rather, warfare is a fundamental part of human nature, and existed long before "capitalism" was even a word, let alone a viable economic order.

(4) Mr. Chase-Dunn cannot claim that there are multiple "semi-peripheries" and still maintain a coherent theory that examines the relationship between the "core" and the "periphery."

(5) The scramble for new periphery states is not the only cause of WW I; rather, WW I was caused by the confluences of a variety of unique circumstances, only some of which were economic and none of which were attributable to capital per se. WW I was caused by such things as: German nationalism and the unique structure of the German state (e.g., becoming a state after the other Great Powers and thereby missing the opportunity for colonial acquisitions); social Darwinism; nationalism; and advances in military technology.

(6) Mr. Chase-Dunn conveniently forgets to explain how supposedly peripheral states like Japan could, and did, progress to the level of core states, because to do so would contradict his doctrine of a permanent core-periphery dichotomy. This doctrine is really nothing more than a rehash of the "dependency" theory, a faddish doctrine popularized in the early 1970s by Fernando Cardoso (who has subsequently repudiated it and is now president of free-market Brazil).

(7) Mr. Chase-Dunn's economic analysis (to use the word loosely) that attempts to tie together four centuries of warfare is the dumbest exercise in pseudo-intellectual reasoning I've ever had the displeasure of being forced to read. Idiographic factors are just too common in warfare, and the known factors just too large and amorphous, to be able to draw *any* sound economic conclusions from their occurrence, except the obvious one that a lot of money and lives were wasted.

So Mr. Chase-Dunn should ensconce himself in some fashionable liberal East-Coast University (actually, he's already done that) and, together with his other fellow Neo-Marxist pointy-head friends, collectively mourn the fact that reality did them the discourtesy of totally, finally, completely, and crushingly destroying their economic theories.

And Chase-Dunn proves it. The anonymous August 11, 2002 reviewer critiques my old review but doesn't bother with specifics. Typical.

Back to Chase-Dunn. Any idiot can say that something is the cause of something else just because it either (i) precedes it in time or (ii) has similar elements. Neither is conclusive of cause and effect. Although Chase-Dunn's "world systems" theory is more riddled with contradictions than a Valentine's Day Massacre corpse is with bullets, the mmost egregious of his errors is to tie four centuries of warfare to capitalism.

The world "capitalism" wasn't even *created* until the late 18th century. Capitalists like world stability in order to invest money. Why do you think every country in Latin America has a "country risk" premium, for crissakes? Capitalism and capitalists *hate* uncertainty because they have to make ROI (that "return on investment" for you communists out there) decisions and the uncertainty war creates makes for unprofitable investment decisions. Now, communists like Chase-Dunn on the other hand, they love war, because like radical Islam, it's a violent, universal ideology.

This book is by far the most comprehensive discussion of the structure of the world-economy from the world-systems perspective. Chase-Dunn builds his theory and analyses on the earlier works of Wallerstein, Arrighi and others but takes a critically important step by emphasizing the interactions of economic, political, and military power and how they impact the structure of the world-economy and reproduce certain structural constants of the modern world-system. With all due respect to the previous reviewer affiliated with a law school--this is directly a message for you--your are wrong and your historical analysis is completely faulted. Furthermore, your critiques illustrate either your lack of understanding the text or your ignorance of history.

I passed the exam but only because I got rid of this book and studied from MSDN a week before. The book covers most of the topics as if they were in a high school curriculum. I'd say if you are preparing for the MCSE/MCSD/MCP exam then DO NOT go by this book. But is fairly ok if you'd want an introduction to SQL Server 2000 before digging deeper into another detailed exam material.

I bought this book a couple months ago and I'm really disappointed because I found several wrong answers on it, not forgetting to mention the fact that several parts of this book are made from "topics". That's it. But... if I need to study by topics I'll go straight to Books Online, and not for this certification book, right?
My opinion: Look for another book. There must be other better than this.

I bought this book because the Exam Cram on 70-175 was excellent. However, I found this book almost useless. A lot of topics in the exam are not covered at all or enough by this book. You are very likely to fail the exam if you only rely on this book. The practical questions are stupid and too simple, you will be shocked when you do the real questions. To prepare the 70-229 exam, I highly recommend 'Professional SQL SERVER 2000 Programming' by Robert Vieira. That book covers everything you need to pass.

Posewitz, though well meaning, sets back our understanding of ethical hunting by confusing "difficulty of taking" an animal with ethics. He further does not seem to know that "fair chase" is a term created by the Boone & Crockett Club to describe their tournament rules for entering animals into their record books, much like golfing's rule that mechanized golf carts cannot be used by contestants. In spite of this, no one seriously suggests that it is unethical for recreational golfers to use golf carts, however. Ethical hunting is hunting that is: (1) Safe, (2) Conserves game populations for future generations, and (3) Respects the choices and rights of other hunters within the same boundaries. Whether I hunt with my bare hands, walking miles to get to the game, or select some easier way has nothing to do with ethics. Posewitz is entitled to hunt as he wishes, but he should not try to impose his views on others.

Note to the author: I suppose there's an "ethical" way to own slaves, too?

This book, albeit a slim volume is to be valued by veteran hunters and those new to the sport. The real emphasis is on the ethics of hunting well. Additional topics covered are well addressed. This book has been used in many state-sponsored hunter education courses, after having read it you will understand why. The author, who has impecible credentials as a wildlife biologist and hunter himself makes a valid case for continuing our national right to hunt.

I bought this book because the subtitle promised that I would learn "everything I need to know" about accessories. I guess if all I wanted to know was how to buy clothes that go with my accessories, rather than buying accessories to go with my clothes, this book would be useful.

The book is organized alphabetically by accessory, so you can go to the store, buy any old accessory you like, come home, look up the accessory in the book, then read about outfits you can buy to go with the accessory. USELESS! Not to mention impractical for those of us with tight budgets and/or a disinclination to spend obscene amounts of money.

I am not too adept with accessories, but I have a pretty solid wardrobe for both work and casual wear. I had hoped to find a book to advise me how to select accessories to jazz things up, but this book is designed for people with lots of accessories who need advice on how to wear them.

Needless to say, I got my money back.

I like the way the book defines and differentiates one fashion accessory from another in the same category (i.e., a kelly from a tote --- both fall in the category "bag"), provides a brief history of the item, and then gives suggestions on how to best use this for oneself. The "best" usage of the many accessories outlined here tend to be relative from person to person, though, so from time to time, you might see some recommendations here which you didn't, (or wouldn't) dream of coming up with. Still, I appreciate reading all these since these help you determine, either by agreeing or disagreeing with their suggestions, what kind of style you prefer.

I am one of those women who wants to look nice, but really hates to shop. When I stumbled on this book, with its clear and simple lists of what to wear, I knew I had found a secret weapon. And a time saver. With this book in hand and a list of the items I already own, I was able to use the web, catalogs and just a few shopping trips to put together a wonderful look for myself. THANK YOU Ms. Chase and Ms. Powell!!!!

You would be better served to get "The Appalachian Trail: A Visitor's Companion." It is more up to date, gives just as much information about the route of the AT in just one of its chapters and then goes on to tell you almost everything you would want to know about the natural world through which the trail passes.

In preparation for my own thru-hike of the Appalachian trail, I am systematically reading as many books on this subject as I can. Jim Chase provides basic/summary information of what one can expect along the trail. Each chapter describes a section of the trail, providing background on the geology, history, and features of each section. Does not contain any photographs, other than the cover. Maps are rudimentary, but give you the basic idea. The author sometimes provides tips and solutions to specific challenges along the trail, but these are few and far between. I was constantly frustrated over the fact that the book describes the trail from North to South, while the majority of thru-hikers travel South to North. Then again, it never promised to be a Thru-Hiker's guide. I recommend this book as a good starting point for those just learning about the Appalachian Trail. If you are looking for more detailed information about each section of the trail, you will need to consult the other references available.

I had never read any of Janelle Taylor's books, but I was curious about them because I knew she had lots of fans out there. This book, which featured an adventure/romance between government agents Navarro Breed and Elizabeth Lawrence (aka Bethany wind), simply fell flat. I couldn't even finish it.

For me, the dialogue killed this novel. At the beginning, the reader was given stilted lectures on the history of the native American uprisings in the 1880s. This information was interesting, but could have been worked into the story more gracefully.

Then the characters' speech to each other just didn't ring true. They sounded too modern and almost wooden - rather like the dialogue in a bad TV movie. I didn't sense any chemistry between the main characters and their attachment to one another didn't feel real.

I may give Janelle Taylor another chance, but this book is certainly one to avoid!

This was the worst romance novel I've read so far. Since the plot was decent I wanted to give the book to one of my favorite authors to rewrite. The dialogue was extremely poor. Since this was only my 2nd book by this author I"m not sure I want to read another one by her. Really painful to read.

To me this story carried a dynamite plot. I appreciated the changes in Ms. Taylors writing this story. Two special agents teamed up for a mission in the wild west. Interesting and fun at times. I enjoyed this book. The romance was tender and special. Good Book.

Have been waiting for 5 months for this book and still don't know when it will arrive. The publisher has been contacted and still cannot give a definite ship date.

I am a Freshman in High school and a Varsity cheerleader. I would love to cheer in college! I think this book sounds really neat, and I'll definetley order it once it's in!

The book is very light on design and heavy on reprints of Manufacturers PR photos.The author seems to be experienced in only low end homes with little variety of design and construction (vinyl is his favorite bathroom flooring). While the info on managing clients and subcontractors is good it really belongs in a book on how to be a general contractor.

This is the novelisation of the third Dalek story, and the fourth script written by Terry Nation for Doctor Who. Sadly, it more closely resembles 'The Keys of Marinus' than 'The Daleks' or 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'.

Getting John Peel to adapt this novel was a good idea. Mr Peel is a great fan of the work of Mr Nation, and hence more likely to give it the best interpretation. He also adds some continuity references to other stories. Unfortunately, despite Mr Peel's efforts, it is let down by one thing - the original story.

In this story, the Daleks have invented a time travel ship not too dissimilar to the TARDIS (it looks quite different, though) and set off in pursuit of their enemies in the TARDIS. It is a chase, going from one location to another. Most of these are extremely bland, and an almost pointless exercise in building tension.

As well as their version of a TARDIS, the Daleks also have another new piece of technology: they create a robotic duplicate of the Doctor, who has the task of infiltrating the group of travellers and destroying them. In the case of the book, we are spared the presence of an actor who doesn't look like Bill Hartnell playing the duplicate in many scenes.

The story actually doesn't take off until the end, where the TARDIS crew and the Daleks are on the planet Mechanus, where the threat of the Daleks and their duplicate are added to by the Mechonoids, a race of robots.

This story is also notable, as it sees the departure of companions Ian and Barbara and arrival of Steven. Other than the Doctor himself, the TARDIS crew has changed entirely. After this, the Doctor is almost always the focus of the stories.

Wallace's narrative of Smith's life and career lacks finesse. While there are many facts included in the biography, many of the hypotheticals are left unfootnoted, decreasing the credibility of the author and her sources. While there is much information included in the book, it lacks connections that make other biographies a joy to read. I would suggest "No Place For a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith" by Janann Sherman instead.