Showing posts with label consumerism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consumerism. Show all posts

State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy Review

State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy ReviewWorldwatch Institute's annual State of the World books are always worth reading. I've read every single one since they first came out in 1984. This 2008 book gives insights into how our world economy needs to change in order to prepare for a viable future. People should be aware, however, that the founder of Worldwatch Institute, Lester Brown, quit the organization a few years ago and set up a new institute, the Earth Policy Institute. His new book Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition has just come out. It is one of the most important books in recent years. Worldwatch also publishes Vital Signs 2007-2008: The Trends that Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs) Vital Signs is an annual set of statistics books in simple readable charts. I would recommend this too. Together, these three books could give a person some solid information about the environmental state of our planet and what needs to be done to create a viable future. On my profile I have a number of lists of some other very good books on the environment and future watch studies.State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy Overview

Want to learn more information about State of The World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole Review

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole ReviewI see a number of other reviewers belittling the book because of some trivial factual error regarding sports figures or celebrities, but in my eyes those points merely underscores the point that Barber is trying to make. In the end the constant media focus on these types of people is in my eyes a mass distraction. Does it change my life one iota when a drunken celebrity does something stupid? Not at all, but the media covers it for hour on end, and people lap it up.
People defend popular culture such as Harry Potter or Shrek, but these are all pure escapism and have very little relevance to our daily lives. Reviewers of those films make tortured comparisons to try and prove relevance to daily life, but the sad fact is that many people have become conditioned to not expect more, and perhaps not even have the patience to view a more substantive work.
Other reviewers insist that they aren't manipulated and that they have free choice. To an extent that is true, but one can easily argue that many people are making poor choices because they have been so deeply conditioned by advertisers. How can you justify spending 50K$ on a car, and replacing it when it is 3 years old when an inexpensive well-made car will fulfill the basic needs of transportation and may last 5-8 years instead? How can you justify spending money on bottled water when tap water in most areas is just fine? And how can you justify accumulating tens of thousands in consumer debt just to acquire all of this stuff? There are countless such examples all over the place.
And finally, there is the paradigm that runs deeply through our society that having more money and having more material goods will somehow make you happier. The problem is that these desires can never be satisfied - there is always something more, and there is always someone else who has more. In the end all of this materialism leaves people feeling empty, and the only tonic that they know to try and fill the void is to go out and shop some more.
On the other hand, if you can reach a point where you are content with what you have, you may find that many of the things that you do have are completely superfluous and can be donated to Goodwill or sold. Get rid of enough stuff, and that McMansion will seem empty, and a more modest and affordable house may meet your needs quite nicely.
Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole Overview

Want to learn more information about Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business Review

Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business ReviewEver wonder what the interaction between business and consumers will be like in the not-too-distant future? (Hint: it probably won't include the singing cereal box of the movie Minority Report.) Author Tom Hayes thinks we're in the first steps of a massive cultural change, as fundamental as The Industrial Revolution. Inter-connectivity. You can see it beginning now with the success of social networking sites, and retailer websites like this one that allow for user reviews.
A major hallmark of the future will be a battle for the consumer's attention, with the winner going to those businesses whom the consumer trusts. (Out with TV pitchmen and in with friends' recommendations.) Those businesses that allow consumers to mashup their own products will leave behind those that insist on strict intellectual property rights.
You can see a lot where the future is going by just looking around, by extrapolating trends, but Hayes puts it all together into a cohesive whole. This is a must-read book for anyone, businessperson or consumer, who wants to understand where society is going. And Hayes thinks we'll be there soon -- predicting 2011 as the point where there'll be 3 billion people world-wide connected to the Internet.
I gave the book 5 stars not because it was perfect -- I think Hayes's enthusiasm sometimes makes him jump to conclusions -- but because there are so many ideas and observations here that it would take ages to put something like this together from other sources. And it's well-written, in a light, breezy style, that kept my attention throughout. Well-done!Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business Overview

Want to learn more information about Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series) Review

Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series) ReviewHere is another fine book in the excellent series on "practicing our faith." This volume addresses a difficult topic for all of us: MONEY. Using personal stories and sincere confessions, Professor Hicks delves into this topic - too often off limits in our churches and even in our friendly conversations. His insights encourage faithful reflection on the complexities of our spending habits, our financial plans, and our world of economic disparity. This will be a most helpful book for pastors, adult education classes, small discussion groups, and all who are serious enough about Christian faith for provocative discussion and growth.Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series) Overview

Want to learn more information about Money Enough: Everyday Practices for Living Faithfully in the Global Economy (The Practices of Faith Series)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...