Book Description
The world's leading Axapta experts will take you from Axapta novice to pro in this book. This authoritative and comprehensive guide walks you gently through the bulk of what you need to know to productively apply the system in the real world with real data, sizing guidelines, deployment architectures, and code.
By the book's end, you will have acquired practical hands-on experience. You'll be able to get Axapta up and running, and identify gaps between the out-of-the-box product and your actual business needs. You'll also know how to automate real-world business functions.
Customer Reviews:
Dynamics AX guide.......2007-05-07
I would say it is a bit lightweight, but as a complete beginner I have found it a lot easier than wading through the mountains of stuff availble from Microsoft.
This Book Serves Its Purpose.......2006-01-29
I am prompted to write this review owing to the number of negative comments I have seen. I personally read the book and I found it very informative and easy to understand. Axapta is a huge application and it is not very easy to understand, just as how math is a huge and deep topic. However, learning math helps if you understand the fundamental topics. If you miss the fundamentals God help you.
I said this to say that this book is not for the experts who are looking for something deep, it opens your eyes to the fundamentals and gives you a base to start with. I am a self learner and I find a lot of the materials for Axapta hard to grasp if you do not understand the fundamentals. This book indeed opened my understanding to a great extent and some of the things that I already understood I believe were clearly explained. If you are just starting out with Axapta this book is a great place to start.
Great book - get a copy today........2006-01-23
This is an excellent book. It is comprehensive and well written. This book should be read by anyone who is either considering purchasing Dynamics AX or has recently purchased the product. All new users will learn a great deal of information from this book. In fact, all good resellers of Dynamics AX should include a copy of this book at no charge with a sales quote to a potential customer. If I had this book two years ago, I could have saved my company several thousands of dollars in consulting fees alone. This book is an excellent `jump start' to gain overall Axapta knowledge, and is a great value for the money. This book will become a `must read' for all Dynamics AX implementers.
Trying hard to cover everything... but...........2005-12-07
At first glance the book looks very impressive and promising; however you don't have to read many pages before the cold truth of the authors' dilemma hits you. Covering a product as huge as Axapta in less than 500 pages is impossible, so choosing the right level of detail is vital. The authors chose the same approach as the online documentation shipping with the product. They describe in a clear and easy digestible language the most important forms in great detail. The online documentation has rightfully been accused of not providing procedural information (Step-by-step descriptions of how to accomplish tasks spanning multiple forms) or overview information (How everything ties together). Unfortunately this book does not provide that information either. Since the page count is limited one could have hoped non-trivial information was prioritized. That isn't the case. This book is however more than just a rewrite of the online documentation. It contains many valuable and interesting insights where appropriate. Don't expect this book to give you a lot of new information; but it gives you the opportunity to bring it all to the beach.
The content in the book is fairly accurate, and fairly complete. If you are new to Axapta it will help you, if you already are somewhat familiar with the product, the technical inaccuracies and missing key information may throw you off track. An example of missing key information is in the X++ chapter. Here both transaction and exception handling are well described in sequent subchapters. However not a word is mentioned on how they interact, which is something every X++ developer needs to understand to write business logic. Hopefully this and many similar issues will be ironed out in a revised edition.
The architecture chapter is quite a disappointment to me, as it mostly describes deployment scenarios and lists the files that come with the product. The chapters on development and X++ will not teach you to be an Axapta developer. Just like reading a car's manual won't teach you how to drive. In the book there are no examples of business code, but a lot of screenshots and descriptions of the MorphX toolbox. The structure and contents of the development chapters makes me wonder if the authors ever used MorphX themselves.
The book has an edge towards Microsoft, which at times is mind-opening, but mostly plain ignorant. At times it seems more focused on finding ways to crash the system, than ways to successfully avoid the crashes.
By the way: Don't be tricked by the book's title. The book is about Axapta version 3.0 released in 2002. "Dynamics AX" is the name of version 4.0 scheduled to release in 2006.
Excellent book for almost everyone.......2005-11-29
I'm an experienced JD Edwards consultant moving to Axapta and I have not found it easy even after going, or better trying to go through the existing documentation referred by some of the other reviewers. Reading the book was easy and by far the best investment of time and money I have made in Axapta, and I now feel comfortable that I can take it to the next level by myself. Thanks for the book.
Book Description
Dive deep in to the architectural details of Microsoft Dynamics AX to make relationships clear and development tasks easier. The first part of the book is aimed at consultants and developers who are new to Microsoft Dynamics AX but have backgrounds in business application development using traditional languages, frameworks, and tools. It describes the architecture and development environment and explains key application frameworks that developers need for their customization, extension, and integration projects. The second part of the book is a reference guide for developers who work with Microsoft Dynamics AX deployments, with information on developing new functionality and supporting users. It covers more complex development concepts such as advanced forms and reports, reflection over the application metadata, performance, upgrades, migration, and setup. This is the first book written by the Microsoft product group architects and the first to take developers deep inside Microsoft Dynamics AX.
Customer Reviews:
A Reference Book Written by the Developers.......2007-05-11
Microsoft Dynamics AX is another of the very high end development system that Microsoft has been developing to make the implementation of sophisticated applications relatively easy. Specifically Dynamics AX (which has gone by several names during it's development cycle) is oriented to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications developers. It might be viewed as a library of subroutines that perform the fundamental actions needed by an ERP system. It is then up to the developer to simply connect these subroutines together in order to produce application.
The end result can be viewed as a very high level language that contains many functions written to perform the actual work. As with any other computer language, it is something non-trivial that has to be learned. And this book is basically a tutorial on the language. It probably is something that could be learned as a language by itself, but experience in other languages, particularily C++ and SQL will ease the learning task. Obviously the reader should have some experience in ERP.
This book is written by members of the development team. It is complete and thorough, but it is a book on the Dynamics AX system, not on ERP.
A must-have reference for anyone working with Dynamics AX.......2006-10-04
I found this book helpful when trying to figure out how to do a variety of development tasks such as debugging, reverse engineering, compiling, etc. The section on the development tools was helpful because it provided a guide on what's available for developers. It's easy to understand and provides some good background information on a lot of the tools and techniques. Very useful for either developers or consultants.
Product Description
Managing Your Supply Chain using Microsoft Dynamics AX focuses on deploying an ERP system in manufacturing and distribution companies. It provides a managerial user's guide for how the system fits together to plan and control the business, and covers business process variations such as standard versus custom products, single- and multisite operations, projects, service management, and lean. It includes suggestions for the major business processes involved in supply chain management, and highlights more than 50 case studies.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Handbook for Dynamics AX.......2007-09-05
This is a must have book for any company or consultant wishing to use Dynamics AX to control their supply chain.
This will not teach you everything about Dynamics AX. It will supplement and expand the theory gain from existing training material. This will help you turn the theory into a practical ERP solution.
Just My Thoughts.......2007-07-08
My thoughts are:
1. The book provides a great introduction to how ERP systems work from a Supply Chain perspective. That said, much of the content is generalized and could apply to any respectable ERP.
2. The style is good - written for non-technical folk. So, this is fine from a general user standpoint but nowhere near the depth required for a serious, experienced developer.
3. The one thing I found seriously lacking was sufficient screenshots. One of the great strenghts of AX is the user-friendliness of the GUI and the ease of navigation. This is well described but pictures would be better.
4. The focus is clearly on supply chain aspects. This is fine - but - this precludes addressing other fundamental modules such as Financials. I feel to get a clear picture the reader really needs to understand the connection between an operational transactions and (say) the General Ledger. To be fair - the focus was stated up front by the author.
5. I must admit, that I did not get a good feel for the underlying business processes in play within AX. However, the descriptions of some of the key principles were good e.g. item dimensions.
6. Overall, the book does what it sets out to do but having played with AX 4.0 I really feel that the book does not do it justice. Having used or evaluated about 20 ERP systems, AX 4.0 provides outstanding value for such a sophisticated and elegantly architectured product.
Anyway - there you go.
Steve McEneany
President
Steelnet Solutions Inc.
Vancouver
Great book.......2007-04-17
This is a great book. It is very well written and meets the objectives of three different groups - prospective users, current users, and consultants - so they can derive great value.
I have done lot of training in Dynamics Ax and often times I find users finding it difficult to come to terms with some of the fundamental concepts. This book does a great job of thoroughly explaining some of the most difficult concepts with right level of content.
Another area that I found could be beneficial was the case studies. They allow a reader to picture the material just read in a real life situation which goes a step further than most books or product help.
Overall a great book and a handy reference.
by Artem Popov, Expert-Siberia magazine.......2006-02-13
The leading world-famed guru in automation of business-processes Scott Hamilton shows us the tendencies and problems of ERP-market. May be he is not so popular as his colleagues - marketing and management experts. But the concept of ERP penetrated in our life not long ago and the professor Scott Hamilton has been investigating ERP10 years more than this term exists. His fundamental knowledge and large experience are priceless. And he is sharing them with the readers openly.
Great insight in the world of Supply Chain.......2005-11-20
The book combines great experience in the business issues with the capability of Axapta to solve these issues.
It shows deep knowledge of how to understand business problems and how to explain how to solve these, based on a advanced business system.
A great contribution to understanding Supply Chain and Axapta.
Book Description
YANOMAMO INTERACTIVE: THE AX FIGHT sets a new standard in the teaching of cultural anthropology, using the power of multimedia to enhance and extend the experience of viewing Chagnon and Asch's classic ethnographic film.
Customer Reviews:
Yanomami speak out against Chagnon's work.......2006-10-24
Although an interesting read, it would be so because it is filled with false information. Davi Kopenawa Yanomami claims not only did Chagnon misrepresent the Yanomamo, but also offered them gifts to fight among themselves so he could take pictures and record the sounds of the fight. In a 2001 interview with Janet Chernela he says the following: "To repeat, Chagnon is not a good friend of our relatives. He lived there, but he acted against other relatives. He had a lot of pans. I remember the pans....When he arrived at the village, and called everyone together, he said 'Whoever is the most courageous will earn more pans. If youkill ten more people I will pay more. If you kill only two, I will pay less.'... This isn't good. This kills. Children cried; fathers, mothers, cried. Only Chagnon was happy. Because in his book, he says we are fierce. We are garbage. The book says this; I saw it. I have the book. He earned a name there, WATUPARI. It means king vulture- that eats decaying meat. ... He ordered the Yanomami to fight. He never spoke about what he was doing.
The purpose of an ethnography is to document, not to fill in gaps to make something more interesting to read.
cheaper than at the college book store.......2006-02-24
This book was in the same quality as if i would have bought it at the college book store, but about $10.00 cheaper. It is a good read, and helps create a better idea of how to view a things with cultural relativism.
Classic example of exploitation of a native people.......2005-02-23
This (so called) interactive CD is a classic example of 2 unfortunate characteristics of Western anthropology: 1) It sees human beings as specimens to be examined, filmed, held up for cultural di-section, for the interest of westerners with no intention of doing good for these people; 2) It inevitably skews the perception of the culture it depicts. Obviously there are degrees of accuracy with any ethnographic description, but in this case we are left with a very distorted picture. For example, we are not told that the Yanomamo have for decades now been willingly seeking and embracing different methods of conflict resolution - rather than killing each other, resolving issues like who "owns" a woman by negotiation rather than by killing those who disagree with you. Many of these constructive and helpful developments, which the yanomamo have embraced of their own free choice (having had a gut-full of the alternative) were introduced by well-meaning missionaries, and yet it seems the anthropologists want the yanomamo to stay frozen in time and keep killing each other. Meanwhile, Chagnon and others go merrily on their way making big $ out of depictions like this and trying to stop missionaries (and others) from helping these people to help themselves.
For a genuine "insiders" view, see Mark Ritchie's "Spirit of the Rainforest" and discover how the Yanomamo themselves view the arrival of anthropologists with films and notepads, and missionaries with new ideas.
It is naive to think that as an anthropologist you can enter a society to observe it, and the act of observation itself not impact that society. In Ritchie's book, for example, you will see how parts of the footage for this CD were obtained (and how for example they scolded a lady for walking onto the set with clothes on - most Yanomamo were by this time wearing clothes of their own accord ("Who wants to keep getting bitten by bugs?") and yet the anthropologists wanted them to stay naked, at least for the film if not forever.)
I give this CD a good score for interactivity and nice graphics and footage, but I give it a zero in terms of any benefit it has brought to the Yanomamo. (You can read in the updated edition of Ritchie's book what the reaction was of a Yanomamo village leader who actually viewed the CD for himself).
So get the CD if you want to see villagers killing each other, but get Ritchie's book if you want to understand the Yanomamo.
a different culture [in danger].......2003-04-05
this book is a good introduction to the Yanomamo people of the Amazon rainforest, in Venezuela & Brazil. There's so much literature on these people; this book really is just an introduction. One thing Chagnon communicates very well in it is how terribly tragic he thinks what's happening to them now is, with western influence, especially in the last chapter. Anyway the way he writes is great.
Informative but controversial.......2002-12-18
This bestseller ethnography is praised for its detail; Chagnon is praised for unprecedented geneological and geographical data. Chagnon has spent many decades living with these people and collecting data. Cultural ecology, subsistence and political organization seem to be his strengths, but the text is exceedingly masculine. It can be criticized for ignorning women, those with less power, and power differential. The author's depiction of the Yanomamo as warlike and fierce is argued as overdone and jeapardizing of the wellbeing of the Yanomamo. Prior to Chagnon they were a mostly uncontacted people and since they have been enculturated, devastated by mining, and have lost respect due to their fierce reputation. Very thought provoking, informative and controversial, this 260 page ethnography is a must read for anyone interested in the field of anthropology.
Average customer rating:
- A Topical (and Timeless) Corporate Thriller
- A Future World Of Competition
- In my top three... Definitly Westlake's best
- Axed the competition!
- Today's World? What's Tomorrow's/Dual Review
|
The Ax
Donald E. Westlake
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0446606081 |
Amazon.com
Donald E. Westlake, justly named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, has written everything from comic capers (the Dortmunder series) to the darker adventures of ace criminal Parker during his long career. But he's never come up with anything scarier or more timely than this story about a downsized executive who decides to kill off the competition. Burke Devore could be your neighbor: a laid-off paper company manager watching his life and family fall apart as he tries desperately to get a job. The plan he finally comes up with involves murdering seven men very much like himself, and Westlake's most impressive achievement is to make the serial killings understandable if in no way justified. Selected titles from Westlake's vast list of books available in paperback include: Baby, Would I Lie?, The Fugitive Pigeon, Pity Him Afterwards, and Trust Me on This.
Book Description
Donald E. Westlake, justly named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, has written everything from comic capers (the Dortmunder series) to the darker adventures of ace criminal Parker during his long career. But he's never come up with anything scarier or more timely than this story about a downsized executive who decides to kill off the competition. Burke Devore could be your neighbor: a laid-off paper company manager watching his life and family fall apart as he tries desperately to get a job. The plan he finally comes up with involves murdering seven men very much like himself, and Westlake's most impressive achievement is to make the serial killings understandable if in no way justified. Selected titles from Westlake's vast list of books available in paperback include: Baby, Would I Lie?, The Fugitive Pigeon, Pity Him Afterwards, and Trust Me on This.
Download Description
Burke Devore is a paper company manager, a man who can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about bleaching processes and the edible wood pulp they put in ice cream. For twenty-five years Burke has provided for his family and played by the rules. Until now. Now Devore is slipping away: from his wife, his family, and from all norms of civilized behavior. Burke Devore wants his life back. And he will do anything to get it. From his attempts to land a new job, to the growing rift between him and his loved ones, Devore knows that he is running out of time. Believing that there is just one way to earn the only job he has a chance of getting, he sets off on a path from which there can be no turning back--no matter how bizarre and violent, no matter who gets in the way; no matter how evil Burke Devore becomes. Burke Devore is gunning for his competition, and it's getting easier every time. . . . In this relentlessly fascinating novel, the masterful Donald Westlake takes us on a journey of obsession and outrage inside a quiet man's desperate world. And as we follow in Devore's blood-soaked footsteps, the question begins to echo darkly: In a society driven by the promise of the good life, how far are any of us from the edge?
Customer Reviews:
A Topical (and Timeless) Corporate Thriller.......2007-07-10
Although first published in 1997, "The Ax" remains relevant ten years later as the downsizing in corporate America continues unabated. The downsizing of white collar jobs is still topical and should continue to be for years to come. Dark, satirical, and surprisingly moving, "The Ax" is the crown jewel of Westlake's bibliography.
A Future World Of Competition.......2007-04-30
I saw this movie by Costa Gavras a couple of years ago at the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. The movie moved me so much...that I decided to buy the book a year later. I loved reading it but it was so much like the movie that I knew what was going to happen...I probably should have read the book before the movie...I don't know. The MOVIE is simply excellent. I couldn't help seeing excerpts from the film as I read the book. It's a scary dark noir thriller of what could happen with outsourcing jobs to other countries and how one's home country could falter for it...very interesting reading.
In my top three... Definitly Westlake's best.......2007-03-23
This is the best book I've read in years for one reason: You almost become the main character, an out of work psychopathic murderer. Now, you may be asking yourself why you'd want to become a out of work psychopath, but trust me you'll like it... in a weird way which makes you worried about yourself when you finally put it down. The book is written in the first person with very little dialogue, due to this you get such an intimate bond with the character, through his thoughts, that you don't want him to get caught... because your so involved you feel like your at risk of being found out too. You sympathize with this guy to a degree that I didn't think was possible to feel for a killer, but you want him to succeed, you want him to kill again... It's a strange sensation that is wonderful and scary at the same time, like you're doing something you're not supposed to. If you want a read that you'll never forget, this is it. Westlake at his very best.
Axed the competition!.......2006-02-14
This was my first Donald Westlake novel and surely not my last. I picked it up after reading Stephen King's much praised "On Writing". At the end of King's book, he gives a list of his all-time favorites and this was one of them. I am a huge King fan so I checked this one out at the library and will be adding the hardback to my collection.
This is a story that hits close to home, being that I'm currently on the market for a decent job after being laid off from a promising career.
I could not put this book down. I brought it to doctor's visits, restaurants, read it in the car when my husband was driving (feat in itself!) and into the bathtub with me.
Westlake succeded in fleshing out a man on the verge of losing everything in the wake of being laid off from a sixteen- year job and brings to light the corporate swine that ultimately makes those kinds of decisions. In a world of tough competition in the job market, Westlake gives new definition to the term "Dog eat dog world".
The pace was fast and had you rooting for the main character which in this case was the killer. A very difficult thing to do for any writer but Westlake does it flawlessly.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good dark comedy-thriller.
Today's World? What's Tomorrow's/Dual Review.......2005-12-01
Last week I coincidentally read the above two books -- The Negligence of Death and The Ax...one right after the other. At the end of both, my reaction was the same. Chilling! Although they have quite different storylines, I saw a number of similarities:
...I didn't like what I was reading, but couldn't stop.
...Though fiction, I felt their "realness."
...They are perfect illustrations of the impact of society on one (or more) individual.
...Killing is a by-product -- a means to an end.
...Though I didn't like reading them, I am thankful I did.
Vietnam. The 60s. Many of us knew people who were in that war. Many of us wondered why few of those who returned were unwilling to talk about it. In The Negligence of Death by Jerome Gold, we learn why.
The story revolves around the life of Dixie, a green beret. Some might say he is the main character. He's not. Death is the main character in this book. As a silent voyeur, the author takes the reader to Vietnam into Dixie's life -- his "daily" life in Vietnam. After a few pages, you really don't want to be there; you don't want to see and hear through Dixie...you want to go home, AWOL. But you can't; you're in for the duration . . .just like Dixie.
This book has just 179 pages. Fast reading -- if you can stand it. You join Dixie in his sixth day, when he tells you "the worst part was the bodies. They reeked, some were five or six days dead and the troops . . .did not like being reminded how negligent was Death." From then on, the book could easily be titled How Many Ways are There to Die?
And there is sex. "The woman lay on her back in a cave dug into the side of a trench. As I passed she opened her legs. I went on to wake up a man who was sleeping. When I saw her again, a Ranger was on top of her."
And there are drugs. "I was in great pain and the medic on board gave me morphine. In Saigon they gave me morphine again. It was a wonder to me that I did not die of good care, but I kept my mouth shut and waited for them to administer each shot."
Somewhere along the way you discover Dixie's real name and that he is a radio operator/communications officer. But it is really unimportant; it could just as well have been through Mitch's eyes, as he tells: "So these other two Arvins who are standing around take their oranges and put them between the guy's legs. And they're laughing. He's got half his face blown away and he's going `uh-uh-uh' and pointing to those goddamn oranges, and laughing."
There is no storyline . . .it could just as easily be actual tape transcripts of daily conversations and actions by those stationed in Vietnam. Oh yes, this is a story about Dixie, who is in Vietnam. He gets wounded and goes back home. You might think the book ends there.
But Dixie reenlists, to share one last scene: "...one of the small green uniforms appears in front of me and I fire a short burst, it is so pure and sweet and clear, like sudden knowledge, like certainty, and the small green man flies backward, it is as though he were flying, his arms lift, his back arches, his feet raise off the ground, it's Superman! Ha ha. Now almost to the perimeter, there are Americans, and I fire off the rest of the magazine, ha ha, they fall, they are so surprised...I fire right into them ha ha ha, I am hit again ha ha...it is so funny, everything is, and I feel such love . . ."
Read The Negligence of Death. Understand Vietnam.
Burke DeVore got The Ax. Vietnam is our history. Getting "the ax" is today. Vietnam was at war. Burke DeVore fights his own war (ours).
Burke DeVore is unemployed. He has been downsized. He was once a middle manager with a promising future. Then one day he was told "your job is not going forward."
Burke's wife has taken on two part-time jobs. His daughter is in college; his son in high school. Burke has been unemployed for two years with no prospect of gaining a similar job with a similar salary. Although everything they could do has been done to cut expenses, they are now facing loss of their home, schooling -- everything.
One day the history of the United States will reflect that, during the 90s, many middle managers were abused, harassed, and dismissed without regard. Those affected had no way of fighting back. Being excellent loyal employees was not enough to keep a job. The bottom line dividends ($) to the stockholders, to the owners, boards and other regulators was what mattered; people didn't. Burke DeVore is making history...but he might not make the history books, though he's fighting a war. I pray he is the only one that chooses his method of fighting.
Burke was not alone when he got axed. One-fourth of his company was cut; Burke's product line was dropped completely. (He was a production line manager at a paper company.) You may immediately empathize with Burke -- we hear about similar situations on the radio or read it in the newspaper every day.
The Ax is a story about many of us. Working from the bottom up, after 25 years Burke had become a specialist in his field. His loyalty, hard work and experience had allowed him to arrive at a place where he had finally been able to "buy" (which means a long mortgage) a home and provide for his children's higher education. He had planned his career, toiled diligently and reached a goal...and then was told, "Don't go away mad; just go away." Oh yes, his company tried to ease the action. Burke went through counseling, he took a class on how to prepare a resumé, and received a generous severance. With all of his accumulated vacation and sick leave, he even got a flat sum of "four thousand, seven hundred, sixteen dollars, and twenty-two cents." Then Burke adds, "To tell the truth, if it had been nineteen cents, I doubt I would have known the difference."
Burke needs a job. "More and more of us are out here now, another thousand or so every day, and we're chasing fewer and fewer jobs." Burke prepared a new resumé, hunted for a job, and interviewed numerous times, doing exactly what his former employer had taught him to do. He tried to do it their way.
You first meet Burke as he considers, "what now? I've never actually killed anybody before, murdered another person, snuffed out another human being . . . How do you know beforehand that you can do it . . .This has to work. I have to get out of this morass, and soon. Which means I'd better be capable of murder."
After doing all the right things, no employer had hired him. And, after just receiving the ax, like so many others, he knew he could not change these employers who cared nothing about their people. So, there was only one alternative that Burke could see; eliminate the competition for the available jobs.
Establishing a fictitious company and placing an ad for an individual who would apply for "his" job, as anticipated, Burke receives hundreds of applications. After studying each one, he finally, objectively, arrives at six candidates who are either better or equally qualified. He establishes a plan to eliminate his competition, then proceeds to kill each man. Studying trade journals to keep up with the job area, he reads an article about a nearby plant and visits there. Deciding that the job he wants is at this plant, he adds the elimination of one more competitor, the present manager, to his plan of action. The first elimination succeeds. The second, however, is a fiasco, and he winds up killing both his competitor and his wife. He then meets his third victim and they commiserate with each other: ". . .this is the first society ever that takes its most productive people, at their prime, at the peak of their powers, and throws them away. I call that crazy." But this becomes a problem, the competition has become a person, and Burke works to ensure that future kills do not become personal. He's merely eliminating the competition.
Thus the story follows Burke through his family life and the problems they face as a result of his unemployment; we follow Burke as death provides for his future.
Until the day occurs when he goes for the interview for "his" job, and requests, "Wish me luck."
After having just completed The Negligence of Death, upon finishing The Ax, I couldn't help but visualize that Burke never got that job, and he is still out there, quietly using death, eliminating his competition.
Another coincidence happened yesterday as I started preparing this review. A friend sent me an online joke, showing a man sitting at a computer, pointing out that the year 2000 has come and no computer bug has occurred. Two seconds later, a giant bug jumps out of the computer and pulls the man into the machine. It was funny the first time I saw it months ago. But yesterday, I remembered the following from The Ax:
...I think about the circumstances that have led me here, to this place. And I think about the millennium. Strange, that. I'd never thought about it before, that the simple arbitrary numbering of years could have an effect on us, but it turns out to be so... 2000; and it all stops. Maybe that is what they're doing. It's as good an explanation as anything they've offered. They're trying to make everything neat and perfect for the end... This kind of business management that has never been seen in the world before, trashing productive people from productive careers in productive companies, is happening because of the millennium. Because of the year 2000. I'm out of work because the human race has gone mad. On that thought, I fall asleep. It's only later that I wake up in terror.
Chilling, isn't it? Two time periods. One is our history; one is our future. The 60s were a major part of the history for many of us. The 90s has "changed" history for many of us. Prepare to be a part of history. Read these books. Prepare to wake up in terror.
Average customer rating:
- Needs to be a little more developed.
- Improving literacy skills
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Ax or Ask? The African American Guide to Better English
Garrard McClendon
Manufacturer: McClendonReport.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Loving Frank: A Novel
ASIN: 0963932926 |
Book Description
This book is a must for teachers and parents of African American students. Used as a text and reference book in 9 school systems, the book explores how Blacks can improve their speaking and writing skills, avoiding educational and occupational exclusion. Why do many Blacks say "finna, skrimps, ax, skrate, and fixin' to"? Why don't teachers correct Black English in primary classrooms? Why do African Americans have the lowest standardized test scores? The African American Guide to Better English increases awareness, improves student achievement, and provides advocacy for those wanting to speak mainstream English.
Customer Reviews:
Needs to be a little more developed........2007-02-06
Good background information. I feel that it should have more examples. Especially under the subject/verb agreement section. Some of our peoples most notorious errors are omitted. For example, when to use do and does, don't and doesn't, did and done, or seen and saw. I don't thank that the people who need the book most will be able to make the connection by themselves. I love the concept of the book, but it just needed a little more developed.
Improving literacy skills.......2004-12-08
There is a time and place for everything, even proper English versus slang or dialect. In Garrard McClendon's educational, but humorous book, Ax or Ask? The African American Guide to Better English, I found myself howling with laughter at times. Yet, in hindsight, I'm sure that wasn't the proper reaction. It's a fact, the current generation speak in a strange combination of English, slang, and street terms
Not only did Mr. McClendon provide statistics and suggestions on how teachers could help their students, he also provides a glossary of forbidden words, definitions, phrases, and pronunctiations. Though it isn't funny, but quite the opposite, I could picture a comedian using some of the lines in this book, such as "Drowned - drowned is not pronounced with the extra "did" on the end: drowned (drown'd), not drown-did." Other misused words are noted as well as grammatical problems such as subject/verb agreement and double negatives.
I'm glad to know this book is being taught in different school systems and commend Mr. McClendon for his efforts on educating African-Americans on the need to improve their literary skills, to include: reading, writing, and speaking. With our kids' test scores and the lack of committed teachers, a book of this nature could very well bridge the gap between speaking right versus speaking wrong, arming them for better educations, jobs, and lifestyles. It is a must read!
Reviewed by Mz. Melody for Loose Leaves Book Review
Average customer rating:
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The Concerto According to Manny
Emanuel Ax , and
Eric Friesen
Manufacturer: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Audio)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
General | Classical | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Music | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0660196697 |
Book Description
The Ax Book is a thorough guide to cutting wood with hand tools.The author explains how to use various types of axes, hatchets, mauls, saws and wedges to take down trees and prepare firewood. In addition he shows every aspect of dealing with wood from the forest right to the hearth or stove.
Customer Reviews:
The Owners Manual for the ax.......2007-03-28
I have used an ax for years, and have heard stories from my family that included the ax, but I learned so much from this book I couldn't believe it. any one who uses a ax should have this owners manual.
The best introduction to the subject currently available........2000-02-03
Throughout recorded time, the ax has been a principle tool for carving out from the wilderness the homes, farms, and roads so necessary to the advance of civilization. Even today, those who use chainsaws and other power equipment still need to be familiar with the hand tools of their craft. In many situations, only a hand-ax will suffice for the felling of trees, the rough shaping of lumber, the creation of firewood, and clearing out the nooks and crannies of forested areas for other purposes -- including the planting of new trees. Cook's The Ax Book is an ideal "how to" manual of instruction enhanced with the illustrations of Whipple to provide what is simply the best introductory guide to the subject available to readers today. The Ax Book is a "must" for anyone needing to use a hand ax for any purpose, under any circumstances.
Customer Reviews:
MCBAIN HAS DONE BETTER!!!!!.......2002-07-26
I am trying to read these in order so this is the 18th one I have read. I think I gave all the others a five. A body is found with an axe sticking out of the mans head. Who would kill an 86 year old man? Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes are the main ones working on this case. They do the usual of asking questions but turn up nothing. Could it have been the man's son, who has not been out of their house in years, the man's wife, who is crazy as a loon? How about Allie the Shark Spedino, who is brought in for questioning? Then a cop is killed, that makes a big difference in the case. Cotton and Carella cannot turn up anything to solve the mystery, then, and this is why I gave it a four, the murderer is handed to them on a platter. I like the 87th Precinct series very much and will continue to read them, however, wish this could have been solved by them and not handed to them. A quick read, will hold your attention, and if you are into McBain you will like it enough to read it.
The 88th Precinct........2002-02-07
Shouldn't that have an 'e'?
I remember there was a craze for Ed McBain 87th Precinct paperbacks at my boarding school. I don't know who brought the first one in, maybe from the school library, but soon more and more turned up and were passed around. They became part of the furniture. Just as well, it was a very austere place and there wasn't much furniture. The murder and mayhem of the 87th made a nice change from the cold showers, buggery and beatings we had become accustomed to. We used to discuss the plots now and again. Carella and his wife. Was she deaf? After a term with our housemaster, we began to envy her condition. Also also Meyer Meyer. We liked all the jargon too, such as 'molestation one'. We had by that time discovered all about the term. After a while we found ourselves talking in rather broad Brooklyn accents while dunking biscuits into our teas. We empaphised with the dire incarceration suffered by the criminals. The detectives would not always get their man but unfortunately we didn't have similar luck with the school staff. We were in an isolated place on the map so it was nice to escape to some mythical American city of steaming pavements and cigarette ends. When the lights were turned out in the dorm we could almost imagine ourselves hearing the distant screech of a passing police car siren. Sometimes we did hear it but it was only ever a room mate desperately crying out in his sleep for his mummy. But we lived in hope. This was the first Ed McBain book I ever picked up there and had a suitably gruesome opening. Soon I was hooked, and the cult was born. From what I can remember, this was a short, concisely written and easy to read book, easy to fit in between brutal excursions down the playing fields and prep. Sundays there was little to do except hang around the dorm or form room, and so God's day became official 'Ed' day. Can't remember who did the axe murder at the end of the book. Probably our old housemaster.
Slightly disappointing.......2001-02-22
Fans read McBain for the thrill of the procedural and the interaction of the boys from the 87th. Here, we get the procedural details and the killer's identity is worthy of Christie, but no fun with Meyer, Byrnes, Brown et al. Even homicide bureau staples Monaghan and Monroe are on vacation. Instead of the usual mix of crimes, we get a straight murder mystery involving only Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes with only one line given to Meyer in the whole book. The rest of the boys are forgotten. The killer is found when Carella is called to the scene and when he sees an axe involved in the new assault realizes "Hey! This is the killer!" A bit of a letdown from McBain.
Minor Entry in the Series.......1999-07-14
This is one of the shortest --- and one of the weaker --- books in the 87th Precinct series, which McBain has been writing since 1956 and is approaching 50 volumes. Generally McBain succeeds in creating a complex and intriguing mystery with minimal elements; but here he seems a little short of ideas. However, fans of the series will enjoy it; it's fast paced and engrossing, and by now most of us are so enamored of Hawes and Carella that we're not too particular about the details. Those who haven't tried McBain before should probably pick up "The Hecker", "The Con Man", or "Killer's Payoff" for a taste of the early 87th Precinct.
Books:
- ELEVEN DAYS OF HELL: MY TRUE STORY OF KIDNAPPING, TERROR, TORTURE AND HISTORIC FBI & KGB RESCUE
- Ends of Empire (Wraith the Oblivion)
- Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality
- eXtreme Project Management: Using Leadership, Principles, and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility
- Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island Trilogy)
- Fault Line
- Fear of the Dark (Fearless Jones Novel, No.3)
- For a Few Demons More (Rachel Morgan, Book 5)
- Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry
- Hail to the Chief
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