J.K. Lasser's your income tax: 2013

There are two reasons to read this book. 1) You are preparing a paper return and wish to learn more that what is printed in the IRS "Forms and Instructions". 2) You want to read and learn more than what you get from a tax preparer or computer program. Since your economic activities have tax consequences you should read or browse the relevant sections of this book as it applies to you. Some ignore the tax consequences until its too late. Since most people don't have tax lawyers, and may not be able to get advice on a telephone, or even from the Internet, you need to reference this book as needed. Do not be afraid of the size of this book as most people will not need all chapters. Pages xxv to xxvii has "What's New for 2011". (Publisher)    
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The dawn of innovation : the first American industrial revolution

by Charles R. Morris     (Get the Book)
An unprecedented 3.9 percent average annual rate of economic growth sustained for more than a century propelled the U.S. to global economic leadership. Morris chronicles the remarkable story behind the remarkable number. To begin with, it is a story of American shipwrights frenetically attempting to match Great Britain in building warships during the War of 1812. Peace meant that American industrialists turned to making shoes, stoves, steam engines, and locomotives, yet they still strove to wrest world economic leadership from Britain. Readers soon realize that American capitalists who surmounted daunting technical challenges (through homegrown Yankee ingenuity and through industrial espionage) also solved a formidable social problem. Instead of building British-style Coketowns that enriched a few while immiserating the masses in the factories, America's economic pioneers spread the benefits of modern productivity throughout a mass-consumption society. Morris concludes with a provocative comparison of the nineteenth-century duel pitting the U.S. against Great Britain and today's rivalry between China and the U.S. Economic history freighted with social and political relevance. --Booklist

Automate this : how algorithms came to rule our world

by Christopher Steiner    (Get the Book)
The Arab Spring of 2011 did not surprise analyst Bueno de Mesquita, who in May 2010 predicted that Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak would fall within a year basing his prediction on the workings of an algorithm. As readers follow Steiner in his whirlwind tour of algorithm applications, they will marvel at the versatility of a mathematical tool understood only by a small circle of experts. Readers peer over the experts' shoulders long enough to trace the decision-tree logic of an individual algorithm and to follow the cascading dynamics of the linked algorithms that drive the bots now handling everything from putting astronauts into space to matching compatible personalities venturing into the dating scene. Steiner acknowledges that a world reliant on bots must cope with new challenges flash crashes on Wall Street, unemployment among accountants, dangerously powerful technocrats. Still, Steiner remains hopeful that resourceful computer whizzes will weave algorithms that will enrich and safeguard our future. An accessible foray into computer programming that has become a hidden but pervasive presence. --Booklist

The green to gold business playbook : how to implement sustainability practices for bottom-line results in every business function

by Daniel C. Esty    (Get the Book)
Rather then dwelling on the case for sustainability, as most current books seem to do, these authors, in this sequel to their bestselling book Green to Gold, (CH, Feb'07, 44-3366), present a unique, practical strategy for adding organizational value and contributing positively to global welfare. The book's 23 well-written chapters are divided into six parts that describe how to build an eco-strategy, assess environmental risks, incorporate the strategy into all business functions, implement an action plan, and evaluate and report success. From the most basic levels to boardroom leadership, the book is filled with excellent contemporary examples, real-world best practices, checklists, frameworks, action plans, and step-by-step guidance detailing the ways in which companies can achieve a strategic eco-advantage while also creating a sustainability culture and long-run growth in both revenues and profit margins. Those with a pragmatic interest in innovative strategies embracing sustainability concomitant with organizational competitiveness will find this book an important guide and reference. Familiarity with contemporary business practices, organizational leadership, and environmental issues would be helpful. --Choice

The global new deal : economic and social human rights in world politics

by William F. Felice    (Get the Book)
Felice's goal is to jar readers out of defeatism toward the daunting challenge of poverty in the developing world by presenting an optimistic roadmap for reforming the global economy. This roadmap takes the form of a "New Deal," a series of policy suggestions designed to alleviate poverty and balance economic, environmental, ethnic, gender, and other concerns. International institutions are central components of the major structural changes embodied in the Deal, with Felice (Eckerd College) suggesting both the enhancement of existing bodies and the creation of new ones. Some readers will welcome the author's impassioned calls for reform, while others will find them overly optimistic. For instance, the argument that states would serve themselves by placing more emphasis on fundamental economic and social human rights is easy to accept in the abstract but will be dismissed by political realists or students of collective action problems. The central value of the volume is its discussion of the variety of existing institutions and laws that potentially can be harnessed to address global poverty. --Choice

Options math for traders : how to pick the best option strategies for your market outlook

by Scott Nations   (Get the Book)
A practical guide to the math behind options and how that knowledge can improve your trading performance No book on options can guarantee success, but if a trader understands and utilizes option math effectively, good things are going to happen. The idea behind Options Math for Traders + Website is to help retail option traders understand some of the basic tenants and enduring relationships of options, and option math, that professional and institutional traders rely on every day. This book skillfully highlights those strategies that are inherently superior from an option math point of view and explains what drives that superiority while also examining why some strategies are inherently inferior. The material is explained without complex equations or technical jargon. The goal is to give you a solid conceptual foundation of options behavior so you can make more informed decisions when choosing an option strategy for your market outlook. Topics covered include the volatility premium, because over time, options will cost more than they are ultimately worth; skew, wherein far out of the money put options may seem cheap from an absolute term, but are very expensive in relative terms; and the acceleration in option price erosion. (Summary)

The impact equation : are you making things happen or just making noise?

by Chris Brogan        (Get the Book)
"Anyone can write a blog post, but not everyone can get it liked thirty-five thousand times, and not everyone can get seventy-five thousand subscribers. But the reason we've done these things isn't because we're special. It's because we tried and failed, the same way you learn to ride a bike. We tried again and again, and now we have an idea how to get from point A to point B faster because of it." Three short years ago, when Chris Brogan and Julien Smith wrote their bestseller, Trust Agents , being interesting and human on the Web was enough to build a significant audience. But now, everybody has a platform. The problem is that most of them are just making noise. In The Impact Equation , Brogan and Smith show that to make people truly care about what you have to say, you need more than just a good idea, trust among your audience, or a certain number of fol­lowers. You need a potent mix of all of the above and more. (Publisher)