$node = stdClass Object (
[nid] => [267]
[type] => [page]
[language] => [en]
[uid] => [1]
[status] => [1]
[created] => [1288810150]
[changed] => [1301597092]
[comment] => [0]
[promote] => [0]
[moderate] => [0]
[sticky] => [0]
[tnid] => [0]
[translate] => [0]
[vid] => [267]
[revision_uid] => [1]
[title] => [800CEOREAD]
[body] => [<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jack Covert Selects</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>October 14, 2010</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, each month reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of <em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time</em>, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market.</p>
<p><em><br /></em></p>
<p>“This book is the sound of the watchman’s rattle in the dead of night. A summons for help. A plea to change the course of humankind by calling on the greatest weapon of mass instruction ever known: <em>the human brain</em>.”</p>
<p>This book is a fascinating study on how the brain works and how, in the face of complex challenges, our society can survive despite our intelligence being outpaced by our problems. Like Jared Diamond and Malcolm Gladwell, Rebecca Costa attacks her subject from multiple angles, using research from unexpected sources to present a compelling argument with memorable examples.</p>
<p>Studying civilizations like the ancient Mayan, Khmer and Egyptian, and why they so rapidly spiraled into oblivion, the author comes up with two telltale signs that happened before their collapse:</p>
<p><em>The first sign is gridlock.</em></p>
<p>Gridlock occurs when civilizations become unable to comprehend or resolve large, complex problems, despite acknowledging beforehand that these issues may lead to their demise.</p>
<p>The second sign is “<em>the substitution of beliefs for knowledge and fact</em>.”</p>
<p>When we are trapped in an undertow, we <em>believe</em> that if we simply step up our efforts and swim harder toward the shore, we will prevail against the current. Despite empirical evidence that this isn’t working, we refuse to abandon our <em>belief</em> and persist in swimming in a direct path towards land as we grow increasingly exhausted and panic ensues.</p>
<p>Perhaps the issue of global warming is a good example of these two things happening currently. Costa attributes these developments in society to memes:</p>
<p>A <em>meme</em> … is any widely accepted information, thought, feeling, or behavior. Memes can be common sense, traditions, theories, biases, even slogans.</p>
<p>Not all memes are bad. Some are true and some are false, but as they get passed down to new generations and spread, they sometimes morph and become what the author calls supermemes:</p>
<p><em>A sumermeme is any belief, thought, or behavior that becomes so pervasive, so stubbornly embedded, that it contaminates or suppresses all other beliefs or behaviors. </em></p>
<p>It is when supermemes become dominant that a society stops its search for answers and relies on beliefs instead of knowledge or facts. This reminded me of our society’s stubbornness in not seriously pursuing sources of energy beyond oil.</p>
<p><em>The Watchman’s Rattle</em> might make your brain hurt, as it challenges your thinking on every page. Surprisingly, it also entertains (a hilarious story of how butter production in Bangladesh can predict the Dow Jones come to mind). Costa’s recommendations for how to circumvent our hegemonic tendencies aren’t going to be easy to implement, but her assertion that it is possible for us to adapt our brains to a better process of problem-solving is a dose of optimism during tough times.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Each month Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of </em><em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market. For more reviews, visit 800ceoread.com/jack_covert_selects.</em></p>
]
[log] => []
[revision_timestamp] => [1301597092]
[format] => [2]
[name] => [drupal]
[picture] => []
[data] => [a:3:{s:7:"contact";i:0;s:13:"form_build_id";s:37:"form-757b0e9ed2c904ab778ce38f0a582b20";s:9:"nodewords";a:9:{s:8:"abstract";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:0:"";}s:9:"canonical";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:0:"";}s:9:"copyright";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:0:"";}s:11:"description";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:306:"The Watchman's Rattle, a book that connects the dots between crime, oil prices, Wall Street, global warming, nuclear waste and childhood violence. Author Rebecca D. Costa reveals the four telltale patterns which paralyze innovative thinking, and with it, a civilization's ability to solve complex problems.";}s:8:"keywords";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:143:"Watchman's Rattle, Watchman, Rebecca D. Costa, Rebecca Costa, Oil Prices, Wall Street, Crime, Global Warning, Nuclear Waste, Childhood Violence";}s:13:"revisit-after";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:1:"1";}s:6:"robots";a:2:{s:5:"value";a:6:{s:9:"noarchive";i:0;s:8:"nofollow";i:0;s:7:"noindex";i:0;s:5:"noodp";i:0;s:9:"nosnippet";i:0;s:6:"noydir";i:0;}s:11:"use_default";i:0;}s:8:"dc.title";a:1:{s:5:"value";s:0:"";}s:8:"location";a:2:{s:8:"latitude";s:0:"";s:9:"longitude";s:0:"";}}}]
[path] => [bookreviews/800-ceo-reads]
[taxonomy] => array (
)
[page_title] => [800CEOREAD]
[nodewords] => array (
[abstract] => array (
[value] => []
)
[canonical] => array (
[value] => []
)
[copyright] => array (
[value] => []
)
[dc.contributor] => array (
[value] => []
)
[dc.creator] => array (
[value] => []
)
[dc.date] => array (
[value] => array (
[year] => [2010]
[month] => [11]
[day] => [3]
)
)
[dc.title] => array (
[value] => []
)
[description] => array (
[value] => [The Watchman's Rattle, a book that connects the dots between crime, oil prices, Wall Street, global warming, nuclear waste and childhood violence. Author Rebecca D. Costa reveals the four telltale patterns which paralyze innovative thinking, and with it, a civilization's ability to solve complex problems.]
)
[keywords] => array (
[value] => [Watchman's Rattle, Watchman, Rebecca D. Costa, Rebecca Costa, Oil Prices, Wall Street, Crime, Global Warning, Nuclear Waste, Childhood Violence]
)
[location] => array (
[latitude] => []
[longitude] => []
)
[pics-label] => array (
[value] => []
)
[revisit-after] => array (
[value] => [1]
)
[robots] => array (
[value] => array (
[noarchive] => [0]
[nofollow] => [0]
[noindex] => [0]
[noodp] => [0]
[nosnippet] => [0]
[noydir] => [0]
)
[use_default] => [0]
)
)
[build_mode] => [0]
[readmore] => [1]
[content] => array (
[#content_extra_fields] => array (
[title] => array (
[label] => [Title]
[description] => [Node module form.]
[weight] => [-5]
)
[body_field] => array (
[label] => [Body]
[description] => [Node module form.]
[weight] => [0]
[view] => [body]
)
[revision_information] => array (
[label] => [Revision information]
[description] => [Node module form.]
[weight] => [20]
)
[author] => array (
[label] => [Authoring information]
[description] => [Node module form.]
[weight] => [20]
)
[options] => array (
[label] => [Publishing options]
[description] => [Node module form.]
[weight] => [25]
)
[menu] => array (
[label] => [Menu settings]
[description] => [Menu module form.]
[weight] => [-2]
)
[path] => array (
[label] => [Path settings]
[description] => [Path module form.]
[weight] => [30]
)
[page_title] => array (
[label] => [Page Title]
[description] => [Page Title form.]
[weight] => [-4]
)
[nodewords] => array (
[label] => [Meta tags]
[description] => [Meta tags fieldset.]
[weight] => [10]
)
)
[#pre_render] => array (
[0] => [content_alter_extra_weights]
)
[body] => array (
[#weight] => [0]
[#value] => [<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jack Covert Selects</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>October 14, 2010</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, each month reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of <em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time</em>, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market.</p>
<p><em><br /></em></p>
<p>“This book is the sound of the watchman’s rattle in the dead of night. A summons for help. A plea to change the course of humankind by calling on the greatest weapon of mass instruction ever known: <em>the human brain</em>.”</p>
<p>This book is a fascinating study on how the brain works and how, in the face of complex challenges, our society can survive despite our intelligence being outpaced by our problems. Like Jared Diamond and Malcolm Gladwell, Rebecca Costa attacks her subject from multiple angles, using research from unexpected sources to present a compelling argument with memorable examples.</p>
<p>Studying civilizations like the ancient Mayan, Khmer and Egyptian, and why they so rapidly spiraled into oblivion, the author comes up with two telltale signs that happened before their collapse:</p>
<p><em>The first sign is gridlock.</em></p>
<p>Gridlock occurs when civilizations become unable to comprehend or resolve large, complex problems, despite acknowledging beforehand that these issues may lead to their demise.</p>
<p>The second sign is “<em>the substitution of beliefs for knowledge and fact</em>.”</p>
<p>When we are trapped in an undertow, we <em>believe</em> that if we simply step up our efforts and swim harder toward the shore, we will prevail against the current. Despite empirical evidence that this isn’t working, we refuse to abandon our <em>belief</em> and persist in swimming in a direct path towards land as we grow increasingly exhausted and panic ensues.</p>
<p>Perhaps the issue of global warming is a good example of these two things happening currently. Costa attributes these developments in society to memes:</p>
<p>A <em>meme</em> … is any widely accepted information, thought, feeling, or behavior. Memes can be common sense, traditions, theories, biases, even slogans.</p>
<p>Not all memes are bad. Some are true and some are false, but as they get passed down to new generations and spread, they sometimes morph and become what the author calls supermemes:</p>
<p><em>A sumermeme is any belief, thought, or behavior that becomes so pervasive, so stubbornly embedded, that it contaminates or suppresses all other beliefs or behaviors. </em></p>
<p>It is when supermemes become dominant that a society stops its search for answers and relies on beliefs instead of knowledge or facts. This reminded me of our society’s stubbornness in not seriously pursuing sources of energy beyond oil.</p>
<p><em>The Watchman’s Rattle</em> might make your brain hurt, as it challenges your thinking on every page. Surprisingly, it also entertains (a hilarious story of how butter production in Bangladesh can predict the Dow Jones come to mind). Costa’s recommendations for how to circumvent our hegemonic tendencies aren’t going to be easy to implement, but her assertion that it is possible for us to adapt our brains to a better process of problem-solving is a dose of optimism during tough times.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Each month Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of </em><em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market. For more reviews, visit 800ceoread.com/jack_covert_selects.</em></p>
]
[#title] => []
[#description] => []
[#printed] => [1]
)
[#title] => []
[#description] => []
[#children] => [<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jack Covert Selects</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>October 14, 2010</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, each month reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of <em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time</em>, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market.</p>
<p><em><br /></em></p>
<p>“This book is the sound of the watchman’s rattle in the dead of night. A summons for help. A plea to change the course of humankind by calling on the greatest weapon of mass instruction ever known: <em>the human brain</em>.”</p>
<p>This book is a fascinating study on how the brain works and how, in the face of complex challenges, our society can survive despite our intelligence being outpaced by our problems. Like Jared Diamond and Malcolm Gladwell, Rebecca Costa attacks her subject from multiple angles, using research from unexpected sources to present a compelling argument with memorable examples.</p>
<p>Studying civilizations like the ancient Mayan, Khmer and Egyptian, and why they so rapidly spiraled into oblivion, the author comes up with two telltale signs that happened before their collapse:</p>
<p><em>The first sign is gridlock.</em></p>
<p>Gridlock occurs when civilizations become unable to comprehend or resolve large, complex problems, despite acknowledging beforehand that these issues may lead to their demise.</p>
<p>The second sign is “<em>the substitution of beliefs for knowledge and fact</em>.”</p>
<p>When we are trapped in an undertow, we <em>believe</em> that if we simply step up our efforts and swim harder toward the shore, we will prevail against the current. Despite empirical evidence that this isn’t working, we refuse to abandon our <em>belief</em> and persist in swimming in a direct path towards land as we grow increasingly exhausted and panic ensues.</p>
<p>Perhaps the issue of global warming is a good example of these two things happening currently. Costa attributes these developments in society to memes:</p>
<p>A <em>meme</em> … is any widely accepted information, thought, feeling, or behavior. Memes can be common sense, traditions, theories, biases, even slogans.</p>
<p>Not all memes are bad. Some are true and some are false, but as they get passed down to new generations and spread, they sometimes morph and become what the author calls supermemes:</p>
<p><em>A sumermeme is any belief, thought, or behavior that becomes so pervasive, so stubbornly embedded, that it contaminates or suppresses all other beliefs or behaviors. </em></p>
<p>It is when supermemes become dominant that a society stops its search for answers and relies on beliefs instead of knowledge or facts. This reminded me of our society’s stubbornness in not seriously pursuing sources of energy beyond oil.</p>
<p><em>The Watchman’s Rattle</em> might make your brain hurt, as it challenges your thinking on every page. Surprisingly, it also entertains (a hilarious story of how butter production in Bangladesh can predict the Dow Jones come to mind). Costa’s recommendations for how to circumvent our hegemonic tendencies aren’t going to be easy to implement, but her assertion that it is possible for us to adapt our brains to a better process of problem-solving is a dose of optimism during tough times.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Each month Jack Covert, founder of 800-CEO-READ, reviews the best recently released business books. Jack is coauthor of </em><em>The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, released in February of 2009. 800-CEO-READ is a leading direct supplier of book-related resources to corporations and organizations worldwide, and specializes in identifying trends in the changing business market. For more reviews, visit 800ceoread.com/jack_covert_selects.</em></p>
]
[#printed] => [1]
)
[links] => array (
)
);
