Book Description
Journalist Ted Botha became obsessed with mongo (defined as any discarded object that is retrieved) when he moved to New York. Decorating his apartment with the furniture and objects he found on Manhattan's streets, he soon realized he wasn't the only person finding things of value in the garbage, and he began meeting all kinds of collectors. Mongo is Botha's remarkable record of his travels among these varied and eccentric people-an appropriately addictive tribute to this longtime, universal phenomenon.
Customer Reviews:
uncovering treasure.......2006-09-19
I loved this book. As a life-long dumpster diver I know the
thrill of finding something really great that's been thrown out.
Ted Botha does a wonderful job of conveying the excitement as well as the downside of collecting. He portrays real people on the hunt and their resourcefulness is truly amazing.
slightly biased but interesting read.......2005-08-04
Ted Botha is not completely unbiased in his report on the garbage collecting phenomenon; he tends to show an affinity for the activity and the collectors he describes, but this is forgivable because many people reading the book will feel the same way he does about trash. That said, the overview of the craft and its followers is quite organized and flows naturally from one topic to the next.
I have to say that this book is going to mislead readers and wannabe collectors who do not live in New York City. It is overly idealistic to read of the great finds this book and think you can find some of these things in the garbage on your street or anywhere else in America - I'm not sure it's that easy. But it's interesting to read this book as a sociological study.
One last thing of note. I found the sentence structure Botha uses to be a little trying. The sentences in the book aren't very easy to follow. For instance, after describing some large mongo items in one collector's apartment, he writes: "Small by comparison, but a special favorite of Iver's nevertheless, is a strangely colored door that serves as an entryway to the firewood storage area" (Page 210). Reading the book, I kept thinking to myself, 'Isn't there an easier way to say that?' and mentally rewriting sentences. The writing style required me to be a more attentive reader than usual. Other than that, it's a fascinating book that will make you think differently about garbage.
Is there a collector's edition, I wonder?.......2005-07-10
This book contains lots (and lots) of details, some of them interesting, but the narrative is so poorly tied together, and so packed with inane and pointless analysis, "Mongo" is mostly discardable. Why do people collect things? This question is posed every other paragraph, apparently to fill space. At one point, a psychologist and psychiatrist are enlisted to answer it, whereupon ye olde theme of addiction is recycled: people collect things because of the temporary "gratifying physical sensation" it gives them. "It's like a fetish, or sexual arousal," clarifies the psychiatrist. Equally clueless theories are introduced elsewhere: a fear of death, a desire to snoop, a desire to preserve the past, and/or a need to feel immortal. Never entertained is the possibility that people collect things because they find them interesting.
And the book, while ostensibly about items found in the trash (or on the street, or under the ground), is very much about collecting in general. In fact, many of the items discussed are antiques or collectibles, not ketchup-soaked hot dog wrappers or used, ant-covered yogurt containers, or even soda cans worth a nickel ("Adventures in items retrieved from the trash" does lack the proper ring, though). And so the entire, cliched range of collecting is covered--from the first few pages, we know it's only a matter of time before the crazy-lady-with-400-cats motif shows up, for example. When it does, it's almost a relief. In fact, we get two cliches in one bag: the crazy-lady-with-cats theme combined with the house-piled-high-with-garbage motif. Something else we've never heard before: some street people are mentally ill. (No! Can that possibly be true?) As proof for this radical and controversial thesis, an interview with a psychotic bag lady is included. Her assertions and theories are carefully considered and, ultimately, discarded as too down-to-earth for a volume such as this.
An adventure it is.......2005-02-03
I truly enjoyed Ted Botha's story of the characters he encountered in search of Mongo,As any dumpster diver knows there are treasures to be found in dumpsters everywhere. Ted Botha does an excellent job of giving us insight into the world of the amazing and gifted people involved in dumpster diving in the streets of New York. The only thing I would have liked to have seen in this book is pictures of some of the incredible things rescued others considered trash. The individual & group efforts that were undertaken on the streets to perserve the wonderful history & culture of New York are incredible. Thank you Ted for showing the world that Dumpster Divers can be intelligent,resourceful,caring, creative & artistic human beings.
Garbage Lives.......2004-10-30
Many people collect things, from books to stamps to shoes; it's usually a harmless diversion, perhaps even a social or educational outlet. Collecting garbage, that's something street people do. But that's not nearly the whole story. In _Mongo: Adventures in Trash_ (Bloomsbury), Ted Botha has reported on New York street collectors. "Mongo" is slang that originated in New York in the 1980s for "any discarded object that is retrieved." This decidedly does not mean mere garbage, the worthless rotting ephemera which no one wants. There are plenty of discarded things, however, from books to wood scraps to blocks of buildings, which the person who did the discarding thought were worth zero and which the eventual collector thought had value. And many times, that value is in the thousands. Frequently this is a surprising story of rags literally going to riches. Botha reminds us, "The street collector you see today could well be a bum or a lunatic, that's true enough, but just as easily a millionaire, a schoolteacher, an accountant, a doctor, a housewife." He has contacted all these levels to report on them.
This is a New York story, for a good reason. All mongo collectors of all levels "... agree on one thing: New York can't be beat." The reason is simple: "Great wealth makes great garbage." There is great wealth, true, but also people live very close together, meaning that collectors have to range minimally, and there is frequent turnover of renters. Remarkably, mongo collectors all are breaking the law. In New York City, garbage placed for pickup is no longer anyone's property but the city's. Even official sanitation workers are forbidden to take anything for themselves. Botha never once heard of anyone picked up for picking up garbage, so the regulations about it seem to be universally ignored.
The lowest of the low are the black bag people, those who hunt inside black plastic garbage bags. They have to look through genuine garbage, of course, but can find watches, rings, and even wallets, which they can sell on the street. Somewhat above the black baggers are those who are eating garbage. The best garbage to eat is thrown out by restaurants, and the best time to hunt for such stuff is at closing time. "Sometimes they put the food at the top of the bag so it is easier to find," explains once such collector. Some are dedicated anarchists, loosely organized to share found food so that eating this way is a political option and a rebellion against consumerism. Higher in the hierarchy are the canners, those who survive on what they can make by selling recyclable cans. Mongo is sometimes about making a living, and sometimes about making a life. A Chelsea woman found a computer in the trash several years ago, and from that taught herself to repair found computers, which she now resells. There is a former bank employee here who specializes in books and printed ephemera. He has found a first edition of _Finnegans Wake_ as well as signatures of Benjamin Disraeli and Aaron Burr. There are a couple who dig down in the grounds that used to house outhouses; they can get bottles worth thousands of dollars. Another excavates sludge for what has gone down modern sewers. There are artists who make an entire domestic statement with a folk-art installation of _objets trouvés_. There is the conservator who picks up valuable exotic wood for reinstallation into other houses. There are many collectors here with a passion for what they do, and very few outright loonies. With wide-eyed curiosity, and an agreeable friendliness he shared with his subjects as he does with his readers, Botha has dug up a strange and valuable portion of the national economy.
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Joachim Mogarra
Joachim Mogarra
Manufacturer: F.R.A.C. Limousin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 2908257114
Release Date: 1993-08-02 |
Book Description
An artist who has recreated the Tower of Babel in sugar cubes, Mogarra makes wry works in a variety of media.
Amazon.com
Somewhere between passive aggressive and passionate aggression lies the perfect humorous response to an irritating event. Writer Ian Urbina—who started this project by writing an article for the New York Times and attracting legions of the slightly annoyed—has compiled a lovely collection of non-injurious (but highly mean) solutions that soothe the cranky soul.
The introduction gets off to a brilliant start: Urbina coated a pint of his frequently "borrowed" ice cream with a thick layer of salt, driving his ice cream thief of a housemate to furiously outing herself as the culprit. Additional tales offer websites that reject unappealing date prospects for you, examples of anti-honking haiku distributed on telephone poles all over Brooklyn and a flat-out heartening recounting of the original parking meter fairies in Anchorage, AK.
Heartening fairies and websites providing confrontation avoidance techniques aside, this is no typical relax-and-be-nice book that help readers calm down and appreciate life. Instead, it offers the dual purpose of giving everyone a chance to appreciate the sheer creative genius lurking in your average curmudgeon while inspiring the world to further feats of nearly meaningless anger management Jill Lightner
Book Description
What can you do when the world is pushing you over the edge? More than you think.For some of us, it's the automated voice that answers the phone when we'd rather talk to a real person. For others, it's the fact that Starbucks insists on calling its smallest-sized coffee "tall." Or perhaps it's those pesky subscription cards that fall out of magazines. Whatever it is, each of us finds some aspect of everyday life to be particularly maddening, and we often long to lash out at these stubborn irritants of modern life. nbsp;In Life's Little Annoyances, Ian Urbina chronicles the lengths to which some people will go when they have endured their pet peeves long enough and are not going to take it any more. It is a compendium of human inventiveness, by turns juvenile and petty, but in other ways inspired and deeply satisfying. We meet the junk-mail recipient who sends back unwanted "business reply" envelopes weighted down with sheet metal, so the mailers will have to pay the postage. We commiserate with the woman who was fed up with the colleague who kept helping himself to her lunch cookies, so she replaced them with dog biscuits that looked like biscotti. And we revel in the seemingly endless number of tactics people use to vent their anger at telemarketers, loud cellphone talkers, spammers, and others who impose themselves on us.nbsp;A celebration of the endless variety of passive aggressive behavior, Life's Little Annoyances will provide comfort and inspiration to everyone who has ever gritted his teeth and dreamed of sweet retribution against the slings and arrows of outrageous people.
Customer Reviews:
Handbook for the Put Upon.......2007-03-18
This is the book you take with you to kill time in waiting rooms. Or keep in the bathroom. Nothing important, but fun to read. Almost everyone will be inspired to use one or more of these devilish methods of fighting back at life's little annoyances.
So funny!.......2007-01-10
An absolute hoot! I found this book at Borders and was laughing out loud in the aisle! Bought several copies from Amazon and have and will give them out to friends and family when appropriate. I will pass on my copy as well, as it is just too good not to share! PS, my personal favorite is the rejection "rejection" letter!
Can't Take It Anymore? Read This Book!.......2006-06-10
From the automated voice at the other end of the line to those ubiquitous subscription cards that fall out of magazines, there are aspects of everyday life that aggravate us all. In Life's Little Annoyances, New York Times reporter Ian Urbina describes these irritants and chronicles the lengths to which some people will go when they have endured their pet peeves long enough.
Some of the best ones I came across were how to get back at the annoying commissioned sales rep, the creation of Despair, Inc., and The Cashier's Spelling Bee.
This book can easily be read in an afternoon and it's a good way to relax and unwind...while thinking of ways to use some of these ideas! Highly Recommended!
a book worth reading.......2006-04-29
This is one of those books that you leave laying around and pick up
and read in bits and pieces. a chuckle here, a guffaw there. its a
pretty smart idea to pull it all together.
Clearly written.......2006-04-29
The book is a stitch. Clearly written but doesnt drone on, just grump and to the point. The introduction which talks about the reason Urbina wrote the book is perhaps the best part. well worth buying.
Book Description
For some of us, its the automated voice that answers the phone when wed rather talk to a real person. For others, its the fact that Starbucks insists on calling its smallest-sized coffee tall. Each of us finds some aspect of everyday life to be particularly maddening, and we often long to lash out at these stubborn irritants of modern life. In Lifes Little Annoyances, Ian Urbina chronicles the lengths to which some people will go when they have endured their pet peeves long enough and are not going to take it anymore. It is a compen-dium of human inventiveness, by turns juvenile and petty, but in other ways inspired and deeply satisfying. A celebration of the endless variety of passive-aggressive behavior, Lifes Little Annoyances revels in the tactics people use to vent their anger at telemarketers, loud cell-phone talkers, spammers, and others against whom we feel powerlessuntil now.
Customer Reviews:
Cute book, nice for light reading.......2007-10-03
This book simply put is about people who just plainly get fed up with the non-sense most of us ignore. It is full of short stories in just about every catagory of annoyance you can imagine. Read the short story of the woman who was appauled at dog owners who wouldn't pick up after their dogs in the neighorhood park; she decided to put little flags in every pile of poo, and the local park ended up looking like a monument to the fourth of July. Meet the man who got so tired of pushy salesman that he kept his old expired credit card, told the pushy salesman to go away three times, and finally pretended to be interested in buying thousands of dollars worth of mechandise only to give him an expired credit card. In the end he walked out of the store hours later without purchasing a single item. These are only two of the stories, and probably the two least entertaining stories in the entire book. My wife has an affinity for picking up little books such as these. I consider such an item mandatory bathroom reading.
Amazon.com
Woody Allen's greatness as a director rests squarely on his stupendous talent as a writer. In the glory years from 1977 to 1980 he released his best--and best written--movies. Included in this volume are the scripts of Annie Hall, Allen's first mature film and the winner of the Best Picture Oscar; Interiors, his first serious work, a Bergmanesque treatment of a tortured family; Manhattan, his greatest and most characteristic movie, which concerns a writer's attempt to find true love in the comic wilderness of New York City; and Stardust Memories, his most satiric and personal piece, about the effects of fame on a film director who is standing at a crossroads in his life.
Book Description
This book contains the script to four of Woody Allen's movies: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan and Stardust Memories.
Customer Reviews:
Do It For The Eggs.......2001-05-27
I bought this while studying screenwriting, assuming that owning ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN would somehow deliver upon me some kind of ability, perhaps a bit of greatness via osmoseous (sp?).
I was wrong.
I also realized that MANHATTAN is based more on the visual than I had realized--the script, while great, isn't on the same level as ANNIE HALL; INTERIORS, which dissapointed me on the screen is a very good script; and--this just confirmed what I already knew--ANNIE HALL is a great great GREAT film.
Did I mention that ANNIE HALL is a great film?
Truly pointless.......2000-04-20
If you're a cineaste, it can be quite enlightening and entertaining to read the original shooting script that a favorite film was based on. In addition to the screenwriter's comments and directions, you usually get several scenes that were cut from the finished movie as well as occasional odd little changes in dialogue sprinkled throughout and an overall peek at some aspects of the creative process that a film goes through from inception to completion. Unfortunately, that's not the case with this book, since the four "screenplays" included are merely transcriptions from the finished films. VCRs were generally available when this book was first published in '82, so even back then this book was a pointless rip-off. Watch the films, skip the book.
Must have omnibus for Woody Allen fans and script writers........1999-05-23
This book contains "screenplays" of Woody Allen's most famous films including Manhattan and Annie Hall. It doesn't say screenplays on the cover, but that's what I figured it would be. Instead, what I got was a book that's not even script formatted. The publisher also adds his notes whenever he pleases to explain what's going on 'from the film' to the reader.
Hilarious.......1998-09-18
This great book includes the screenplays of two of Woody's best films, "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan." There's also "Stardust Memories" which is good, and "Interiors" which is, well...ok. Well worth the money.
Great read - Explores the human condition with insight........1998-04-24
This book cheered me along during a stay in hospital and so I will always remember it fondly.
To me, the scripts represent the best of Woody Allen as they are truthful and realistic. Humour is
sharp in the scripts (except for Interiors of course) as it exposes pretenses, hypocrisies & other human fallibilities. There is so much more
to this than clever lines. This should be a text for
aspiring scriptwriters. To any publishers reading
this, how about another compilation which has
"Husbands & Wives" and "Mighty Aphrodite" in it?!
Book Description
In today's multi-ethnic classroom, multiculturalism plays an increasingly vital role. What it is, how it developed, and what it means for education, especially music education, are the questions that form the essence of this book. Music, Education, and Multiculturalism traces the growth and development of multicultural music education in the United States from its start in the early 1900s to the present, and describes the state of multicultural music education internationally. Beginning with a discussion of the philosophical foundations surrounding multiculturalism, Part I addresses the various definitions of multiculturalism and its associated problems and possibilities in both education at large and music education in particular. It offers a succinct discussion of the various philosophical concepts and rationales for a multicultural approach, and concludes with current thoughts and applications in music education. Part II follows multicultural music education in the U.S. as it paralleled changes in general education brought about by social and historical events. The last chapter in this section outlines multiculturalism in music education around the world. Part III focuses on the implications of multiculturalism for music education, both in teacher training and in classroom instruction. Designed to assist music educators at all levels in understanding and implementing multicultural education, Music, Education, and Multiculturalism provides suggestions for curricular development, offers teaching strategies, and provides practical applications including materials and methodologies. Combining personal narrative and oral history with the support of primary and archival documents, this text is essential reading for all students and teachers of the history and foundations of music education and of multiculturalism in general education.
Customer Reviews:
Useful Resource.......2001-01-08
As a Canadian I usually read and advocate Canadian authors especially in the area of multiculturalism as it affects education. Why? Because CANADA is the only country in the world that proclaims MULTICULTURALISM AS NATIONAL LAW. However, I found this book very valuable in gaining a perspective on multiculturalism as it has developed in Anglophone countries around the world (I'm not sure why Volk includes Germany here though).
If you are doing research on multiculturalism and the arts in education, I highly recommend this book for a historical perspective on the topic. Volk is thorough and well read and remains as truthful and to the point at possible when discussing such blatant dichotomies that exist in the American psyche as world promotion of peace in association with the UN whilst maintaining racism and desegregation at home.
Book Description
This book is Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch's companion volume to MY SYSTEM. This classic is one of the best selling and most instructive chess books of all time. Thousands of satisfied customers have used this book to improve their understanding of positional chess play.
Customer Reviews:
There are better alternatives.......2007-07-17
This book has discouraged more chess players than any other book. I gave a copy of this book to my brother for Christmas many years ago and he gave up the game. I thought it was just me or an isolated case.
Bob Long who published a chess book review newsletter also holds this view. Most players that I know who have this book, do not go through this book. They have other alternatives. Even fans who strongly encourage going through "My System" have difficulty in recommending this book.
This is not to say that Nimzowitsch is not a great player and theoretician. He certainly was both those things. If you want an alternative, try "Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy" and "Chess Strategy in Action" by John Watson; or "Road to Chess Improvement" by Alex Yermolinsky.
Synopsis.......2007-07-09
In Chess Praxis Nimzowitsch elaborates on the strategies first adumbrated in My System with a series of deeply annotated games, demonstrating how his principles operated in practice. This was very much a manifesto for the Hypermodern School of Chess which also numbered Hardinge Simpole authors Richard Reti and S.G. Tartakower amongst its ranks.
Aron Nimzowitsch was a World Championship aspirant, who won the élite tournaments of Dresden 1926 and Carlsbad 1929, ahead of Alekhine, Capablanca, Rubinstein, Euwe, Spielmann, Bogolyubov and many other luminaries of the day. His victims included Emanuel Lasker, Salo Flohr and Frank Marshall, while his theories were the strategic Bibles for generations of grandmasters to come.
AWESOME CLASSIC for the solid intermediate or advanced player.......2006-11-18
"Chess Praxis" provides the games applying the ideas covered in Aron Nimzovich's "My System". For starters you should read "My System" (get the 21st Century Edition and avoid the Random House editon, which has certain items changed) where critical theories and ideas are covered.
Then "Chess Praxis" gives you the practical examples in games that were first covered in "My System". These books are meant to go hand in hand.
By no means are these two books for anyone less than a solid intermediate player who already has a basic foundation. Several additional books that will go along with well with "Chess Praxis" and "My System" adding additional games and for study for the intermediate to advanced player are "Unbeatable Chess Lessons", "More Unbeatable Chess Lessons" and "Understanding Chess". They use the "every move analyzed concept, which I find very good. Nimzovich's books may be old, but the concepts he covers will never go out of date!
An Excellent Book that together with "My System" is a Must Have for any Serious Player.......2006-08-08
With lots of examples and careful explanations you will find this book to be an excellent workbook, and learning tool to understand the complex ideas and concepts of positional play and Nimzovich System of play. But be aware it isn't an easy task, you may need to read and study some of the material several times in order to get and master some of the techniques (well at least I needed to do it before I understood some of them).
I also believe that this book is absolutely indispensable in order to understand what Nimzovich sets in his book "My System". Together these two are among the most important books ever published in chess history.
You may skip My System and purchase Chess Praxis, it is a more important (practical) work........2006-01-24
I am of the heretical belief that one may skip Niemzowitsch's "My System," which is almost universally praised by players of all levels. I of course appreciate its importance in the History of Chess Literature, but I would advise practical players to skip it and get "Chess Praxis: The Praxis of My System" if they want to gain a grasp of Nimzo's ideas.
Why is this? "My System" reads like a rulebook, akin to the USCF Rulebook! Without the examples supplied by "Chess Praxis," it is hard to gain a sense of what Nimzo was trying to convey.
This is not to say that "Chess Praxis" is the easiest book to digest; it certainly isn't. But the examples are well-chosen and well-grouped, enabling comprehension of the key concepts.
Niemzowitsch has a unique and valuable way of treating Centralization, Blockade (well-illustrated by examples!), Overprotection and Prophylaxis (he explains some of his "mysterious" moves!), Alternation (you may need to reread this chapter to pick up techniques of alternation), and his "Odds and Ends."
To become a more complete chessplayer (I am not by any means pretending that I am a complete player!), I feel that players should introduce themselves to important theories that have shaped chess because it will inevitably help in games. If this is true, Aron Niemzowitsch-one of the top players in the world for years, and winner of the great Karlsbad 1929 tournament (his book on this event is very disappointing)-is nothing short of REQUIRED reading.
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CHESS PRAXIS
A. NIMZOVICH
Manufacturer: Dover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PGG26U |
Average customer rating:
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Chess Praxis
Aron Nimzovich
Manufacturer: Dover Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKVZGO |
Average customer rating:
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Dear 60 Minutes
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster (Paper)
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