Art & Otherness: Crisis in Cultural Identity

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Art & Otherness: Crisis in Cultural Identity
Thomas McEvilley
Manufacturer: McPherson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Culture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Triumph of Anti-Art: Conceptual and Performance Art in the Formation of Post-Modernism

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The Poetics of Space

ASIN: 0929701488

Book Description

Directly following the internationally acclaimed Art & Discontent, Thomas McEvilley argues in Art & Otherness for an advanced anthropological perspective that contravenes conventional thinking in the visual arts, and leads to a concept of artistic globalization. The description of western culture as superior and in opposition to other cultures of the world preoccupied our aesthetic philosophy for at least 200 years, whether or not explicitly stated. That argument was undertaken in various guises, especially as the historical determinism of Hegel which proposed to quantify human "progress." Recently, however, the term "multiculturalism" has come to signify a post-Modern understanding of how visual arts transgress artificial boundaries, and of how there may now exist, perhaps for the first time in history, a post-colonial globalism in the arts freed of ethnocentric value judgments. In these ten crucial essays, McEvilley clarifies how the presentation of art can determine its reception, how "influence" can be bi-directional, how "otherness" serves to define "self," and how art need not necessarily lose its meaningfulness when stripped of badges of universality. Once again illustrating his argument by drawing upon an array of sources and cultures, Thomas McEvilley demonstrates that the post-Modern crisis in cultural identity demands an imaginative, integrating response.

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Absolutely 100% unhelpful.

Nice addition to my shelf

If you hate to shop, this is a no fuss way to create a look

This book is a waste of money.

Terms of Adornment: The Ultimate Guide to Accessories
Deborah Chase
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0062737295
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Book Description

You no longer have to lament over the fate of your unused accessories--from the scarf you always forget to wear to that handbag you had to have but only use once or twice a year to those shoes you never wear because your personal style has changed. Accessory guru Deborah Chase is here to save the day (or at least your wardrobe). Packed with tons of tips, historical fashion anecdotes, and complete outfits for every accessory, Terms of Adornment is an A-to-Z guide to utilizing everything from amethysts and aviator glasses to y necklaces and zippers. Save time, money, and frustration: maximize your wardrobe and wear what you like with a style that's all about you.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely 100% unhelpful........2000-11-20

I bought this book because the subtitle promised that I would learn "everything I need to know" about accessories. I guess if all I wanted to know was how to buy clothes that go with my accessories, rather than buying accessories to go with my clothes, this book would be useful.

The book is organized alphabetically by accessory, so you can go to the store, buy any old accessory you like, come home, look up the accessory in the book, then read about outfits you can buy to go with the accessory. USELESS! Not to mention impractical for those of us with tight budgets and/or a disinclination to spend obscene amounts of money.

I am not too adept with accessories, but I have a pretty solid wardrobe for both work and casual wear. I had hoped to find a book to advise me how to select accessories to jazz things up, but this book is designed for people with lots of accessories who need advice on how to wear them.

Needless to say, I got my money back.

Nice addition to my shelf.......2000-07-19

I like the way the book defines and differentiates one fashion accessory from another in the same category (i.e., a kelly from a tote --- both fall in the category "bag"), provides a brief history of the item, and then gives suggestions on how to best use this for oneself. The "best" usage of the many accessories outlined here tend to be relative from person to person, though, so from time to time, you might see some recommendations here which you didn't, (or wouldn't) dream of coming up with. Still, I appreciate reading all these since these help you determine, either by agreeing or disagreeing with their suggestions, what kind of style you prefer.

If you hate to shop, this is a no fuss way to create a look.......1999-10-30

I am one of those women who wants to look nice, but really hates to shop. When I stumbled on this book, with its clear and simple lists of what to wear, I knew I had found a secret weapon. And a time saver. With this book in hand and a list of the items I already own, I was able to use the web, catalogs and just a few shopping trips to put together a wonderful look for myself. THANK YOU Ms. Chase and Ms. Powell!!!!

This book is a waste of money........1999-09-11

The only insider insight given in this book is the suggestion to consider socks as accessories instead of underwear. Everything else is commonplace knowledge, that anyone able to look around and in a mirror can come up with on their own, unless, of course, they are into things like suspenders, cowboy boots and charm bracelets... I think the author should stick to describing animal habitats.

Terms of Adornment: The Ultimate Guide to Accessories

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Terms of Adornment: The Ultimate Guide to Accessories
Deborah Chase
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEN0RM

Customer Reviews:

Micari Shelly - yaoirealm.com.......2006-07-20

If you like very silly, sappy, mushy Yaoi romance with no purpose or meaning (or erotica), you might like this manga.
Personally, I thought it was a waste of money.
The book includes several different stories, with different characters. But each story has at least one character who is overly-emotional.
If you want a more sophisticated Yaoi romance manga, with the same feel to it, try reading "Same Cell Organism".

Ho Hum........2006-07-14

One would think Western publishers would pick the cream of the crop to put out in English, but it seems they have decided to give an accurate sampling of Japanese manga mediocrity instead. It's difficult to thumb through the slew of BL popping up all over the place for the good stuff, but I bet my luck on this because it looked cute. Well, cute is pretty much all there is to it. There's almost no character development or progression. In fact, they're all flat as a pancakes. There's also almost no reasonable story progression to make the characters get together. They just do. But if that's what you're looking for, hey, it's right here.

One word - "sweet".......2006-05-17

A collection of sweet shounen-ai stories (some of them pretty good) if you like a dose of sticky sweetness once in a while. The boys are so cute that they look babyish. This is fine as there is nothing beyond hugging and chaste kissing though the last few pages are up to your imagination. For those of us who want more of this kind of sweet and cute shounen-ai, try "Beyond My Touch" which I prefer.

Not quite my thing, but some may enjoy it!.......2006-05-16

As the other reviewer mentioned, this book may appeal to people new to yaoi. There are some unique stories, with unusual characters (with unusual fetishes - such as the character with a thing for dolls). This is definitely a cute book, with cute characters with cute problems.

However, all of the characters looked between the ages of 7 and 12 to me - even those who were supposed to be over 18 or were the owners of amusement parks. Also, I found the bodies to be oddly proportioned.

This was a book with many small mini-stories as opposed to one main storyline, but unfortunately, I was not able to really be drawn into any of the stories. I know it can be done, as `But you're my teacher!' by Row Takakura had a similar `many small stories' format but there I was easily drawn into each story.

For a reader way out of her teens, such as myself, this was not the manga for me - but this manga may appeal to younger readers. :)

Adorable!.......2006-04-22

This book was so sweet it may cause diabetes. It's an anthology of stories by the same creator all done in the same sweet style. The boy/boy love is innocent and cute with sweet kisses often climaxing the stories. The characters are often overly naive and optimistic, believing that there's no evil in the world and certainly none in their love interests. In Takahashi's settings there's nothing to dissolution them. No tragedy here, no danger.

I loved the cute artwork. The characters look young, and in some instances they can't be more than 15 or 16, but that's ok since there's nothing illicit happening. For the ones who are supposed to be adults you find their childlike heads on lanky adult bodies, so it's not too hard to accept the ages you're told.

The cutest thing was the creator's free-talk page where she did a little comic. She conveys her insecurities so well. It was like everything else in this book: Adorable.

We need yaoi books like this sometimes. It reaffirms the sweetness and innocence that can be found in the genre. Not everything should be smutty. Every once in a while you want a book that makes you go 'Awwwwwww.'

Book Description

The right way to reseal a bag of bread, which way the silverware goes in the dishwasher, and what to do about a housemate who leaves hairs on the soap. Room by room, this rulebook for couples and housemates provides authoritative answers on all the household topics that drive people crazy. Instead of trying to compromise and communicate over the little things, housemates can look up the House Rule instead.

With amusing illustrations and off-the-wall footnotes, the book offers authoritative rules to settle the debate over whose way is the right way. In a world where communication and compromise is king, only Henderson dares to say, "This is the rule."

Customer Reviews:

The Rules of Domestic Bliss.......2006-02-21

If you are contemplating the clearing away of housemate complexity, Henderson's House Rules offers a guide to domestic bliss. Leaving this around the house is sure to tempt anyone into reading "the rules" of the living-in-the-same-house game.

The humor in this book is especially enjoyable, occasionally subtle and at other times brilliant. The solutions for everyday challenges could be as simple as a division of labor or pet training. Of course, many of the items will either make you laugh or cause you to consider how your life could be improved with a few simple adaptations of behavior.

If only life was perfect, my husband would let me run the dishwasher while he was watching TV after dinner, he would never ever leave clothes by the bed and I would never leave dishes in the sink to soak. My theory on the matter is that whatever doesn't annoy us doesn't need to be changed.

I like the rule about cleaning the kitchen: "Clean as soon as possible after cooking unless there is a valid reason not to." Valid reasons are also included but could be expanded to include things like: taking a bubble bath. Sometimes I'm too tired to do all the dishes after dinner and have much more energy in the morning.

Some of the highly entertaining issues include:

Things you can and can't do in bed if you don't sleep alone.
Television
Cooking Versus Cleaning

Henderson's House Rules will be very useful for roommates or for couples who want to share house duties. As someone who alternates between leaving the house in total chaos and complete obsessive cleaning, this book shows the way to balance.

~The Rebecca Review
Lives in a Shoeless House
Currently breaking rules: 1.2, 1.17, 1.19, 2.10, 5.3, 5.6, 5.10 and 6.9. My husband is breaking fewer rules than I am...who knew? It will be fun to compare notes!

A brilliant book for anyone who lives with anyone else........2005-05-31

Who would have thought that a book would make you re-think such mundane tasks as washing the dishes? This book broaches all kinds of domestic issues, including things you never would have thought about but suddenly seem vital to good domestic order. The style is frank and no-nonsense to the point of being hilarious. The book makes for great bathroom reading, which is appropriate because it will teach you a thing or two about how to maintain that room.
Although it seems to be marketed to newlyweds, the books is perfect for just about anyone: kids leaving the nest for the first time, couples who have been married for 30 years, and even people who live alone.
I don't usually go for overly cute how-to books, but Henderson's House Rules seems to be the exception to that genre. It is without a doubt the most thoroughly useful gift/stocking stuffer type of book I have ever seen.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating insider's look at MGM's decline.......1998-12-25

For anyone interested in the business machinations of the Hollywood film studios, this is a must. The absorbing story of how the film studio that once boasted 'more stars than there are in heaven' ended up a 1980's corporate wreck. Starts out in 1969 when billionaire Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM, chronicles the few ups (and many downs), finishing up with the studio's sale to Giancarlo Paretti and Mr. Bart's assertion that 'an era ends when its dreams are exhausted. MGM's era has clearly ended'. I quite agree with this but MGM seems determined to cling to life,feeding on the fading memories of its glorious past. Excellent stuff! If you read this, Mr. Bart, it's a great book but how about an updated version, to take account of the new period of Kerkorian's ownership?

Curious about the origins of "Rain Man"?.......1998-07-31

If you are, or you enjoy getting a glimpse of how Hollywood really works, then this little gem is a must read. Bart's straighforward style and insider's viewpoint keeps this book going, and your interest level up. While it may be a little dated, the realities in the book continue to ring true today in what is going on in the film industry.

Book Description

Matching folio to the recent release of 15 tracks, including lost gems like 'Tax Free,' 'Look Over Yonder,' and 'Pali Gap,' as well as previously unreleased recordings like 'Here He Comes (Lover Man),' 'Message to the Universe' and 'Midnight Lightning,' and more.

Customer Reviews:

Like wow! I'm on Saturn looking out at Uranus!.......2004-11-09

Wrap your thumb around that neck and get busy! This folio to the CD 'South Saturn Delta' compiles cuts from 'Rainbow Bridge', 'Loose Ends', and 'War Heros' (all long out of print); along with alternate takes of album cuts and unreleased material.

The theme of the tune 'Message to the Universe', provided the melodic framework for a large portion of the obscure album 'Nine to the Universe'. That's in case any of you were wondering.

The showcase instrumental 'Pali Gap', with its phenomenal comping and dynamic finger-grease, masterfully illustrates the singularly lyrical quality of the Stratocaster guitar. And in attempting to play this cut on your Strat, you may find out very quickly just how unforgiving the Strat can be. And Jimi played with a ridiculously high action. But with patience and practice one may overcome such obstacles to be greatly rewarded. Rewarded with money and women? Well, I certainly wouldn't know anything about that. Still, its nice when I hear things like, "Wow! It's like I'm at Woodstock or sumpthin', dude! Hit?"

Next to 'Pali', I like Jimi's instrumental version of 'Little Wing' here, with its 'Floyd Cramer' type rhythm fills and vocal quality soloing.

This title goes well with 'First Rays of the New Rising Sun', which contains the other tracks from 'Rainbow Bridge' and 'War Heros', as well as those found on the out-of-print 'The Cry of Love'.

Book Description

Find out how good you are at lateral thinking. Improve your skills--and even raise your I.Q.-- by taking on these puzzles specially chosen for this collection. They will help you master the four keys to lateral thinking: testing assumptions, asking the right new questions, trying new ways to solve, using logic to test the new solutions. 96 pages, 20 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4.

Customer Reviews:

Skip This One.......2007-04-19

"Test Your Lateral Thinking IQ" is a series of four skill tests complete with clues and scores that are meant to see how well readers do at unconventional thinking. The four sections are called: Testing Assumptions; Asking the Right Questions; Creativity; and Logical Thinking. Before each section author Paul Sloane takes several pages to explain what lateral thinking is and why it's so important. The test sections have three parts: the test itself; a clue section; and a scoring section. The answers are at the back of the book. Each puzzle has a point value assigned to it and Sloane asks readers to deduct ten points for each clue they use and add the points for just the first five puzzles they solve. There is also a section in the back of the book where you can add your total score and plot your progress on a profile chart, with an overall score assessment and a final chapter on how to put your lateral thinking to work.

While I enjoy lateral thinking puzzles, I found the testing aspect of this book to be off-putting. I bought the book to do puzzles, not read pages of explanation about lateral thinking. Also, Sloane wants only his answers to count, even if other answers will fit, which seems odd to me since the whole concept of lateral thinking involves thinking outside the box. The puzzles themselves range from the very easy ("The Secretary's Daughter" and "Death Sentence") to very clever puzzles that require real lateral thinking ("Pizza", "The Cabin", "Food for Thought", "The Train Problem" and "The Parking Ticket"). Several of the puzzles need more information or more clues which makes them difficult to solve ("The Bird", "The Bank Manager", "Tall Buildings", "Luigi's", "The All-Night Party", and "The Shriek"). A couple of the stories - "Coconut Grove" and "The Lawsuit" - are based on true stories. The last section titled "Logical Thinking" is actually more math problems than logic problems.

Skip "Test Your Lateral Thinking IQ" and buy one of Paul Sloane's other lateral thinking puzzle books.

Find out what is your Capacity to be Creative.......2006-07-25

Lateral thinking is all about thinking outside the box, breaking out of familiar thought patterns and coming up with new possibilities. It is one of the keys to improving creativity. Lateral thinking is now recognized as an important and necessary force for change. It is a significant personal skill which can enable us to solve problems at home or in business.

This book explains what lateral thinking is. It helps you to test and expand your powers of lateral thinking in a way which is fun rather than hard work. The lateral thinking process is explained and there are practical problem-solving exercises which permit the assessment of your skills in each part of the system. As you work through the book you will be able to see your skills in the application of lateral thinking improve.

I love this book!.......2000-06-16

This book is simply amazing! Once I pick it up, I can't put it down! I use it all the time on trips and parties. Everybody loves it!

Mensa Presents Lateral Thinking & Logical Deduction (Test your power of thinking with over 500 challenging problems and puzzles)

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Mensa Presents Lateral Thinking & Logical Deduction (Test your power of thinking with over 500 challenging problems and puzzles)

Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0760709955

Average customer rating:

Test Your Lateral Thinking IQ

Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0806935383

Book Description

From its roots in 17th-century Britain to its modern incarnation in Enron and WorldCom, the modern corporation -- restless, autonomous, and self-perpetuating -- has gained potency. Designed to seek profit and power, the corporation has pursued both objectives with endless tenacity, steadily bending the framework of the law and incurring destruction in its path. Where did the corporation come from? How did it get so much power? What is its ultimate trajectory? Considering the importance of such questions, it is surprisingly difficult to find answers.
Using cutting-edge research from academic historians, sociologists, political scientists, and legal scholars, "Gangs of America attempts to answer these questions in a unique, riveting narrative. The book recounts the settlement of America by corporations, details the surprising impetus for the Revolutionary War, then traces the expansion of corporate rights onto the global stage -- culminating in an assessment of current struggles over such issues as media control and campaign finance reform. Part of the "BK Currents series, the book promotes positive social change.

Customer Reviews:

must read.......2007-09-25

excellent. well written, though provoking, even the book itself, paper and cover, are excellent. the research is extensive and incredible. be prepared to throw your elementary/high school history lessons out the window, or better yet extrapolate on them like you wouldn't believe. simply captivating.

A Surprisingly Good Read.......2007-08-09

I was very surprised by this book. It's a very easy read, but also very informative. The only complaint I have is that the book is a little too biographical in the middle (during the Guilded Age in particular). The book examines the attitudes and opinions of a few movers and shakers about corporations and how they changed the political scene. One has to be careful about doing something like this. Ancedotal evidence only can easily make ideas and opinions in the margins of politics seem like the norm. However, I think the author can get away with it here, because these few men changed so much themselves. With that being said, keep in mind these are only a handful of men and their accomplishments.

Give it a read, it'll only take a day or two, and doesn't sound like, "the man is out to get us."

Also, I recommend that you watch the documentary The Corporation.

Either Scary Journalism or Scandalous Liable.......2006-09-21

Mr. Nace documents the corruption of American law by corporations starting with a California supreme court judge who seems to have single-handedly knocked out the keystones of constituitional law. This law was established by our founding fathers to protect themselves from the abuse imposed on them by Great Britain through the manipulating hand of the East India company. The company, it seems, was disappointed with their profits after the expensive French and Indian war. This monopoly bought the English government of the time forcing through what legistlation it desired, including the Stamp Act, which initiated the Revolution. The Stamp Act was imposed to stifle the rising industry in the colonies. Understanding the power of this threat, the founders both in state law and federal law, established limits on the life of corporations. Under the original laws of this country, the corporation was regulated careful. The expansion of US industry after the Civil War created stresses on the original laws. Corporations were seen as useful entities, constrained by "unnecessary" laws. Once out of the box, they have grown unconstrained. During the 1870's the coal monopolies crushed the Molly Maguires. In the 1890's, farmers attempting to keep their liberty established the Grange movement. Other attempts by labor, and these, were crushed because they "interferred" with capital. After nearly 50 years of unconstrained growth, the fall of the Republican Congress in the early 1900s led to the rise of organized labor and the introduction of plant safety, etc. In the 1960's, corporations felt the threat of consumerism and environmentalism fueled by the fourth estate, i.e., the press. By the 1970's the corporations found ways around collusion laws and began to organize a counterattack: the institute, or think tank. Institutes do their bidding: funding favorable research (corrupting academia), sueing people who threaten them (Ophra Winfry was sued by Texas cattlemen for a comment about how poorly the FDA was handling mad cow disease.), corrupting politicians pandering to their views, and perhaps black bag operations.

Although I admire the scholarly presentation of the problem, I found the end of the book a disappointment. I was hoping for a recommendation, an answer to the question, "Yes, I know corporations are a force run-amuk but how do we control them? How do we trim the bush without killing it? Corporations are great at providing consumers with inexpensive products but they are a disease. They stifle growth and creativity. How do we let them do what they are good at without letting them kill small, smart, aggressive companies? This is the question we must answer in this generation. If we do not, global warming, population growth, and perhaps Mother Nature herself will finish us off.

This is must reading for the politically active. If you have not read it, or at least talked to someone who has, what makes you think you have the right to vote? Politics is for the politically informed.

If this book review helps please vote.

Democracy lost.......2006-06-05

I found this to be a fascinating book, well researched and documented. Mr. Nace traces the history of the American Corporations from the earliest years of our union. It would be easy to draw the conclusion that Mr. Nace is anti-business, but that is not how I read his position. Instead, what he is suggesting is that we have created a monster with our catering to the "personhood" of corporations at the expense of focused small businesses.

The premise is that corporations have now gained more rights than human persons have in our society. Along with longevity - corporations need not die - corporations have gained other "rights" not available to people. According to Mr. Nace, corporations enjoy a long list of such rights: limited liability for shareholders, perpetual existence, virtual location, indefinite entity or "shape shifting," minimum standard of treatment, national treatment and compensation for regulatory takings (such as NAFTA rulings, etc.). In addition, we have allowed corporations to enjoy rights equal to those of people, such as: Equal protection, due process, freedom from unreasonable search, jury trial in a criminal case, compensation for government takings, freedom from double jeopardy, jury trial in a civil case, commercial speech, political speech, Negative speech (the right to abstain from association with the speech of others).

Armed with these rights and deep pockets, many corporations are formidable opponents in competing with people for resources, political access, and redress of real or perceived injustices. Nace argues that without restriction of companies through the Corporate Charter (articles of incorporation), we have turned a monster loose on society which we are now almost powerless to contain. Corporations have lives of their own and little to fear from governments - they simply do business elsewhere should they find the environment undesirable. The consequences of this evolved capitalist model are that we have a concentration of power and a polarization of wealth. The most insidious result of this creation is that democracy is no longer in the hands of the people; it is in the hands of large corporations and big government which is now a big business. They have no incentive to relinquish their power.

Mr. Nace does not recommend radical solutions to this situation. Instead he advocates the "more hopeful scenario in which the pendulum swings toward a softer variant of corporate capitalism. Under this course, the corporation as we know it does not radically change, but society gets better at pushing back against its influence and excesses. Environmental regulation becomes stricter. Wealth taxes blunt the worst extremes of wealth and poverty. Antitrust regulations break up the largest corporate empires. Restrictions on corporate political activity revitalize democratic institutions."

Regardless of your position on business in general or big business in particular, this book will provide food for thought and you will gain knowledge of how we have come to be in this place.

Glad I picked this up..........2005-12-28

I bought this book at the airport with the intention of reading a "good" but perhaps not "great" account of the rise of Corporate America. I was in for a nice surprise as quite the opposite happened, the book was great.

Ted Nace does a brilliant job of giving a clear and concise picture of how corporations managed to gain such a strong and uncompromising foothold to become corporate America as we recognize it today. We are given an in-depth look at the landmark Santa Clara supreme court decision, individual amendments that were passed to grant corporations "rights" -that at times weren't even accorded to individuals and the breakdown in the democratic process the led to such outcomes.

These central ideas are nicely integrated in a well-written book that is straight-forward and to the point without being dull. It's definitley a book that can be kept and referenced years down the road. A keeper without a doubt.

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