Customer Reviews:
Student, Instructor, and Alumni.......2006-12-18
Implicit in a democracy is the free conversation of ideas. Ideas compete with each other for acceptance by individuals, society as a whole and institutions. One of these institutions is the University. Should the University form the argument or do the professors independently make arguments quite independent what the alumni or University president wants made. Does a University organize around a certain concept or school of thought. Does the University President and trustees form the bases of the argument or do they blindly hire people of a certain criteria and let the pieces fall where they will.
William F. Buckley forms the argument that Yale University of the late 1940's and early 1950's has a school of thought about economics, religion, and society that are not consistent with the values and goals of the alumni of the period the book was written. To be sure the University President claims the values taught at Yale were quite by accident protecting the higher value of academic freedom.
William F. Buckley goes into some detail about how religion and Christianity is expressed by various faculty who teach to the none theological student. One Professor agressively makes theoutdatedness of Christianity with apologetic type arguments, but mostly through characterization. While a Chrisian professor makes some apologetical arguments and careful not to be offensive to the none Christians. The author also goes into some great detail about the social studies department.
William F. Buckley evaluates the economic training at Yale. The role of private enterprize and government in producing and distributing wealth. The author further explains that emphasis on the govermental role and wealth redistribution effect the political thought and occupational goals of the student and recent graduate of the University. He further believes a large portion of the alumni and parents of the student would not be comfortable with what is taught at the University.
Are you a Conservative? DON'T miss this tome..........2005-12-10
What can one say of "God And Man At Yale" that has not already been said? (There must be something, otherwise, why should I start this review?) It is a classic in Conservative thinking, a primer for civilized debate, and a template for structured reasoning. This book came at the forefront of a wave of the new American Conservatism, which seemed like the last dying gasps of the old American conservatism when it initially arrived on the scene in 1951.
Shortly following Buckley's cajoling of Yale, Goldwater ran for President, Phylliss Schlafly battled feminist tyrants and Reagan was swept into office as a result of it all. A whole world of conservative thinkers and pundits found a waiting fan-base, one that Buckley gently "broke in" for all of us.
OK, so that is the history... but what of the book?
Certainly, the names of the then teachers, professors and administrators that Buckley took to task are irrelevant and so is the course load descriptions this far removed from the days of "God and Man Af Yale". But the central argument has, if anything, gotten more acutely realized. That religion, economics and American exceptionalism is anathema to the properly arranged University professor is nearly accepted as axiomatic by everyone on both sides of the issue these days, 50 years after the book was first published. Few argue the point as they attempted to do in the name of "fairness" in Buckley's days at Yale.
But, I will show here a quote from the book that shows Buckley's prescience: "I myself believe that the duel between Christianity and atheism is the most important in the world. I further believe that the struggle between individualism and collectivism is the same struggle reproduced on another level. I believe that if and when the menace of Communism is gone, other vital battles, at present subordinated, will emerge to the foreground."
And that is just where we stand today. Certainly the struggle against Islamofascism is an important one, but we are seeing the University embattled by conservative students and parents more each day in the post Communist world, now that we have the luxury to do so. Communism is on the down turn and we now have the energy to address the sorry state of affairs in American education- as well as the tools with the internet. The building disgust about leftists in the Universities is palpable and growing. We are edging ever more toward "doing something" about it all at long last. Buckley should be excited about the immediate future for the turn around of American education.
Also, this book is a great example on how to structure an argument. Using this book as a template would do any debater well.
Thanks, Mr. Buckley. You have inspired many of us.
God Not a Universal Perception.......2005-06-25
With all due respect to Mr. Buckley's respect for his religion, Catholicism, the revelation to me is that scholarly steeples at Yale apparently affect persons differently. Some see them as hallowed, others as mere obstacles to hurdle in pursuit of what are often portrayed as lofty ideals within the context of Godly acceptance. For most people those ideals do not easily include pedophilia, but when I once read a "scholarly" paper from the 1960's that defended the practice (though typically moreso in an effort to reconicile the dilemma), it became clear to me that God is not a universal perception at Yale, nor is humankind. Trying to appreciate the scholarship and insightful method of choosing so brave a topic during that period, I still found it hard to accept that anyone - well educated - could justify or minimize the harm done to an innocent. Today, in 2005 my opinions are unchanged, and in fact, perhaps are far more biased for learning of the extent to which Catholicism allowed such acts to become what could only be called a universal norm. The Biblical passage that comes to mind is one well known by most Christian, and the shorted in the Bible, it is said. "Jesus wept." This is the logic most expect from the quality of Yale regardless of how well written or scholarly it is done if Christianity is the objective.
This is one of the best books that I have read criticizing t.......2005-06-22
It was an honor to read God and Man at Yale, by William Buckley, Jr. In his book, Mr. Buckley writes (in his incredible prose that is unmatched by any other political pundit around) that the 1950s Yale has reached a turning point: it can continue to move towards secularism and socialism, and ultimately work against the public good, or it can choose to proselytize the virtues of individualism and spiritualism (the Christian sort, according to Buckley).
Buckley argues that Yale should stand for something. Skepticism is not a worthy virtue if it does not arrive at a conclusion. Skepticism should be in furtherance of conviction, Buckley argues, rather than skepticism for skepticism sakes. This is a departure from the Socratic method, where the entire purpose is proving how little we know, never arriving at a point or conclusion.
Buckley is perhaps the modern architect of a conversation revolution that has been growing over the last forty years. Some of the theoretical prescriptions that Buckley has outlined have not been proven to be successful over time. Buckley urges Yale alumni to withhold providing support to the university so long as it continues to advance secularism and collectivism. This may well have modified the behavior of the administration at the edges, but it certainly has not changed the foundation of the modern university, let alone Yale. Yale is now at the epicenter of liberalism, spewing as much liberalism as a modern Berkeley classroom. It is arguable that most Yale alumni do not care about the values that Buckley had preached, and if this is so, Buckley is still vindicated since he argued that Yale alumni should simply investigate to determine if the university is furthering values that run counter to their own.
It does make sense, though, that a university should not be a hot bed of crazy ideas simply to allow students the chance to make the right decisions as to what is the public good. Some causes are, simply put, not part of the public good - such as Nazis and socialism. Under Buckley's system, which I would support, the alumni of Yale (and most other universities) should withhold contributing to the university unless they fire communist and socialistic professors, especially those teaching classes such as Marxism, which gives students an unrealistically positive impression of Marx, as well as economics, where modern economic principles are likely to be slammed in favor of socialistic economic principles. This is one of the best books that I have read criticizing the malaise in academia.
Waste of Paper.......2005-06-03
Not since St. Augustine has there been such a whining, carping screed begging for Christian inculcation by a celebrated intellect. I'm not even sure why this is a book. A cranky letter to the dean, and president of the alumni association would have served his purpose, and saved a few trees as well.
Without going into detail, or needing to, you will find in a nutshell that Mr. Buckley feels it's fine for Yale faculty of faith to gently shepherd students toward Christian beliefs within their science and math classes, but it's a sin for the other, heathen, atheistic masters, to rampage through the clay of young minds and, in one semester, destroy the fragile faith of 18 to 20 years of Christian indoctrination. Pu-leese!
I'll grant you he was only 25, and at that time standing up for one's individual ideals was new, but why is it still in print! On the other hand, in today's renewed climate of monkey-brained hysteria in the classroom perhaps it might seem to be time to dig up an old reactionary guru or two for validation. In fact, soon I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some addlebrained congressman was trying to pass a law mandating the teaching of Buckleism in schools.
Cool book title though!
Book Description
Ready, set, go! With a loud whoosh, a group of skydivers exit an airplane high above the earth. At age 40, Rita Ippoliti wanted to join their world. But the odds that an overweight, middle-aged woman would take to this extreme sport were stacked against her. Falling Into Place describes how Rita defies those odds and is reborn in the process.
Customer Reviews:
Falling Into Place.......2003-08-10
Rita Ippoliti's "Falling Into Place" gives us an incredible eye-opening view into the perceptions and mindset of a student who faces numerous challenges in the pursuit of learning the incredible sport of skydiving. Throughout her pursuit, Rita has overcome numerous hurdles in both the physical and mental aspects of the sport as well as diverse instructional attitudes (towards her). Rita gives a refreshing reminder that all of us in the instructional field need to take a step back now and then and try to remember what it was like to be a student; that not all of us were gifted with natural ability that allowed the sport to come easily to us. Some of the instructors' attitudes that Rita has had to cope with during her learning process are not what I perceive as ideal instructor behavior. However, through her passionate persistence, she was able to overcome most of those attitudes and create challenges that (no doubt) improved each instructor's ability to teach students along the way to her goal of earning her license.
I highly recommend this book for all instructional staff in our sport as well as others. It was fun to read and I was able to laugh at many of the incidents that she shared with us through her book.
Mike Turoff,
USPA Instructor Examiner, D-5957
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Falling into Place: A Brief History of New England
Thomas Jackson
Manufacturer: RoseDog Books
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ASIN: 0805973176
Release Date: 2006-12-22 |
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As Pat's story unfolds, his knowledge grows. Pat Adams knowledge expands through his father's interpretation of their ancestor's journal written during The War of 1812. The journal was first found by Pat's Grandfather Herbert in the foundation of a burnt down barn on the family farm in Pittsfield. Besides Henri Adams account of his trials during The War of 1812 in the journal, he also discloses the journey of his great great grandfather, Eluwillusit, during and after The King Phillip's War in 1675.
Pat's mother's roots originating in France with the Basque culture influenced Pat into having passion for something in life. Anna's father, Jacques, teaches Pat the game of Jai Alai, which quickly motivates him to pursue something other than booze, on which his father depends. Unfortunately, Russell does not approve of Pat's love for Jai Alai and "destroys" the Jai Alai sticks Grandpa Jacques gave him.
Without Jai Alai, Pat becomes lost and decides that he wants to make it a career. He leaves the family farm in Pittsfield to play professionally in Hartford. In Hartford, Pat is thrown into a corrupt business with gangsters and feds, but luckily befriends Reggie Carter, who shows Pat the ropes.
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Things are NOT Falling Apart, They are Falling Into Place!: Rising Above Your Childhood
Phillip D. Wiginton
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
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ASIN: 141406814X |
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Falling into Place
Stephanie Greene
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Falling Into Place
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Release Date: 2005-07-26 |
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Falling Into Place
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A sparkling romantic comedy about real women facing real-life challenges.
As a young university student, Ginny was abandoned by her boyfriend just as she gave birth to his daughter. Now nineteen-year-old Marie has gone travelling and Ginny is facing the choices she made. But a blast from the past is about to throw everything into disarray.
Ginny’s prodigal sister, Charlotte, has had enough of travelling and has finally returned from abroad. She isn’t ready to settle with anyone though, least of all a respectable ex-boyfriend who really wants her back. But an obsessive admirer has followed her home.
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Everything seems to be falling apart. But maybe it’s just falling into place.
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Falling Into Place
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Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
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ASIN: 1420862332 |
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Meet Leila Smith. She has a wonderful childhood provided by her mother, her best friend. Their relationship takes an unexplained turn for the worse when she reaches her teenage years. She experiences the biggest heart break when her mother begins to treat her as if she were no longer a member of the family. As Leila struggles to believe that life is still worth living, she promises that she will leave this hell that has become her home.
Customer Reviews:
Falling into Place.......2006-03-07
I love this book. She captures the innocence of her childhood teenage years so wonderfully. I believe this book should be read by all teenage girls because it explains life from their perpective and not an adults. It will definetly shed light to to issues they are dealing with. Also it will have us adults remembering how it was for us growing up.
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California's redistricting puzzle falling into place.: An article from: Campaigns & Elections
Bob Benenson
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Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
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This digital document is an article from Campaigns & Elections, published by Campaigns & Elections, Inc. on February 1, 1999. The length of the article is 499 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: The win of Lt Gov Gray Davis as governor of California in Nov 1998 was a crucial win for the Democratic Party. This is because the elected governor will administer the congressional and state legislative redistricting procedure that will happen after the 2000 census. The win was needed to offset the Republican Party's wins in major states such as Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. California is essential because it has 52 House seats and is likely have more apportionment because of its population growth.
Citation Details
Title: California's redistricting puzzle falling into place.
Author: Bob Benenson
Publication:
Campaigns & Elections (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 1999
Publisher: Campaigns & Elections, Inc.
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Page: 12(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on June 23, 2003. The length of the article is 697 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Library book system falling into place.(Government)(Bugs in automated sorting and check-out technology are now being ironed out)
Publication:
The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: June 23, 2003
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: b1
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- Sterling
- For faculty members only.
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Hollywood, Westerns and the 1930s: The Lost Trail (Exeter Studies in Film History)
Peter Stanfield
Manufacturer: University of Exeter Press
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ASIN: 0859896935 |
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'Hollywood, Westerns and the 1930s: The Lost Trail' recovers the context in which Westerns were produced, exhibited and viewed in the 1930s. By examining why the American film industry produced Westerns in the 1930s and by locating these films within the history of Hollywood's production cycles and trends, Peter Stanfield reveals the limitations of previous studies. Instead of constructing a canon of isolated film `classics', his research makes it clear that the hitherto marginalised `B' or `series' Western was central to the genre's history in this period. The study explains the effect that Hollywood's shift to synchronized sound had on the Western, and discusses the studios' huge financial investment in the epic Westerns of the early years of the 1930s. It traces the subsequent decline and resurgence in Western production in the mid-1930s, and examines the deluge of A-feature Westerns produced in the 1939-1940 cycle, including Stagecoach, Dodge City, Jesse James, Destry Rides Again, Union Pacific and The Oklahoma Kid. Challenging many of the conventional critical assumptions about the Western, including the firmly held opinion that it was principally aimed at male viewers, the book highlights the significance of female audiences, the role of independent exhibitors, and of censorship in shaping film production. For the first time, this book tells the `lost' story of the 1930s Western.
Customer Reviews:
Sterling.......2006-03-23
Pete is a genial old cove with a wardrobe full of cowboy boots the tips of which peek out whenever he has a new shirt to select - as on page 96! - all hail and hearty to him! The department wouold sink were it not for the weight of the mighty thoughts compacted in this witty and acerbic and diligant text, footnoted to perfection, which is another case for those boots...
For faculty members only........2002-09-27
To introduce chapter 2 in "Hollywood, Westerns and the 1930s," author Peter Stanfield blithely discusses "[t]he lost and largely unresearched history of the series Westerns." Lost and largely unresearched? What about Don Miller's "Hollywood Corral?" I hear you say, or Jon Tuska's "The Filming of the West"? Surely William K. Everson's seminal work "A Pictorial History of the Western Film" would qualify as "research"? Yet none of these fine books are listed in Mr. Stanfield's otherwise lengthy bibliography, nor are the works, electronic or otherwise, by lesser lights (such as this writer). Why? Because these scribes aren't true academics and refuse to use terms such as "diegesis" or "contextualize." In Mr. Stanfield's world of Higher Learning you need a dictionary at the ready to review the legacy of Gene Autry - GENE AUTRY, for Heaven's sake! - and that just ain't right!
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- Mr. Way Too Quickly
- Contra the Neo-Cons...
- Who knew this book could say all this?
- An excellent source for readers of philosophy
- How to write between the lines
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Persecution and the Art of Writing
Leo Strauss
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ASIN: 0226777111 |
Book Description
The essays collected in Persecution and the Art of Writing all deal with one problem—the relation between philosophy and politics. Here, Strauss sets forth the thesis that many philosophers, especially political philosophers, have reacted to the threat of persecution by disguising their most controversial and heterodox ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Mr. Way Too Quickly.......2006-01-12
Mr. Quickly (see review below) is either a prankster or an idiot. He has confused the philosopher, Leo Strauss, with the composer Richard Strauss.
But his review was good for a laugh, at least.
Contra the Neo-Cons..........2004-12-05
Now that certain of his followers have risen to such unpredictably high prominence and stuck around, Leo Strauss is getting more attention. This is good. Strauss is a good reader of good books (esp. Spinoza and Aristophanes), but his legacy is more ambivalent than one might expect. He is more than simply the intellectual architect behind Reaganism. Here are some observations that give an idea of what I mean in Persecution and the Art of Writing:
First, something to like about Strauss: He proceeds from the beginning of this study with the assumption that knowledge has a social basis, that social factors produce "truth." This position actually puts Strauss much closer to Foucault, the Frankfurt School, and the Cultural Studies crowd than to, say, Paul Wolfowitz and others who seek to engineer social circumstances by force if necesary to meet their proclaimed truths; thus, "freedom" must be "spread" to Iraq. Strauss was not stupid, like these saps. (We'll leave non-Senator Alan Keyes out of this.)
In fact, Strauss saw the right-wing shouters and their exercise of free speech at the expense of everyone else's coming: "What is called freedom of thought...for all practical purposes consists of--the ability to choose between two or more different views presented by the small minority of people who are public speakers or writers." (23). Nuance be damned. "We made the right decision on Iraq." "Ignorance is strength..."
Second, a disturbing view. Strauss assumes that the suppression of ideas by those in power and the persecution of dissenters and intellectuals is okay. Why? "Persecution...cannot prevent independent thinking. It cannnot prevent even the expression of independent thought" (23), never mind that this contradicts the statement Strauss makes above that independent thinking doesn't really exist anyway unless you have an AM talk radio show. Strauss's thesis: "Persecution cannot prevent even public expression of the heterodox truth, for a man of independent thought can utter his views in public and remain unharmed, provided he moves with circumspection. He can even utter them in print without incurring any danger, provided he is capable of writing between the lines" (24). What follows from this? Because the savvy socialist can write allegorically, then, it's alright to oppress socialists, or feminists, or any other kind of grownup. One can also argue from Strauss that religious minorities may also be persecuted, since they ought to find a way to "behave" between the lines. This is disgusting, obviously.
History teaches us the danger inherent in this attitude. The case of Walter Benjamin is a good place to start inquiring, if you're interested. I'd rather find a way to do without persecution at all. A more productive vision might be: Free Inquiry and the Art of Listening.
May Allegory Strike Back, and "fit audience find, though few."
Who knew this book could say all this?.......2002-05-18
I bought PERSECUTION AND THE ART OF WRITING because I wanted an easy approach to whatever contribution Leo Strauss might be able to make to the understanding of political philosophy, and the idea that writers might be persecuted is fundamental to my understanding of what separates social thinking from what a philosopher might be capable of. The second chapter, which covers the topic "Persecution and the art of writing," is only from page 22 to page37 of this book. The Introduction attempts to provide a basis for understanding all the essays in this book "within the province of the sociology of knowledge." (p. 7). The final chapter, "How to Study Spinoza's THEOLOGICO-POLITICAL TREATISE," is the culmination of a series of articles, which first appeared in 1941, 1943, and 1948, that is primarily concerned with understanding the works of a few philosophers in a manner which might be helpful "for a future sociology of philosophy." (p. 7).
The particular work of Spinoza discussed was an attempt "to refute the claims which had been raised on behalf of revelation throughout the ages." (p. 142). Studying the Treatise is primarily philosophical because "the issue raised by the conflicting claims of philosophy and revelation is discussed in our time on a decidedly lower level than was almost customary in former ages." (pp. 142-3). Later it is admitted that Spinoza's own age did not have Spinoza's books to discuss. "The only book which he published under his own name is devoted to the philosophy of Descartes." (p. 152). "But Spinoza, who wrote for posterity rather than for his contemporaries, must have realized that the day would come when his own books would be old books." (p. 153). My own understanding of Spinoza is not helped by the fact that the longest quotations, in note 2 on page 143 and note 19 on page 153, are in latin. Note 13 on page 149 quotes Carl Gebhardt (Spinoza. OPERA, vol. II, p. 317) in German. I thought I was going to be able to understand it best when Strauss wrote, "To ascertain how to read Spinoza, we shall do well to cast a glance at his rules for reading the Bible." (p. 144). Philosophy itself might demand that the most modern conclusion on that effort would be: "For the same reason it is impossible to understand the Biblical authors as they understood themselves; every attempt to understand the Bible is of necessity an attempt to understand its authors better than they understood themselves." (p. 148). In the case of the Bible, the idea of revelation offers the consolation to people who never wanted to be considered its authors that the book was written by someone else, as the angel who dictated the Koran to its prophet is the ultimate target of the book THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie in the most modern comic edition of this conflict. The only escapes which Spinoza would offer is "to potential philosophers, i.e., to men who, at least in the early stages of their training, are deeply imbued with the vulgar prejudices: what Spinoza considers the basic prejudice of those potential philosophers whom he addresses in the Treatise, is merely a special form of the basic prejudice of the vulgar mind in general." (p. 184). Given the facts of life for most people, this seems to be particularly bad news for the political, which could use a few intellectual connections.
An excellent source for readers of philosophy.......2000-10-25
An excellent text, Strauss explicates on his views of how philosophers in times of persecution will "hide" their most stunning and important ideas "between the lines" of their works. In this way, the authors avoid death, and also provide the deepest insight to only those intelligent enough to find it in the texts. Pay special attention to Strauss's chapter on the "Guide for the Perplexed:" not only is it an interesting read, but one can see Strauss himself using some of the same techniques that he claims authors of the past used. It's all a matter of trying to understand what he truly wants to tell us.
How to write between the lines.......2000-06-16
The title essay is a masterpiece I read once a month in the course writing journalism by day and reading of political comedy by night. By day it is extremely helpful keeping my job in a political environment not particularly conducive to complete freedom of expression at times. By night, coupled with Strauss's superb "Socrates and Aristophanes" is has proved a wonderful tool for unveiling meaning in Aristophanes, Rabelais, Cervantes, Sterne, Hasek, Garcia-Marquez, Kundera and the rest of the European comic tradition. I think his idea of a literary criticism "between the lines" based on ancient rhetoricians would be an extremely useful study for younger graduate students to follow - whenever such studies become possible again. The rest of the essays apply the theory of reading between the lines in interesting limit cases of persecution of political philosophy. They may lead the general reader to try such authors as Maimonides and Spinoza. Can't speak for specialists, not being one.
Book Description
Geoffrey Nyarota was the editor of the Daily News, Zimbabwe’s only independent newspaper, for four years. In this time, he chronicled the decline of the country under Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF-controlled regime. As a young man, Nyarota fervently believed that his children would know the freedom of democracy that he himself had been denied in colonial Rhodesia before Mugabe became independent Zimbabwe’s first head of state in 1980. But when he discovered that the returned war heroes were more interested in enriching themselves than in uplifting the poverty-stricken millions, he unflinchingly began to expose the wholesale corruption and greed, nepotism and fraud perpetrated by the Mugabe government. It took state-planted bombs, torture and intimidation, costly legal fees and, finally, a contract on Nyarota’s life before he fled his homeland at the beginning of 2003 to go into exile.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Journalist.......2007-06-13
Geoffrey Nyarota is an unbelievably experienced man. His stories bring shivers down your back and tears to your eyes. He has been through more than most people can imagine. His artful language skills portray a wistful look at Zimbabwe, where this man longs for the country he loves.
Beautifully written, brutally honest...
6 stars out of 5.
A very interesting autobiography by Zimbabwes premier journalist and fearless Editor.......2007-03-20
Geoffrey Nyarota started off his career as a teacher in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe in the 1970's. He describes firsthand the brutalities civilians endured and those he himself experienced at the hands of both the security forces of Ian Smiths government and ZANLA guerrillas fighting in the area where he taught. The intensification of the war forced the closure of many schools resulting in him embarking into a career in journalism. Having the unique experience of being a black journalist in the white dominated media of Rhodesia provided him with the necessary experience and qualifications allowing him to rise to the top of his field post-independence with postings as Editor of the Manica Post and most notoriously the Chronicle of Bulawayo. He gives insight into the extremely difficult situation he found himself in as Editor of the Bulawayo Chronicle during the Gukurahundi massacres, facing the dilemma of risking personal safety and telling the public a story that needed to be heard. As a youth growing up in Zimbabwe in the 1980's I personally feel one of Mr Nyarotas greatest achievements was his exposure of corruption in Robert Mugabe's government through the Willowgate car scandal and resultant Sandura Commision. An extremely brave act fuelled by his belief in freedom of the press and his uncompromising tenacity in pursuit of the truth, these unfortunately were not seen as admirable qualities by his superiors and cost him his job as Editor.
Mr Nyarota continued in his fight to expose corruption and fraud as founding editor of the Daily News, an independent newspaper and a breath of fresh air to us Zimbabweans for years force fed government propaganda through the state controlled media. The odds were stacked heavily against the Daily news however it persevered and won a few battles but unfortunately the Government won the war forcing closure of the paper and Mr Nyarota into exile.
The book is unique in that although autobiographical, it covers important periods of Zimbabwean history by a resident Zimbabwean, most recent works charting the rise and decline of Zimbabwe have been penned by non-blacks and foreigners. He follows the transformation of notorious Zimbabwean politicians and military figures from their student and liberation war days to their rapid accumulation of wealth and power post-independence. He gives recognition to Zimbabwean heroes snubbed and forgotten after having fallen out of favor with ZANU PF such as Dzinashe Machingura and Willie Musarurwa to name a few. Unfortunately his accounts are not always chronological and at times he digresses, however his experiences of Zimbabwean politics, politicians and society coupled with his good sense of humor make the book in general very interesting to read.
Very importantly, he highlights the grave dangers African journalists and their families risk in pursuit of the truth, the repercussions being more harsh and brutal than western journalists protected by their respective governments.
My hope is that his story does not end here and that he will return home soon to continue uncovering the truth.
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After Lives: Legacies of Revolutionary Writing (Haymarket)
Barbara Harlow
Manufacturer: Verso
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- Very Period--Suggest authenticity and accuracy
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The complete guide to disco dancing
Karen Lustgarten
Manufacturer: Warner Books
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0446879436 |
Customer Reviews:
Very Period--Suggest authenticity and accuracy.......2004-06-07
The book features great dated pictures of Karen alone and dancing with a variety of men with dated hairdos and suites, including weird silhouette illustrations of her figure. Nearly every page also contains a retro 20s image. It mostly features instructions for different steps, with only a small portion of the book dedicated to line and partner dances such as the Hustle. I also was unable to figure out how to do the Latin Hustle or any of its variations from the instructions given, but I've never read a dance book before or received any dance instruction.
Book Description
A critical reassessment of the ideas that shaped modern management. According to Jim Hoopes, the fundamental principles on which business is based--authority, power, control--are increasingly at odds with principles of life in a democratic society--freedom, equality, individualism. False Prophets critically examines the pioneering theories of the early management thinkers, such as Taylor, Follett, Mayo, and Deming, which intended to democratize corporate life yet have proved antithetical to the successful practice of business. Hoopes challenges popular management movements that followed in the wake of these thinkers and accuses today's business theorists of perpetuating bad management in the name of democratic values. He urges executives and managers to recognize the realities of corporate life and learn to apply the principles of power. He also unveils a new management agenda that will be of paramount significance to modern organizations.
A rich and lively read, False Prophets provides a refreshingly new and original overview of the history of management in the larger context of the American culture, brilliantly illustrating its evolution--from the ivory tower to the shop floor.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful!.......2004-06-08
Despite its title, this book doesn't say much, or much of substance, about business today. Instead, it concentrates on lively professional and personal profiles of eight twentieth century management theorists of varying impact. Hammer and Champy, who launched the 1990s re-engineering movement, are mentioned only in the conclusion, and the gurus behind managing for shareholder value aren't mentioned. A little less detail about peccadilloes of the long dead and a little more about crucial management ideas that have shaped contemporary business might have made the book more relevant. Interestingly, it indicates that slave owners anticipated some of the progressive ideas in modern management but the author leaves it to the readers to make the connection: voila, contemporary workers believe the cant of empowerment about as much as the slaves believed the plantation master's pieties. We recommend this book for its anecdotal, gossipy entertainment value. It will make you cautious about management consultants - but if you aren't already, you can't have spent much time in business.
The Myth of the Democratic Workplace Exposed.......2004-05-27
Hoopes does an very good job deconstructing the neo-managment concept of a democratic workplace, contrasting it with the juxtaposition of top-down power in an ostensibly democratic society. If one believes that the US is a democratic society (it's not, it's a republic), then one might take umbrage with his not novel revelation that the workplace functions best in a top-down style. Americans, in particular unionized America, has a big problem accepting this. His examples support this, but further, add light to the discussion that top-down power must be mitigated to some degree (the adage of absolute power corrupting withstanding). After reading his book I beleive that top-down power within a workplace that changes its policies as needed based on the demands and needs of the workers while fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities, is the best mix for success: keep you eye on why the institution exists (profit and/or service), but take care of your workers to accomplish your goals, and yes, management is in charge... This book helps illuminate how we got where we are, without burying the reader.
Can't wait for the Prequel & the Sequel........2004-02-15
I had to read this book twice.
First time with my jaw hanging and the second time highlighting, annotating and working up a storm of sticky notes so I could go look up the names & the fames.
The ripple effect has been tremendous, and I'm looking forward to Dr. Hoopes moving his socio-managerial microscope back to the Middle Ages to dissect vassalage and explain the pathology of serfdom and its parallel to today's corporate structures as well as why this phenomenon persists (prequel).
Then, I'd really like to see him turn the scrutiny on managers of the Great Shareholder Abandonment of the 2000's (WorldCom, CSFB, Enron, Global Crossing, etc.) and prescribe some remedies (for example, a vigorous enema would be just the ticket for Quattrone). I'd also like to see him attend to the waves of college graduates whose opportunity has been sold out from under them to the third world countries with the best Washington lobbyists (this book would be the sequel).
As it is, FALSE PROPHETS is a righteous "Perils of Pauline" cliffhanger, ending with Pearl White (who did all her own stunts, btw) tied to the tracks.
Or, to upgrade the reference, FALSE PROPHETS stops at a corporate "Empire Strikes Back" chapter, with dutiful nonexempt employee Han Solo frozen in a block of schmutz while all the jobs are being offshored and the middle class is posing for the picture that will decorate milk cartons.
Insightful!.......2003-10-16
Despite its title, this book doesn't say much, or much of substance, about business today. Instead, it concentrates on lively professional and personal profiles of eight twentieth century management theorists of varying impact. Hammer and Champy, who launched the 1990s re-engineering movement, are mentioned only in the conclusion, and the gurus behind managing for shareholder value aren't mentioned. A little less detail about peccadilloes of the long dead and a little more about crucial management ideas that have shaped contemporary business might have made the book more relevant. Interestingly, it indicates that slave owners anticipated some of the progressive ideas in modern management but the author leaves it to the readers to make the connection: voila, contemporary workers believe the cant of empowerment about as much as the slaves believed the plantation master's pieties. We recommend this book for its anecdotal, gossipy entertainment value. It will make you cautious about management consultants - but if you aren't already, you can't have spent much time in business
Over-rated.......2003-09-26
A book of considerable potential, which it fails to achieve. Worth investigating, but check it out from the library and read it before you buy it.
His basic thesis is that all employees in commercial organizations need to be led from above, but that power corrupts so we should all be skeptical of being led from above. He does have some interesting and useful observations on managment/organizational behavior experts through the nation's (U.S.) history. Unfortunately his personal opinion as opposed to a critical evaluation of their merit keeps getting in the way. Pity, because a well considered opinion of the ideas, impacts and evolution over the years would have been an interesting read.
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- Golden Boy: The Harold Simmons Story
- Gustavo Cisneros un Empresario Global : Prologo De Carlos Fuentes / Gustavo Cisneros, World Business Man
- Hayek's Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek
- Her Majesty: 50 Regal Years
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and Wal-Mart, the World's Most Powerful Retailer
- Isabel of Burgundy: The Duchess Who Played Politics in the Age of Joan of Arc
- Jack Corbett: Mariner
- Jack Welch and the GE Way: Management Insights and Leadership Secrets of the Legendary CEO
- Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery
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