Customer Reviews:
A poingnant and amusing autobiography.......2006-04-20
Anthony Winkler is a really gifted author and he has a talent for clearly reproducing the essence of raw Jamaica, even if it is a Jamaica that existed before I was born. He also wrote "The Lunatic" which I need to find and re-read again as well. He is a white Jamaican who currently lives in Atlanta, GA.
This book "Going Home To Teach" recounts his experiences when he returned home to Jamaica to teach back in the 1970s. Those were tumultuous times for Jamaica, when Michael Manley was in power and socialism was the philosophy du jour. Many people left, while Winkler was coming back. The book has a lot of pathos, humour, and drama; but what really makes it impressive and relevant to me are the observations on Jamaican, American and English culture. Here are some samples. I don't necessarily agree with all his observations, but I think they are worth noting.
On being white in Jamaica, specifically referring to his American wife's experience:
"To be white in a black country with a long English colonial history is to be a pariah, an ambiguous entity. It is to be simultaneously respected and despised, to arouse suspicion and curiosity, to evoke defiance, rudeness, envy and condescension. It is to be separated from that inalienable birthright every white American enjoys in his own country; the expectation of being treated with indifference in a public place. When you are white in a black land like Jamaica, you are no longer merely a man, or a woman, or a child. For good or ill, you are also immediately transmogrified into a living symbol of a detested colonial past."
On Jamaican and American attitudes towards economic roles:
"The American nation is essentially a confederation of economic tribes known as businesses and corporations, each with its own totemic history, identity...when you work for an American corporation it defines you, moulds you...and eventually changes your values and perceptions...Americans are reared with the expectation that a large part of their personal identity will eventually be defined in adulthood by an economic role. One becomes what one does...Jamaicans DO their careers, their occupational pursuits; Americans BECOME them...This wedding of personality and occupation is a most peculiar trait for Jamaicans to comprehend mainly because they have inherited from their own cultural experience a deep-seated dislike for ready-made economic roles. Jamaicans revel in the expression of an idiosyncratic self, and reject any occupational role that brings with it blanket expectations of the self. Why this is so no doubt goes back to our experience with slavery when we waged and endless war of passive resistance against the slave master's desires and struggled hard to repudiate what he wanted us to become."
On "getting on bad"
"This expression has a peculiar meaning to the Jamaican, and no known equivalent in America. To `go on bad' is to employ the behaviour of the lower class in a sphere of life where it is outlandishly inappropriate. One cannot `go on bad' in a true democracy like America, but only in a society that separates people into classes by a strictly prescribed code of manners. Under the Englishman's colonial blueprint, the ragged brute in the streets is expected to rant and rave over grievances and raise his voice in profanity, but not the tuxedoed gentleman at a formal dinner. And should the gentleman so behave for whatever reason other than rare excusable drunkenness, he is said to have `gone on bad.' His sin is not so much bad behaviour as it is a degenerate hybridisation of manners-bringing the lower-class brute into the drawing room- and the penalty is social expulsion. He simply will never be invited back."
The unfortunate thing is that many times, getting on bad is the only way to get anything done! He notes this in the anecdote that follows this quote, which I won't replay here.
It's a great autobiographical novel told from a point of view that I haven't even considered too much; that of the person who is born in Jamaica and is just as Jamaican as I am, except that he is white. It is an accurate snapshot of Jamaica in the 1970s as well. Well, I assume that, since I wasn't born then :D At any rate, I highly recommend it. Also read the rest of his books: "The Lunatic" "The Painted Canoe" "The Great Yacht Race" and "The Duppy". I have read them all except for the last one, those I have read have been very good also.
A must-read for all Jamaicans.......2003-12-15
I was a schoolgirl in Jamaica, during the 70s, the period Mr. Winkler writes about and I can attest that all the things he says are true. The book is hilarious and poignant at the same time, capturing all the things that make Jamaica a difficult place to live in, yet an impossible one to stay away from. He captures the crazy drama of everyday life there, with humor and beauty and sadness. The scene in the patty shop when he asked by two people behind him in line to judge which is the blacker one, is one of the funniest things I've ever read.
THIS TEACHER MAKES YOU LAUGH & LEARN.......2002-10-20
Just seeing his name on the book spine was enough to make me pick up the book.
Over the years, Anthony C. Winkler's rollicking novels of Jamaican life have given me considerable pleasure and insight into Caribbean sensibility. He writes with a great affection for the island nation's people, reveling in their culture and contradictions, equally amused by and compassionate toward all the social strata. However, I'd been curious about the writer himself since first reading THE LUNATIC years ago, after a St. Kitts-born friend and mentor pressed the book into my hand with a smile, saying "You must read this!" The brief bio in his books mentioned he was a native Jamaican and scant else. Who was he? I wondered to myself about his background, his roots, his understanding of Jamaica.
GOING HOME TO TEACH answered my questions and delivered a lot more. At heart, it's Winkler's memoir of his mid-1970s stint, when Michael Manley's "democratic socialist" administration ruled, as an instructor at a government-sponsored rural teacher training school. His return is part altruism, part nostalgia: As the author of successful, widely used college textbooks, he's got tidy sums squirreled away in American banks, so he can afford to return home and work for a pittance. On the other hand, at the time he's thirty-something, divorced, and he's spent thirteen years away from home to study and teach in the U.S., whose society bewilders him.
The meat of the book, though, is both personal and general. Winkler is a raconteur, a griot--a natural born storyteller--and he regales you with stories about his family (particularly his eccentric grandparents and crazy aunts), his encounters with hidebound administrators and bureaucrats, striking students, madmen, and the impossibility of finding competent repairpersons. And then again, there are his observations on American society and culture, the contrasts with Jamaica, and the cultural idiosyncrasies that he attributes to the history of slavery and English colonial rule. GOING HOME TO TEACH is a dense stew of memorable people, incidents and conclusions, richly seasoned with rib-tickling anecdotes.
Indeed, what makes the book really work is Winkler's humor and humanity, his conversational tone, his equanimity whether describing the absurd or the nearly tragic. He's not shy about his foibles, his family's or his countrymen's, and completely droll even when revealing the unpleasant side of paradise. Be cautioned about reading this book in public: you risk indelicate stares for laughing out loud, as I did particularly as I was reading his account of "night life"--the panoply of insects and other critters--in the Jamaican countryside.
There's also the bittersweet. Winkler's ancestry is European and Middle Eastern--which adds up to "white"--but he's Jamaica-born and bred (patois is his "native tongue" much as any other Jamaican's), and that's the land he loves. It results in a certain "double consciousness," which I find ironically analogous to the lot of "Black Americans":
"To be white in a black country with a long English colonial history is to be a pariah, an ambiguous entity. It is to be simultaneously respected and despised, to arouse suspicion and curiosity, to evoke defiance, rudeness, envy, and condescension. It is to be separated from that inalienable birthright every white American enjoys in his country: the expectation of being treated with indifference in a public place....
"The hardest thing about growing up white in a black country is the nagging feeling of not belonging.... Jamaicans of all races who have lived abroad for any length of time also suffer it after returning home, but for the white Jamaican the feeling of not belonging is a cross he must bear even if he has never set foot out of his own country."
If you're already a fan of Winkler's writing, I believe you'll also love this book. If you're not already acquainted, this should be a fine introduction to the man and the land. A highly recommended, rewarding read.
well worth the reading.......1999-09-13
If you live in the Caribbean you will be able to identify with all the occurrences. If you used to live in the Caribbean, this book will bring back all the memories. If you have no Caribbean connections, then you will be highly amused by the "peculiarites" of the natives as Mr. Winkler cleverly reveals the culture and personalities of the island
Book Description
The game of golf is a great metaphor for the game of life. Fairways of Life will remind you why you love golf and will help you to celebrate each day in a more meaningful way. You will be both inspired and entertrained by this unique collection of stories from the royal and ancient game. The knowledge and experience of some of golf's greatest stars help you learn from many lifetimes of tribulations and triumphs.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Golf Book!!.......2006-04-22
If I didn't know better, I would swear this book was written specifically for me. I couldn't put it down. The combination of classic stories and Matthew Adams' ability to relate them to life today was brillient. I hope this book is the first in a series. Yes, I LOVE golf and this book only makes me love it more!
Great Gift.......2006-04-04
I received "Fairways" as a gift from my wife and enjoy it immensely. I was watching golf on TV and saw the Price Waterhouse commercials talking about the lessons of golf are the lessons of life, and I think someone at their ad firm must have read Mr. Adam's new book. The stories are very interesting, and it is nice that I can associate them with current and historical golfers. Because it consists of short 1-5 page "lessons", the book is perfect reading for a busy father of three. Thanks Hon!
Book Description
Despite the distinct differences in the way women and men should swing a golf club, golf instruction has almost always been presented from the male perspective. In Venus on the Fairway, Debbie Steinbach bridges that instructional gender gap by teaching a body-and-mind method for women only.
With the aid of step-by-step instruction, helpful photography, and simple visual keys, women golfers will learn to play better golf by keeping things simple--from basic grip and setup fundamentals to the full swing. Rather than overload the reader with highly technical swing instruction, Steinbach emphasizes practical drills that teach how to "feel" key swing movements, reinforced by a simple and positive teaching style. Steinbach also helps readers choose the right equipment, explains essential rules and etiquette tips, and offers useful advice on playing with male counterparts.
For women entering the game for the first time or anyone looking for a fresh start, Venus on the Fairway teaches an improved method and ensures that they have fun while learning.
Customer Reviews:
Karinka.......2003-07-26
I really liked this book. I have had both individual and private lessons...from men...and I still had problems with hitting the balls thin, fat, or worse yet...not at all. After reading this book, I am consistently making contact with the ball. It is easy to read, the tips are easy to apply...and after reading it...I took 6 strokes off right from the start. My swing "feels" easier and I am looking forward to improving my game even more. I liked it...and I have read more golf instruction books than I care to remember. For beginners and intermediate players...this is a "keeper."
The best woman's golf book ever!.......2002-12-29
... Debbie approaches golf instruction from a fun, novel way that hooked my wife into reading her first golf book. She was so excited that we spent the holidays swinging clubs and planning our next trip south to try out Debbie's techniques. The boob factor was my wife's favorite section! If you have a female golf enthusiast in the family, I give this book a two thumbs up as the perfect gift.
Leary of the instruction.......2002-03-30
After 15 years of playing golf i have been troubled by just about every bad habit imaginable. However, the most disturbing one was the use of my hips during the golf swing.
This book advocates using the hips as a power source. It also insinuates that using the hips is some sort of new idea. Please listen to me. I was taught this same info 15 years ago and it does not work. I was taught that as a woman, our hips are wider and in order to hit a long ball the hips must be very active in the swing. All this did was lead to me casting the club and spinning out on the downswing. Using the hips is not new theory. It is an old theory thrown away years ago. Read David leadbetter or Dave Pelz or any of golf's gurus and they will tell you this is bunk. It took me years to straighten out my timing and undo the damage that this type of teaching does.
The author equates using our hips to using our womb power... Oh Please! A pro once said that it amazed them that women ever learned the golf swing with all the bunk that they are taught. This book contains that bunk. Good Luck
Simply Put............2002-02-13
This book took 10 strokes off my game. After reading this book, I came to realize why the lessons & practice I labored over did not show much game improvement. That is because those lessons were designed for a male physique. After reading Debbie's book and incorporating her strategies and methods into my game, my game showed significant improvement. Thanks Debbie for taking female golf instruction to a "unique" level.
thank you!.......2001-05-08
This book addresses an oft-forgotten sector of contemporary golf: women. Although women players are no doubt a decisive force within the sport, a training and development book of this kind--for women, by women--has heretofore been lacking. Ms. Steinbach's book (clearly addressed, with witty prose, by her co-author Kathlene Bissell) provides insight and tips to the female golfer that all will find relevant to the development of their (her!) own game. For all those who have wondered "how does this apply to me?," please find here an irreverent yet completely honest approach to a wonderful sport with the female golfer in mind (yes, it does work differently for you! and BTW, it's OK!). A treat by any standards, 'Venus on the Fairway' presents an astute, and insightful, approach that is sure to help all women golfers as they seek to get beyond the club pro lessons. Great!
Average customer rating:
- Highly recommended reading for anyone who ever held a club.
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The Fairway Game
Manufacturer: Burford Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1580800394 |
Book Description
This anthology of the best golf sportswriting focuses on the legendary final rounds--great writing on great golf.
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended reading for anyone who ever held a club........2000-03-04
The Fairway Game is a superb anthology of great finishes and comebacks in the game of golf. Legendary final rounds are presented by some of the best sports writers to cover the game, such as Grantland Rice on Bobby Jones at the 1923 US Open; Herbert Warren Wind on Tom Watson's improbable chip that won the 1982 Open; Robert Sommers on Johnny Miller's dramatic Open victory in 1973 Tim Rosaforte on Tiger Woods' triumphant Masters in 1997. A few equally legendary collapses are noted, such as Jeff Rude on the horrific '99 British Open performance of Jean Van de Velde. The airway Game is further enhanced for the golf enthusiast by pieces from Red Smith, Wilfred Sheed, Alistair Cooke, John Feinstein, John Updike, and others. The Fairway Game is a literary and historical monument to some of the great triumphs and tragedies the game has ever known and highly recommended reading for anyone who has ever held a club or watched the masters play.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Swiss News, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1405 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: Head to the fairway: our annual Golf Special looks at a favourite pastime of young and old, male and female, and debunks a few myths surrounding the game here. So, if you've been longing to pull out your knickerbockers and tam o'shanter headgear, your golfing salvation lies within.(GOLF SPECIAL)(Interview)
Author: Kati Clinton
Publication:
Swiss News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 4
Page: 54(5)
Article Type: Interview
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Parachute: Contemporary Art Magazine, published by Parachute Contemporary Art on April 1, 1998. The length of the article is 3350 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: Sudden death: roughs, fairways and the game of awareness: Gabriel Orozco.
Author: Francesco Bonami
Publication:
Parachute: Contemporary Art Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 1998
Publisher: Parachute Contemporary Art
Issue: 90
Page: 26-32
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
The sad truth about golf is that for a game that, on the surface at least, requires so little--just a player, a ball, some clubs, and a lot of natural beauty to complicate things--it has traditionally led the league in barriers put up to anyone who wasn't white and male. While much has improved, and will continue to with the emergence of a Tiger Woods, golf's racist past hangs over the fairways like a storm cloud.
Calvin Sinnette has done yeoman's duty in uncovering that past with Forbidden Fairways. He chronicles the history with great thoroughness; rather than lace it with bitterness, though, he infuses it with accomplishment. Just as blacks created a game of their own when baseball slammed the door in their faces, so they did with golf; the ancient game hasn't always been royal. He begins with a brief sweep through golf's American prehistory--the late 18th and early 19th century--when slaves caddied for their southern masters, then segues into the stories of five remarkable trailblazers, including George Grant, a Boston dentist and golfaholic who patented the first tee in 1899, and John Shippen, the first golf professional born in the United States.
Along the way, Sinnette pays homage to caddies, to the alternative courses blacks were forced to create for themselves, and to a love for the game that knows no racial boundaries. He explores the way blacks used the legal system to gain entry to the game, and the impact of events like black soldiers returning from World War II, William Wright winning the National Public Links title in 1959, and the civil rights movement of the '60s and '70s. He also offers special tribute to "The Struggle Within a Struggle" that black women faced; among those he profiles is Althea Gibson, who broke down barriers in tennis, as well as golf, when she won Forest Hills and Wimbledon.
"Adaptability to change," writes Sinnette, "is one of the characteristics of humankind from time immemorial.... The African American tried to the utmost to participate in all areas of human endeavor, and some excelled in the process." It's about time that the story as it relates to golf has finally been told. --Jeff Silverman
Customer Reviews:
Detailed & Factual.......2002-01-04
I give this book five stars because it is packed with facts. It highlights the major personalities in the history of African American golf (male & female). It is written in an encylopedic like form but it is still very good. The author does an excellent job sharing the story of so many of those who fought for us to have a right to play. A must read! I learned a lot from this book. I highly reccomend it!
Good Subject, But ..........2001-11-20
I read golf 10 to 12 golf books a year and I was looking forward to reading Forbidden Fairways. Unfortunately, I read Forbidden Fairways after reading John Kennedy's A Course of Their Own. In my opinion Kennedy's book has a better flow to it and has been better researched. Both books were well intended, but I thought A Course of Their Own was a more entertaining read.
A mulligan on golf history.......2001-05-10
FORBIDDEN FAIRWAYS is a commendable effort to document the largely unacknowledged participation of Black Americans in the game of golf. I know I will never plant another tee without thinking of Dr. George Grant, who in 1899 received the first patent for the indispensible little device (naturally, I should be thinking of positive swing thoughts but we won't go there). The book is highly informative, offering theretofore hidden tidbits about Black players, caddies, course architects(!) and the earliest organizations. Anyone who appreciates the sport and everyone who enjoys reading about those who exhibit indefatigable commitment in the face of immeasurable obstruction will find the book a pleasant read.
The author, Dr. Calvin Sinnette, is an aficionado rather than a historian or journalist. That factor did have some significance as, at times, he tended to engage in speculation when adequate resources were not available. In limited instances - in my opinion - his personal views were espoused as though they were part of the verifiable record. I also found it curious there was no mention of the Sammy Davis, Jr. Greater Hartford Open although Mr. Davis was the first, and as far as I know only, Black American to have a PGA tour event named in his honor, under any circumstances, a notable achievement. Additionally, the book was distributed by a second tier publishing house; editing and proofreading could have been improved. I'm sure FAMU students will be suprised to find out they should now report to Miami.
The preceding criticisms are minor. In no way do they detract from the overall value of Dr. Sinnette's seminal work.
Outstanding story needing to be told.......1998-10-27
Dr. Sinnette has written a book that all should be read by golfer and non-golfers. The African American experience is rich in all aspects of game of golf from the invention of the golf tee to playing the game. Golf a game often called the gentlemen sport has had the ugliest history of all sports. I often hear statements about the greatest golfers of all time Nicklaus, Palmer, Babe Zaharias to name a few. Absent from the list are the African American golfers who had to play under the worst conditions and still prevailed and retained their dignity in a sport that still continues to showed no dignity in area of racial equality. I was most impressed by the inclusion of the African American women "the struggle within the struggle".
Informative, educational, insightful on Blacks in golf........1998-08-25
Calvin Sinnette has revealed a side of golf that the world has never seen. I found the book interesting, insightful, and very informative about the roles African-Americans played in golf. Being fairly new to the game of golf, I was amazed at the early participation and consistent participation of African Americans in many areas of the game. The accomplishments made by African-Americans, against strong odds, is a feat worth telling. Mr. Sinnette has done a remarkable job.
Average customer rating:
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The Films of Martin Scorsese, 1963-77: Authorship and Context
Leighton Grist
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312229917 |
Book Description
This book is a study of Martin Scorsese's early career, from his student shorts films to New York, New York. Leighton Grist explores the relationship between the issue of film authorship and a period of American cinema marked by crisis and change. It is a stimulating demonstration of sustained textual analysis, but also a significant intervention in the debates surrounding film authorship and an examination of the forces that shape films and Scorsese's authorial discourse.
Average customer rating:
- The Last Dino Totem
- An evil wind!
- powerfully frames a discussion about our culture
- An epigraph
- More speculation than honest research
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The Last Dinosaur Book: The Life and Times of a Cultural Icon
W. J. T. Mitchell
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Silent Spring
ASIN: 0226532046 |
Amazon.com
"Science is a cultural practice," states W.J.T. Mitchell in The Last Dinosaur Book, a postmodern look at the enduring human fascination with dinosaurs. He maintains that dinosaurs (and dinomania) are the cultural manifestation of the collective unconscious--their existence as extinct organisms is secondary. Dinosaurs are our totems, our only real monsters, and, paradoxically, our pets. Our fascination with them, as indicated by the popularity of Barney, Jurassic Park, and endless stream of toys, lunchboxes, books, stickers, and t-shirts, is born of human need to personify our fears, hatreds, and fascinations with all things "big, fierce, and extinct." In drawing paleontological parallels to human society, Mitchell compares old-school dinosaurs, lumbering and stupid, to monopoly capitalism. But postmodern dinosaurs are faster and more vicious, just like third-stage capitalism: "T. Rex is no longer seen as a lumbering giant, analogous to a tank or locomotive, but is depicted as a large and extremely dangerous chicken." Mitchell's thesis can seem forced, especially when he devotes an entire chapter to "Why Children Hate Dinosaurs," but he does take a good, close look at an extremely odd cultural phenomenon. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
For animals that have been dead millions of years, dinosaurs are extraordinarily pervasive in our everyday lives. Appearing in ads, books, movies, museums, television, toy stores, and novels, they continually fascinate both adults and children. How did they move from natural extinction to pop culture resurrection? What is the source of their powerful appeal? Until now, no one has addressed this question in a comprehensive way. In this lively and engrossing exploration of the animal's place in our lives, W.J.T. Mitchell shows why we are so attached to the myth and the reality of the "terrible lizards."
Mitchell aims to trace the cultural family tree of the dinosaur, and what he discovers is a creature of striking flexibility, linked to dragons and mammoths, skyscrapers and steam engines, cowboys and Indians. In the vast territory between the cunning predators of Jurassic Park and the mawkishly sweet Barney, from political leviathans to corporate icons, from paleontology to Barnum and Bailey, Mitchell finds a cultural symbol whose plurality of meaning and often contradictory nature is emblematic of modern society itself. As a scientific entity, the dinosaur endured a near-eclipse for over a century, but as an image it is enjoying its widest circulation. And it endures, according to Mitchell, because it is uniquely malleable, a figure of both innovation and obsolescence, massive power and pathetic failure—the totem animal of modernity.
Drawing unforeseen and unusual connections at every turn between dinosaurs real and imagined, The Last Dinosaur Book is the first to delve so deeply, so insightfully, and so enjoyably into our modern dino-obsession.
Customer Reviews:
The Last Dino Totem.......2000-09-16
I found this book interesting and fun to read. It contains lots of ideas, facts, and pictures about dinosaurs and the history of dinosaurs. Especially interesting is the way Tom Mitchell shows how society's perceptions of this mighty group of creatures has changed over time so that dinosaurs somehow always manage to represent the most current economic and scientific trends. I also enjoyed the section that delves into the possible reasons small children (and perhaps others) identify with dinos, especially the Calvin & Hobbs cartoons. I found the comments throughout the book delineating the unremitting dance between science and the humanities with pertinent critiques to both sides to be thought-provoking, not to mention somewhat comforting, given my belief that we need to question everything. After all, not even science can provide all the answers. Finally, this book contains a wealth of references to other literary and artistic works about dinosaurs. It could function as a starting point for someone who might want to research the topic. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in dinosaurs, American history, and popular culture. My only question is this: what will the person who writes the next book about dinosaurs call their book? May the dino live long and prosper!
An evil wind!.......2000-06-06
,Mitchell has an evil, wonderful sense of humor. I'm just surprised the town folks haven't come for him with burning faggots and pitchforks. A few dinosaur paleontologists out there would happily turn him into a fossil. Micropaleontologists will love it. Only In America could big, dopey lizards achieve cult status. What a country! What a lovely book -- half-academic, one-quarter Lenny Bruce, one eighth George Orwell, and the final eighth Tom Wolfe.
powerfully frames a discussion about our culture.......1999-10-03
THE LAST DINOSAUR BOOK elucidates the value of cultural studies. It powerfully frames a discussion about what we are as a culture while bypassing all the standard cliches. In the "totem" of the dinosaur, Mitchell is able to see a kaleidoscope of ambivalent pulls upon the fibers of our motivations. Utilizing various cultural phenomena, Mitchell makes clear in a comprehensive fashion why the dinosaur so well speaks for our cultural unconscious and the changes it is going through in the way of "sex, money, politics, and nature." The dinosaur does this in many ways because it is a category (if not actual phenomena) that we as moderns created and as post-moderns recreated. In a sense, the "dinosaur" itself, as a category, is a powerful "over-reading." How odd then that Mitchell should be accused of over-interpretation, when he is merely being a responsible critic who refuses to deny that which is of interest in our culture and quite undogmatically offers us some tools to begin to engage some of the dominant yet contradictory symbols of our culture. This is a vital book that cuts across disciplines and makes us realize what cultural studies is for.
An epigraph.......1999-09-02
Nobody, it's been said, ever learns anything, and if ever a book proved the thesis it's this one. What is hard to understand about this book for the average reader is that though it is written in a very readable style it actually isn't aimed at the average reader alone. It is actually meant for other academics and what used to be known as "the Left," that rabble that is now, I suppose, dead and gone forever. In the days when there used to be people like that around people could talk about such things as human freedom and such without everyone just simply falling down laughing, but nowadays we are all grown up, and this book is meant to signal to the last holdouts that they have to grow up too. This message can be found in the last chapter in the book, which discusses what is rapidly becoming a signpost of our times, the "Sokol Affair," which definitively put an end, I guess, to any thought of what used to be called literature. Though "The Last Dinosaur Book" can be read as interesting in its own right, to the wiser mind it is also a tremendously sad moment--a moment that, to the wise and canny mind, also signals something serious about the state of America today.
More speculation than honest research.......1999-08-03
I admit, I'm a dinophile. Well, actually a paleo-phile since I'm interested in all aspects of paleontology. So I thought this book would be a clever examination of the influence of dinosaurs in popular culture. Well...
I think Mitchell suffers from the problem that most scholars in the Arts face today: ignorance of empirical methods. Instead of letting the facts build into a conclusion, these people make the facts fit a conclusion that they have already determined. They let their own beliefs influence their judgement, then--paradoxically--discount any other field's opposing viewpoint as biased by popular persception.
While this book can be read simply as an interesting examination of the times and circumstances in which "dinomania" gripped our country, the reader needs to take many of Mitchell's conculsions with a grain of salt. Instead of a detailed look at a broad spectrum of dinosaurs icons in popular culture, he only focuses those individual occurances that prove his conclusions. Are these conclusions right? The reader has no way of determining that because not enough examples are given for arguments to stand on there own.
If you buy this book, do so for the facts about dinosaur history and the excellent illustrations. Just be a little skeptical when drawing your own conclusions.
Customer Reviews:
The Paradoxicon, a paradox of a book.......2000-10-09
It is very rare that I come across a book that not only charms my whimsical sense of humour but also keeps me enthralled with the intricacies of the ilogical. I must say if you enjoy puzzles then this wonderfully mind boggling book is for you.
Average customer rating:
- Microsoft Office Project 2003 Bible
- WHERE'S THE ACCOMPANYING CD????
- Very Useful
- e-books a nightmare, beware the pdf e-book format!
- Read the Help
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Microsoft Office Project 2003 Bible
Elaine Marmel
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0764542524 |
Book Description
- A comprehensive, soup-to-nuts resource that shows business people how to master the latest version of this popular project-management software
- Begins with an overview of project management basics and moves on to showing how to create a new project, track a project's progress, and work in groups
- More advanced topics discussed include customizing Project, using macros, and importing and exporting information
- Includes coverage of building tasks, using views, modifying the appearance of a project, and resolving scheduling and resource problems, plus new sample projects and a new chapter on using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and VBScript with Project
- Provides expanded coverage of Project Server-installation, hardware and software requirements, and software configurations-all needed to ensure that Project Server is administered and used effectively
CD-ROM includes sample projects, bonus appendixes, and demo software.
Download Description
* A comprehensive, soup-to-nuts resource that shows business people how to master the latest version of this popular project-management software * Begins with an overview of project management basics and moves on to showing how to create a new project, track a project's progress, and work in groups * More advanced topics discussed include customizing Project, using macros, and importing and exporting information * Includes coverage of building tasks, using views, modifying the appearance of a project, and resolving scheduling and resource problems, plus new sample projects and a new chapter on using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and VBScript with Project * Provides expanded coverage of Project Server-installation, hardware and software requirements, and software configurations-all needed to ensure that Project Server is administered and used effectively
Customer Reviews:
Microsoft Office Project 2003 Bible.......2007-03-29
Got the book in just of few days and in great condition. Only gotten through about a third of the book so far. Lots of information and very useful to increase my job skills. Just find it somewhat diffucult to relate to if you don't have the software to work with while reading. Reading at home and have the software at work.
WHERE'S THE ACCOMPANYING CD????.......2005-07-29
Beware, the book may be good, I just start reading it, but I can't look at the examples from the "accompanying cd" because Amazon hasn't made it available to me. I've written them 3 times and still no answer. Buy this book from the bookstore. Also, this ebook is very restrictive. I don't know if I can view it from other computers and it only allows me to copy 10 selections in 7 days, after that no more cutting and pasting.....beware of the limitations. I give this 1 star, not for content but for delivery and restrictions. spearsjunk@hotmail.com
Very Useful.......2005-03-26
I'm an engineer who uses Project in my work and this book has been a great help. Every time I've had a problem getting the software to do what I wanted this book has provided a clear and consise explanation that helped me get through the problem. I'd recommend it to anyone who uses Project for major projects and doesn't have time to waste finding an answer on how to get the software to do what you want it to.
e-books a nightmare, beware the pdf e-book format!.......2004-03-28
I recently bought this book in electronic format to save time with delivery and then also to give e-books a try. Afterall, they have benefits, like little storage requirements, portability, you can search them through, etc..
Well, it all turned out to be a nightmare experience :(
First of all there is Adobe DRM (Digital Rights Management) which obviously limits you from opening the ebook PDF on any computer you like. Each time you want to read it on a different computer, say at work, you must go through a painstaking activation process. Excerpt from adobe store:
"Adobe Reader 6.0 ebooks cannot be moved from machine to machine, as the security of the file is tied to the machine on which the ebook is downloaded."
Not only that this takes all your time and energy, frustrates and enfuriates you it also does not work it turned out. I got server timeouts, "excuse us, but the server will be up running shortly" notices, you name it. Beware, I'd not be writing this if I wasn't thoroughly frustrated with the service. It gets better, read on..
After I searched and searched to find answers regarding the secretive digital rights management I wrote to customer support asking them a few questions just to understand how often and where I will be able to read my ebook (which cost the same amount as the regular paperback) and if at all I will still be able to access my ebook after, let's say, 5 years when I have reactivated it on several computers?! NO answer. Great.
You will find that part of their service is to let you activate it on PocketPC so that you can read it both on your computer and on your handheld. I can't find the excerpt right now, but it clearly stated you can do this. Well... as it turned out, not really and neither did it say so anywhere readily accessible. Having myself spent about 1.5 hours trying to get it to work, reinstalling Adobe Reader on both the PC and the PocketPC, reactivating, etc.. I looked into forums and found a post by a man who said he had spent 2 days trying to get it to work and then right underneath his call for help a cold answer apparrently from adobe employee that PocketPC 2003 (available since beginning of 2003) does not work with it yet, and they are planning on implementing it in the future. Tough luck, I just bought a book and should be glad I can read it on my own PC after having activated it. I better read it fast, because who knows, if my windows crashes I might even need to buy it again!? :(
The essence of a book for me means that
* I can take it anywhere with me and read it
* store it in my library for literally 100+ years and still be able to "access" it and read it whenever I like
* even borrow it to my friends ocassionally or sell it to a book shop after I don't want it
None of these seem to apply to e-books, yet advantages for publishers are enormous considering there are NO printing expenditures involved and they cost normally the same amount as regular books.
Last I'd like to say that I hope the ebook business survives, it would be a pitty to use technology to help disseminate. I hope Adobe reads this and takes action, too. I have 8 years of experience in computer support so no excuses on my part, sorry.
Good day to all and thanks to amazon for their great service in every respect.
Read the Help.......2004-03-09
Most of the material is straight from the online help. Download for free and read the Online books associated with installing and administering Project Server 2003 before you spend any $ on a book.
Book Description
Offering three of the best books in the area, this set provides all the know-how required to help readers effectively project manage and achieve their desired outcome.
The first of the set Field Guide to Project Management features a who's-who roster of expert authors that present practical explanations and advice on all aspects of project management: planning techniques, concepts, paradigms, processes, tools, and techniques. No other volume offers such a wealth of reliable information on project management systems in such a concise, authoritative and accessible format.
The second set component provides a comprehensive resource covering the basics as well as advanced topics such as customizing Project, using macros, and importing and exporting information. It also includes coverage of building tasks, using views, modifying the appearance of a project, and resolving scheduling and resource problems, plus new sample projects and a new chapter on using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and VBScript with Project
The final set component is a CD-ROM that presents a trial of Microsoft Project 2002.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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- Iconoclast: Abraham Flexner and a Life in Learning
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