Changing Occupational Profiles In The Hotel Industry: Case Studies In France, Italy And Spain, Synthesis Report

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Subsidizing Inefficiency: A Study of State Aid and Local Government Productivity
Richard H. Silkman , and Dennis R. Young
Manufacturer: Praeger Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0030006627

Book Description

Government efficiency has become one of the paramount issues of the 1980s; consequently, policies concerning aid are undergoing major modifications. Subsidizing Inefficiency takes a new look at grants-in-aid, stressing the implicaitons of such aid for the cost-effectiveness of public services.

Subsidizing inefficiency a study of state aid and local government productivity

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Subsidizing inefficiency a study of state aid and local government productivity
Richard H.; Young, Dennis R.; Lipp, Robert. Silkman
Manufacturer: Praeger Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA45JS

Book Description

Thoroughly updated, this essential reference source introduces scholars to the study of organized labor on the international as well as national level. Contains 400 entries describing the labor movements in countries around the world, and the important people, organizations, ideas, and political parties involved in organized labor. Includes a summary list of past and present international labor leaders, lists of global union federations and the affiliated organizations of major national labor federations, and analytical lists of the membership of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

Book Description

The perfect graduation gift: a wry look at the pleasures and anxieties of leaving home, penned with Judith Viorst's trademark blend of insight and humor.

Millions of young people grew up with Viorst's bestselling children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Now they can take her tongue-in-cheek advice for the next stage in their lives. Warm, funny, compassionate, and reassuring, You're Officially a Grown-Up describes -- in verse and illustrations -- all those terrifying but eagerly anticipated freedoms that go hand in hand with venturing out on your own and trying to make your way in the world.

Ranging from the quandaries of giving up room, board, and the keys to the Ford to the thrills of playing by your own rules, Viorst will touch a nostalgic chord in those "official" grown-ups who have loved her other books about life's milestones. This special keepsake -- written from a loving parent's perspective -- is just the ticket high school and college graduates need for a one-way passage to adulthood.

Customer Reviews:

best present for high school graduates.......2005-03-06

i bought this book for my friends when we graduated. i loved it and related with it 100%

Good Gift for the High School Graduate.......2001-12-21

I thought that the title and the content aimed the book more at the high school graduate than to the college graduate. Many of the situations described have already been experienced for those who live away from home during college. Receiving the book after high school will also be more beneficial to the college student than the college graduate.

The funniest part of this book comes on the back of the jacket cover where members of Ms. Viorst's family comment on the book. For example: "`Hilarious. Insightful. Possibly the best book I've ever read. Now can I borrow the car?' -- Alexander Viorst, Son"

In almost all cases, the illustrations are funnier than the poetry. Let me give you an example.

Here's the poetry:

"You're ready to take/On your future./This could be a major mistake./So you'll make a mistake./You're officially a grown-up."

Here's the illustration:

A blonde suburban young woman in sweater and matching skirt is accompanied by boxes and bags full of her possessions in front of an open door next to a sign that says "Room mate wanted." The woman looking out from the open door has a python draped around her neck.

I only saw one place where the poetry and the illustrations were equally funny, and mutually supportive.

Here's the poetry:

"That people who don't change their underwear/May be lonelier people than those who take regular showers."

The illustration has a young woman happily talking on the telephone in the shower with the bathroom floor covered with showering paraphernalia.

Some of the illustrations are great gags, just by themselves. One of my favorites was of a young woman offering her library to a waitress in order to pay at Edna's Diner.

As a gift, I think this book would be better received from a friend than from a parent. The tone is almost a little too parental.

The book's themes include: you're leaving home now (at least during the day and night to do things); you have to take care of issues as they arise (like buttons that fall off); you are free to do things that may not be good for you, but you have to deal with the consequences (daisies die if you don't water them); don't be in a rush to leave home . . . because life's pretty good there; take set-backs in stride (they are inevitable); learn to focus on what you want (because that's what you will get); ask for help from friends and God; and pay more attention to what you can change than what you cannot.

The nicest part of the book is it catches the mood of bitter sweetness that most people feel at least a little as they get more freedom, but feel a little apprehensive about leaving behind the comfortable tried and true.

I think most people will agree that these poems are not Ms. Viorst's best.

As you think about the messages in these books, consider what lessons you should learn the hard way (by trying and experiencing the consequences) and which you should learn from observing the experiences of others.

May your physical and ego bruises mostly be ones you have chosen to risk!

What habits will you have to shed in order to be more effective in the future?

Fun can be found in life's little truths........2000-05-13

For years Judith Viorst has found humor in life's everyday truths and rites of passage. She continues her work in this book. While lightly exploring the subject of kids flying the coup,Viorst highlights the feelings of both the children and the empty nesters they are leaving behind. A great graduation gift for the graduate and their parents.

Fun can be found in life's little truths........2000-05-13

Customer Reviews:

a "poetic tour" from a master.......2007-05-24

Driving around a curve on a mountain backroad, I saw what looked to be a book lying in the middle of the road ahead. I stopped, opened the door and reached down to pick it up. Must have fallen out of someone's car and then been run over: the cover pockmarked by gravel, the pages loose.

The title instantly grabbed my awareness: A Box of Rain - Almost 40 years of a prodigious poetic output, the sculpting of over 250 songs.

This collection of lyrics represents most of what the Grateful Dead performed - along with many songs either done by other groups or sung by Hunter himself. This book is a superb fusion of the mystical and the mundane - If Garcia's music was the skeleton of the Dead, these lyrics surely must be the flesh.

Would the Dead have acheived anything near their anointed state without these lyrics? I truly doubt it. Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan are in a class by themselves; these writings bear witness to that fact.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Simple Showcase of Hunter's Lyrics.......2007-03-21

This is a really effective authoritative publication of Hunter's lyrics. Robert Hunter had a big impact on the lyrical imagination of 60's rock, and this book bears witness to that fact. It presents the lyrics with minimal distractions, which causes my only complaint with this book. Hunter's notes/comments are sparse and usually very brief. Some additional explanations and background information, while perhaps being somewhat distracting from the lyrics, would make this more interesting.

robert hunter is..........2003-11-09

... one of the greatest poets ever. in my opinion. reading his poems as oposed to listning to them on a album is a vastly differnet experiences. his words touch me like no other. this book is absolutly amazing, especially reading the things the dead never played. "jack o roses" the seventh section of "terrapin station" is the most beautiful thing iever read ( you can hear hunter sing it by going to the hunter archive at dead.net". everyone should read this, and for the few that really get it, it will be a transcendant experinece.

STRANGE FIGURES OF LIGHT FLOAT IN AIR...........2002-01-01

you need to buy this book. you wont regret it.. its got the most amazing lyrics/poems youll ever read!! Robert Hunter could possibly be the best lyricist of all time.

'If My Words Did Glow With The Gold Of Sunshine...............2001-07-30

...and my tunes were played on the harp unstrung would you hear my voice come through the music would you hold it near as it were your own?' Part of the experience of a Grateful Dead concert (and now The Other Ones, Ratdog, Phil Lesh and friends, and Mickey Hart's band) was listening to the words of Robert Hunter dance and twirl in your head. Hunter probably isn't the greatest American poet of the second half of the 20th Century, but he does know how to turn a phrase, borrow a line, and mix a metaphor. And his strange mix of phrases went well with the strange mix of American music written by the late Jerry Garcia. Box Of Rain is a must reference for anyone interested in the lyrical end of rock and roll. The book will clear up many an on going debate on just what Jerry was singing all those nights so long ago. And for all those people who can't understand why the Grateful Dead was so successful, this book will let you in on part of the secret. 'If you get confused, just listen to the music play....'

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A Box of Rain : Lyrics: 1965-1993
Robert Hunter
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ03F4

Book Description

This book opens up a new route to the study of knowledge dynamics and the sociology of knowledge. The focus is on the role of metaphors as powerful catalysts and the book dissects their role in the construction of theories of knowledge and will therefore be of vital interest to social and cognitive scientists alike.

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Metaphors and the Dynamics of Knowledge
Sabine/ Weingart, Peter Maasen
Manufacturer: Routledge 1/2/2001
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBUUBQ

Book Description

Contrary to arguments that television is detrimental to democracy, Entertaining Politics explores the role of new political television in shaping a changing civic culture. Jeffrey P. Jones shows how viewers understand and make use of the increasingly blurred lines between 'serious' and 'entertainment' programming and argues that alarmist critics who predict the end of politics in the age of television have misconstrued the role of the medium and the commitment of audiences to both TV and public life. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Customer Reviews:

Entertainment and Political Discourse.......2005-02-16

Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic Culture by Jeffrey P. Jones (Communication, Media, and Politics: Rowman & Littlefield) (Hardcover)
examines humorous political talk shows on television-Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Dennis Miller Live. This book challenges the assumption that these shows have dumbed down politics, as well as the idea that television in general is a primary cause of civic disengagement. By investigating the production, content, and audiences for such programming, Jeffrey P. Jones contends that these shows provide important alternatives to traditional elite political and news sources. He shows how these comedic political commentators have revived political humor as an accessible and potent means of political critique in times of postmodern crisis. Bridging the fields of political communication and cultural studies, Entertaining Politics makes the case for how and why popular culture is an increasingly powerful force in shaping our civic culture-and why this may be a positive thing.
Excerpt: When I first saw the program Politically Incorrect, I wasn't particularly en¬amored of it. I didn't disdain it like some of my colleagues; I was simply in¬trigued. Now here is something different, I thought, something that is overtly violating the implied rules of televised political talk. Although I never partic¬ularly enjoyed watching the Sunday morning talk shows or the shouting matches of the overly conservative hosts on cable television, they did define the standard. Here, though, was a comedian with a mullet discussing politics with the guy who played Batman on television when I was a kid. Say what? I, like other viewers, initially enjoyed seeing this odd mixture of celebrities from various public venues presented in a different light, hearing what they had to say and marveling at their intelligence, articulateness, or outright stu¬pidity.
But, as I watched, what increasingly became clear to me was that this pro-gram was not operating under the same linguistic or epistemological guide-lines that I had come to accept as the normative ideal in discussing politics. Instead, it sounded like political discussions found in most every venue out-side of the institutions of television or the university-shortsighted, ahistori¬cal, laced with the latest media buzz, prone to diverting comments, and gen¬erally dependent on the "truths" offered by personal experiences. It also was refreshingly honest, impassioned, diverse, stimulating, witty, and smartly commonsensical when push came to shove. Indeed, the prevalence of com¬mon sense as the primary means for thinking through and arguing political issues is what hooked me intellectually. I had previously studied Rush Lim¬baugh and his claim to commonsense thinking in the populist early 1990s, but his talk never seemed very commonsensical to me-it was just mean-spirited bigotry driven by fear.
As I began to watch, listen to, and study Politically Incorrect, however, I realized that this program, which had recently moved from cable to network television, was truly something different. Whenever I overheard conversation about the show or mentioned it to people outside the academy, I real¬ized that many of them enjoyed it for the humor, guests, and issues it de-bated. They seemingly didn't entertain the logic used in the dismissals of the show by political elites and cultural critics that this was some unholy mar¬riage of entertainment with politics, primarily because they didn't take it too seriously (which critics always did). At some level, they seemed rhetorically engaged in the conversation it offered as well as generally amused by this televised cocktail party.
This book, then, began as a project to study this program in greater detail, including my perceptions of a disjunction between audience appreciation for the show and academic/elite disdain for it. The project, however, changed considerably from its first appearance as a dissertation to include other programming from the same mold-Dennis Miller Live and The Daily Show. What's more, the world also changed during that process, beginning with a presidential impeachment and continuing through to election deba¬cles, horrific terrorist attacks, and stunning foreign policy initiatives. What became clear during this time is that what I call New Political Television-with its biting humor and satire and its honest and commonsensical talk by people not directly linked to the political establishment-has been a central location on television for the interrogation of political issues from a critical perspective. Here I have found voices on television that consistently ques¬tion and ridicule the patronizing lies, twisted logic, and taken-for-granted as¬sumptions of both government and news media in a time of crisis.
What follows, then, is an in-depth look at new political talk shows and their audiences, the humorous entertainment talk programming that ap¬peared in the 1990s in the programs Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Dennis Miller Live, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. These shows, I ar¬gue, have challenged normative assumptions about who gets to speak about politics on television, what issues will be covered and in what manner, and how audiences can engage politics on television beyond simply deferring to expert knowledge. Furthermore, they challenge the boundaries between "serious" and "entertaining" programming erected in the network era, which increasingly have come to be seen as artificial. Finally, the shows have be-come a primary location for new public rhetors that consistently challenge the policies advanced by political elites and the sense-making on which those policies are founded.
In this process, the reader will note that I have attempted to bridge the fields of political communication and cultural studies-theoretically, methodologically, and rhetorically. Political communication and political sci¬ence's interest in civic participation and political norms, values, and cultureare linked here with cultural studies' recognition of culture as a complex process of meaning-making. By my reading, cultural studies has retreated from its early beginnings as a means of interrogating the relationship of cul¬tural production directly to the state. Similarly, political science continues to expend energy focusing on the formal political arena with minimal attention to the cultural factors that often precede political action. The traditional bounded nature of politics (culturally and academically) has transformed into a more porous position in media and culture, and our methods, ap¬proaches, and targets of analysis should reflect those changes.
I have attempted to be both expansive and narrow in my analysis, perhaps to the dissatisfaction of readers who are overly committed to one particular approach within these fields of study. Although I discuss Dennis Miller Live and The Daily Show as part of this move toward a hybrid genre of political talk, I have intensified the investigation of Politically Incorrect to examine the specificity of its production decisions, content, and audiences who watched it. And although I examine issues related to civic engagement, the focus is clearly on how this particular slice of television programming is a contributor to our overall political culture. Again, detail and specificity nec¬essarily sacrifice an analysis of a wider range of texts and a wider range of subjects in a book this size.

Customer Reviews:

lacks technical content.......2006-03-23

Like two other reviewers, I also found a lack of substantive technical content. The book does delve into great detail about the ATAM process, down to listing the various roles like timekeeper and questioner, and their responsibilities. Fair enough. And for this, there is indeed plenty of content for setting up and running the process.

But try as I might, I could not get a firm grasp on how to actually choose between two [or more] software architectures. The technical examples cited in the text were invariably too skimpy for serious consideration. Perhaps the book would be enhanced by several solid, detailed examples and how to choose in those examples.

Great on meeting details, but short on substantive examples.......2005-05-04

This book does a great job of diving into specific details on how to run meetings and the checklists of steps to follow for three different architecture review models that go into different depth (ATAM, SAAM, and ARID). I really liked the breadth of issues that the reviews covered as well as the concrete guidelines on how deep to go with the reviews.

I didn't particularly enjoy the checklist feel of the book. I felt like they had a series of meetings to have and attendees, but they didn't do a good job of explaining why which meetings had to happen in which order and what lengths were appropriate. It was hard to understand what was a critical constraint and not to be violated and what was guideline that would vary by project and is open to interpretation.

Additionally, the examples in the book were comprehensive in terms of what happened in the meetings, but weren't quite complete enough in terms of the documents generated. There were excerpts, but I almost would've liked to see larger pieces of them in the appendices. It was hard to get past the details of who was in what room when to what documents were actually generated, what the final results presentation looked like, and what the flavor of follow-up actions was.

Depends on what you want........2004-07-01

What this book does, it does very well. It presents three techniques for reviewing the suitability of a software architecture. The presentation style is clear, complete, and reasonably frank about the problems an architecture evaluator is likely to encounter.

The oldest of the three techniques presented is SAAM, the Software Architecture Analysis Model. It's primary goal is to determine how well a system's structure addresses the technical requirements of the application, and its probable success at addressing future changes of requirements.

ATAM, the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method, descends from SAAM but is far more complete. It starts upstream of the requirements, at the business model behind the application, then moves forward methodically through the top-level design. At each step, reviewers update the list of technical risks and non-risks (relatively safe items). ATAM is open-ended, in the sense that the project's own goals define the specific measures of quality that apply - it doesn't force-fit every project onto one Procrustean axis of measure.

If ATAM is SAAM grown large, then ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Design) is SAAM scaled down. Where ATAM and SAAM address strategic issues about complete systems, ARID incorporates tactical information about specific design issues. It's not as narrow as standard design review techniques, but not as broad as an architecture review.

ATAM is the main focus of the book, with more pages than SAAM and ARID combined. All three are described in full detail, however. The authors identify the specific skill sets, roles, and responsibilities that must be involved at each step. They present checklists for eliciting the kinds of information needed, even specifics of meeting agendas and meeting room equipment.

That creates my second impression of this book: I was very disappointed. This book is for meeting organizers, and deals very little with technical specifics. That is not at all what I hoped for. It is not the fault of the book that it fails to meet my expectations. In my present work, however, the authors present just about nothing to enhance my project's technical content.

This is a process book. It seems to be a good one. It takes what works in other design review methodologies, then expands that to the highest level of the software project. It gives enough detail that you can tune specifics of the process to specifics of your project. Still, it's just a process book.

Essential reading for practicing SW architects.......2002-04-12

The authors provide an in-depth treatment of three methods for
evaluating software architectures, all of which were developed at the
Software Engineering Institute with involvement by the authors. The
methods examined are:
(1) ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis
Method)
(2) SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
(3)
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)

Each of the above
address software evaluations in increasing levels of detail, with the
book's main emphasis on ATAM.

What makes this book so valuable is
the fact that you can learn much about developing software
architectures from the criteria with which they are evaluated. For
example, the discussion on quality attributes is eye-opening because
what architects consider to be well formed quality attributes are
usually too vague to properly evaluate, resulting in ill defined
architectures in the first place. Knowing how to evaluate the
architecture will provide the keys for defining a solid architecture.
More important is the way the authors define the outputs of the
architecture evaluation, which gives the practicing architect a
framework for design that fully meets the evaluation criteria. The
net result is that a defined architecture will unambiguously
communicate the design to the development team, as well as to the QA
team.

I especially like the business oriented approach that
addresses the costs and benefits of evaluation, the three approaches
from which to choose that best meets technical and business goals, and
the case studies that support each of the approaches. Another strong
point about this book is architecture is also evaluated with
production in mind. Too many books only consider architecture from
the development point of view, or in rare cases, from development and
QA points of view. The evaluation techniques in this book extend to
support and maintenance. The authors make selection of the best
technique easy by comparing them in Chapter 9, and provide an approach
to implement evaluations in Chapter 10.

If you're an architect I also recommend augmenting the excellent
material in this book with Design and Use of Software Architectures by
Jan Bosch , which gives an alternate method to ATAM that is more
complete in many respects. Even if you espouse Bosch's approach,
however, the approach and techniques given in Evaluating Software
Architectures: Methods and Case Studies are complementary. I personally
recommend both books and assign equal value to them.

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