Marketing Precedes the Miracle

Book Description

This fascinating study is the first detailed description of the ancient and enduring trade in beads that spans more than two millennia and once stretched from the Middle East to East Asia and affected areas as far apart as West Africa and the American Pacific coast. Beads are universal and among the earliest art forms. Made of glass, semiprecious stone, or precious organic materials such as amber and coral, they were ubiquitous in the ancient world, serving as decorations, magical charms, mnemonic and counting devices, symbols of wealth and status. Much of the ancient bead trade was incorporated in Asian maritime commerce, and many of the beads involved have Asian origins.

Peter Francis, Jr., a pioneer in bead studies, incorporates firsthand knowledge of beads and beadmaking in the field with years of solid, scholarly research, effectively eliminating much of the hearsay and speculation that so often characterize works on beads. In addition to the production, use, and provenance of beads, he examines the importance of the bead trade for the economies of the countries involved and provides insights into the lives of its many participants: artisans, mariners, and merchants. He covers the widely-dispersed Indo-Pacific beads (sometimes called Trade Wind beads or mulisalah), Chinese glass beads, Middle Eastern glass beads, Indian stone beads, heirloom beads in Southeast Asia and Micronesia, and other minor beads and bead industries involved in the trade. Well illustrated with maps, drawings, and black-and-white and color photographs, Asia's Maritime Bead Trade will be of great interest to historians and archaeologists trying to understand the dynamics of Asia's evolving cultures, and will prove invaluable to collectors, dealers, and students of beads.

Book Description

A unique segment of the movie audience attends for one special scene. It could be a cigar scene (Joseph Cotten asking the young reporter to sneak him a "see-gar" in Citizen Kane), or a funny walk (Walter Brennan's in To Have and Have Not). For these fans a particular scene that brings them back time and time again. This is a witty, wry compilation of the best: accountant scenes, ballpoint pen scenes, food mushing scenes, telephone scenes, and more, arranged by category and described lovingly. The work is a droll delight to read.

Customer Reviews:

Quirky, Delightful Film Humor.......2004-10-09

A real original--that's Sanford Levine and his delightful, quirky and utterly original take on little-noticed aspects of famous films. A must-read for the film fanatic or anyone with a sense of humor!

Not Bad for a One Joke Premise.......1999-01-24

Most books I read that have only a one joke premise are boring after the second or third page. Levine's book, however, was short enough and diverse enough to keep my interest for quite a while. Levine has created a fictitious group, the DOA (Devotees of Film Art), composed of enthusiasts of particular types of scenes. There is the Cigar Scene group, who give their "Kipling" award (named after Rudyard Kipling who wrote "Betrothed" which compares cigars to women) a Neck Brace Scene group, a Fluttering Drape group, and several other categories. It's hard to believe there are so many groups out there that get all giddy over such small details. Nevertheless, that is the one joke premise of this book. Levine reports what the he has learned from these groups at their meetings and through their newsletters. Through this fiction we receive a collection of film scenes and brief explanations of how they are important in those sub-sub-subgenres. Levine often has problems with facts, muddling names, misattributing lines of dialogue, and printing the wrong dates from time to time. He also seems to have only seen a very few films in his life, or at least the DOA member groups have seen a limited number of films, as the book uses the same films over and over. The most enjoyable part of this film is that he tells us cute things about various films. Next time I see "The Uninvited" I'll pay more attention to the fluttering drape. After all, the members of the Fluttering Drape Fan Club might actually deserve that respect.

Book Description

Includes: March of the Days * Toyland * Go to Sleep * Slumber Deep and others.

Average customer rating:

Babes in Toyland: An Operetta

Manufacturer: Warner Bros Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HLQM0E

Product Description

Music by Victor Herbert. Books and Lyrics by Glen MacDonough. Revised by Don Wilson, Edward Bradley.

Babes In Toyland Based On The Operetta By Victor Herbert And Glen Macdonough

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Babes In Toyland Based On The Operetta By Victor Herbert And Glen Macdonough
James Howe
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPCB0O

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Babes in Toyland, An Operetta
Victor Herbert , and Glen MacDonough
Manufacturer: M. Witmark & Sons, New York.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ULSNLC

Product Description

Paperback book, 1954 edition. Music by Victory Herbert, Revised by Don Wilson. Book and Lyrics by Glen MacDonough, revised by Edward Bradley. This book, Babes in Toyland, is an Operetta and contains the Story and the Music

Book Description

BradyGames' Contra: Shattered Soldier Official Strategy Guide features a comprehensive walkthrough, allowing players to get 100% on every level. Tips to unlock secret levels. Detailed explanations on how to open the hidden movies. Strategies for achieving an "S" Ranking on all 7 levels! As one of the most challenging games to hit the hardcore gaming scene, players will need this complete guide!

Amazon.com

Wildly successful hoops coach Rick Pitino takes a time-out from the rigors of the NBA to outline his approach and techniques for motivating individuals. The paperback edition contains an all-new foreword written since Pitino's departure from the Kentucky Wildcats and the 1997 national championship season. His plan for excellence in all aspects of life, including sports and business, is more than goal achievement; this is the guidebook for goal overachievement! Pitino presents 10 crucial steps for success, drawing examples from his 20-plus years in the basketball trenches to inspire readers.

Book Description

MAKE RICK PITINO YOUR PERSONAL COACH AND ACHIEVE MORE THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.

For Rick Pitino, the first coach to bring teams from three different schools to the Final Four, success isn’t about shortcuts. Pitino’s secret–and the reason he has become both a great coach and one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the nation–is his strategy of overachievement. Now, in Success Is a Choice, he takes the same proven methods that have earned him and his teams legendary status and gives you a ten-step plan of attack that will help you become a winner at anything you set your mind to:

·Build your self-esteem
·Set demanding goals
·Always be positive
·Establish good habits
·Master the art of communication
·Learn from good role models
·Thrive on pressure
·Be ferociously persistent
·Learn from adversity
·Survive your own success

An inspiring program that is as fun to read as it is practical, Success Is a Choice can make the difference between achievement and failure in your own life.

“So much more than another Armani suit, Pitino has done a job of psychology and salesmanship that should serve as a how-to manual for his profession.” –Chicago Sun-Times

“Pitino’s track record is extraordinary . . . his personal style is also winning.” –Time

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE IT!!!!.......2007-07-01

I have read this book over and over at tough times. So simple, logical, basic and easy to read. It's very good.

Pitino is a nutcase, but a successful one. .......2007-05-11

Did you know Rick Pitino beat up the starting point guard while he was at UMass in practice? A few weeks later, he got into a fight with the backup point guard and thought, "Now that these two guys are out of the way, I'll be a starter."

His coach suspended him a few moments later.

Such is an example from Pitino's guide to success. He's honest and shows us a glimpse of what exactly goes on in that tenacious mind of his. His methods are similar to most, but his examples and life lessons are quite intriguing, including how he was forced to take a step back after the death of one of his children while he was coaching Providence. Pitino is selling no gimmicks. He's offering a taste of what it was that made him successful, and upon reading this book, you'll see how he scarcely took no for an answer and outworked everyone else while you ask yourself, "Success might be a choice, but it will cost me greatly." Once at the top, he stresses a changing in methodology in an effort to keep ahead of those who would otherwise mimic your success. He also hones in on the importance of communication and the ability to admit failure and move on.

Perhaps more than any other point was the idea of not embracing success. Pitino says this happens to far too many individuals upon realization of their goals, and they then tend to loaf and take it easy.

I enjoyed Pitino's book and have employed a few steps of what he has to say. His views on time management, organization, communication, and decisiveness make for worthwhile reading.

Taking Steps Toward High Achievement.......2006-05-26

Rick Pitino is a coaching legend in basketball. He led the University of Kentucky Wildcats to an NCAA championship in 1996 and he has the distinction of being the only coach in college history to take three different schools to the Final Four in playoff competition: Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville. He has also served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the NBA where he helped to rebuild the programs at these two professional basketball franchises.

Pitino wrote this book in 1997, following the national championship season with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. He wrote this as a self- help guide intended to help individuals overachieve and reach levels of success they never thought imaginable. He lays out his plan in a ten step process, emphasizing the fundamentals that must be in place if one has any hope of achieving lofty goals.

Most of what Pitino talks about in this guide is common sense and it's the type of motivational material we have all heard countless times before. We all know, for instance, that a positive attitude and sound communication skills are critical on the path to success. We also know that persistence and learning from mistakes are important components of success and that anyone who fails in these two endeavors isn't likely to make it very far.

Self- help and motivational guides are usually very dry and ordinary, but while some of Pitino's words certainly fall under this designation, other things he advises are more unique and offer a fresh perspective. I haven't read a large number of self- help guides, but certain parts of Pitino's advice do manage to step outside the box. One thing that stands out the more than any others is Pitino's advice (warning is more like it) not to readily embrace success. When I first read this, I wasn't sure what he was talking about and it seemed very nonsensical. But after reading more, I can understand where Pitino is coming from. What he is talking about is the tendency of successful people to become very lax once they reach a goal. We have seen it happen many times before- both in business and in sports competition- where someone reaches the goal he/she set for himself/herself and then decides to step back, take it easy, and bask in the limelight. Pitino feels that "embracing success" is the greatest poison of all because if one does this, he/she will eventually be trampled over by others who have decided to continuously learn and who are striving to overtake those who are currently on top. This is good advice and it makes sense when you read it. But it is surprising how many people adopt this contented attitude and end up flat on their faces a short time after their goal has been achieved.

Another piece of advice I like in this guide is the importance of continuous improvement. This stems from the advice about embracing success and it takes it a step further by recommending that we constantly strive to better ourselves regardless of what we have currently achieved. Pitino feels that change is inevitable and it must be embraced if one expects to continue to improve and achieve goals. What worked last year likely will not work anymore because the methods that led to previous success are already known and are likely to be emulated by aggressive individuals who want the same taste of victory. Pitino parallels this with his coaching career, showing how other coaches quickly discover what makes another coach successful and proceed to imitate the winning coach's strategy. Thus, to continue to succeed, new methods must be constantly sought after and embraced.

Another thing I like about this book is the way Pitino stresses hard work as the main foundation of success. Like Pitino says, too many people nowadays are looking for that "quick fix" in life. They want to reach the goals they set overnight, without working for them and without any plan of action in place. Rarely does this type of achievement become reality, and Pitino is correct when he emphasizes how critical it is to work hard toward a goal. The one in a million chance of becoming successful in a couple of days or weeks is too rare to worry about. Just work hard, as persistently as possible, and the rewards will follow over time. Pitino's own success in coaching came about this way, and it can work for anyone, regardless of profession.

Speaking of coaching, Pitino makes mention of his coaching success throughout this book, and this is to be expected. Basketball coaching is, after all, where Pitino has achieved his greatest deal of personal success. But Pitino is quick to point out that what works for him on the basketball court can also apply to business and other professions. These steps toward success- sound communication, positive attitude, persistence, adapting to change, etc.- are universal and following them can help lead any person toward greater personal achievement.

Each chapter in this book is easy to read in follow. And each one ends with a quick summary of the key points discussed for easy reference. At the beginning of each chapter is a short piece written by someone who has been influenced by Rick Pitino in one way or another- either through working with him as an assistant coach or by playing under him as a member of one of his teams. Some of the contributors to these intros include Jim O'Brien, Glenn Consor, Bernadette Locke- Mattox, Donnie Brown, and others.

I have read several self- help type books in the past and have found most of them to be rather monotonous and common- sense oriented. Is Pitino's book any different? In many ways, it does contain common sense advice but in other ways, it sheds some new light on the attitudes and practices necessary to reach the highest levels of one's profession. It doesn't get unrealistic like other self- help guides. It maintains an element of practicality and realism as it discusses ways to reach for the stars. And it does this while continuing to emphasize the importance of hard work and taking incremental steps toward the highest goals.

Reaching important goals and overachieving in life are two areas where basketball coach Rick Pitino has excelled beyond the level of most of the competitors in his field. Even if you don't have an interest in coaching sports, the advice given in this guide can come in handy. It can apply to anyone in any profession and while the book may be several years old now, the advice it gives is timeless. It shows how you, the average Joe or Jane, can reach your personal and professional goals and outperform the competition. All it takes is discipline and determination to set you on the path toward greater success.

Find your own success, read this book by Rick Pitino.......2006-04-29

I think there is a tendancy these days to desire a "quick fix", a "magic potion", or even a "trick" that will allow us to take short cuts to obtain the results we desire.

Several years ago while waiting in the Nashville, Tennessee airport for a plane taking me to Baltimore, Maryland for a new position with my company, I purchased this book authored by Rick Pitino, currently a coach at the University of Louisville and previously a coach for the University of Kentucky and the NBA's Boston Celtics.

It's had a profound on my life.

I've been a competitive person starting at a young age and played baseball, basketball, participated in the cross-country and track field, sang in the school choir, and played in the band. The book is not so much a book about sports as it's a book about life. Although there are parallels drawn to sports relating stories and people that have played basketball for or with Rick Pitino throughout his career, there are other parallels drawn to the general day-to-day things like being a good student, a team player, a good employee, and a good manager.

I urge you to read this book. I think you'll be surprised at the thought provoking basic message that emanates from it's pages. One of my favorite parts of the book are the pages Pitino devotes to a story about Billy Donovan, a former University of Kentucky player and currently reknowned basketball coach at the University of Florida. This average player has become one of the tip-top coaches in NCAA basketball by following the Pitino principles.

In the words of renowned economist, Milton Friedman, "There is no free lunch," and that goes for basketball, for bbq, for work, for family, and for life in general.

Outstanding Book by an Outstanding Coach.......2006-04-02

I have owned this book since it came out in 1998. I just today pulled it off my bookshelf to read again. I have ready many, many self help and self improvement books over the years as I am a fan of the genre but this book by Coach Pitino is a very good choice. If you could only have one self help, motivational book, other than the Bible of course, this would be it.

It's simple, well laid out and well thought out. It's ten steps, which may seem like a cliche in this day and age, are excellent. The book has held up very well over the years. Follow Coach Pitino's simple, disciplined plan for more success in your life.

Success is a Choice, Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life

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Success is a Choice, Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life
Rick Pitino
Manufacturer: New York: Broadway Books, 1998
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LVIOD8

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Success is A Choice, Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life
Rick Pitino
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S5WQPE

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Success Is a Choice: Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life
Rick; Reynolds, Bill Pitino
Manufacturer: Bantam Dell Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NY2RAO

Amazon.com

The long-awaited memoirs of Wiesel, winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, tell the story of his happy childhood in the Carpathian Mountains, his subsequent years of hell in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and his post-war life in France, where he discovered his voice as a writer. Highly recommended.

Book Description

From his early years with his loving Jewish family to the horrors of Auschwitz to his life as a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Elie Wiesel tells his story. Passionate and poignant, All Rivers Run to the Sea is an unforgettable book of love and rage, doubt and faith, despair and trust, and ultimately, of wisdom. of photos.

Customer Reviews:

disagree with "mediocre" label.......2004-11-16

I found this a very compelling read, lasting over several readings. It's true the author did not stick tightly to chronological order, but anyone who has read his fiction knows his style tends to be very esoteric and rather free-floating (I personally do not care for his fiction, which I admit I do find to go over my head). However, as a reader, I certainly got a feel for emotions he felt throughout different experiences in his life. I found the last scene describing his emotions before and during his wedding to be really profound. It's true that there is a lot of Jewish content in this book, which may cause some of his analogies etc. to be less accessible to someone from a different background. However, for someone who wants to read a first-hand Holocaust experience without very strong graphic details, I do recommend it. (As a side note, just last week I actually attended a speech by Mr. Wiesel, and he is really a personable, funny, self-effacing and sweet man, not the really sad and somber person you might expect from his writings. I was surprised by this, pleasantly so!)

My own small word .......2004-10-25

I would strongly recommend that all readers on Amazon read the review whose title caption is ' Remember'. It is far more extensive and far better than the small remarks I am about to post.
Elie Weisel is the one human being who more than any other has helped the world understand the horror of the Shoah , the Holocaust the Nazi destruction of one - third of the Jewish people six million human beings.
For this he should always have a place in the historical consciousness of both the Jewish people and mankind.
His memoir is at times very moving .For those who know his other work and his masterpiece ' Night' there will be much familiar here, though here the story is enriched by greater detail.
I find myself whenever I am reading Weisel unable to really judge in abstract or purely literary terms. His significance as a human being, as a witness as one who has spoken to me in my own life is so great that my feeling is closer to reverence than anything else.
I read this book with the idea that any additional detail about his life and work, any additional understanding of his thought about Man's relation to G-d would be worthwhile. I read this work as I will read all his future works as an admiring student of a great teacher.
May he be blessed by many more years of great creative work.

6 stars?.......2004-04-20

This is one of the times when I think we should be able to go higher than 5 stars. Elie Wiesel's All Rivers Run to the Sea gave us a more in-depth look to the concentration camp survivor. He really gives us a rich experience in weaving together the threads of his past, from his days in school to the horror in the concentration camps, right up to his days of being a journalist, and ending with him as a groom. You really get a feel for the type of person he is as well - a wonderful, compassionate, and intelligent man. If you've read Night already, you're definitely going to want to check this out.

The book All Rivers Run to the Sea was a great book.......2004-03-01

I read the book All Rivers Run to the Sea, by Elie Wiesel. This book is about his amazing journey all throughout the Holocaust. Elie was split apart from his family and had to experience the worst pain that you could imagine all on his own. I think this book is very depressing but it also makes you think about how glad and grateful you should be for having a family who loves and cares for you.
Elie Wiesel is a very skilled writer and he easily makes you picture in your mind what he is writing about. I think that this book would be well suited for people who are either twelve or older. It is also well suited for people who enjoy reading about the Holocaust and all the people who experienced it. This book is more of a bibliography rather than a fairy tale so you have to be willing to read a lot. This book is also very long and at some parts it gets a little confusing but at other times it is really hard to put the book down. I do not think that this would be a very good book for teachers to have their students read in class because of the length. I think that they should use one of Wiesel other great books on the Holocaust.
I really enjoyed this book and the style of Elie's writing. He described every thing very well and he kept my attention throughout the whole book. I hope that others get the chance to read this book and learn as much as I did about the Holocaust. This is a very good book and is well suited for young adults and people who are older as well. It teaches you a lot and makes you think about your life. This was a very good book and I hope others will read this book and get as much out of it as I did.

I'm reading this book just in the aftermath.......2001-06-03

of watching the Morris film Dr. Death, and I can't help but wonder about the mentality and motives of Holocaust deniers. Read this book by Wiesel, read all his books, and educate yourself about the period.

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All Rivers Run To the Sea Memoirs
Elie Wiesel
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE @ TRADE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All Rivers Run to the Sea : Memoirs
Elie; Rothschild, Jon (translator) Wiesel
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JCHH4G

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All Rivers Run to the Sea. Memoirs.

Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All Rivers Run to the Sea: Memoirs
Elie Wiesel
Manufacturer: ALFRED A. KNOPF
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Memoirs all rivers run to the Sea
Elie Wiesel
Manufacturer: Alfred a . Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

Terrific tribute to USS SARATOGA.......2002-06-07

Excellent photography and outstanding commentary from those who served aboard her (including an interview and picture of its first CO). Truly a refreshing walk down memory lane. Difficult to
obtain but most libraries can borrow it from another library that
currently owns it.

Terrific tribute to USS SARATOGA.......2002-06-07

Book Description

The underground cult bestseller! Essays redefining the psychogeographical nooks of autonomy. Recipes for poetic terror, anarcho-black magic, post-situ psychotropic surgery, denunciations of spiritual addictions to vapid infotainment cultsÂ—this is the bastard classic, the watermark impressed upon our minds. Where conscience informs praxis, and action infects consciousness, T.A.Z. continues to worm its way into above-ground culture. Second edition, with a new introductory essay by the author and additional appendical materials.

Customer Reviews:

Grand!.......2007-07-06

A masterpiece, quite possibly the best book I have ever read! Hakim Bey managed to synthesize the philosophical statement that I have been looking for my whole life! It is good to see such an articulate voice out there who managed to "see through" the paradigm -the Spectacle- and suggest such creative and joyous ways for all humans realize their TRUE POTENTIAL. I've always felt that mysticism and all that consciousness-expansion talk had received a bad stigma because of all the "new age" framing it undertook, but Bey manages not only to "deframe" this concept, and poetically shows the VALUE that such practices can have to "free one's mind" - show people that they need not be oppressed, dogmatic, hive-minded SLAVES, that they truly are MONARCHS. Mysticism helps in a way that it provides methods for the individual rid himself of the "inner cops" inside their heads -all the social programming of generations, sabotaging us by our Freaudian Superegos. Deep inner changes, deep inner consciousness are monstrous catalysts for social reforms -accompanied by good wine and sense of humour- in true anarchist fashion, as Bey rightly states, even though I have a feeling his intent was more focused on change on an individual level...

Well, it was definitely the first book that made me laugh and cry hysterically, but I understand it might be too overwhelming to some...

I'm hopeful that younger generations, such as mine (I'm 20) have the opportunity to be presented to such work, especially at an early age... Man, why haven't I read this back in my schooldays? I might just have quit everything and ran into the woods! =D

5*s

what do Jello Biafra and Hakim Bey have in common?.......2006-06-30

I saw Jello Biafra speak last night. I had no real desire to listen to him babble but he spoke at a club I work at and I thought a friend of mine might who wasn't too familiar with the former Dead Kennedy might enjoy it if for no other reason than a change of pace and a chance to get out of the house. I saw Jello speak some fifteen years ago at the Univ. of GA. He seemed more animated/theatrical then- or maybe I was just more into what was spewing from his oropharynx. Last night I found his word drool contained a humorous line here or there but was largely boring to just plain tiresome. Whine, whine, whine about the Bush admin and the Dems- for four freaking hours! Well, I guess he LOVES sitting around collecting hundreds of juicy little facts about everyone in the current administration and all the huge companies (Haliburton, et al)they are connected to. I was really hoping that he would show video of the ongoing NBA Draft that was on ESPN and, with each announced pick, he would take a moment offers his opinions (in between all the commentary against Bush). Jello: "Randy Foye chosen by Portland. I realy like this guy! He could be a star ala D. Wade. But wait- he's been traded to Minnesota for Brandon Roy, who may be the most complete player in the draft. So Roy goes to the Trailblazers and Foye will play alongside the "Big Ticket" Kevin Garnett in the Twin Cities. If you are a T'wolves fan you gotta be pleased so far..." What would the crowd have thought? Just a pipedream, I suppose.
So what does this have to do with Hakim Bey's collection of essays The Temporary Autonomous Zone (ontological anarchy and poetic terrorism). At the spoken word there was a table set up for a local "infoshop"- an anarcho/lefty bookstore. Everytime they table one of the clubs shows I go up and ask them if they have Bey's TAZ. They never seem to, which is curious to me. I wonder Biafra (or anyone in the crowd) has read it. If he has he either a) doesn't agree w/ Bey or b) he really, really LOVES (his true desire) to gather info on all the amoral activities and motives of politicians and add it to his catalogue. Effectively Jello is engaging in the reproduction of death/death imagery, something Hakim despises. I side with Bey.
I first read TAZ about thirteen years ago and loved it. It was humorous, frank, cutting, and I enjoyed the word play. Even the review quotes on the back were funny. I still like it. I'll leave you with what my coworker Al said after I lent it to him: "It's the only rant I've ever read that made me want to jack-off."

Most likely COINTELPRO.......2006-06-28

Hakim Bey/Peter Lamborn Wilson is most likely COINTELPRO-if not literally at least metaphorically. I highly recommend looking at John Zerzan's reaming of this con artist in Running on Emptiness. For gullible wannabe anarchists, beware-you will be indoctrinated into becoming apathetic, self centered/indulgent and rendered quite useless if you subscribe to any of Bey's ideas.

a derivative, escapist 'anarchy of the ego'.......2005-04-06

This puerile, bombastic, and muddled pamphlet will be of little use to anyone seriously concerned with remaking society along egalitarian, anti-hierarchical lines.

In a series of feverish and haphazard essays, 'Bey' (Peter Lamborn Wilson) lays out a defeatist, hedonistic, amoral, mystical argument for anarchists to abandon the real work of organizing in favor of creating "Temporary Autonomous Zones". Bey studiously avoids defining the 'TAZ', but the concept boils down to discrete and ephemeral blossomings of freedom and play-- parties, pirate ships, frontier communities, insurrections, etc.

Murray Bookchin, in his essay "Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism: An Unbridgeable Chasm" (available on the web) delivers the definitive downdressing of Bey for this facile and retrograde individualist doctrine, to which I have little to add.

I will say that the kernels of truth that the book contains, such as the observation that revolution must be rooted in joys and dreams as much as outrage and suffering, and that 'one cannot struggle for what one does not know', have been presented with superior flair and sophistication both before and after Bey (See e.g. the French Situationists, or more recently, Ken Knabb and the Crimethinc collective).

best of the bunch... but that ain't saying much.......2004-12-17

Hakim Bey is the best of the lifestyle oriented anarchist writers. His ideas are clear (or at least clearer than many others) and his writing style is attractive. Too bad his ideas are so silly.

I'm all for parties, and the creation of temporary zones of fulfilment (which is what this book is calling for) but they aren't going to feed the starving or clothe the poor. Anarchist need to be thinking deeper and more concretely than this if they're going to make any real change.

T.A.Z. the Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism (New Autonomy Series)

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Inspiring
With your soul in one hand, and a dictionary in the other...
Truly a Dangerous Book
Simply Amazing
Delicious

T.A.Z. the Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism (New Autonomy Series)
Hakim Bey
Manufacturer: Autonomedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0936756764

Amazon.com

"Chaos never died," declares this collection of post-postmodern "broadsheets of ontological anarchism." "They lied to you, sold you ideas of good and evil, gave you distrust of your body and shame for your prophethood of chaos, invented words of disgust for your molecular love, mesmerized you with inattention, bored you with civilization and all its usurious emotions." Hakim Bey's calls for a response rooted in "poetic terrorism" are definitely not for the philosophically staid or squeamish, advocating "black magic as revolutionary action" and "a congress of weird religions." But his elaboration of the idea of the Temporary Autonomous Zone, intentional communities that live outside the law, offers a captivating notion of hedonist radicalism for the eve of the 21st century. T.A.Z. is provocative, at times obscene, but it also proves that the avant-garde can entertain as well as challenge. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

collected broadsheets of ontological anarchism

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring.......2003-02-24

Have a couple of dictionaries standing by, or be sure to have a few dozen bookmarked online while reading this, for if you're to appreciate Bey's prose, you're likely to need 'em. He writes in a strange way, obviously highly intelligent, but rambling, and if you're not quite sure what he's on about, it's just going to seem worse.

There are a lot of ideas in here, based on things I'm not very familiar with, such as Sufism and dadism - some of which are at least partially explained, but this is one of those books you need to read, and then come back to later and see how it compares. Certainly on the first go struggling somewhat to get a feel for how his mind works on paper.

It's a very inspiring work, which he may loathe to hear, but I intend to do something about it. I recommend reading it to anyone interested in expanding their interests and testing the limits of one's mind. Agreeing with everything he presents isn't necessary, but thinking about it is - doing even better. Highly recommended reading.

With your soul in one hand, and a dictionary in the other..........2003-01-09

This is one of those pieces of literature that you simply cannot afford to miss. It's like discovering Marge Piercy at the tender, malleable age of 12, or finding Clarissa Pinkola Estes' book, worn and well-loved, after a ten-year marriage filled with abuse. Except, TAZ doesn't require you to be at any particular phase of your life to change it. It just does. Sometimes, it's not immediate. Sometimes it sits quietly in the back of your mind, bubbling up curt replies to oppressive corporate and societal forces that occasionally - tragically infrequently, to begin with - with issue forth from your mouth and cause bank tellers to go pale with shock.

Temporary Autonomous Zones are nets of co-conspirators, ready to take the mass of over-bearing government and the thin veneer of so-called civilization down, not through bloody revolution, but rather through obsolescence. If we do not respect the right to control us, if we have our own power back to do our own work, only then are we our own people. And moreover, in "Ontological Anarchism", we find the suggestion that we do not have to define ourselves by ANYTHING other than what WE feel we are. We are "supposed" to be productive, civilized, friendly, codependent, well-dressed, well-paid, well-fed and easily coddled. But humans are NOT that - we are animals, base creatures of a triple nature, as gods are, as goddesses are. And in each as our own deity, we cannot be truly shaped by anyone else but our own ineffable nature.

And that's just the beginning....

Truly a Dangerous Book.......2002-08-02

The work of Hakim Bey is well-known in that other american world, the "underground" society, the one of subculture, silent resistance and anarchy. But slowly it has been bubbling to the surface, often in unexpected places. The novel and film Fight Club, surely shows an affection for poetic terrorism, an idea rooted in Bey's ontological anarchism and closely related to the situationist tactic of detornement. T.A.Z. is not the property of any philosophy but chaos and elegant disorder. Sure, there are aspects of anarchism, chaos thinking, situationist leanings, but that is just a symptom of the spectacle and is such precisely because of it. These essays all point to a way out of this spectacular society, but the first step comes with the mere recognition of it. This is harder than it sounds, or perhaps easier. TV and the media are always easy components to recognize, the real challenge is to recognize how the spectacle, i.e., the prefabricated, artificial, consumerist milieu penetrates, influences and shapes even our most intimate thoughts--which we often mistake for our own desires, wants and needs. In T.A.Z. Bey offers suggestions on how we can extricate ourselves from this structure and start creating our own temporary autonomous zones, within this system of economic, social and cultural oppression. Immediatism, Poetic Terrorism, and the embrace of Chaos are just a few of the strategies that he advises, all of which presuppose a new dialectic with reality.

This is only an outline, a mere review, I leave discerning and interpreting the details to you...Get this book today (also available in spoken word from axiom records).

Simply Amazing.......2002-06-13

TAZ is an amazing book. I personally see it as a philosophy and a self-improvement book. Hakim Bey presents his ideas about how the universe should be, chaotic. If you are into chaos magic or discordianism you will find this book very appealing and its a book that must be in your collection.

TAZ is a virus, it spreads through all the self-created walls that hold you down with the promise of true freedom. Suddenly you will become chaos.

Assume nothing.

Delicious.......2002-05-10

I am surprised that the sort of people attracted to such a work--to guess from previous reviews--are still apparently apt to want to swallow the thing wholly, assertions that "they lied to you, sold you ideas" and all. Personally i reckon that we are in the midst of a conspiracy, yes...but most likely an unconscious one--the aggregate of fear & complacency & ignorance & such things, that is, resulting insidiously in the effects of a sort of conspiracy. What sort of result, for example, would one really expect from blowing up a transmission tower? A sudden enlightenment of the populace? No: most people would likely become even more reactionary when faced with causes for alarm.

Essentially this book, in spite of its claims to the contrary, seems to me a variety of art movement and not the "ultimate" anything, but as with anything so incendiary and beautiful its value can still hardly be overestimated. Who can resist Poetic Terrorism or Bey's felicity with language (eg. Chaote art)? The language and imagery are colourful and bursting full. Imagine a feast laid out on a table with barely enough room for the feasters' plates--and certainly not enough for their elbows--and everyone seated around it wearing purple plumage or velvet saris or nothing at all & laughing with food in their mouths.

I'll take what i need and leave the rest, as it goes. Implicit in most of the writing is criticism of those who would reject any part of the "freedom" described, but who's afraid of Hakim Bey? I'm glad he wrote even if i won't be taking all of what he wrote to heart.

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