Time Management: Get Organized and Accomplish More in Less Time (Fastread)

Book Description

The impact of the Indonesian spice trade on global and, more particularly, European history has been widely acknowledged. Although more recent studies have gone beyond the preoccupation with the colonial relationship to provide a more "Asia-centric" view, On the Edge of the Banda Zone is the first to focus an anthropological lens on the dynamics of trade in a specific area: that incorporating the Seram Laut and Gorom archipelagoes (and the adjacent mainland) of east Seram, in the Moluccas.

The point of departure for Roy Ellen's analysis is a description of trade relations in the east Seram zone between 1970 and 1990, but the wider importance of the data presented here is readily apparent: For five hundred years (and probably much longer), it has served as a corridor between Eurasia and the southwestern Pacific and played a vital role in the production and distribution of nutmeg and other high-value commodities that have for centuries had an impact on the global economy. The islands themselves are minute and fragile ecosystems, ultimately dependent on the local networks of which they are a part and on the long-distance trade that has bound them to mainland Asia and beyond. Drawing on the author's fieldwork as well as archival and secondary sources, this ambitious, eclectic volume demonstrates the enduring continuities in the local system as it comes into contact with the changing outside world. It illuminates how barter, ecological and ethnic divisions of labor, exchange patterns, and the organization of trade between the peoples of the New Guinea coast and east Seram, help us make sense of long-term cycles and trends.

On the Edge of the Banda Zone not only provides readers with a "production-end" account of the spice trade and an ethnography of a culturally distinctive part of Indonesia, but also forces us to rethink conventional approaches to the study of trade and the relationship between island Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Customer Reviews:

Thorough Look at a Remote Archipelago.......2004-02-22

This book combines history with anthropology in describing centuries of trade in the East Seram region, which centres on the Seram Laut and Gorom archipelagos.
These islands formed a major regional trade centre between western Indonesia and western New Guinea. However, as they grew no spices they did not become an important Dutch colonial post (unlike the Bandas, Ternate, Tidore and Ambon), thus preserving their trading traditions more intact.
It is extremely thoroughly written by one of the major experts on Maluku. The only reason I gave it only 4 stars is that the topic may be of limited interest to the wider public.

Customer Reviews:

Dark Kingdom of Jade(Wraith).......2000-05-09

This book is one among the better books in the White Wolf's Eastern World of Darkness setting, in my belief it is right next to Kindred of the East. Set in the Dark Kingdom of Jade with its unique family system, eastern philosophies and honor systems, the book greatly expands and completes the view of the Eastern world of Darkness. I find the Dark Kingdom of Jade setting more better related to the idea of the Chinese underworld (less so than the Japanese and Buddhist) than say the somewhat boring and flawed Dark Kingdom of Iron, Stygia in the main Wraith game. I recomend that you get this supplement if you really like the Kindred of the East as it will greatly expand the Eastern World of Darkness. On the downside of the game, they're certain things within the game that doesn't seem to fit. It is somewhat difficult to explain but the world is just somewhat more restricted and the idea of free adventure is somwhat stunted by the feeling of political games between the wraiths. But one thing is true though, the Eastern underworld is much more horryfying than the western one.

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Jade Kingdom
Paul E. Desautels
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: The Americas Before Columbus

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Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: The Americas Before Columbus
Brian M. Fagan
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P9H23E

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Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: The Americas Before Columbus
Brian M. Fagan
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: The Americas Before Columbus
Brian M. Fagan
Manufacturer: Thames and Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQO586

Kingdoms of Ivory & Jade Nimrans & Nimoreans (Sovereign Stone)

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Kingdoms of Ivory & Jade Nimrans & Nimoreans (Sovereign Stone)
Margaret Weis
Manufacturer: Sovereign Press (WI)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tenacity Incarnate

Fascinating, Encyclopedic Study of Audubon and Early America

Excellent book not just for birdwatchers!

James James Audubon: The Father of American Ornithology chronicled in a fine biography by Richard Rhodes

Unlikely Genius

John James Audubon: The Making of an American
Richard Rhodes
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Audubon's Birds Of America (The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio)

John James Audubon: Writings and Drawings (Library of America)

The Audubon Reader (Everyman's Library)

Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of The Birds of America

Audubon Art Prints: A Collector's Guide to Every Edition

ASIN: 037571393X
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Book Description

John James Audubon came to America as a dapper eighteen-year-old eager to make his fortune. He had a talent for drawing and an interest in birds, and he would spend the next thirty-five years traveling to the remotest regions of his new country–often alone and on foot–to render his avian subjects on paper. The works of art he created gave the world its idea of America. They gave America its idea of itself.

Here Richard Rhodes vividly depicts Audubon’s life and career: his epic wanderings; his quest to portray birds in a lifelike way; his long, anguished separations from his adored wife; his ambivalent witness to the vanishing of the wilderness. John James Audubon: The Making of an American is a magnificent achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Tenacity Incarnate.......2007-06-19

In its own way, this book reveals as much about the early 'natural history' years of the nation's founding as "Roots" does about early 'social history' years of Americans' tangled involvement with its imported slave population. Just as a national audience sat transfixed before TV sets watching a human drama unfold, so too, a reader following Audubon's manic treks back and forth from the East Coast to Louisiana to capture and sketch American birds, and his inspired obsession develop and finance a folio of ornithological plates by selling subscriptions in England, would marvel first at his tenacity, second at his self-awareness, and finally recognize that we live in a much less fecund animal world than the one he captured.

Audubon was an innovator of the first rank, in devising a systematic methodology (wire-frame supports) for accurately posing the bird in its natural setting, and a keen observer of the world he was both illustrating and helping to eradicate. Throughout his collecting and drafting career, he noted the transformations of habitats and ranges, and recognized that the 'natural' world he knew would look very different after his death. Large-scale conversion of woodlands to other uses, and the relentless pressure of colonization, exerted a profound impact on the distribution and range of avian species, and Audubon watched it happen in real time. His descriptions of the 'bird counts' he conducted tell the story. Repeatedly, he describes flocks that 'blacken the sky' - something we'll never see today.

Rhodes' biography is exhaustive, and a review should note that there is quite a bit of superfluous detail brought into the description of his early years. Furthermore, Rhodes in this effort did not turn out to be a great prose stylist, so some serious editing for length would have helped. Those criticisms aside, the Rhodes biography succeeds in bringing to life a vanished world, one in which colonists, pioneers and settlers were surrounded by 'wild nature,' and most of the people could actually name the animals (and birds) they saw!

Fascinating, Encyclopedic Study of Audubon and Early America.......2007-03-31

In the tradition of the great biographers, Rhodes leaves no stone unturned in his exploration of this remarkable fellow. The author carries us through the journey of the quintessential self-made man as he comes into maturity with his new country, the United States.
This is a study of a man, not an ornithological treatise. We all have seen the beautiful portraits of birds (terrific color plates in the paperback edition I have) and, through Rhodes efforts, discover Audubon's ingenuity in rendering them with the sort of lifelike quality he hoped to achieve. He earned his passage on many early excursions as the boat's hunter and trapper requiring lone forays into the hinterland. He clearly absorbed everything in his environment while he was making his way. His love for wildlife extended beyond avian society to all flora and fauna contained in the natural environment. He painted other animals and plants, as well. In his waning years, he executed a series of North American mammals with his sons. He had hoped to do much more.
Audubon's history is entwined with early America. He surely enjoyed his notoriety in European courts but always longed for his wild territory. In his later years (he died a decade before the Civil War), his assessment of the burgeoning nation was that it was becoming too crowded, overpopulated; ruined. THAT America was gone before Audubon died but Mr. Rhodes allows us an almost palpable glimpse at it as he illuminates one of it's most colorful citizens. Who would be a better guide into the young U.S. than this great naturalist, so skillfully revealed by this delightful writer?

Excellent book not just for birdwatchers!.......2007-01-22

If you want to really gain a great deal of insight into the forming of the American Frontier...read this book! It is really far more about that than it is about JJ Audobon although he is a very interesting character all by himself. A fascinating person at a fascinating time in history. I highly recommend it.

James James Audubon: The Father of American Ornithology chronicled in a fine biography by Richard Rhodes.......2007-01-21

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was born illegitimate in what is today the nation of Hati. He grew up in Nantes but his father sent him to Pennsylvania as a way to escape service in the army of Revolutionary France. Audubon came from a prosperous family and lived on a Pennyslvania farm owned by his family. He wed Lucy Bakewell an English girl who had immigrated to the United States from England.
The biography tells how Audubon operated a mill in Henderson,Ky. which went bankrupt. He was a constant traveler in the eastern United States drawing his beloved birds. Audubon traveled widely in Europe seeking to sell his lifework "The Birds of North America." Along the way he became famous meeting President Andrew Jackson; his literary idol Sir Walter Scott and being the second American to become a member of the Royal Society. Audubon was a complex man who loved America becoming a naturalized citizen. He was generally kind but could become volatile. Late in life he enjoyed drinking and profanity.
Audubon's life with Lucy was a great love story. His constant travel did put a strain on the marriage. His two surviving children were John and Victor. Audubon loved his family and was faithful to his wife.
Audubon pioneered painting birds in their natural habitat. His monumental "Birds of North America" shows him to be a supreme artist.
Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Rhodes quotes several journal entries and letters sent by Audubon during his lifetime. The book is well illustrated containing a section of beautiful Audubon prints.
This was a very interesting book for me and for anyone interested in
American history; art; ornithology and pioneer life. Recommended.

Unlikely Genius .......2006-10-25

My wife and I happened upon a complete 'Birds of America' exhibit at the National Gallery last year. I was mesmerized at the loving care put into these paintings and the exquisite variety of birds in America. Who was this artist, Audubon? I had seen greeting cards with his pictures and had heard of the Audubon Society, but who was he?

Audubon was self-taught immigrant from France who went into business on the frontier and failed at it because of the fragility of the economy and all the fits-and-starts associated with a new country. His avocation was painting birds, something he did in his spare time. Finally, he decided that it was what he was best at and the most likely means of supporting his family. At great personal cost and inconvenience, he spent lots of time away from his family to document these birds, both in picture, and in observation of their habits. He became the leading naturalist in the world for birds, came to meet President Andrew Jackson, the King of England, and was feted wherever he went, after he was established. He came out of nowhere to become an international celebrity.

Richard Rhodes does a remarkable job of piecing the story together. He was able to do so in large measure because Audubon spent so much time away and had to write to keep in touch. By the way, he barely kept his family together during these absences because of frequent miscommunications back and forth, partly because English was his second language. Rhodes won the Pulitzer Prize for 'The Making of the Atom Bomb', which I also read and found superb. 'Audubon' and 'The Making of the Atom Bomb' are remarkably different in subject matter, but both are handled with the same care that Audubon put into his painting.

A side benefit of this book is the chance to explore the early U.S. by living with Audubon and his family: the people he knew, the cities he went to, and especially the wilds where he painted (which were disappearing even in the early 19th century).

He was an ardent American, and transferred his citizenship at first opportunity when he got here as a young man in the early 1800's. He loved this country, as well as the birds he painted, and it shows.

I recommend reading this book while sitting at a computer so that you can access Google images of what is being discussed. It's a truly fascinating and worthy story, and the paintings are phenomenal.

John James Audubon - The Making of an American

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John James Audubon - The Making of an American

Manufacturer: Alfred Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0739451561

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John James Audubon. The Making of an American.
John James] RHODES, Richard. [AUDUBON
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OG1IWO

John James Audubon: The Making of an American.(BOOKSHELF)(Book Review): An article from: OnEarth

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John James Audubon: The Making of an American.(BOOKSHELF)(Book Review): An article from: OnEarth
Peter Cashwell
Manufacturer: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00081VPJQ
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from OnEarth, published by Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1050 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: John James Audubon: The Making of an American.(BOOKSHELF)(Book Review)
Author: Peter Cashwell
Publication: OnEarth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Page: 40(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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An overview of seamanship for the naval officer.......2001-10-10

"Seamanship : Fundamentals for the Deck Officer" is intended as a basic seamanship manual for officers in training for US Naval and US Coast Guard service. It is a fairly complete overview of the basic knowledge an officer must be familiar with, covering just about everything from splicing rope/cable and the use of pulleys to the organization of watches and ship command.

One of the great things about this book is its liberal use of diagrams. The book is peppered with them, and their placement does a great deal to make the sometimes very complex content more readable and understandable.

I'm sure there are newer editions out since this one (I believe there's one named "Annapolis Guide to Seamanship" or something similar), but as it is, I found "Seamanship" quite informative and even useful.

It certainly helped me understand the body of knowledge a deck officer must be comfortable with... and I learned something too. I now know how to keep rope in good condition and can splice a wire cable correctly. Yay for me!

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seamanship fundamentals for the deck officer
dodge
Manufacturer: naval institute press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000V91G4E

Book Description

Outraged by the downward spiral of intellect and culture, Michael LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling phenomenon, Blink, which theorized that our best decision-making is done on impulse, without factual knowledge or critical analysis. If bestselling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that sharp, incisive reasoning has become a lost art in the daily life of people everywhere.

Somewhere along the line, the Age of Reason morphed into the Age of Emotion; this systemic erosion is costing time, money, jobs, and lives in the twenty-first century, leading to less fulfilment and growing dysfunction. LeGault provides a bold, controversial, and objective analysis of the causes and solutions for some of the biggest problems facing Western culture in the 21st century. From the over- load of reality TV shows and gossip magazines that have rendered curiosity of the mind and spirit obsolete to permissive parenting and low standards that have caused an academic crisis among our children, LeGault looks at all aspects of modern lives and points to how and where it all went wrong.

Customer Reviews:

Missed the Point.......2007-09-28

I don't think that LeGault even read Blink. More likely, he looked at the cover, scanned a few pages, and decided to write a cultural book as a "counterarguement" to a much better book that was really about human and organizational psychology (and in the process score a few extra book sales by piggy-backing on a much better and more popular book). Save your money. If you really want to read about decision making, I recommend Sources of Power by Gary Klein, and for business people, Certain to Win by Chet Richards.

Could use a bit more thinking...........2007-09-26

One would expect a book call "Think" to exhibit more thought. I expected to see examples of carefully thought out analyses, but found none, really. There are knee-jerk rants, unsupported opinions, and really nothing that challenges anyone to change the way that they think.

The first chapter hints that we are about to discover a better way to think--but mostly we discover is that the world is not reaching the conclusions that LeGault thinks that it should, and we are not presented with any evidence why the world is wrong. The world may very well be wrong, but in most cases LeGault attacks the same old straw men, presenting only a parody of the ideas he opposes. He presents no data to back the ideas that he supports. He intends to champion objectivity, but does not exhibit it himself. He particulary misrepresents the book "Blink," which is more about how to avoid the pitfalls of unconcious bias than how to avoid thinking.

There are many examples of great thinkers presented, but in a rather shallow way. LeGault does not really pinpoint what it is that separates great thought from mediocre; we gain no insight into the thought process of his exemplars. This is not the book to read if you want to find out how the great thinkers do it.

Critical Thinking Not Found In This Book.......2007-08-16

What irony that a book about critical thinking was written without the use of any critical thinking by the author. In contrast, I see a lot more critical thinking in the reviews written by the irate readers of this book than from the author, editor, and publisher combined.

The premise of this book is worthwhile, but it needed a real critical thinker and writer to execute.

dichotomy in cardboard.......2007-08-15

i looked forward to this book, but someone else should have written it. the author, the longer the book is read, disproves his own theory. he begins to write emotionally, taking potshots at everything from michael moore to global warming theories to the use of ritalin to psychologists in california, without the slightest evidence of critcal thinking. he states the obvious, and groups an entire people, such as the greeks, romans, americans, etc. as critical thinkers or not. actually the book, to me at least, would discourage logic. if this guy is what critical thinking produces, you can have it. it is a jumbled mess. a smart guy with a thesaurus, does not produce clear thinking. trying to separate logic from emotion is a fool's errand. it ignores humanity, which is what really separates us from the beasts. i guess i am trying to say is that this book, contains little logic. in fact, the whole premise is illogical.

Not the book it claims to be.......2007-07-16

Marketed as a rationalists response to Gladwell's "Blink", LeGault spends precious little time explaining the books thesis and inordinate time presenting his personal political viewpoints. For example, the author claims that the vast majority of scientists disagree with the threat of global warming, and he accuses those that believe in the problem of falling prey to poor thinking again, and again, and again. The author also feels that radical feminism is a serious threat to American culture (I still haven't met one of these mysterious radical feminists). In general, the author seems to think that simply being a contrarian makes one rational. If you think like he does, then you are being logical. LeGault's real thesis appears to be an attempt to conflate rationalism with conservativism. Still, if you can wade through the author's obvious biases, there are a few thoughtful passages that offer a valuable counter-point to "Blink".

Blink. Think. Blank. Bunk. Solid snap judgements are deeply grounded.(Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking)(Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can't ... review): An article from: Education Next

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Blink. Think. Blank. Bunk. Solid snap judgements are deeply grounded.(Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking)(Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can't ... review): An article from: Education Next
Diane Ravitch
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Education Next, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2007. The length of the article is 1190 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: Blink. Think. Blank. Bunk. Solid snap judgements are deeply grounded.(Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking)(Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye)(Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All)(Book review)
Author: Diane Ravitch
Publication: Education Next (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Page: 72(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye

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Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye
Michael R. Legault
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: B000MHN2HY

Book Description

Grey Owl was born Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, the son of an aristocrat in Hastings, England, in 1888. Raised by his two aunts, he led a lonely childhood in England until 1906, when, at the tender age of seventeen, he emigrated to North America to live among the Native people. He returned to England a few years later to serve in the First World War, was wounded, and returned to live with the Ojibway in northern Canada.

In mid-life Archibald Belaney adopted the Ojibway name Wa-sha-quon-asin, or Grey Owl. He married three times and fathered three children. He also lived for many years with an Ojibway woman named Anahareo, moved to northern Quebec, where he began his writing career in earnest.

All of Grey Owl's stories are based on true-life experiences. As a canoeman, packer guide, fur trapper, naturalist, and storyteller, Grey Owl's nature writings have delighted readers worldwide since they first began to appear in 1929. That same year Grey Owl began to lecture as a conservationist.

During the course of his writing career, Grey Owl's deep love and respect for nature created a body of work devoted to promoting conservation awareness through true tales of life lived in the wilderness. Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Works contains three of his best-loved works.

The Men of the Last Frontier was Grey Owl's first book, published in 1931. In this collection of stories, Grey Owl, one of the early voices to sound an alarm for increased conservation, tells about his life on the trail, his Native friends, and their animal companions. In so doing, Grey Owl hoped to evoke sympathy and caring for the land that sustains us all.

Pilgrims of the Wild was published in 1934. Primarily an animal story, it also relates Grey Owl and Anahareo's struggle to emerge from the chaos that followed the failure of the fur trade and the breakdown of the old proprietary system of hunting grounds. This is a humble and moving collection that paints a beautiful picture of a quickly changing land.

Sajo and the Beaver People was published in 1935. The "beaver people" are two beaver kittens rescued and adopted by an Indian hunter. The kittens soon become the beloved pets of the entire village. Their adventures and eventual reunion with their parents make this one of the most touching and irresistible stories in Grey Owl's body of work.

Grey Owl will be fondly remembered as both a mystery and a legend. His love of nature and the wilderness and his stories of life as a guide have become part of the canon of nature writing.

Customer Reviews:

Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Canadian Classics.......2002-03-06

This book will cause you to rethink your beliefs about wilderness, native Americans and ecology. Sajo and the Beaver People should be a children's classic if it is not already!

The Collected Works of Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Canadian Classics: The Men of the Last Frontier, Pilgrims of the Wild, Sajo and the Beaver People

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The Collected Works of Grey Owl: Three Complete and Unabridged Canadian Classics: The Men of the Last Frontier, Pilgrims of the Wild, Sajo and the Beaver People
Grey Owl
Manufacturer: Prospero Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

The complete and unabridged Canadian classics: The Men of the Last Frontier, Pilgrims of the Wild, Sajo and the Beaver People

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