The Dear Betty Chronicles: A Memoir of 40 Years in Public Relations

Book Description

This book is about Morry Rotman¿s career in journalism and public relations. He became a partner in a small public relations firm, which he acquired after the death of its owner. Under his leadership, the firm grew into one of the largest in the United States.

Customer Reviews:

The Dear Betty Chronicles is a wonderful and relaxing read........2003-06-07

The Dear Betty Chronicles is a wonderful and relaxing read. Mr. Rotman's account of his years in public relations provides an insightful look into the public relations field. The pages detail how strong personal relationships, honesty and integrity throughout one's career will result in nothing but success, not only professionally, but personally as well.

The Dear Betty Chronicles is a must read, especially for anyone pursuing a career in public relations who has a desire to learn from one of the best what works, and what doesn't. Enjoy!

Book Description

This deeply personal and beautifully illustrated volume - published to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death - draws together the memories of those who knew and loved him, telling in their own words why he was so special to them, as a driver, as a man, as a colleague, as a friend, and as a hero. Christopher Hilton, author of previous sensitive studies of Senna, asked a host of people inside and outside motorsport for their strongest memory of Senna. Their answers were touching and surprising.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-05-13

I just finished reading this book yesterday. I wanted to go slow and absorb everything everyone said about Ayrton Senna. It's a really great book. If you buy it I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Customer Reviews:

Communists in Hollywood? Yes........2007-04-15

I was interested in reading Ayn Rand and Song of Russia because I had previously heard about the House Un-American Committee (HUAC) of the late 1940s, but I had always heard about it in a negative light. It always seemed to be associated with witch hunting and blacklisting. When I learned that one of my favorite authors, Ayn Rand, testified as a friendly witness, I wanted to know more. This committee wanted to find out the extent of communist infiltration into the movie industry. As a Russian who lived through the Russian Revolution, and as a writer in Hollywood, Ayn Rand was in a unique position to comment on the extent of propaganda in some of the movies coming out of Hollywood at the time. Ayn Rand was asked to comment specifically on Song of Russia, a movie very sympathetic to Russia released in 1944. This book does a fine job of explaining what propaganda is and the subtle nature of propaganda. It also describes the movie in detail and how it distorts what life was like in Russia after the revolution. The second part of the book contains the actual transcript of Rand's testimony along with the author's analysis. This book is well worth reading because it helps one to understand how bad ideas did, and still can, seep into our culture. It also points out that it wasn't the people sympathetic to communism that got blacklisted; rather, it was those people who were considered friendly witnesses. Finally, it shows Ayn Rand eloquently fighting for her values: a United States that upholds individual rights.

One San Franciscan's Response.......2006-07-09

I enjoyed reading this book, my first by Robert Mayhew who teaches philosophy at Seton Hall University. How I wish I attended that school, so I could perhaps pass by the man himself as he makes his way through the halls and common rooms towards the philosophy department.

It's great that the other reviewers of this book are other Ayn Rand scholars, including the man who edited her famous book, THE ART OF FICTION. He must know Dr. Mayhew, perhaps from conferences in which Objectivism, the philosophy she invented, is still being discussed many years after her own sad death.

They give the book five stars, but I cannot give it so many because, even though Mayhew is a skillful writer, he has fallen into the trap of taking something minor that Ayn Rand did, in this case, she presented her incomplete testimony to HUAC about a film called SONG OF RUSSIA, and although she did not know it, the organizers were just using her and would not permit her to expand on her ideas, they attempted to corral her into a little niche market, as a Russian woman herself, she could testify that the Russia presented in SONG OF RUSSIA was bogus. Afterwards, as she admitted later, she felt lied to and abused. Mayhew nevertheless takes her few pages of testimony and tries to blow up a whole book around this little donut hole of an anecdote.

About the smiling thing, well, Mayhew must not have much of a sense of humor if he couldn't see that as soon as Rand starts talking about people in Russia not smiling, it sort of got funny, and she lost a large part of her audience, who used this as an excuse to call her a humorless kook. Mayhew just keeps arguing that, of course, people in Russia did not smile, citing a number of independent accounts of the period that agree with Rand's estimate. She hadn't been there since 1926. Mayhew argues that she had been in touch by letter with her family all the way until 1937; however, my bet is that, her family knew their little Ayn by now and I'm sure self-censored their letters so that none of them included the phrase, "I had a good laugh the other day when . . . "

Now I'm curious to see SONG OF RUSSIA! They should put it out on DVD and for commentary, they could have Ayn Rand's actual voice in her HUAC testimony going through the differentt scenes and commenting acidly how there really were no department stores of nightclubs in Moscow and how village people lived in shacks, not comfortable collective housing.

I feel kind of sorry for Robert Taylor, dragooned into playing in this movie, but Mayhew leaves out the real reason he could be so easily blackmailed into starring in a role he didn't personally care for.

And Susan Peters is always a treat, so c'mon, powers that be, unleash this quaint relic for a bygone day!

Ayn Rand on Communism in Hollywood.......2005-08-08

As the title "Ayn Rand and Song of Russia: Communism and Anti-Communism in 1940s Hollywood" suggests, this book by Robert Mayhew is an examination of Ayn Rand's testimony on the movie _Song of Russia_ before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947.

Part I offers three chapters of helpful background information on the movie. Perhaps most importantly, Mayhew offers a detailed synopsis of _Song of Russia_. In addition to the synopsis, Mayhew includes a chapter on the making of the movie (with particular attention to the involved communists and the changes made in production) and a chapter on its reception in the press and elsewhere. (I was particularly surprised to learn of the nature and extent of the meddling in the production of movies by FDR's administration.)

In Part II, Mayhew turns to Ayn Rand's testimony before the HUAC. He begins with a chapter on her life up through the testimony, particularly focusing on her childhood in Russia, her work in Hollywood, and the publication of _We the Living_. He examines Ayn Rand's general view of the HUAC hearings, including a detailed and interesting discussion of the supposed moral crime of "naming names." In the next two chapters, Mayhew examines the accuracy of Ayn Rand's testimony about the utterly false picture of life in Soviet Russia in _Song of Russia_, as well as her rejection of the supposed need to lie about the true condition of our Russian ally during World War II. The final chapter considers the absurd responses of various leftists to Ayn Rand's testimony.

As I've come to expect from Robert Mayhew's work, _Ayn Rand and Song of Russia_ is a careful and thorough examination of the topic at hand. I particularly appreciated the clarity of Mayhew's writing, in both the structure and the prose. The analyses were methodical, but never dragged on. Although more can always be said about side topics in any writing, I finished the book with a good grasp of the core issues.

All in all, I highly recommend _Ayn Rand and Song of Russia_, particularly to those with an interest Ayn Rand's HUAC testimony or the communist influence in Hollywood.

Naming Facts - The Truth about Hollywood Communism.......2005-02-02

This is an excellent book on Ayn Rand's famous 1947 testimony, before the House Un-American Activities Committee, on MGM's 1944 movie Song of Russia.

Ayn Rand exposed the movie as pro-Soviet propaganda, a deliberate whitewash of the terrible reality of life under communism. Robert Mayhew discusses every point of her testimony in relation to the historical record of the Soviet Union, proving Ayn Rand right in every respect. His book is also an important work of original historical research. Dr. Mayhew interviewed the surviving co-writer of Song of Russia, ex-Communist Richard Collins, and dug deep in the historical archives. The result is a revealing picture of Communist influence in Hollywood - and Washington. One of many fascinating revelations is that the Roosevelt administration's Office of War Information - which claimed the right to "comment" on film scripts - had the Song-of-Russia script vetted by the Soviet Embassy!

Being a philosopher, Dr. Mayhew goes beyond the presentation of historical facts. He discusses the political and ethical implications of the HUAC investigations for such issues as free speech, blacklists, "naming names," honesty in relation to wartime propaganda, etc. In so doing, he gives us both Ayn Rand's views, drawing in part on previously unpublished material, and his own illuminating analysis.

Dr. Mayhew also reveals the hypocrisy and dishonesty of the Communists in Hollywood and of their leftist successors, refuting their smears of Ayn Rand's testimony, which continue to this day. Thus - in addition to being a fresh, first-hand investigation of a still controversial period of American history, and of Ayn Rand's part in it - Robert Mayhew's book is a sorely needed act of justice.

Thoroughly researched, richly textured with telling detail, clearly written and strongly argued, this new book should be on the must-read list of anyone interested in modern American history.

Book Description

This is a completely revised edition of the second volume of the New Oxford History of Music. In the last three decades there has been intense interest in the music of the Middle Ages and great advances in research have been made in facts as well as interpretation. Drawing on the work of leading British and American scholars, this volume presents an informed, up-to-date picture of a broad spectrum of music from the fourth century AD to 1300. Beginning with Christian chant in the Mediterranean, it continues through Latin (`Gregorian') chant, liturgical drama, medieval song, instrumental music, and early polyphony down to the monumental organa composed at the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris in the twelfth century. Over 200 musical examples help to illustrate the discussion of 1,000 years of rich and complex musical development. Contributors: John Stevens, Milos Velimirovic, Kenneth Levy, Richard Crocker, Susan Rankin, Christopher Page, Sarah Fuller, and Janet Knapp.

Customer Reviews:

Everything you wanted to know about chant, etc.......2000-05-15

This is a complete book describing anythinganyone would every like to know about chant, the development of music notation, etc., with information about Western European midieval music as well as other midieval music. It is a great resource for the music historian.

Book Description

B> With this book, authors Watt and Policarpo introduce the theory behind the design of computer games and detail advanced techniques used in the industry, such as: physically based animation; advanced scene management; pre-calculation techniques/image-based rendering; advanced motion capture; and artificial intelligence. Readers will be able to develop their own games within the games "skeletons" accompanying the book, and will learn how to program complex games. The book is divided into six parts: Foundations (which covers the foundations of 3D computer graphics), Classical 3D Graphics, Real-Time Rendering, Control of Objects, 2D Technology, and Software Technology. An appendix on Fly3D SDK Tutorials is also included, and the accompanying CD contains the Fly3D SDK games engine. This books is appropriate for programmers who want to be able to develop their own computer games.

Customer Reviews:

This ones nothing to brag about..........2005-08-11

... I agree with some of the previous negative reviews. I find the flow of the text unpleasant and the book lacked an introduction - where's the pedagogy? It seems as if someone with competence in the field but without alot of forethought just sat down and wrote it, and Addison Wesley didn't bother to have an editor help out in any way. Anyway, this book is in line with the rest of Addison-Wesley's books. Half of the courses that I take require textbooks from Addison Wesley. The courses are always difficult thanks to these second rate books. I recommend Wiley above all publishers but stay away from Addison Wesley if you can. They just dont seem to give a smack about the quality.

excellent book.......2005-06-04

I almost did not buy this book because of some of the earlier reviews, but since it was the only book I could find that provided a comprehensive theoretical, as well as practical, introdution to 3D games I went ahead and bought it anyway. I found that the book is, indeed, an excellent introduction to computer games. I would like to clear up issues addressed by earlier reviews.

First, this book does contain a lot of theory as well as practical information. It does assume a basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics--math that any graphics programmer (or any programmer for that matter) should have at least a basic understanding of. It also assumes a basic knowledge of computer graphics. Thus, if you are looking for a cut and paste guide to creating computer games and are not looking to actually understand how interactive 3D applications work, you should not buy this book. If you intend to learn the fundamentals necessary to become a professional game programmer, or serious hobbyist, you definitely should.

Second, although there are a few typos, I am sure that the "spelling errors" that have been cited are actually due to the fact that the book is written in European, not American, english. This means that, while probably 99% of the words are the same, subtle differences in spellings exist (such as colour instead of color and visualisation instead of visualization). This does not, however, detract from the readability of the book.

This an excellent book and, despite some of the negative reviews, it lived up to all of my expectations as a sound theoretical, as well as practical, introduction to 3D game programming.

This is an excelent book.......2003-02-25

I've been reading game development books for more than 10 years and this is certain one of the best books i've ever read. Policarpo and Watt have created a very good 3D engine that comes in a CD with the book and they explain everything about programming 3D games with this engine and general game programming. It's really Worth Buying!

Nice Source Bad book.......2003-01-28

The source for this book is for an entry level 3D engine, which is just what I wanted. But a lot of the theory (coll det etc) in the source is not explained in the book. Rather than explaining fundamental aspects they seem to throw in loads of detail about the topics that they dont seem to have covered and taken for lots of articles that you can find on the web (gamasutra for one).

Saying that the source is nice and taught me a lot, bsp trees + a bit about collisions. Im glad I have the source but the book seems thrown together and shabby. I just think they could have done a better job making it readable starting 3D engine book rather than a shabby reference book.

...to those who write reviews and those who read them.......2002-06-19

I've read reviews on this book by others. If you can't find a better book, why say that it's not worth buying? Instead of bringing up complaints, why not recommend books you think are more useful? Discouraging buying the book, you believe we should wait for improvements?

Average customer rating:

This is a fascinating concept

Dr. Rampersad's processes bring organizations face-to-face with their own moral fiber

A desperately needed direction that management of organizations should adopt

Ein integriertes Managementsystem

A new management instrument that creates value based, ethical acting on a sustainable foundation

Total Performance Scorecard: Redefining Management to Achieve Performance with Integrity
Hubert K. Rampersad
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0750677147

Book Description

In the post-Enron climate corporate executives are increasingly pressured to increase productivity and create an ethical, trustworthy organizational climate. 'Total Performance Scorecard' introduces a concept of organizational improvement and change management that combines the Balanced Scorecard model with the learning organization theory.

The TPS contains a personal balanced scorecard, which is tied to an organizational balanced scorecard. These scorecards reflect not only performance goals but personal learning and growth goals as well, and the organizational scorecards also address organizational climate issues. Continuous improvement, change management, 360 degree feedback, and the learning organization are theories that the TPS makes use of in a very straightforward way. If implemented, the TPS enables a company to tie personal goals to organizational goals and tie personal performance to organizational performance, all within a culture that supports integrity, personal growth, learning, and open communication. Nirvana!

* Links the personal scorecard to the organizational scorecard in a clear, straightforward way
* Addresses issues of personal ambition and growth within the context of corporate integrity and the learning organization
* Ties in several popular management concepts in one overarching concept

Customer Reviews:

This is a fascinating concept.......2006-08-13

Dear Dr Rampersad, I completely read your English book - Total Performance Score card. This is a fascinating concept. The processes involved in implementing TPS have been explained very simply using simple language. It is indeed a revolution in thinking to keep the 'integrity' as the core area around which other processes are developed. This is an essential part of any management concept for without integrity and commitment any new initiative is bound to fail. -S. Ramachandran, Human Resources, Ramco Systems Ltd, Chennai, India

Dr. Rampersad's processes bring organizations face-to-face with their own moral fiber.......2006-08-13

"Dr. Rampersad's book is just as timely an exhortation to American business as was In Search of Excellence. In this case, the survival of corporations depends on possessing an integrity that can both fuel their drive for performance
and keep it in check. Such integrity cannot be legislated by government or management. Fortunately, Dr. Rampersad's processes bring organizations face-to-face with their own moral fiber (and many other important issues). He couldn't have come along at a better time." --George Cline, MBA, President, VitalConcern, Tampa, FL

A desperately needed direction that management of organizations should adopt.......2006-08-13

"Total Performance Scorecard is a desperately needed direction that management of organizations should adopt. It stresses the importance and need of developing an organizational structure and philosophy that combines the goals and aspirations of the individual with those of the company. It is a melding process, which results in a corporate culture that is both individually and organizationally driven. The concepts embodied in this management concept
provide solutions to preserving and utilizing individual rights and capabilities while adjusting the organizational structure and philosophy to this new environment." --Edward H. Barker, Professor at University of LaVerne, CA

Ein integriertes Managementsystem.......2006-08-13

Äußerst systematisch aufgebaut, entwickelt Hubert Rampersad in einer stimulierenden und praxisnahen Sprache ein integriertes Managementsystem auf der gedanklichen Basis mehrerer erfolgreicher und äußerst aktueller Managementkonzepte, wie dem der Balanced Scorecard, dem des Total Quality Managements, des Wissens-, Kompetenz- und Performancemangements, des Changemanagements sowie dem der lernenden Organisation." --Professor Dr. Christian Schuchardt, Professor für BWL und Internationales Management an der School of International Business der Hochschule Bremen

A new management instrument that creates value based, ethical acting on a sustainable foundation.......2006-08-13

"Successful companies are High Performance Systems, something that is true today even more than ever. A condition to make these levels of High Performance possible is the alignment of personal and organizational targets and interests, irrespective of company levels or sectors. The Total Performance Scorecard (TPS) is a new management instrument that introduces this alignment and creates value based, ethical acting on a sustainable foundation. Dr. Hubert Rampersad has achieved a large and very important jump forward with the presentation of this concept". Professor Dr. Kuno Rechkemmer, Director DaimlerChrysler, Germany

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Reading.......2007-01-09

I visited Telluride and purchased this book while there. I read it, loaned it to several friends and they read it and loved it. My daughter loved it so much she didn't return it, so I purchased a second book. The author has a knack for writing and has led an extremely interesting life. At first I thought I enjoyed the book because I had visited a lot of the places that she talked about, but later found that people who had never been to CO enjoyed the book as much as I did.

Excellent Colorado History.......2007-01-03

I really enjoyed this book about a family in old mining towns. I was surprised that it was a mine that was named Tomboy instead of a boyish bride. I love historical books and this one was very descriptive.

Tomboy Bride.......2006-11-10

This is a wonderful autobiography written about a young woman's life in the high altitude of Telluride and Leadville CO, around the turn of the century in the early 1900's. Nothing in her former life prepared her for the 'adventures' of being a bride in the harsh realities of a mining camp.
However, she was a real trooper and made a happy life for herself,her husband and child. This is a real winner of a story.

Tomboy Bride -- The hard life of a miner's wife.......2005-08-18

I bought this book on recommendation from tour guides in Telluride, Colorado. I had taken a jeep ride up to the mining area that forms the subject of much of this book. After having finished the book, I can second the recommendation.

The author is not a professional writer, and it shows. But you can still tell she is speaking the truth of her experience. The hardships that she, her husband and here little daughter endured will surprise modern, well educated readers. I say well educated, because both she and her husband received the kind of education that modern readers would expect to lead to cushy executive jobs. Not so here. They seem to have been living just at the poverty level for many years as her husband labored in the mines. Through her eyes you will have some sense of life in one of the most important mining areas at that time.

To those who have visited this area, reading the book will provide a welcome recollection of its beauty.

I hated for it to end!!.......2004-08-21

After our second Jeep ride that just happened to go through the Tomboy Mine, I read about this book on the Ouray, CO web site and ordered it. The reviews were right--I couldn't put it down either. I've ordered more copies to give away.

I immediately ordered Duane Smith's A Visit With the Tomboy Bride. He is a Colorado professor who has used Mrs. Backus' book in his history classes and had correspondence with her for many years. Now I'm finished with it and sad for it all to end.

I swore I would not take another Jeep ride down that trail. It's still just like Mrs. Backus described and showed it--very scary. Now, I really want to go back to the Tomboy Mine one more time!

Book Description

In the early days of the First World War two volunteer Pals Battalions were raised in Bradford and this is their remarkable story. David Raw's account is based on memoirs, letters, diaries, contemporary newspaper reports, official records and archives, and it is illustrated with many maps and previously unpublished photographs. He recaptures the heroism and stoical humor displayed by the Bradford Pals in the face of often terrible experiences, but he also recounts the tragedy, pain, suffering and grief that was the dark side of war.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended for any in-depth survey of the World War I battlefield experience.......2005-12-03

A lot has gone into the making of David Raw 's Bradford Pals: A Comprehensive History Of The 16th-18th & 20th Service Batillions Of The Prince Of Wales Own West Yorkshire Regiment 1914-1918: though a specialty item for military libraries, it uses memoirs, letters, diaries, newspaper reports, and official archives to recount the experiences of the Bradford Pals in the face of war. The early days of World War I led two volunteer Pals Battalions to recruit, train and serve in Egypt and in France between 1916 and 1918: their experiences and shared memories document over two years of war during which over a third of the original Pals were killed or wounded. Black and white photos pepper the account and cement the 'you are there' feel of Bradford Pals, which is recommended for any in-depth survey of the World War I battlefield experience.

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