Chasing Success: Lessons We Can Learn From The Lives Of Harvard's Entrepreneurs

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Jake the Trout Guy tells all

Buried Lies: True Tales and Tall Stories from the PGA Tour
Peter Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Embedded Balls : Adventures On and Off the Tour with Golf's Premier Storyteller

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David Feherty's Totally Subjective History of the Ryder Cup: A Hardly Definitive, Completely Cockeyed, But Absolutely Loving Look at Golf's Most Exciting Event

ASIN: 0140235787

Customer Reviews:

Jake the Trout Guy tells all.......2001-06-19

Jake is such a popular player and very versatile. Not only does he play golf very well at the pro level, but his lead singing is legendary. Buy the Jake Trout and the Flounder album if you haven't already.

The guy's imitations on the practice range are classics. Now, in this book he tells some stories of himself and others. Remember Fluff?

Great golf read from one of the most respected guys on tour. Win a couple more Jake.

Average customer rating:
Buried Lies : True Tales and Tall Stories from the PGA Tour
Peter; Sheehan, Jack Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ7AXM

Customer Reviews:

Everything Rosie: The Ultimate Guide for Rosie O'Donnell Fans.......2007-05-29

I firmly believe that Rosie O'Donnell is a great human being, with a big heart, sensitive to other people's feelings and problems, always ready to help. I wish there were more people like her. I can truly say I am a very devoted and great fan of Rosie. Thank you Rosie for being who you are. Never change!!!!!!

Everything is Coming up Roses.......2003-01-23

I like Rosie. Her humour, her compassion, her philathropic values. She is a great woman - or so she presents herself to be - inside and out. This book 'Everything Rosie' is a biography and anecdotal book about the life of the actress/comedian Rosie O'Donnell. From the death of her mother at the mere age of 10, her talk show and to when she first became a mother to Parker.
This a great book for fans to learn a little bit more about Rosie and where she comes from. You understand her a little bit better at the end of the book and admire her that much more.
The book is written in different formats, using song exceprts, AOL snippets and show by show guest lists.
Recommended for the fan by a fan . . . not for someone who does not enjoy Rosie O'Donnell

All you need to know about Rosie.......2002-02-04

Before I read this book I didn't know much about Rosie O'Donnell. But after reading this I got to know who the person behind the famous Rosie O'Donnell show is. You get to know her thoughts and feelings, and you feel close to her after this book. You understand her in a way I didn't before. There are included some nice pictures, but in my opinion there are not enough. Also there are online chats with Rosie, that gives you a clue to how her humour works. I loved the book. But I think you need to be an inquisitive fan of her to do that. You want some questions answered. If that's who you are, buy it. If you only want pictures of her, then this is not the right book. And if you already know all you need to know about her, then this is not the book for you. This is kind of a beginner's guide to Rosie.

Rosie still has fans?.......2001-10-19

People still enjoy this woman and books written about her? She is a disgusting fat pig with very little talent. This book exemplifies her "wonderful" qualities. Did I mention she's a hypocrite?

GREAT BOOK FOR HER FANS!!!.......2000-07-10

I am a big Rosie fan and I tune in every day!! But there were things I did not know about my favorite tv star! I came on the internet and looked at all the books available. I read every review and this one seemed most liked. I bought the book and enjoyed every moment of it!!

Book Description

"I like the fact that the book is relatively even-handed - appreciating spectacle even while forcing students to question critically the effects of consumption in their lives and those of their fellow citizens."

-Gary Alan Fine, Northwestern University

" Enchanting a Disenchanted World is a tour de force. Drawing upon a rich array of examples, George Ritzer provides an original and insightful analysis of the new means of consumption and how they are transforming our lives. . . . Analytically crisp, jargon free, and packed with fresh illustrations, Enchanting a Disenchanted World is equally effective as an engaging read for specialists and a lucid text for classroom use. Highly recommended to scholars and students."

-Kevin Fox Gotham, Tulane University

"I think this is a great book! I have enjoyed working with it, and so have my students. . . . I especially like the chapters that deal with social theory. These chapters are very effective in presenting social theory to students, as they contain very clear and straightforward explanations of the ideas of otherwise very complex and difficult social theorists."

-Ann Branaman, Florida Atlantic University

Megamalls. Restaurant chains. Elaborate casinos. Deluxe cruise ships. Enormous theme parks. Everywhere we turn, there is a new place being constructed in which to spend money. The Second Edition of Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption examines the development of these settings, and many others like them, in the last half century.

Author George Ritzer takes a look at how a revolutionary change has occurred in the places in which we consume goods and services, and how it has a profound effect not only on the nature of consumption but also on social life. In the process of taking capitalism to a new level, we have created new "cathedrals of consumption"-locales to which we make pilgrimages in order to practice our consumer religion. The book offers rich detail on consuming in places such as Las Vegas, Disney World, cruise ships, Wal-Mart, and McDonald’s-all competing to outdo one another to see which one can put on the greatest show and lure the most consumers.

Enchanting a Disenchanted World is a unique analysis of the world of consumption, examining how we are different consumers now than we were in the past, both in the U.S. and around the world. In the process of understanding this social development, a wide range of theoretical perspectives including Marxian, Weberian, critical theory, and postmodern theory are applied. The book also looks at concepts such as hyperconsumption, implosion, time and space, and simulation.

New to the Second Edition:

A new Chapter 7 has been added discussing "landscapes of consumption," or locales that encompass two or more cathedrals of consumption, giving a broader geographic context to examine the changes in consumption settings, their impact on the lure of consumption, and the pressure to consume.
A new section has been added to Chapter 3, devoted to the historical importance of the early Parisian arcades and to the thinking of the important social theorist, Walter Benjamin, on these sites.
The book has been thoroughly revised and updated and discusses the new big players among the cathedrals of consumption, including Disney’s upcoming theme park in Hong Kong, the new Queen Mary II, the soon-to-be completed casino resort Wynn Las Vegas, and many more.

Enchanting a Disenchanted World connects the everyday world in a sociological and theoretical way, making it an ideal text for a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses including introductory sociology, sociology of consumption , social change, popular culture, sociology of leisure, social theory, and economic sociology. The book will also be of value to anyone interested in exploring a sociological analysis of the world’s changing and expanding patterns and places of consumption.

Customer Reviews:

Plays like a broken record.............2005-08-12

It's interesting for five minutes...and that's when you are flipping through the pages.

He is always coming back to the same points.
This should have been a summarized and compressed phamplet.

Thoughtful and perceptive.......2003-09-05

This book changed the way I view my own habits of consumption. I found his analysis of contemporary trends in consumption interesting and provocative. Also interesting was his conclusion that as people grow accustomed to the new means of consumption that they have to be continually impressed by something new. I thought his remarks on the architecture of the "cathedrals of consumption" were also very important. The most unsettling aspect of the book was Ritzer's comparison of modern styles of consumption with religious institutions, and even the conformity of religious institutions to this new means of consumption (i.e., the mega-churches of today). It was a good read, too, not too dense or pretentious. Very engaging.

please do not buy this book.......2001-11-08

this has to be the most superficial and simplistic account on the new means of consumption; i.e., malls, theme parks, casinos, etc. it is hardly believable that ritzer takes in a seriuos manner his naive arguments, that in several occasions turn into pure idle talk, or worst pure stupidity. just to give one example, when he mentions that malls have their roots in the ancient greek and roman markets. although he states that his work is heavely influenced by the writtings of baudrillard he never explains in his matter why we consume in the first place. even worse, he never gives a concrete argumentation of why this world is disenchanted in the first place and why it has to be enchanted. so please do not make the same mistake that i did and do not buy this book. it is the first time that i have read something by this author but i think i had enough of him for the rest of my life. i might be a joy-killer to use the term of ritzer to describe an anthropologist but i least i am not as simplistic and stupid as he is.

Interesting, yet hypocritial.......1999-10-18

Well, he even talks Amazon.com as a cathedral of consumption, and brings up such facts as doing what I am doing, reviewing books on amazon.com. I found it to be hypocritical for him to badmouth consumption so much, yet he profits from the things he badmouths, such as my purchase of his book at amazon.com He claims most are subject to consumption. Well, unless you go around naked, live in a cafe and eat sticks, everyone is. This book serves as a valuable tool to look into the methods of consumption that rule our daily lives, but don't get too caught up it how bad it is, consumption feeds the author and his family also.

Prepare to feel exploited.......1999-10-05

Ritzer does a good job of awakening the average consumer to the explotation they are undergoing daily.

Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption (Cram 101 Series)

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Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption (Cram 101 Series)
1st Edition Ritzer
Manufacturer: AIPI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1428816364

Book Description

Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again! Virtually all testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events are included.look no further for study resources or reference material. Cram101 Textbook Outlines gives all of the outlines, highlights, notes, and practice-tests for your textbook. Only Cram101 is Textbook Specific. Cram101 is NOT the Textbook.

Enchanting A Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption

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Enchanting A Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption
George Ritzer
Manufacturer: Pine Forge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KA02DK

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All the best / mainly from Informant

Worth Reading

Chess Brilliancy: 250 Historic Games from the Masters
Iakov Damsky
Manufacturer: Everyman Chess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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The Immortal Games of Capablanca

ASIN: 1857442741

Book Description

What do we understand by brilliancy in chess? The author delves back into history to examine how this concept has developed before presenting a dazzling array of brilliant games selected by grandmaster panels for each issue of the Yugoslav Chess Informator between 1968 and 1998. Apart from providing hours of pleasure, a study of these masterpieces will also help readers to add a sparkle to their own play!

Customer Reviews:

All the best / mainly from Informant.......2003-03-22

A student of mine purchased this book several weeks ago. Last night I went to chess club and I received a copy as a gift. I stayed up for hours reading it. (And going over the games.) {I am a chess master that teaches chess (on the Internet) and builds chess sites.}

My impressions were as follows:

#1.) He claims the every first game to receive this prize was the game, Bird-Mason; 1876. (There were games before this that were mentioned as best games of various events.)
His analysis of that game is too critical. The game is very entertaining and quite brilliant - especially for that time period.

#2.) I checked several of his analysis versus dozens of copies of the "Informants." Sometimes all he did was copy the analysis and notes, and maybe flesh them out with a few comments. His analysis is almost word-for-word copies of some analysis that appears in seveal issues of the NIC Year-book.
#.3) He gives all the games names, some show a sense of humor. Titles like: "Art Imitating Life," and "Original Banality." (an oxymoron)

I went over close to a dozen games, I found at least two errors in the analysis. Some of the analysis is very critical of older games. He does NOT always give all the moves of a game, and I find this to be a drawback. He also greatly criticizes some older and well-known brilliancies, (like Bogolyubov-Alekhine, Hastings; 1922) but does not substantiate his criticisms. (In fact he is simply regurgitating analysis done by GM's like Nunn and Soltis, there seems to be little new work here.) He also gives several famous games that have been thought to be total FAKES ... (i.e., Botvinnik - Chekover); and does not even comment on this fact.

Having said all this, would I buy this book? The answer is yes. But let me give you a few reasons you should NOT buy this book: DON'T buy this book if you are looking for chess instruction, or to get better; DON'T buy this book if you hope it will improve your game. This is quite simply a book about the most brilliant games of chess ever played. (The annotations are nowhere near as instructive as a Nunn or Soltis book.) Now having said that, let me give the following qualification: If you purchased this book, and did a systematic study of these games, you would DEFINITELY improve your tactics. Some of these games are the best and most intense tactical 'free-for-alls' ever played.

This is really a book for a serious chess lover. Buy this book if you love chess, and would like a record of all of the most brilliant games ever played. If that is your rationale, then this would be a good book to get, and you could spend hundreds of enjoyable hours studying these exciting contests. This would also be a good reference book. (250 games.)

Worth Reading.......2003-01-05

Damsky is a well-known chess writer; many readers will be acquainted with books that he has authored or co-authored, e.g. "The Art of Defence in Chess", "Attack with Mikhail Tal", and "The Heavy Pieces in Action." This new book of his - "Chess Brilliancy" - is interesting and instructive, but not without its shortcomings.

The heart of this book is the third chapter, 140 pages long, which examines the highest rated game from each of the Chess Informants from Numbers 4 to 72. There are also games or game fragments that didn't quite get the highest rating, but which Damsky feels are worth including. All told, there are close to one hundred games given in this third chapter.

Damsky has collated the notes from various sources. The cognoscenti are doubtless aware that Chess Informant itself published a book titled "640 Best Games 64 Golden Games" some years back, where the ten best games from each of the first 64 Informants were presented. Unfortunately, no notes accompanied the games. To this extent, Damsky has performed a service for the chess public. The notes explain the ideas in words, and some lines are also given, but of course, this analysis can't match that given in Informant itself, nor is it comparable to the analysis given in the recent books by Nunn and Stohl.

Besides performing the service of giving these "best games", with notes, in one book, Damsky also frequently indicates what it was that impressed the judges; it could, for example, be consummate technical skill, subtlety in manoevring, or brilliance in attack. We thus get an idea of what exactly it is that impresses the GM elite, i.e. how they conceive the game of chess. This will most likely have a salutary effect on the reader's chess-playing strength.

The cover advertises 250 games. Unfortunately, there are only 219 given altogether. About a hundred of these, given in the fourth chapter, are games readers are likely to have already seen umpteen times - games of Tarrasch, Capablanca, and Alekhine, for example; the notes to these games are sparse. It seems they've been employed as "filler."

In summary, a book worth buying just for the third chapter.

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash MX in 24 Hours offers a clearly written, well-organized introduction to this powerful product, and gives the beginner an overview of the entire package, without becoming too overwhelming.

Download Description

Since its introduction in 1996, Macromedia Flash has become the standard for delivering high impact, vector-based graphics to the Web. Flash is deceptively simple at first, yet has great depth and flexibility. Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 5 in 24 Hours offers a clearly written, well-organized introduction to this powerful product, and gives the beginner an overview of the entire package, without becoming too overwhelming. A new version of Flash is expected to be released in the 1st quarter of 2002. It will have user interface improvements, several new features, and extensive improvements to existing features.

Customer Reviews:

Strangefruit.......2007-04-28

I own THREE other Flash books AND took a 2 Day course a year ago, and this book has taught me more than all the others combined in my first day of use. Well written, easy to follow, the lessons are in a LOGICAL order that make sense to someone who does not know Flash. Terrific book if you need to learn Flash. I wish I had found it before I wasted time and money on the other books and the course! You won't waste your money with this one. I wish Adobe would hire this guy...he understands Flash and knows how to explain it.

Sam's in the classroom.......2007-02-13

Hi, I'm using this textbook in a classroom with some Grade 10 students, and to teach myself Flash as well. I find the book good over all, but some of the exercises have been difficult.The instructions don't work as written sometimes, and I have to 'feel around' the program to figure out what I'm supposed to do to get the expected result. I'm not sure if that's because I'm not understanding things clearly, or if I have a slightly different version of Flash. The book is for Flash MX 2004 and I have Flash MX 2004 professional. I don't know if that would make a difference. The book is a comprehensive introduction broken into manageable lessons. The kids find the exercises fairly manageable, but the lessons in between the exercises are written at a bit of a high reading level for them.

Great launching pad..........2006-08-10

Kerman pretty much hit it on the head for me to get started authoring computer-based training in Flash. He explains things concisely and succinctly.

Pretty much a "to the point" kind of tutorial book. Although, it would have been nice to have a companion CD, Kerman has placed many of the excercises on a website for book owners. He has also been extremely accessible.

Pretty Good until you get to the actionscripting part.......2006-02-22

I was going through this book fairly well untilllllllllll.......... I came to the actionscripting chapters. Some work fine but I kept coming to exercises where I kept saying what the *#&^ am I doing wrong! I thought the big problem was I has flash mx instead of flash mx 2004, I guess I was wrong. As I read the other users reviews I discovered there are a lot of errors. I would have recommended this book but not anymore. Don't get this book unless you want to use it as a target from frustration.

Oh and you cannot get the downloads to work.

Good if you get it from the local Library for free.......2006-02-08

Useful book, but not ereror checked thoroughly and not consistent and clear in its presentation. Books dealing with action script and code must be concise and thoroughly tested. This book was not. Glad I didn't pay for it.

Book Description

"Rich and rewarding, of inestimable value" -Elie Wiesel

"Most of the research and writing on the Holocaust documents the process of destruction and not what was destroyed. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust fills that gap, and does so in a comprehensive and exacting fashion. It is a welcome addition." -Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies Director, Institute for Jewish Studies Emory University

"Based on extensive archival and bibliographic research, the Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust is a major contribution to modern Jewish history. The entries are precise, clear and reliable. The photos are priceless and often rare. This work will be indispensable to scholars and the general public." -Jehuda Reinharz, Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History and President, Brandeis University

New York University Press announces with pride the publication of a remarkable project, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust. Edited by Dr. Shmuel Spector and the late Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder and published in conjunction with Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Remembrance Authority of Israel, the Encyclopedia represents the fruit of more than three decades of labor and stands as one of the most important and ambitious projects the Press has published. Nobel Peace Prize-winner Elie Wiesel contributed the foreword.

Today throughout much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, only fragmentary remnants of once thriving Jewish communities can be found as evidence of more than two thousand years of vibrant Jewish presence among the nations of the world. These communities, many of them ancient, were systematically destroyed by Hitler's forces during the Holocaust. Yet each of their stories-from small village enclaves to large urban centers-is unique in its details and represents one of the countless intertwined threads that comprise the rich tapestry of Jewish history.

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust captures these lost images. In three volumes, it chronicles the people, habits and customs of more than 6,500 Jewish communities that thrived during the early part of the twentieth century only to be changed irrevocably by the war. It clarifies precise locations of settlements based on documents and maps found in recently opened archives; it traces their development through history; it shares small details of everyday life-the culture, the politics, and the faith that inspired the people; and its photographs put faces on the immeasurable loss.

Based on decades of research at Yad Vashem, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust tells the story of thousands of Jewish communities in concise prose, illustrated with maps and poignant images of a world that can no longer be visited. The Encyclopedia is a rich source of information for students, teachers, genealogists and anyone interested in the pageant of Jewish life through the ages.

From the Foreword

"But the enemy did not only annihilate individuals; his aim was also to destroy our social structures, our economic foundations, religious and secular, our schools, our institutions, our libraries, our workshops, our synagogues, our cultural centers-in a word: our communities.

. . . In the Jewish world one knew a town by its Jewish life. Belz and Munkacs, Bialystok and Amsterdam, Kiev and Lille and Zablotow-offering families and individuals a sense of security and countless opportunities for fulfillment, each community had its own particular characteristics and problems, its roots, its challenges, and its ambitions. . . . To understand the extent of the unprecedented crimes committed against the Jewish people in Europe is not enough; one must also seek to understand the life of this people before the catastrophe." -Elie Wiesel

Features -Three volumes -1,824 pages -81/2 x 11 -More than 6,500 communities profiled -600 b&w photographs and illustrations -17 pages of maps -21-page glossary -Complete bibliography -Index of communities including alternate spellings and pronunciations -Index of personalities

Customer Reviews:

A must in every Jewish....and non Jewish home .......2006-11-10

As history recedes into the foggy past, this wonderful work should remind future generations of their originis and what transpired in the recent past. I recommend this Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust as a written record as well as a memorial to our immediate past families. It tells us and future generations how we came to be where we are in the present.

Compelling Memorial.......2003-10-31

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust is an index of 6,500 Jewish communities that were destroyed (many completely) by the Nazi regime 1939-1945. It is both a translation and an abridgement of a 30+ volume series in Hebrew, the Pinkasei Kehillot. Entries are generally brief, though major cities (Warsaw, Berlin) get several pages.

There are also photographs, both scattered through the work and in a 56-page In Memoriam section at the end. Unlike another reviewer here, I feel that these photographs are not "wasted space," but necessary to help readers understand and connect with the story contained in the volumes. Humans can only process so many statistics -- our brains simply don't deal well with numbers. By putting a picture, a face, on the brief details in this book, the authors make them more real, more compelling.

This book is highly recommended as resource for those looking for information on the fate of a particular Jewish community, or seeking to understand the scope of Nazi destruction during the Holocaust. The authors are to be commended.

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION.......2002-03-25

As mentioned previously, this is a 3-volume condensation (in English) of a 30-volume Hebrew study. This is obvious if compared with some of the entries in the 1970s Encyclopedia Judaica.It is information not to be found anywhere else, particularly its entries of even the smallest European towns.I found one major fault, and several minor ones.The major fault, and one that I cannot understand, is the complete omission of any cities and towns of Bulgaria, even Sofia!One observation that is debatable, is how many volumes should have been published (and therefore made available to English-speaking readers) and, thus, if made into another volume or two, the obvious space/time limitation would not have been so obvious.Minor criticisms: Rumania, instead of Romania. Many inconsequential and trivial photos; the space could have been used for more detail in places where gross omissions occurred.It is obvious that there is no book like it. The Encyclopedia Judaica is superior for the towns/cities it mentions; but, since EJ covers much else, this set's coverage of so many more towns/cities, makes it unique and essential to anyone who desires this information. Another minor point: Why is Jewabne not mentioned?

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust - 3 volume set

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The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust - 3 volume set
Shmuel Spector
Manufacturer: Yad Vashem
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PW4XYM

Book Description

Chronicling the rise of Los Angeles through shifting ideas of race and ethnicity, William Deverell offers a unique perspective on how the city grew and changed. Whitewashed Adobe considers six different developments in the history of the city--including the cementing of the Los Angeles River, the outbreak of bubonic plague in 1924, and the evolution of America's largest brickyard in the 1920s. In an absorbing narrative supported by a number of previously unpublished period photographs, Deverell shows how a city that was once part of Mexico itself came of age through appropriating--and even obliterating--the region's connections to Mexican places and people.
Deverell portrays Los Angeles during the 1850s as a city seething with racial enmity due to the recent war with Mexico. He explains how, within a generation, the city's business interests, looking for a commercially viable way to establish urban identity, borrowed Mexican cultural traditions and put on a carnival called La Fiesta de Los Angeles. He analyzes the subtle ways in which ethnicity came to bear on efforts to corral the unpredictable Los Angeles River and shows how the resident Mexican population was put to work fashioning the modern metropolis. He discusses how Los Angeles responded to the nation's last major outbreak of bubonic plague and concludes by considering the Mission Play, a famed drama tied to regional assumptions about history, progress, and ethnicity. Taking all of these elements into consideration, Whitewashed Adobe uncovers an urban identity--and the power structure that fostered it--with far-reaching implications for contemporary Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews:

Some parts were interesting but mostly it's a narrative on the "evil white man" nonsense.......2007-06-15

My son gave me a copy of this book and I was eager to read it since my great Grandfather immigrated to the USA in the late 19th century and eventually settled in Boyle Heights (an area just east of the L.A. river). As with so many immigrants, he worked for dirt wages (he was a tailor by trade).
This book irritated me to no end; it's the classic liberal, "... everybody feel sorry for the Mexicans and make sure you hate the whites while your at it". Yaaaaaawn. I'm so tired of this approach to historical analysis; clearly the author has an agenda. The reality is that just about anyone who was poor back then was exploited. Remember, this was in the day before labor laws existed, min. wage, etc. It didn't matter if you were: black, hispanic, Jewish, Italian, Irish, German, etc .... all were equal candidates for exploitation by the powerful and elite (something the author fails to mention). True, the powerful were almost always white back then, but they nevertheless exploited whites (Irish, Germans, Italians, Jews, etc) just as they exploited hispanics and blacks. Anyone was fair game. Further, exploitation is hardly a "white thing"... just take a cursory look at Latin American history, Asian history, African history, and you'll see that exploitation is colorblind on the side of the exploiter and exploited.
This book will reinforce the victimhood feeling amongst hispanics; it will fan the flames of hatred against the "evil white man". Any hispanic activist who engages in ethnic politics will love this book since the book's message will give them that cozy, warm feeling of being an oppressed people, hence allowing them to falsely cast the blame of their peoples shortcomings on someone else (ie. whites). The problem is that victimhood is the last thing hispanics need in order to pull them out of their rut. Tough love is what it will take to conquer the social ills which are destroying hispanics... social ills characteristic of hispanic American culture such as: gangs, crime, vandalism & graffiti, highest high school dropout rate of any ethnic group, highest teen pregnancy rate of any ethnic group, having too many children ie. beyond their means to provide for them, lowest level of education of any ethnic group, lowest personal savings rate, lowest homeownership rate, etc.
The problems facing hispanics in America are largely due to hispanic culture and it's lack of upward mobility. Contrast hispanic culture to Asian culture. Asian immigrants quickly see and take advantage of the opportunities available to them in the United States. The Vitnemese refugues are a great example of the Asian mindset. Poor with only the shirts on their back, within one generation Vietnemese are sending their kids to the best colleges, moving up the economic ladder, etc. Contrast that to East L.A. which has been predominately hispanic for several generations. Nothing much has changed in East L.A. since the 1960's, it's still rife with all the same social ills outlined above.

throwing light on the dark place of our history.......2006-04-18

Too often we refuse or fail to take the time to uncover our history and discuss it openly and honestly. Even family members have a tendencey to edit what their generation and past generations knew was wrong, but never addressed. We are all cowards at one point or another by not addressing the injustices that surround us. Even the history of the L.A. River and the decisions to concrete it in are under reconsideration because of what the long term understanding of that impact has meant to this city and this river and how we can change that impact for the greater good.
Whitewashed Adobe takes a harsh and revealing look at prejudice, control, political power plays by the "conquering heroes," of the day. In light of how our society has evolved into awareness of individual contributions, this is a sobering account of the inequities of racism, prejudice in the early history of Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
My mother-in-laws' relatives worked in the brickyard. Chapter 3 of this book goes into much detail of the rigors of the work and how the Mexicans were treated. Simons was almost paternal in his caretaking and providing for these laborers. But they served a larger purpose for this growing city. A purpose that left their humanity and their legacy out of the picture of what Los Angeles was destined to become. There is still prejudice in this place. Until we learn to view the contributions of all its citizens as a plus, we'll never be a real community. There were times when I was reading this intricate weaving, when I had to put the book down because of the overwhelming anger at the "pillars" of this illustrous city, for their insensitivity, their absolute ignorance in their shortsightedness of these valuable contributions. Walk in someone elses shoes for a while and view this from other ethnic groups and see how you would feel. This is a fine book and I've already given it away 5-6 times. Its about calling us to appreciate the hard work and dedication of those who've gone before us. Of course, we have the long lens of experience and learning to view this history from a very different perspective. Long-term planning for the future demands vision for and from the whole community, not just the few.

Disappointing.......2006-01-18

I was truly disappointed in this book. It was recommended to me as a fascinating insight on the history of Los Angeles. The author views everything through the prism of racism. Certainly there was prejudice and paternalism reflected in this history, however, the author makes broad assumptions not based on any documentation, but merely on his guesses as to motivation.
Example: in discussing the role of Mexicans in brickmaking in the 1920s, he mentions that the company owner gave a $5 gold piece for each child born of his workers. The author surmises (without any evidence) that the employers motivation was to encourage more births to produce more workers. Considering the long time before these infants were of working age and the ready availability of more Mexican immigrants this hardly seems logical.
2nd Example: in discussing the outbreak of plague, he seems incensed at the idea of quarantine in the Mexican neighborhood where the plague originated. He seems not to be aware of the fact that in the early years of the 20th century before antibiotics, quarantine was about the only way to halt the spread of such highly contagious diseases. The quarantine may have saved many lives, and it seems ridiculous to assume this was solely the result of racism. During my college years as a history major, I'm sure no professor of mine would have accepted such wild assumptions as the author presents without documentation. There is an old saying that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Apparently all the author had was his perception of prejudice and he filters everything through that prism.

Book Description

A Well-Tempered Mind investigates the intriguing connection between music education and brain development in children. Peter Perret and Janet Fox use the details of an innovative music education program for elementary school students to explore this fascinating relationship. A Well-Tempered Mind describes how the students of Bolton Elementary in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a local quintet worked together and then explains the ongoing research that focuses on how music engages the brain’s cognitive capabilities, from memory and language to emotional processing. Music, A Well-Tempered Mind reveals, is a universal language that expands young minds in essential ways.

“The authors put flesh on the feeling shared by all music teachers that the experience of music enhances thought and learning in unexpected directions, well beyond the simple act of enjoying the sound. … It’s exciting and necessary reading for all who are battling to ensure the place of music in the school curriculum."—Times Educational Supplement

Customer Reviews:

The Well - Tempered Mind.......2004-09-21

Peter Perret and Janet Fox have made a worthy contribution to education by telling a story of how music can affect children's ability to learn, to listen and to raise their overall performance in school. This book explores the way musicians teach and the way children and teachers learn from the activities described in the ground-braking Bolton Project in Winston Salem, NC.
The writing is engaging and humorous, but also serious and well researched. The book touches on different models of teacher-student relationship, creative approaches to learning, and the sense of vocation and commitment to continuous improvement. It focuses on the realities of the present moment and the sense of accomplishment that results when there is passion for excellence.
The book also touches on some important questions on whether music instruction affects our cognitive abilities, and gives the reader a good overview on the research that has been going on for the last fifteen years. It tantalizes the reader to know more about the subject and makes a good case for adopting new teaching models through music instruction in the early school years.
I highly recommend this book to teachers, parents and to anyone who is interested on new models for effective teaching.
Patricia A. Dixon
Lecturer in Music
Wake Forest University

Well-Tempered.......2004-09-19

A Well-Tempered Mind, Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn by Peter Perret and Janet Fox with a foreword by Maya Angelou
March 2004, Dana Press

"That is what I think the woodwind quintet is doing. Our musicians are playing to a fundamental language of the brain. They are evoking a muse that already lives in every child's head."

Harvard's Project Zero was named that because of Howard Gardner's belief in 1967 that "nothing had been firmly established about the link between the arts and cognitive thinking." Thirty-seven years later, the North Carolina Bolton Project creates a new yet ancient paradigm: live music in classrooms of elementary and middle school students, particularly at-risk ones, causes a dramatic increase in students' standardized test scores, perhaps due to the neurological changes the music catalyzes. This book proves it. And, as the authors point out, the link between music and learning dates back to Plato. Current tests, such as the Audio-Visual Integration test (AVI), were used to substantiate the significant success of the Bolton Project. Since we know most "children who fail to master reading in the early grades rarely learn to read later in life", elementary and middle school educators can find a panacea in this book.

Students listening to live music such as a quintet raised their scores by almost 50%. The authors stress that the quintet wasn't there to teach music but to teach through music, the classroom teacher creating the lesson plan with the music coordinator. Frank Wood, Professor of Neurology at Wake Forest University, states it directly in his introduction: "The Bolton curriculum, I can now say from firsthand experience as a research colleague of Peter Perret and a mentor of Shirley Bowles, has proved effective for enhancing cognitive skills, including the skills that support learning to read." Although the book focuses on music, all performing arts have potential to increase learning.

Far from being a dry read like a textbook, the book tells a success story of a ten-year old project that should rivet educational reformers. The authors also reveal insights into cognitive neuroscience and the learning process. Actual dialog of students enhances the book's readability in addition to showing the spatial-temporal reasoning being developed in students. Humor abounds in the titles and heads of the book, such as allusions "Close Encounters of the Musical Kind" and "Raising Arizona". Even the title of the book connects with the essence of the project.

As a high school English teacher of at-risk students, I'm overwhelmed at the difference this kind of classroom would make. The first thing I teach in 9th grade English is how to think back and forth between specifics and generalizations. If my students had been introduced to this type of teaching in elementary school, their struggle to form abstract ideas from specifics would be far less. Part of my job is to raise the reading scores of students, so when I read the chapter "Is Music A Reading Teacher?" I recognized the incredible value of A Well-Tempered Mind in terms of helping students improve thinking, reading, and, of course, writing skills.

Maya Angelou best expresses my thinking after reading Perret and Fox's book: "I pray the gift of this book, along with the gift of music, will herald the return of art in the classroom. The children need that and so does our world."

An Important Book.......2004-09-11

This is an important book for everyone who has a stake in the education of young children, meaning everyone concerned with our country's future. The book demonstrates what happens when a woodwind quintet visits the classroom to play music and actively engages the children in discussions about the music. What happens is the children's brain development is enhanced, together with their ability to learn everything in the curriculum.

This book provides a guide for school administrators and parents to adopt the program in their schools. The program's results are eye-opening: the new listening skills that the program develops help children better anticipate, remember, compare, and imagine. As the musicians and children discuss quarter notes and half notes, the concept of fractions becomes real and tangible. When the children compose music, their self-confidence improves.

The book provides empirical evidence about these results. For those who want it, the evidence is correlated with cutting-edge brain research. To many people, the idea of music in the classroom means music appreciation or learning to play an instrument. This program, far more ambitious, does far more.

Book alert.(A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn)(Book Review): An article from: Education Next

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Book alert.(A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn)(Book Review): An article from: Education Next

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, 2005. The length of the article is 1428 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: Book alert.(A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn)(Book Review)
Publication: Education Next (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Page: 82(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn

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A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn
Peter and Janet Fox Perrett
Manufacturer: Dana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J13YGM

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A concise, authoritative book, Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization brings together the literature on globalization and the sociology of the environment in one readable volume. Author Steven Yearly argues that environmental issues have received scant attention in the general debate on globalization. The call for global environmental change is now made by both pressure groups and policymakers, implying that the problems are global in nature and that any adequate response requires common global action. Both timely and thought provoking, Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization provides quality material for students and professionals in social theory and environmental studies.

Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization: Reinventing the Globe (BSA Sociological Horizons series)

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Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization: Reinventing the Globe (BSA Sociological Horizons series)
Steven Yearley
Manufacturer: Sage Publications Ltd 1996
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MCCCPW

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