The Office: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2002 Day-To-Day Calendar

Book Description

A recent study surveyed vice presidents and personnel directors at one hundred of America's largest corporations. The results revealed that 84 percent thought employees with a sense of humor do a better job than people with little or no sense of humor. Now that grinning, giggling, chortling, and sniggering may soon be job requirements. The Office: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2002 Calendar might very well become as ubiquitous in offices as the paper clip. Back for a third year, this amusing compilation of comments on the absurdity of office life will lift the working masses to new heights of hilarity. With observations such as "Indecision is the key to flexibility," and "Management is like a tree. It is made almost entirely of wood," this calendar encourages workers to laugh at themselves (and more importantly, at their bosses) every day. It's all part of the job.

Customer Reviews:

Bored with it by January 4th.......2002-02-15

Wow, this has got to be the most boring day-to-day I've ever seen. No color pictures, the plastic base is a nasty brown color, and it's just not funny. Most of the quotes I've seen in email forwards or on the net several years ago. The only reason my husband doesn't get a beating for giving to me as a Christmas gift is because I specifically requested it. I'm thinking of replacing it.

Product Description

This monograph represents a unified coherent perspective of financial markets and the theory of corporate finance. The Fisher model is used in corporate finance texts to note the foundations of the net present value rule, but has not been developed further in textbooks as a perspective for students of the finance discipline. This book articulates corporate finance from a common perspective and model: by generalizing the Fisher model to include risks, it is possible to exposit and prove the classic corporate finance theorems and to establish a common foundation for the discipline. The classic theorems of corporate finance are collected, stated, and some are proved. The reader is challenged to prove corollaries and theorems to see how the model provides the fundamental building blocks for the discipline.

Book Description

5 Actual Exams with Answers Explained
--Plus the August 1999 Exam--

It's no secret: The best way to ace the Regents exam is by practicing on real tests. This guide includes 5 actual full-length Earth Science Regents exams with answers and complete explanations, plus the August 1999 exam.

In Cracking the Regents Earth Science, 2000 Edition, the Regents experts at The Princeton Review teach you the test-taking techniques you'll need to know.

*Focus on the material that is most likely to show up on the test.

*Use process of elimination to guess when you're not sure of an answer.

*Practice your skills on the actual Earth Science Regents exams inside.

Visit www.review.com/regents for the latest Regents updates and for the January 2000 exam.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful All Year.......2000-04-06

Overall, this book is a wonderful review for Eath Science and the Regents. The book provides more Regents Exams than any other review book and includes the August tests (which are not in other books). The answer explainations are clear. The only negative comment I have is that there is no topical index at the beginning of the book. The lack of an index makes topical studying more difficult but would have little impact on studying for the Regents. Another positive is the inclusion of the reference tables within the book.

Cracking the Regents: Earth Science, 1999-2000 Edition (Princeton Review Series)

Average customer rating:

Cracking the Regents: Earth Science, 1999-2000 Edition (Princeton Review Series)
Princeton Review
Manufacturer: Princeton Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

Testing | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Test Prep Central | Reference | Subjects | Books

Study Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

It's no secret: The best way to ace the Regents exams is by practicing on real tests. This guide includes 7 actual full-length Earth Science Regents exams with answers and complete explanations.

Let the Regents experts at The Princeton Review teach you the simple test-taking techniques you'll need to know. We'll help you focus on the material that is most likely to show up on the sets. We'll teach you how to find the correct answers by eliminating the wrong ones. We'll even teach you how to guess when you're not sure of an answer. This guide leads you step-by-step through each part of the test and helps you master the skills you'll need to crack the Regents exam.

Learn the techniques in this book, practice them on the actual Earth Science Regents exams inside, and give yourself The Princeton Review advantage.

Book Description

Optical Waves in Layered Media presents a clear picture of the propagation of optical waves in layered media and teaches the reader how to design and analyze optical devices using such media. Starting from the simplest case of plane wave propagation in homogeneous media, the author introduces a new matrix method for studying the optical properties of multilayer structures consisting of isotropic materials. He then describes propagation in anisotropic layered media and in inhomogeneous layers, guided waves, the coupling of modes, and the optical properties of superlattices and quantum wells.

Optical Waves in Layered Media bridges the gap between theory and practice by means of numerical examples based on real-life situations.

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2007-07-05

Great book. Had all the information I needed. Easy access. It's not a book for beginners.

Average customer rating:

For Inspiring Writers!

NY Times At It's Best

Mostly Good, and Some Contributions are Very Insightful

Not What I Expected, but Useful

An amazing breadth of thought on the act of writing

Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from The New York Times
The New York Times
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times (Writers on Writing (Times Books Paperback))

The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work : A Collection from the Washington Post Book World

The Paris Review Interviews, I (Paris Review Interviews)

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.)

Making a Literary Life

ASIN: 0805070850

Amazon.com

After 30 years as a journalist, John Darnton decided to try his hand at writing a novel. If he wrote 1,000 words a day, he discovered, he'd have a book in a matter of months. But wouldn't it be nice to learn a few tricks of the trade from other writers as well? Thus was born The New York Times's Monday-morning Writers on Writing series. In embarking on the series, says Darnton, he learned that the writers he most wanted to hear from were not necessarily the same ones who most wanted to hear from him. But there couldn't have been too many who turned him down. The 46 columns collected in Writers on Writing are by the likes of Saul Bellow, Mary Gordon, David Mamet, Annie Proulx, Carol Shields, and Paul West. Though many of them have not much more than the occupation "writer" in common, Darnton says that in one way he found them all to be alike: "They wanted to hear, right away, what you thought of their work."

Here, Richard Ford explains why he finds not writing to be a terrific thing. Alice Hoffman describes the effect illness (her own and that of others) has had on her work. Barbara Kingsolver grapples with writing an "unchaste" novel. Louise Erdrich explores the effect a second language, Ojibwe in her case, can have on one's involvement with the first. And Russell Banks learns the hard way that "when you meet a witness to your distant past, your memory tends to improve." The most hilarious piece is Carolyn Chute's "How Can You Create Fiction When Reality Comes to Call?" In it, she describes one day, in which "X-rated stuff happens," the cuckoo clock goes off incessantly, dirty dishes beckon, political cohorts come calling, a dog has a couple of seizures, laundry needs doing, and guests constantly arrive. Once Chute finally does get down to writing, the "n" breaks off the daisy wheel. But at least the phone doesn't ring. "Its bell is broken. It never rings. Thank heavens." --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

By turns poignant, hilarious, and practical, Writers on Writing brings together more than forty of contemporary literatures finest voices. Pieces range from reflections on the daily craft of writing to the intersection of arts and lifes consequential moments. Authors discuss what impels them to write: creating a sense of control in a turbulent universe; bearing witness to events that would otherwise be lost in history or within the writers soul; recapturing a fragment of time. Others praise mentors and lessons, whether from the classroom, daily circumstances, or the pages of a favorite writer. For anyone interested in the art and rewards of writing, Writers on Writing offers an uncommon and revealing view of a writers world.Contributors include Russell Banks, Saul Bellow, E. L. Doctorow, Richard Ford, Kent Haruf, Carl Hiaasen, Alice Hoffman, Jamaica Kincaid, Barbara Kingsolver, Sue Miller, Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx, Carol Shields, Jane Smiley, Susan Sontag, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Alice Walker, and Elie Wiesel.

Customer Reviews:

For Inspiring Writers!.......2007-04-26

I love this compilation of writers' essays about writing. There is nothing harder than writing. Maybe it's because it's a lonely profession. Perhaps the loneliest profession of all, it's not easy being a writer. I'm still struggling like so many thousands of aspiring writers. Of course, writing doesn't happen on stage, film, and television. It happens usually at home, on a coffeetable, on a desk, in the offices, dens, libraries, and bedrooms of writers. I always retrieve to this book to get some inspiration when I'm down. I love the variety of writers here like Joyce Carol Oates, Elie Wiesel, Russell Banks, Annie Proulx, etc. I believe that if you won't enjoy your success without your sanity in check as well as understanding the world. Writers including myself are the strangest creatures on earth. So if you're inspiring writer like myself, reading this book can be a great comfort during your writing blocks or at times when you think you can't write or want too but nothing makes sense.

NY Times At It's Best.......2007-02-07

This book is not the how-to-write manual that many beginning writers seem to be seeking. I sometimes go to book readings and I am continually amazed (and bored) by the people who cross-examine writers about how they write. If you are a frustrated writer who is hoping to find some magic formula about how it's done, this book isn't for you. If you are a writer who is looking for kindred souls, you will be blown away and feel comforted by how much the writing process of writers like William Sarayon mirrors your own.

This collection of 41 essays was compiled from the New York Times's "Writers on Writing" column. The result is an beguiling collection of writers thoughts on the creative process. All of these the included essays are engaging and intruging. Suprising is the subject matter. Joyce Carol oates connects her writing process with running. Annie Proloux writes about the need to surround herself with books on every subject matter. Walter Mosley stresses the need for discipline.

One of my favourite collections of essays. A must for anyone needing inspiration or entertainment in their darkest writing hours.

Mostly Good, and Some Contributions are Very Insightful.......2006-10-23

This is a collection of 46 essays on writing fiction. Each is about four or five pages long and each is by an established author. The authors discuss where they got the ideas for stories, how they approach the tasks, their general feelings on writing, and sometimes they tell us how they became successful. The book has a short introduction by the editor, John Darnton. Overall, the book is excellent.

There are a few bad spots so let us dispense with those first.

I am a fan of Saul Bellow and have read most of his novels. I bought the book - in part - because he was a contributor. So I first read his piece and then read the contribution by John Updike. Both wrote rather disappointingly shallow comments and then each author took the opportunity to peddle a publication. One wonders if they were invited to contribute or if one of their short stories or short essays was simply included by the editor. Perhaps "how they write and what are their ideas" is a question that they are tired of discussing? At that point one wants to throw the book into the wastebasket. But do not give up yet.

By the way, there is a good interview with Saul Bellow in the Paris Review on line and one learns in that interview - free of charge - where he got some of his ideas and how he developed as a writer.

Fortunately for us, the other forty or so contributors took their tasks seriously, or they are not tired of the question.

In any case, the hard facts are that most published authors do not work in isolation and most have some sort of professional training. One of the messages in the book advanced by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and others is that it is a good idea to attend a writers workshop or school. Vonnegut was an instructor in Iowa and he started "Slaughterhouse-Five" while he was there. That is one of the key bits of information in the book. Attending such as course can be a reality check. Some will give up their writing at that point. For others, it can act as a pathway to writing novels.

There are a number of other good ideas in the book and you will discover them as you read. I will mention a few. Nicholas Delbanco has a good piece on great literature and he points out what we can learn from books such as Ulysses. Barbara Kingsolver has a good contribution on writing about sex in a novel. David Mamet has an interesting piece on the genre novel, while Walter Mosely gives tips on making small daily contributions. Scott Turow tells an interesting story about his own career that went from writing to law, and then back again to writing. I enjoyed the piece by Susan Sontag. There are many other interesting essays - too numerous to review and comment on here.

The book is good but you will have to sift through the stories to find the nuggets. Overall I think it deserves 4 or 5 stars and it is worth the price.

Not What I Expected, but Useful.......2005-10-13

This is more of a collection of the details of individual authors' lives than of their writing tactics, lessons learned, or other habits, but it does include all of the above. If nothing else, it shows us that writers, even the ones we recognize the names of, are regular people, all of various backgrounds and brought to the "call of writing" by different means.

The various essays help us beginners to remember that we are not starting out with any less advantage than those that have preceeded us...or beat us to publication. There are also useful excerpts from authors' daily lives, showing us how they battle writers' block or just fit in a personal life with their writing life.

All in all, the book takes more of a literary slant than a very down-to-earth and practical one, but that does vary by the included authors. It would've also been nice to have short bios or publishing histories of the authors listed in the book for those that come across as particularly interesting or are unfamiliar to the individual reader. But, we do have Amazon.com for that info., don't we? :)

An amazing breadth of thought on the act of writing.......2005-04-12

It's amazing that the more than three dozen writers contributing to "Writers on Writing" managed each to have a different view of the topic at hand. Everyone from Annie Proulx to Jamaica Kincaid to E. L. Doctorow to the late Saul Bellow approaches the act of writing differently, and each has different thoughts to offer. Some of the essays are funny, some are quietly sad, and still others address the dual difficulty and delight of turning out something new and yet universal.

The breadth of thought is amazing, but each of the essays is skillful and thought-provoking. Perhaps my favorite was by Alice Hoffman, who writes, "I wrote to find beauty and purpose, to know that love is possible and lasting and real, to see daylilies and swimming pools, loyalty and devotion, even though my eyes were closed and all that surrounded me was a dark room. I wrote because that was who I was at the core, and if I was too damaged to walk around the block, I was lucky all the same. Once I got to my desk, once I started writing, I still believed anything was possible."

In this short passage, she speaks for all the writers here, in saying that writing is a need, not a desire, and that the act is without boundaries and filled with possibility. This is a useful and enriching book for writers, and for those who are simply curious about how writers do what they do.

Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times (Writers on Writing (Times Books Paperback))

Average customer rating:

fun to read
Not Worth The Time.
Well-Crafted Collection of Essays on Writing

Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times (Writers on Writing (Times Books Paperback))
The New York Times
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0805075887

Book Description

n a second volume of original essays drawn from the long-running New York Times column, Writers on Writing brings together another group of contemporary literature's finest voices to muse on the challenges and gifts of language and creativity. The pieces range from taciturn, hilarious advice for aspiring writers to thoughtful, soul-wrenching reflections on writing in the midst of national tragedy. William Kennedy talks about the intersecting lives of real and imagined Albany politics; Susan Isaacs reveals her nostalgia for a long-retired protagonist; and Elmore Leonard offers pithy rules for letting the writing, and not the writer, take charge. With contributions from Diane Ackerman, Margaret Atwood, Frank Conroy, Mary Karr, Patrick McGrath, Arthur Miller, Amy Tan, and Edmund White, Writers on Writing, Volume II offers an uncommon and revealing view of the writer's world.

Customer Reviews:

fun to read.......2007-05-28

A great sampling of writers whose columns were included in the NY Times arts section. Some of the essays are better than others, but is that a surprise? As a writer, I found it interesting.

Not Worth The Time. .......2005-11-09

"Muse" is right. Muse is all they do in this book. And the musing isnt interesting or helpful. What it reminds me of is a group hug with strangers. As in...what's the point?

Well-Crafted Collection of Essays on Writing.......2005-02-17

The New York Times weekly column, "Writers on Writing," discusses various aspects of the writing life from the perspective of today's best well-known authors. Jane Smiley collects forty-six of the essays and says, "Read it like eavesdropping or like twisting the knob on an old radio and tuning in stations from far and wide." These brief essays have a confessional feel to them, often declaring writing to be difficult, yet also a worthy task for the truly committed.

Numerous passages detail the obstacles confronted when courting the muse and also offer advice on how to write well. The most entertaining and direct approach stems from crime fiction writer Elmore Leonard and his ten rules to "remain invisible" when writing. He sums them up with the maxim, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite." There are numerous pitfalls that hamper the writing process - the most common is doing everything under the sun but write.

Ann Patchett, author of the critically acclaimed novel "Bel Canto," hilariously explains her battles with procrastination. "I have already restored my oven to the level of showroom-floor cleanliness, written a small hill of thank-you notes (some of them completely indiscriminate: `Thank you for sending me the list of typographical errors you found in my last novel'), walked the dog to the point of the dog's collapse. I've read most of the books I've been meaning to read since high school."

What this collection does best is humanize our published idols; the most notable demystification being Arthur Miller's piece on relating his early years of being a struggling writer. Miller may have written the classic play, "Death of a Salesman," but how many knew his first play was a flop and he "resolved never to write another play." The honest feel coupled with an inviting tone make Miller's essay a standout.

However, the entire collection is compulsory reading for any aspiring writers. The piece by Alan Cheuse is a godsend for any late-blooming writer or for those skeptical to pursue a dream as middle-age approaches. Overall, "Writers on Writing" is a delight that will leave you feeling refreshed with pithy insights about the writing world.

Bohdan Kot

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