From Autos to Architecture: Fordism and Architectural Aesthetics in The Twentieth Century Review

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(More customer reviews)From Autos to Architecture: Fordism and Architectural Aesthetics in the 20th Century comes from a sociologist who provides a social history linking Fordist mass production and industrial architecture in America to European designer developments. It crosses disciplines from art and architecture to economics and world history to provide a scholarly survey of architecture and social conflicts, and is a pick for any college-level arts or social history collection.

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One of the most interesting questions in architectural history is why modern architecture emerged from the war-ravaged regions of central Europe and not the United States, whose techniques of mass production and mechanical products so inspired the first generation of modern architects like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius. In From Autos to Architecture, historian David Gartman offers a critical social history that shows how Fordist mass production and industrial architecture in America influenced European designers to an extent previously not understood. Drawing on Marxist economics, the Frankfurt School, and French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, From Autos to Architecture deftly illustrates the different class structures and struggles of America and Europe. Examining architecture in the context of social conflicts, From Autos to Architecture offers a critical alternative to standard architectural histories focused on aesthetics alone.

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Graphic Design America 2: The work of many of the best and brightest design firms from across the United States Review

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(More customer reviews)Like most others in the Rockport series this book has an intriguing preface and a conglomerate of great work. The book features several prominent firms while highlighting the designers that work there. It's a good source of information because it explains the communication problem, and then how the use of good design solved it. It does this across several different media, from the aesthetics of store architecture to the traditional printed brochure. Like the others from Rockport, certain projects are repeated in their other books, but overall, any individual with an eye for the intangible will appreciate this book.

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This second volume displays the work of 37 of the best designers and design firms from across the United States. Organized by DK Holland of the Pushpin with Chip Kidd and Jessica Helfand, the selection presents such firms as Looking, Los Angeles; Post Tool, San Francisco, Modern Dog, Seattle; Carlos Segura, Chicago; Go Media, Austin Texas; Greteman Design, Wichita, Kansas; P. Scott Makela, Minneapolis; Werner Design Works, Minneapolis; and Design!, Atlanta.

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It Came From the '70s: From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now Review

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(More customer reviews)Reviewed by Joy H. for ReadersFavorite.com
A movie buff's must have, It Came From the `70s is a book you have been waiting for. With over 45 movies produced in the 1970's, this book is one you will cherish for years to come. The `70s era brought such films as Rocky, Superman, Dracula, Freaky Friday, The Godfather Parts I and II, Star Wars, The Black Hole, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and so many more masterpiece films.

The film reviews in this book were written in the Quad City Times between 1970 and 1979. Each film has its own chapter in this book. Each chapter includes a few pages about the movie, pictures of movie scenes, the movie rating, the cast, release date, director, writer and the actors. At the end of each chapter you will also find Trivia questions (and answers) about the movie actors, etc.
At the end of the book, you will find the Best and Worst films of 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. Did you know that Animal House was the #1 best film of 1978, while Grease was the #1 worst, and that Apocalypse Now was the #1 best film of 1979? You just can't go wrong with these 256 pages of classic information!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the classic movies of the `70s. It brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of things I'd forgotten about the movies. The author did an extremely good job of researching this information and compiling it into this awesome tribute to the`70s era.

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It Came From the '70s is the book movie lovers old and new have been searching for. The 1970s represented a fertile decade that producedsuch films as:Alien, Dirty Harry, Apocalypse Now,The Exorcist, Chinatown, The French Connection, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather (Parts I and II), Star Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and many, many more.Featured in these pages are over 75 photos, major casts, a multitude of reviews, "Best of/Worst of" lists, and trivia for both the film buff and the uninitiated.It Came From the '70s is a slice of film history, painstakingly documented by noted author and journalist Connie Corcoran Wilson. The original reviews found here could not be replicated today. Consider them tiny time capsules capturing the zeitgeist of a decade.

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Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method (Writing & Reporting News: A Coaching Method) Review

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(More customer reviews)I started using this text in my beginning reporting and writing classes a year ago. It was a strange experience: My students actually loved a textbook! I think that because this text does a good job of getting over the touchy-feely parts of treating the writing and editing processes as coaching processes, and shows how it's actually done. My students were able to convert her perspectives into some good work during our one-semester course. I'll be using this book again for some time to come.

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Intended to be the core text for the introductory news writing and reporting course which may be titled Introduction to News Reporting and Writing, News and Feature Writing, Newswriting, or Journalistic Reporting and Writing. Students often take this course as the initial news reporting/writing requirement in a school of Journalism or Mass Communications department.

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Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization Review

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To me, the words "Wooden" and "leadership" are synonymous. On and off various basketball courts, first as a player and then as a coach, John Wooden demonstrated talents, skills, and qualities of character seldom found in a single person. He led others by example but also by the force of his convictions. After reading this book, some may conclude that he was "idealistic,' "naive," "corny," "old-fashioned," etc. Not so. In fact, he was a strict disciplinarian with non-negotiable values who had zero-tolerance of attitude and behavior he perceived to be selfish, rude, unsportsmanlike, or indolent. He invariably accepted his team's defeat with grace but was saddened - sometimes so angered he exclaimed "Goodness gracious sakes!" -- by anything less than a best-effort, not only by his assistant coaches and players but also (especially) by himself. It should be added that, according to those who know him best (including coaches of opponents' teams), he has always been an exceptionally thoughtful, caring, and decent person.
What we have in this volume is an on-going narrative provided by Coach Wooden during which he shares everything he learned about achieving and then sustaining excellence. Of special interest to me is the series of "On Wooden" commentaries which include those provided by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Denny Crum, Gary Cunningham, Gail Goodrich, and Lynn Shackleford. Although the specifics vary from one to the next, all of their authors agree on Coach Wooden's greatness both as a coach and as a man. One of the most interesting anecdotes is provided by Eddie Powell, who played on the South Bend Central High School varsity team which Wooden coached. The bus was about to depart for a game against Mishawacka High School. The co-captains were absent.
Coach Wooden asked the driver what time the bus was scheduled to leave. "6 p.m., Coach, same as usual."
"Well, what time is it?"
`It's exactly 6 p.m., Coach Wooden."
"Well, that's what my watch says, too. I guess it must be 6 p.m...Let's go."
The bus left without the two most important players on the team. One of them was the son of a vice principal at South Bend Central, "the kind of a person who could create job problems for Coach Wooden. From that, we learned that Coach wasn't kidding: Be on time." Indeed meet all commitments to the team and especially in the classroom and to one's family. "We found out later that the co-captains had skipped our game with Mishawaka to go to a dance." Presumably everyone who played on U.C.L.A. basketball teams also soon learned that, when he explained what he expected of them, "Coach wasn't kidding."
With all due respect to his extraordinary success in basketball, I am convinced that John Wooden could have become a great leader in almost any other profession. Fortunately, as Steve Jamison observes, "The qualities and characteristics he possesses and has taught to his teams -- those good habits and how you teach them -- are available to everyone." Hopefully, decision-makers in the business world, public service, and the military will read this book so that they, also, are at all times a "leader" worthy of service to those entrusted to their care.

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A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

A compelling look inside the mind and powerful leadership methods of America's coaching legend, John Wooden

"Team spirit, loyalty, enthusiasm, determination. . . . Acquire and keep these traits and success should follow."--Coach John Wooden

John Wooden's goal in 41 years of coaching never changed; namely, to get maximum effort and peak performance from each of his players in the manner that best served the team. Wooden on Leadership explains step-by-step how he pursued and accomplished this goal. Focusing on Wooden's 12 Lessons in Leadership and his acclaimed Pyramid of Success, it outlines the mental, emotional, and physical qualities essential to building a winning organization, and shows you how to develop the skill, confidence, and competitive fire to "be at your best when your best is needed"--and teach your organization to do the same.

Praise for Wooden on Leadership:

"What an all-encompassing Pyramid of Success for leadership! Coach Wooden's moral authority and brilliant definition of success encompass all of life. How I admire his life's work and concept of what it really means to win!"--Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

"Wooden On Leadership offers valuable lessons no matter what your endeavor.'Competitive Greatness' is our goal and that of any successful organization. Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is where it all starts."--Jim Sinegal, president & CEO, Costco

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One Crazy Summer (Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (Awards)) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I heard that teen author Rita Williams-Garcia had written a middle grade novel for kids I wasn't moved one way or another. I don't read teen books. Couldn't say I knew much of the woman's work. When I heard that her book was about the Black Panthers, however, my interest was piqued. Black Panthers, eh? The one political group so difficult to write about that you can't find them in a single children's book (aside from "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon, of course). So what was her take? How was she going to do it? But the thing is, "One Crazy Summer" is more than merely a historical tale. It's a story about family and friendships and self-sacrifice. There are so many ideas floating about this little novel that you'd think it would end up some kind of unholy mess. Instead, it's funny and painful and just a little bit brilliant. "One Crazy Summer" is a book that's going to earn itself a lot of fans. And a lot of them are going to be kids.
Eleven going on twelve Delphine has always kept a sharp eye on her little nine and seven-year-old sisters Vonetta and Fern. That's because their mother left them seven years ago and never came back again. "Cecile Johnson - mammal birth giver, alive, an abandoner - is our mother. A statement of fact." So when their father packs them on a plane and sends them to Oakland, California to see Cecile, their mom, the girls have no idea what to expect. Certainly they didn't think she'd just leave them in a kind of daycare over the summer run by members of the Black Panthers. And they probably didn't expect that their mother would want near to nothing to do with them, save the occasional meal and admonishment to keep out of her kitchen. Only Delphine knew what might happen, and she makes it her mission to not only take care of her siblings, no matter how crazy they make her, but also to negotiate the tricky waters that surround the woman who gave her up so long ago.
The whole reason this novel works is because author Rita Williams-Garcia has a fantastic story that also happens to meld seamlessly into the summer of 1968. I've been complaining for years that when it comes to the Black Panthers, there wasn't so much as a page of literature out there for kids on the topic (except the aforementioned "The Rock and the River" and even that's almost teen fare). Now "One Crazy Summer" is here. Certainly I don't know how Ms. Williams-Garcia set about writing the darn thing, but if she had stridently set about to teach without taking into consideration the essentials of good storytelling, this book would have sank like a stone. Instead, she infuses this tale with danger, characters you want to take a turn about the block with, and the heat of an Oakland sun.
I mean, take the people in this book! Someone once sold this story to me as "The Penderwicks meets the Black Panthers" and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why they`d said it. Then I started thinking back to the sisters. Ms. Wiliams-Garcia must have sisters. She must. How else to explain the dynamic between Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern? So it all became clear. If you love the family dynamics of "The Penderwicks", you'll probably find yourself loving the same thing here. Of course, when your heroine is an upright citizen like Delphine there is a danger of making her too goody goody to like. But this girl isn't like that. She has a duty that she believes in (taking care of her sisters) and she'll do it, even when they fight each other. Even when they team up against HER! The sheer unfairness of what Delphine has to handle, and the cheery lack of complaining (aside from the occasional and very understandable grumble) makes you care for her. Her interactions with her mother are what make you love her.
Because this mother is a pip. Cecile throws a wrench (and a couple of other metal objects besides, I'd wager) into the good guy/bad guy way of looking at things. For kids, she's a pretty clear-cut villain from page one onward. And adults who have enough historical understand to be clear on why she does some of the things she does still won't like her. I wouldn't even be surprised if some parents referred to her as the world's worst mother. She isn't really, but many a parent's ire will be raised when they see how she refuses to call her daughter Fern by her name out of spite, or refuses to so much as look her own daughters for a while. Heck, this may be the only book where the phrase, "Should have gone to Mexico to get rid of you when I had the chance," comes from the lips of a parental unit (not that any kid in the world would decipher what it means). Under normal circumstances, when you get a kid talking about the selfishness of their parent at the beginning of a book they turn out to be wrong in the end. So naturally I was waiting on tenterhooks for much of this book to see if Cecile would be perfectly redeemed by the story's end. Williams-Garcia never wraps anything up with a cute little bow, but she gives you closure with Cecile and maybe a drop of understanding. It's a far better solution.
Williams-Garcia will even use character development to place the story within the context of its time. The opinionated Big Ma who raised the three girls gives her thoughts on any matter rain or shine. Delphine then lists them, and kids are treated to a quickie encapsulation of life in '68. Pretty sneaky. Teaches `em when they're not looking. And one of those very topics is the Black Panther party. I was very pleased with how Williams-Garcia sought to define that group. She dispels misconceptions and rumors. Delphine herself often has to come to grips with her initial perceptions and the actual truths. As for the rest of the time period itself, little details spotted throughout the book make 1968 feel real. For example, the girls play a game where they count the number of black characters on television shows and commercials. Or the one time Delphine had felt truly scared, when a police officer in Alabama pulled her father over.
And, I'm sorry. You can make amazing, believable characters all day if you want to, but there's more to writing than just that. This writer doesn't just conjure up people. She has a way with a turn of a phrase. Three Black Panthers talking with Cecile are, "Telling it like it is, like talking was their weapon." Later Cecile tells her eldest daughter, "It wouldn't kill you to be selfish, Delphine." This book is a pleasure to cast your eyes over.
There is a moment near the end of the book when Fern recites a poem that is just so good that I couldn't seriously believe that a seven-year-old would be able to pull it off. So I mentioned this fact to a teacher and a librarian and found myself swiftly corrected. "Oh no," said the librarian. "Seven is when kids are at their most shockingly creative. It's only later that they start worrying about whether or not it's any good." So I'm willing to believe that Fern's poem could have happened. Otherwise, I certainly would have appreciated an Author's Note at the end with information about the Black Panthers for kids who wanted to learn more. And I was also left wondering where Delphine got her name. She spends a bit of time agonizing over that question, why her mother named her that, and never really finds out. Some kind of explanation there would have been nice.
It was teacher Monica Edinger who pointed out that "One Crazy Summer" pairs strangely well with "Cosmic" if you look at them in terms of fathers (on the "Cosmic" side) and mothers ("One Crazy Summer"'s focus). That's one theme for the book, but you could pluck out so many more if you wanted to. Race and family and forgiveness and growth. Everyone grows in this book. Everyone learns. But you'll have so much fun reading it you might not even notice. You might just find yourself happily ensconced in the world of Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern without ever wishing to leave it. If this is how Ms. Williams-Garcia writes books for kids, then she better stop writing all that teen fare and crank a couple more like this one. Kids are gonna dig it.
Ages 9-12.

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The Reconnection Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished reading The Reconnection. I debated whether to write a review and, finally, decided that I would go ahead and share my thoughts.
I am an osteopath who has been in practice for 17 years. Each of our paths is different and I would never presume to question anyone else's work. What the author describes is, I assume, his experience.
My own journey has brought me to a place where much of what is described in this book is quite familiar. I experience it daily.
I found the first half of the book ( up to page 83 in the 2001 version that I have) unhelpful. This is the autobiographical aspect in which the author describes his own development. He tells us repeatedly that he has a special gift, that he was sought out [given this gift] because he is "a master," " we [entities who speak to him] have come because of your reputation." (p.70)
The author is very, very special. He spends almost one-third of the book reminding us of this. He is not just special; he is very special.
So much for the first part of the book, the personality.
However, the second half of the book is entirely different.
It contains many nuggets which, based on my own limited but practical experience I can say ring true.
He provides many guidelines and pearls ( please forgive the unintended pun) which will prove invaluable for anyone seriously interested in entering this path regardless of whatever level that may be.
His advice on dealing with clients, length of time, follow-up visits, mind states of the practitioner, and beliefs associated with such work are spot on.
It took me many years to learn much of this on my own.
A few other personal comments:
You need not attend any class, seminar or read any book to do this work. It is yours whether you consciously know this or not. Silently ask to be taught when you interact with anyone and, I promise, you will.
Your hands are already activated. You need not seek out anyone to activate them.
There is no right or wrong way. There is just what presents.
Don't try to accomplish anything. Let It do the work.
Your trying only gets in the way.
There is no need for any entities or spirits but, if you wish to cultivate such things, you will experience that, too. However, my own experience is that this is totally unnecessary.
The author expresses his own beliefs. You need not adopt them in order to successfully experience what is described in this volume.
Trust yourself, trust the moment.
Know that All is well.

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Why are prominent doctors and medical researchers all over the world interested in the extraordinary healings reported by the patients of Dr. Eric Pearl? What does it mean when these patients report the sudden disappearance of afflictions such as cancer, AIDS, and cerebral palsy? And what does it mean when people who interact with Dr. Pearl report a sudden ability to access this healing energy not just for themselves, but for others, too? What is this phenomenon?

Well, you might have to reconsider everything you=ve read up until now about conventional healing. The Anew@ frequencies of healing described by Dr. Pearl transcend Atechnique@ entirely and bring you to levels beyond those previously accessible to anyone, anywhere. This book takes you on Eric Pearl=s journey from the discovery of his ability to heal, to his well-deserved reputation as the instrument through which this process is being introduced to the world. But most important, The Reconnection reveals methods you can use to personally master these new healing energies.

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