Direct Action: An Ethnography

Direct Action: An Ethnography Review

Anthropologist David Graeber undertakes the first detailed ethnographic study of the global justice movement. The case study at the center of Direct Action is the organizing and events that led to the one of the most dramatic and militant mass protests in recent years—against the Summit of the Americas in Québec City. Written in a clear, accessible style (with a minimum of academic jargon), this study brings readers behind the scenes of a movement that has changed the terms of debate about world power relations. From informal conversations in coffee shops to large “spokescouncil” planning meetings and tear gas-drenched street actions, Graeber paints a vivid and fascinating picture.

Along the way, he addresses matters of deep interest to anthropologists: meeting structure and process, language, symbolism and representation, the specific rituals of activist culture, and much more. Starting from the assumption that, when dealing with possibilities of global transformation and emerging political forms, a disinterested, “objective” perspective is impossible, Graeber writes as both scholar and activist. At the same time, his experiment in the application of ethnographic methods to important ongoing political events is a serious and unique contribution to the field of anthropology, as well as an inquiry into anthropology’s political implications.

David Graeber is an anthropologist and activist who teaches at the University of London. Active in numerous direct-action political organizations, he has written for Harper’s Magazine and is the author of Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, Towards an Anthropological Theory of Value, and Possibilities.

The Art of Action: Leadership that Closes the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results

The Art of Action: Leadership that Closes the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results Review

Many managers have great ideas but lack the strategizing skills to implement them. Using the battle tactics of the 19th-century Prussian army, author Stephen Bungay combines his unique background as a historian and leading business strategist to teach managers how to strategize in the workplace to succeed in their careers and close the gap between plans, action and results. Through engaging narrative and tried-and-true battlefield practices, The Art of Action brings a fresh, entertaining perspective to management, equipping leaders with the tools they need to achieve their goals.

French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture : The Capretz Method: Textbook

French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture : The Capretz Method: Textbook Review

clean cover with minor wear to cover and text

Completing College: Rethinking Institutional Action

Completing College: Rethinking Institutional Action Review

Even as the number of students attending college has more than doubled in the past forty years, it is still the case that nearly half of all college students in the United States will not complete their degree within six years. It is clear that much remains to be done toward improving student success. For more than twenty years, Vincent Tinto’s pathbreaking book Leaving College has been recognized as the definitive resource on student retention in higher education. Now, with Completing College, Tinto offers administrators a coherent framework with which to develop and implement programs to promote completion.

            Deftly distilling an enormous amount of research, Tinto identifies the essential conditions enabling students to succeed and continue on within institutions. Especially during the early years, he shows that students thrive in settings that pair high expectations for success with structured academic, social, and financial support, provide frequent feedback and assessments of their performance, and promote their active involvement with other students and faculty. And while these conditions may be worked on and met at different institutional levels, Tinto points to the classroom as the center of student education and life, and therefore the primary target for institutional action.

Improving retention rates continues to be among the most widely studied fields in higher education, and Completing College carefully synthesizes the latest research and, most importantly, translates it into practical steps that administrators can take to enhance student success.

French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture, the Capretz Method: Part One

French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture, the Capretz Method: Part One Review

Since it was first published, French in Action: A Beginning Course in Language and Culture -- The Capretz Method has been widely recognized in the field as a model for video-based foreign-language instructional materials. This groundbreaking, critically acclaimed approach to French language learning effectively combines video, audio, and text to help students use real, unsimplified French in the dynamic context of actual communication. Designed to be used in conjunction with the celebrated PBS video series (available from the Annenberg/CPB Project), the print and audio materials, which form the complete program, include textbooks, an instructor's guide, workbooks, an extensive audio program, study guides, and a testing program. This second edition textbook is now available in two separate volumes -- parts 1 and 2 -- each covering 26 lessons of instruction. Major funding for French in Action was provided by the Annenberg/CPB Project.

BRAINRUSH, a Thriller: (Book One)

BRAINRUSH, a Thriller: (Book One) Review

The highly-anticipated sequel is scheduled or release on December 18th! More details will be posted soon at facebook.com/BRAINRUSHthebook

When terminally ill combat pilot Jake Bronson emerges from an MRI with extraordinary cognitive powers, everyone wants a piece of his talent including Battista, one of the world s most dangerous terrorists. To save his love and her autistic child, Jake is thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race. An all-out, unrelenting thrill ride that will leave you breathless, Richard Bard s debut novel is a spine tingling adventure marrying the political thriller with science fiction to extraordinary effect. An original weave of current events bound by colorful locations and cutting-edge technology, it is a must-read for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor. The dynamic mix of fast-paced action and thought provoking soul challenges the reader to keep pace with every sharp turn and shocking twist. Acclaimed by fans of action, sci-fi, and political thrillers alike, Brainrush is one of the most innovative and entertaining books of the year.

DSM-IV-TR in Action

DSM-IV-TR in Action Review

Thoroughly updated and revised?the bestselling resource for the practical application of the DSM-IV-TR for clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment

Now with the most current treatments and evidence-based practices, DSM-IV-TR in Action brings the DSM-IV-TR to life with clear instruction on using it to formulate and complete an assessment, accurately diagnose clients, and prepare a comprehensive and effective treatment plan.

Complete with new chapters on delirium, dementia, amnestic, and other cognitive disorders as well as on selected sexual disorders, the Second Edition also adds new coverage of disruptive behavior disorders, eating disorders in children, substance disorders, psychotic disorders, unipolar and bipolar mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. New treatment plans have been added, and existing ones have been updated. This edition also discusses the expected changes to come in the highly anticipated DSM-5.

Numerous case studies bring the material to life and demonstrate how the DSM-IV-TR is applied in practice. In addition, the information on maintaining clinical records and using time-limited therapy, as well as an appendix of sample treatment plans, make this a must-have guide for students and seasoned mental health professionals.

Ethics in Action CD-ROM, Version 1.2, Stand-Alone Version

Ethics in Action CD-ROM, Version 1.2, Stand-Alone Version Review

This new CD-ROM adds another dimension of interactivity to your course! The ETHICS IN ACTION CD-ROM creates a helpful multimedia learning environment for your students. They'll find insightful video clips and workbook exercises that help test their knowledge and skills for various ethical dilemmas. The CD-ROM contains a total of 60 minutes of video and has several reflective questions for each ethical dilemma presented. Each module begins with a Pre-Inventory that gives preliminary information and a self-assessment that gauges the student's knowledge in the subject area. Students are then asked to select a segment and watch the role play of the ethical dilemma and answer several reflective questions. After answering the questions, the student watches a classroom discussion that brings up pertinent issues and examines the approach taken by the counselor. At the completion of each module, there is a Post-Inventory that assesses the student's competence after completing the material in the module. After each segment, the student can save, print or email their answers to the reflective questions.

The Stash

The Stash Review

‘The Stash’ is an action packed adventure thriller with a mix of gangsters from London, Lagos, and Los Angeles that will keep you in suspense from the first page to the last. The story is unique in that it is told from both of our unwitting heroes’ perspective. Watch John and Alan fall deeper and deeper into a shadowy world of torture, kidnapping and murder. THEY DON’T FIND TROUBLE, TROUBLE FINDS THEM! John Simonds and Alan Shorey stumble across a kilo of cocaine whilst decorating a luxury apartment in Knightsbridge. Deciding to risk the wrath of the unknown Nigerian owner, they steal ‘The Stash’ and unwittingly embark on a farcical but dangerous journey that takes them across continents!

From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership

From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership Review

Respected former CEO, professor, and speaker examines what it takes to become a values-based leader

In this highly-anticipated book, Harry Kraemer argues that today's business environment demands values-based leaders who, in "doing the right thing," deliver outstanding and lasting results. The journey to becoming a values-based leader starts with self-reflection. He asks, "If you are not self-reflective, how can you know yourself? If you do not know yourself, how can you lead yourself? If you cannot lead yourself, how can you lead others?" Kraemer identifies self-reflection as the first of four principles that guide leaders to make choices that honor their values and candidly recounts how these principles helped him navigate some of the toughest challenges he faced in his career.

• Offers a framework for adopting the principles of values-based leadership?self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence, and genuine humility?to lead organizations effectively
• Based on Kraemer's popular Kellogg MBA course on values-based leadership
• A recognized expert in values-based leadership, Kraemer is a sought after speaker on the subject

Lively and engaging, Kraemer's book comes at a critical time when true leadership in every facet of society is desperately needed.

Q&A with Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr.
Why did you write this book?
Values-based leadership has been the foundation of my leadership throughout my career. These values are rooted in the way I was raised and the lessons my parents taught me. Over the years, I have also mentored others in values-based leadership in order to increase their satisfaction and effectiveness, and to help them build a values-based team. Now, as a professor of management and strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, I teach values-based leadership. My students have encouraged me to write a book, as did many others. For me spreading the word about values-based leadership—which is needed more than ever at this time—is a passion and a mission. With a perceived leadership deficit in many facets of society from business to government, values-based leadership can be a powerful solution to address the need for leadership that inspires, informs, and invites followership.

What makes someone a values-based leader?
Leaders influence others. Values-based leaders take it to the next level, using their words, actions, and example to inspire and motivate others to pursue what matters most. For the values-based leader, what matters most is the greater good—the positive change that can be effected in any organization or activity whether on a local basis or a global level. Values-based leaders take the time to discover and reflect on what is most important to them, and they use their values as the basis of their decisions and actions.

At what level can someone become a values-based leader?
Values-based leadership is possible for anyone to achieve—from the college graduate starting a first job to a senior executive. Every organization—for-profit, not-for-profit, government—needs values-based leaders. All it takes is a desire to do the right thing by making choices and decisions that are aligned with your values. I embraced values-based leadership a long time ago when I was a junior member of a team that was working in cubicles. I never knew when or if I would be promoted out of those cubicles. No matter what, I told myself, I was committed to making a difference with my life in whatever way I could. As my career progressed, eventually becoming chairman and CEO of a billion global healthcare company, I continued to follow values-based leadership, treating others with respect and never putting my own needs and desires ahead of the goals of my team or the organization.

What are the principles of values-based leadership?
The four principles are: (1) self-reflection, which increases self-awareness; (2) balance, which encourages you to seek multiple perspectives to gain a global perspective; (3) true self-confidence, which helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses and to feel comfortable in your own skin; and (4) genuine humility, which keeps you from forgetting where you came from, no matter what your title or level of accomplishment. Together they form a foundation of values-based leadership. They may appear simplistic, but they are a lifelong discipline. In the book, I go into detail about what each of the principles has meant to me and how leaders at all levels can use them to embark on their own journey of values-based leadership.

How do the four principles work together as a foundation for leadership?
The principles will help you lead and influence others, regardless of your level in the organization. The principles will also help you, as a values-based leader, to build a values-based organization. You will develop a team of people who are also aligned with values—theirs and those of the organization. You will make sure the values are reflected in the organization’s strategy, how it communicates, how it treats people, how it creates alignment, how it develops talent, and so forth. At every juncture, values are the foundation—particularly when an organization faces change, controversy or crisis. When you know what your values are and the values that the organization stands for, making decisions even in the most difficult circumstances becomes clearer: You will do the right thing.