Enjoy Your Symptom!: Jacques Lacan in Hollywood and Out

Book Description

Slavoj Zizek, dubbed by the Village Voice "the giant of Ljubljana," is back with a new edition of his seriously entertaining book on film, psychoanalysis (and life). His inimitable blend of philosophical and social theory, Lacanian analysis, and outrageous humor are here made to show how Hollywood movies can explain psychoanalysis-and vice versa. Why does the phallus appear? Why is woman a symptom of man? Why are there always two fathers? These typical Zizek questions are explained by means of such films as Marnie and The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Customer Reviews:

the point?.......2004-07-17

"I cannot weigh in an estimation of the value of this book. Surely, it is not as profoundly useful or clear as Zizek's political and philosophical thriller, Ticklish Subject. Yet, the application of Zizek's critical arsenal to Hollywood without the baggage of Politics and History, makes room for exposition through, sad to say, a universal and more immediate medium." Here's a statement that completely misses not only the point but the importance of Zizek. Ofcourse, in an era of achedemics and 'intellectual'-types complacently spiteful to popular culture as the anti-shakespeare (christ?), this isn't surprising.

elevator music piped upwind.......2003-03-28

Clarity of language and argument one finds, some feel, rarely in current theoretical writing or in psychoanalytic writing. Here Zizek has structured his book so that nearly every idea gets two chances to impress the reader. I would agree with one of the reviews on this site of another of Zizek's books, that the author writes more clearly and persuasively about politics than about culture. However, this book presents a pleasing mixture (as most of Zizek's books do) of the cultural, political, philosophical, and Lacanian munch.

Each chapter sets out to answer a question posed by the chapter heading (e.g., Why is Reality Always Multiple?). First Zizek approaches a solution or description of the problem as it appears in Hollywood films. These Zizek treats as texts or case studies. Whatever your opinion of the merits of psychoanalytic description for general use, the discussion of the films makes marvellously amusing reading. As demanding for this reader as the steep range of theoretical vocabulary employed is the ample library of films from which Zizek draws his examples. Many of which films I'd never seen. The second section of each chapter recasts the first approach through film in the language, theory and realm of analysis, theory and philosophy.

I cannot weigh in an estimation of the value of this book. Surely, it is not as profoundly useful or clear as Zizek's political and philosophical thriller, Ticklish Subject. Yet, the application of Zizek's critical arsenal to Hollywood without the baggage of Politics and History, makes room for exposition through, sad to say, a universal and more immediate medium.

very clear stuff.......1999-04-02

If you know anything about Hegel and Lacan, Zizek is actually a quite clear expositor of Lacan. Looking awry is particularly clear, lucid to the point of simplification in his account of Lacan, but what can you expect when your proof-test is Hitchcock and HOllywood movies. Most academic books consist of (dead author) and (contemporary theorist), and if the text at hand simply serves to validate the theory, why drag out heavy reading when Hitchcock will do? If the theory is correct, it encompasses both Shakespeare and anything oj simpson ever appeared in, so not to use both would only be a sign of stuffiness. Zizek has the virtue of being easy to read and not taking himself too seriously, and begins every chapter with a quote from Lenin or Stalin, as if Stalin was the last philosopher. It's not a parody, but if Kojeve (Lacan) is right, that every philosophy is just a repetition of one moment of the Hegelian spirit, then Zizek's jeu d'esprit is an honest accomodation to what's happening now.

Lacanian theory and the movies.......1998-05-01

This book is impossible, complicated, and confusing. Good luck to anyone who tries to figure it out. Zizek careens through film history, haphazardly - and sometimes carefully - appropriating examples in order to make various 'post-modern' and Lacanian points. It almost seems like parody, but ... it's not.

The Garland Handbook of African Music (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)
Average customer rating:

An invaluable, highly recommended reference work.

The Garland Handbook of African Music (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)
Ruth M. Stone
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Folk & Traditional | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Similar Items:

The Music of Africa

African Music: A People's Art

African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms

Drum Gahu: An Introduction to African Rhythm

Songs of West Africa: A Collection of over 80 Traditional West African Folk Songs and Chants in 6 Languages With Translations, Annotations

ASIN: 0815334737

Book Description

Here in a single paperback volume is a comprehensive set of essays that explores all aspects of African music. This handbook provides an introduction to the continent and its many musical forms, including a discussion of issues and processes in the study of African music and a number of regional case studies covering North, West, East, Central, and Southern Africa. Popular music in this region is also a focus. Featuring a sixty-minute audio CD, a glossary, and guides to publications, recordings, and films and videos, this volume will serve as an invaluable resource for teachers, students, and general readers interested in African musics. Also includes maps and music examples. Bibliography. Index. Audio CD

Customer Reviews:

An invaluable, highly recommended reference work........2000-04-04

The Garland Handbook Of African Music is a single volume compilation of informative essays written by the leading scholars in the field of African music. This outstanding reference explores all aspects of African music as it explores the content and its many musical forms. Included is a thorough discussion of the issues and processes in the study of African music, illustrated by a number of regional case studies covering North, West, East, Central, and Southern Africa. The Garland Handbook Of African Music is enhanced with an accompanying 60 minute CD, a glossary, and guides to publications, recordings, films and videos. The Garland Handbook Of African Music is an invaluable, highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic multicultural and African music reference collections.

Average customer rating:

Garland Handbook of African Music
Ruth M Stone
Manufacturer: GARLAND PUBLISHING INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PWIQ3G

Best Hand I Ever Played, The: 52 Winning Poker Lessons from the World's Greatest Players
Average customer rating:

An exciting tribute and insider's guide for any who would learn where luck ends and talent begins at the poker table

An exciting tribute and insider's guide for any who would learn where luck ends and talent begins at the poker table

Good bathroom book

A Feel Good Poker Book

Best Hand I Ever Played, The: 52 Winning Poker Lessons from the World's Greatest Players
Steve Rosenbloom
Manufacturer: ESPN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker

ASIN: 1933060034

Book Description

From the greatest bluffs to the luckiest draws to the shrewdest folds, the ultimate master class in Texas Hold Em taught by the most renowned poker players Awise and witty collection of 52 interviews with the best professional poker players in the world (including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Phil Gordon, and Annie Duke) in which they recount the greatest hands of their storied careers. Combining heart-stopping action, dramatic storytelling, larger-than-life characters, and expert instruction, The Best Hand I Ever Played provides colorful, money-making wisdom from the sharpest minds in the game. Whether youre a newcomer in a friendly weekly game, an on-line poker shark, or a veteran of Vegas tournaments, The Best Hand I Ever Played will teach you to talk, think, and play like a pro.

Customer Reviews:

An exciting tribute and insider's guide for any who would learn where luck ends and talent begins at the poker table.......2006-05-27

Over fifty interviews with the best professional poker players in the world, from Doyle Brunson to Annie Duke, captures their memories of the greatest hands of their careers in a poker book players will find absorbing. Step-by-step action is recalled with analysis and advice added along the way for those who would learn by example. THE BEST HAND I EVER PLAYED: 52 WINNING POKER LESSONS FROM THE WORLD'S GREATEST PLAYERS is an exciting tribute and insider's guide for any who would learn where luck ends and talent begins at the poker table.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

An exciting tribute and insider's guide for any who would learn where luck ends and talent begins at the poker table.......2006-05-27

Good bathroom book.......2006-01-31

Not alot in the plot. Just good ol' short stories on playing texas-hold'em. And players profile. Not a 1 sitting read not a novel.

A Feel Good Poker Book.......2005-11-30

Each entry made me smile, made me feel good inside. This could very well have been titled Chicken Soup for the Poker Soul. The big bluffs, the great calls, the monster laydowns; even bad beats made the list (read the book to find out why). Not the best book for poker tutorial, but a great book for leisure reading as it reveals the human side of the poker pros.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Average customer rating:

Universal truths presented but people views flawed

execution 101

Beyond Talk

Prime Example of Mediocraty

Practical business

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Larry Bossidy , Ram Charan , and Charles Burck
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

ASIN: 0609610570

Amazon.com

Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.

Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While failure in today's business environment is often attributed to other causes, Bossidy and Charan argue that the biggest obstacle to success is the absence of execution. They point out that without execution, breakthrough thinking on managing change breaks down, and they emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Supporting this with stories of the "execution difference" being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent), the authors describe the building blocks--leaders with the right behaviors, a culture that rewards execution, and a reliable system for having the right people in the right jobs--that need to be in place to manage the three core business processes of people, strategy, and operations. Both Bossidy, CEO of Honeywell International, Inc., and Charan, advisor to corporate executives and author of such books as What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work, present experience-tested insight into how the smooth linking of these three processes can differentiate one company from the rest. Developing the discipline of execution isn't made out to be simple, nor is this book a quick, easy read. Bossidy and Charan do, however, offer good advice on a neglected topic, making Execution a smart business leader's guide to enacting success rather than permitting demise. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results . . . whether you’re running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world’s most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they’ve pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world’s most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn’t just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a “vision” and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader’s most important job—selecting and appraising people—is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there’s a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He’s been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Download Description

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results... whether you're running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they've pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world's most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn't just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a "vision" and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader's most important job -- selecting and appraising people -- is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He's been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Customer Reviews:

Universal truths presented but people views flawed.......2007-10-05

I thought there were many good take-aways in this book. Was it all original? Of course not. Most management books are saying the same things with a slightly different twist. I've got a bookshelf full of them. However, it seems that humans are so often incapable of remembering the fundamentals and have a tendency to overcomplicate things thus history repeats itself over and over.

The tone of the book regarding people gave me a little pause. Although I do think they were spot on in their assessment of how many companies do succession planning (not at all or incorrectly), it does seem to advocate that everyone needs to be a mini-Jack Welch type persona. I've worked in a company managed by ex-GE guys and believe me, they don't have it all figured out. I think organizations will benefit by having a mix of skills. Some people are better doers and others are better thinkers. Some superstars are good at both. It takes all types.

execution 101.......2007-08-22

I did receive this book in an executive seminar; read it over couples of nights, a simple book with day to day tips to make things happen.

A must read for any one how dreams to become a successful executive and a reality check for those already there.

Beyond Talk.......2007-08-20

So many times in this marketing-focused world, we do very well at the talking but not very good at the walking. Many of us have seen amazing sales presentations . . . only to realize that the promises would never be met.

This book engages us in the discussion about how to do what we promise. It helps us to go beyond the sales presentation and really design a process by which we can follow through, build relationships and live a life that is full of integrity and trustworthiness.

Prime Example of Mediocraty .......2007-08-11

This book did very little for me. Largely, the book is unoriginal and simply restates ideas already presented in tons of business leadership books. This book might as well have been written for the sole purpose of patting prominent CEOs, namely Jack Welch, on the back. You would be better served to bypass this one and just go read something by Welch on leadership.

Practical business.......2007-07-27

I teach MBAs. Its well known in the field that MBAs are very competent in analysis but not so good in implementation. The reason for this is that most professors who teach business have never actually worked in business and are research analysts. They teach analysis because they are excellent in that area. I worked in business 10 years before becoming a professor. I teach my students about implementation and they are interested. This is a book about implementation at the CEO level. I'm thinking of using it as a supplementary executive MBA text.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Average customer rating:

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Warren Adler , Larry Bossidy , and RAM Charan
Manufacturer: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 5551116247

Average customer rating:

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Manufacturer: China Machine Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All Chinese Books | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 7111112016

Product Description

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Chinese version. Simplified characters.

Discussion Guide: Execution -- The Discipline Of Getting Things Done

Average customer rating:

Very simplistic
What a rip-off ! Utter Waste of Time.
Misleading waste
Time saved--much more than the cost of this e-doc
A waster of money

Discussion Guide: Execution -- The Discipline Of Getting Things Done
Editors of BrownHerron
Manufacturer: BrownHerron
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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BrownHerron Publishing | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
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Turning Goals into Results: The Power of Catalytic Mechanisms (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
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Probing Good To Great -- Understanding Jim Collins' Prequel To Built To Last

ASIN: B00008WHPW
Release Date: 2003-03-24

Book Description

What good is a mission and vision if you don't know how to execute them? It was probably a question like that which sparked the interest of Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan to write Execution: The Discipline Of Getting Things Done. Bossidy is the chairman of Honeywell International; Charan is a best-selling management author. And their book has garnered much interest. This SuccessTools discussion guide was developed for sharing four critical lessons from the book on how to develop a corporate culture that excels at execution: 1) leaders exhibit seven essential behaviors, 2) leaders create a framework for cultural change, 3) leaders make sure they have the right people in place, and 4) leaders link strategy with operations. Using quotes from the book to stimulate thinking, each section continues with insightful questions for discussion. SuccessTools is a BH SmartDoc which provides a way to think about and start a key element on a management to-do list. BH SmartDocs are published by BrownHerron Publishing and are sold exclusively by Amazon.com.

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

Very simplistic.......2006-07-25

This is a very simplistic document. I hardly think it is worth $4.00.

It contains very basic summary and superficial questions.

What a rip-off ! Utter Waste of Time........2005-01-07

Utterly worthless time waster, completely without merit. I read the book and expected more than a small handfull of quotes with page numbers. Nothing more than an infantile cut and past that is at best incomplete ... I'm dead serious when I say my middle school daughter would have done a better job.

If you read the table of contents of Execution, you will have more information than this leaflet provides. The leaflet asks such provocative questions as 'explain examples given in the book.' There is nothing new I can use here.

I hate time wasters, and I hope that by adding my review I can save you some of your valuable time.

Misleading waste.......2004-07-16

The above item was ordered and upon review it is clearly worthless and without merit. I have read the book and expected more than a cut and past of content that in many cases does not reflect the authors' most salient's concepts.

I recommend, based on other comments found on your website regarding other ebooks of this nature, that you seriously consider not offering material of this nature. It is only hurting your reputation.

Time saved--much more than the cost of this e-doc.......2004-03-02

I've suggested this article to a number of friends who needed to do something in a hurry on leadership. You can use it to personalize a discussion you have to conduct--and with it, do it in a very short time. An hour of my time saved is worth a lot more to me than the cost of this doc. It's what I love about e-docs, given how little time I have for anything. And now to sign off--writing this is time consuming, but looking ahead, worth it because I want to keep these e-docs coming.

A waster of money.......2004-02-11

If you read the book review and the table of contents of Execution, you will have garnered as much information as this leaflet provides. The leaflet asks such provocative questions as 'explain examples given in the book.' Save your $4.00 and buy a latte at Starbucks.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.(Book review): An article from: Air & Space Power Journal

Average customer rating:

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.(Book review): An article from: Air & Space Power Journal
Mark A. Baird
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Air & Space Power Journal, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2007. The length of the article is 633 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: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.(Book review)
Author: Mark A. Baird
Publication: Air & Space Power Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Page: 110(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Leading change.(On Leadership)(Book Review): An article from: Arkansas Business

Average customer rating:

Leading change.(On Leadership)(Book Review): An article from: Arkansas Business
Barry Goldberg
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00082GHJS
Release Date: 2006-02-13

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Arkansas Business, published by Thomson Gale on July 26, 2004. The length of the article is 671 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: Leading change.(On Leadership)(Book Review)
Author: Barry Goldberg
Publication: Arkansas Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 26, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 21 Issue: 30 Page: 7(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (Unabridged)

Average customer rating:

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (Unabridged)
Charan, Larry, Ram Bossidy
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B00006AAZU

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