Book Description
Ten years ago, Rachel Abramowitz began interviewing the most powerful women in the movie-making business in an effort to discover how they had infiltrated this male-dominated world. From superstar actors to independent directors, women in all arenas opened up to her, and the result is extraordinary—together, these stories comprise the most comprehensive history to date of women in Hollywood. Here, in their own candid and provocative words, are
Jodie Foster, Penny Marshall, Dawn Steel, Sherry Lansing, Barbra Streisand, Nora Ephron, Meryl Streep, Jane Campion, and many others—in short, one of the most talented casts ever assembled. Poignant, inspiring, scandalous, and hilarious, this is at once a landmark look at the evolution of women’s place in filmmaking and a glimpse inside one of the most powerful industries in American culture.
Customer Reviews:
Hollywood Behind the Scenes.......2002-07-05
Rachel Abramowitz has achieved what so many would like to accomplish. She has written an intelligent, compelling and very entertaining account of how women achieve power in Hollywood. The book opens with Dawn Steel's death in 1997 and for the next 500 pages it is almost impossible to put down.
Abramowitz has done her research well. This was a book that took her seven to write and I can believe it. We learn how a studio runs and we glimpse the personal lives of the most powerful women in town.
On the production side Dawn Steel, Sherry Lansing, Polly Platt are profiled and we learn a great deal about each one of these major studio players. Female directors and actresses such as Penny Marshall, Nora Ephron, Barbra Streisand, Jodie Foster have their careers and lives etched with great detail.
The women that Abramowitz talks about happen to be high profile Hollywood producers, agents and actors. However, they could just as well be in any boardroom in any city in the US. It is also a story about the adversity that women face in big business.
A difficult book to put down.
A compelling look at women and power in Hollywood..........2001-12-18
I love movies almost as much as books and have long been concerned about the roles that women play both behind and in front of the camera. In Is That a Gun... Rachel Abramowitz provides a fascinating, intelligent look at the power dynamics in Hollywood and a deeply personal one at the women themselves.
Abramowitz spent seven years researching this book and it shows. She interviews women who have occupied various positions in Hollywood - from director to producer, agent, executive - about their lives and work. The women are very different from each other, but they were all among the first women to assume power in Hollywood and as such they have shared experiences. She often provides a background of the women, taking us through their early lives to their arrival in Hollywood - both literally and figuratively - and through their struggles and achievements. Often, along the way, much is revealed about how certain movies, such as Flashdance, Fatal Attraction, Forest Gump and more, were made and about actors, directors, studio heads and so on.
Abramowitz does not rely solely on the women's accounts. She interviews scores of tangential players - from directors to spouses, many famous in their own right, and so on - who corroborate stories and offer their own perspectives, sometimes unwittingly underscoring one of the major points of the book - that however much many of the women might want to deny that sexism affected them personally, they certainly weren't treated the same way that men were.
Many, many women are profiled in this book, so many that there were some that I wanted to learn more about. Others, most notably Dawn Steel and particularly Sherry Lansing, play a more prominent role - in fact, I'd say that Sherry appeared throughout with the most consistency. But a lack of 'page time' does not mean a lack of details, description or insight. Her interviews with Jodie Foster are stunning, especially as Jodie discusses her work on The Accused, Taxi Driver and directing Little Man Tate. And learning about Barbra Streisand's struggles to get her films made was surprising and illuminating. I simply wished there had been more because what was there was so fascinating and interesting.
Too much can be learned from this book to summarize here, and it is much more substantial than mere gossip even though it is sometimes just as fun. If you love movies and have ever questioned why 'chick flicks' meant for women are often totally sexist and completly insult your intelligence, this books helps point you in the direction of an answer. Yet beyond all of the information - and, yes, dirt - I was suprised to find out how human these women were, how unlike the stereotype of the typical powerful, agressive, tough and successful Hollywood career woman. It is a bit disheartening to see how many of them distanced themselves from each other and feminism, not wanting to admit to seeing sexism or being treated differently, but it becomes almost understandable given what some of these women were up against. At any rate, that's a whole other book and this one, as it is, is wonderfully written, thoroughly researched and offers a perspective on Hollywood that's fresh and new - aside from making it about a thousand pages longer, I wouldn't change a thing.
Depressing but well documented.......2001-08-14
It's been a shibboleth of the feminist movement that women are not treated well in Hollywood, meaning the movie industry in general. Unfortunately, this book is proof of that argument. The process of making a movie is described in detail, and many major players, both male and female, of the past few decades are interviewed on-the-record about how women are excluded from both decision-masking and screen time. If you're interested in the business, this is a good read. but it's not a star-dropping tell-all.
Sharp observations with the insider sizzle of gossip.......2001-06-24
I bought this book because I heard a humor piece Rachel Abramowitz did on public radio, and loved it. I was not disappointed. Reading this book was like sitting down with a witty and observant friend in the movie business for a lovely long dish session. It showed me how far women have come behind the camera (and how far we still have to go), and gave me a real appreciation for the women who have made their mark on the film industry, and for what it cost them. This book is well worth purchasing, because you'll want to refer to things you remember in it, and anecdotes about movies you've seen.
Terrific Dish; Useful History.......2000-11-20
While terribly edited (repeated words and anecdotes, awkward writing, total absence of structure), the stories told in this book shed light not just on the particular women and films addressed, but on how women acclimate to and change male-dominated industries like the movies. The details of these women's lives -- from their decisions about how to package a particular film to their decisions of whether or not to marry -- are illuminating. I'm not a film buff, but I found the book captivating and memorable.
Book Description
Need to breathe new life into your guitar playing? This book is your admission into the Guitar ER! You'll learn to: expand your harmonic vocabulary; improvise with chromatic notes; create rhythmic diversity; improve your agility through helpful drills; supply soulful fills; create melodic lines through chord changes; and much more! The accompanying CD includes 99 demonstration tracks.
Book Description
"Attaining the Master-Expert Levels in chess through Tactics" This classic contains 1154 striking examples of chess combinations PLUS a training method for learning chess tactics.
Customer Reviews:
Very Large Number of Tactical Problems to Solve.......2006-07-18
This is a very thick book with a large number of tactical problems. Personally I like to learn tactics by seeing how a tactical situation is reached, and therefore prefer opening Trap books such as, "101 Opening Chess Traps" or even better yet "Winning Chess Traps for Juniors", or complete games containing tactical themes. However, a book with just point blank problems to solve has its use and this book gives you a lot of bang for your buck.
It is true about what the other reviewers have pointed out that "Combination Challenge" has most of the same positions you find in Reinfeld's two books, and even along with the mistakes in some of the answers! Whereas, chess positions and games are not copyrightable, exact copying from another book is. "Combination Challenge" falls short of that infringement.
If lots of tactical problems is what you are looking for, you have found it!
Very Useful!.......2006-03-05
This is one of those "drill books" with tactical motifs. If you do a few diagrams every day, your tactical vision will improve. Also, one reviewer mentioned that many of these positions were stolen from Reinfeld. I do not know if that is true, but unlike Reinfeld, the answers in this book are in algebraic, not descriptive, notation.
Dishonest.......2006-01-06
As has been pointed out in previous reviews, the vast majority of the positions in this book (well over 95% by my tally) are lifted straight out of Fred Reinfeld's 1001 Winning Sacrifices and Combinations with no acknowledgement. The rest of the positions that are not mere duplicates of Reinfeld are derived from the Reinfeld diagrams by the repositioning of a pawn or piece that does not affect the solution. This is why I call this book dishonest - Hays steals Reinfeld's labor and passes off the result as his own. With the help of Chessbase's "find the position" function, this kind of theft can finally be confirmed. For shame!
Sloppiness and Laziness.......2005-09-09
While this book contains many positions and some interesting positions, I am however the author didn't put much care or thought into this book. It appears to sort of database dump for combinations....
The names and places are the games are not noted. In fact some positions appear more than once in the book!
There are alot of better books, in fact are quite a few in which the author probably looked at all the positions!
Great Tactics Workbook for Advanced Players.......2004-10-01
This is one of the best tactics workbooks for an advanced player. A large number of puzzels are presented, broken down by theme. This book will help you improve your tactic skill.
A word of warning! This book is not for an Intermediate player or even a beginner. Though the author "Winning Chess Tactics for Juniors" would be for an advanced beginner or lower end intermediate player I would recommend getting the two intermediate books in the "Chess For Juniors" (by Snyder) first, "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" (which focuses on the most important tactics and in many cases has the tactics build on each other - plus this book has much more) and "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors" (great tactics in these games along with comments on every move to explain things).
Average customer rating:
|
Combination Products: Regulatory Challenges and Successful Product Developement
Smita Gopalaswamy , and
Venky Gopalaswamy
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1420064460 |
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- Plasma At Work
- Everything you need to know about plasma power supplies
|
Plasma AT Work
George A. Sites
Manufacturer: G.A.Sites Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
General & Reference
| Technology
| Science
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Mechanical Properties of Solids
| Materials Science
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ASIN: 0979074614 |
Product Description
Written by Plasma Power Supply expert George A. Sites, this is an easy to understand introduction to plasma applications and power supplies. It is ideally designed for individuals who desire to know more about plasma. The book is thoroughly illustrated with clear B&W photos, schematics, charts/tables and other helpful drawings. It contains a Glossary of Terms, a Bibliography of other helpful readings, a List of Plasma related companies & organizations and is fully indexed. Topics covered include: Section 1 Plasma at Work: 1. What is Plasma?; 2. Complete Plasma Heating System; 3. Plasma at Work; 4. Saving the Environment; 5. Plasma Spraying; 6. Plasma Cutting; 7. Plasma in the Future and Section 2 Plasma Power Supplies: 8. Types of Plasma Power Supplies; 9. SCR Fast Regulator Power Supplies; 10. PWM Buck Regulator Plasma Power Supplies; 11. IEEE-519, Power Factor, Harmonics, Operating Costs; 12. Starting the Plasma Torch; 13. Safety and Maintenance. Condition Brand New, Spiral Bound, 148 pages, Glossy Cover, Publisher G. A. Sites Books.
Customer Reviews:
Plasma At Work.......2007-10-01
George Sites is the expert in this field, his book helps you through the complete Plasma process. He covers many of the applications of the Plasma Arc while explaining the differences between the types of Power Supplies that are used to control Plasma Arcs. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested and or studying about Plasma Arcs.
Everything you need to know about plasma power supplies.......2007-09-07
Mr. Sites has done it again. His easy-to-read; straightforward writing style offers the reader a very good understanding of how the various plasma processes work. More importantly, he differentiates the two basic plasma power supply designs (pulse width modulated and basic phase control) in a manner which gives the reader clear direction as to which power supply design may work best for his application. In this reader's opinion, taking the mystery out of power supply design choices makes this book well worth owning.
Average customer rating:
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Fleissner solves powder bonding challenge with novel combination process.: An article from: Nonwovens Industry
Ellen Noonan
Manufacturer: Rodman Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B0008MFXUM
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Nonwovens Industry, published by Rodman Publications, Inc. on October 1, 1989. The length of the article is 623 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: Fleissner solves powder bonding challenge with novel combination process.
Author: Ellen Noonan
Publication:
Nonwovens Industry (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1989
Publisher: Rodman Publications, Inc.
Volume: v20
Issue: n10
Page: p55(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Pipeline & Gas Journal, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1063 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: Meeting the challenges facing small-diameter combination inspections.(2007 P&GJ and PPSA Pigging Section)
Author: Chris Maier
Publication:
Pipeline & Gas Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 234
Issue: 8
Page: 42(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Return on Investment (ROI) remains one of the most challenging and intriguing issues facing human resource development and performance improvement professionals. Drawing on their expertise in developing and implementing ROI programs in human performance and training, Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., Timothy W. Bothell and G. Lynn Snead demonstrate how you can effectively apply ROI to project management.
Today, almost every industry requires employees to manage multiple projects with competing priorities, critical deadlines, and unexpected interruptionsrendering everyone a project manager in some respect. Most employees feel the pressure of juggling any number of key projects simultaneously. Organizations have responded by investing large amounts of both time and money to improve project management, and most strive to justify the efforts and resources dedicated to improving this goal.
'The Project Management Scorecard' is a welcome relief for anyone managing a project or multiple projects, as well as the trainers, human resource development staff, or supervisors charged with measuring, evaluating, and managing project managers.
Project Management is one of the hottest topics in business management today, affecting nearly every individual in any organization across the globe. Let three HRD experts show you how to apply the hugely popular ROI process to the key organizational issue of successful project management including:
* Project management issues and challenges
* Measuring reaction and satisfaction
* How to calculate and interpret ROI
* Capturing business impact data
* Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project
* Monitoring the true costs of the project solution
* Converting business measure to monetary values
* Forecasting ROI
The authors' step-by-step approach allows you to begin the ROI process immediately. Start measuring the success of your project management results today.
Three HRD experts show how to apply the hugely popular ROI process to the key organizational issue of successful project management.
Project Management is one of the hottest topics in business management today, affecting nearly every individual in any organization across the globe.
Customer Reviews:
Expectations Exceeded.......2006-07-16
This book has a mundane title but could be titled "Everything you ever wanted to know about project success and then some". The Project Management Scorecard focuses on how to evaluate and measure the success of project management solutions. Given that failed projects are far more common than successful projects, executives are investing more time and money in developing project managers. This book recognizes the challenges in measuring the return on project management investment and provides clarity and techniques on how to overcome this obstacle.
The book is very thorough in its examination of the problems, process, and solutions to measuring project management success. First the authors break down the problem into its component parts, then they take a look at the project management process steps, and finally they present multiple approaches on how to create an effective scorecard and to use it to achieve desired results. The book includes not only straight-forward steps to follow, but also questionnaires and forms that can be easily used. Success stories and case studies are also included to illustrate major points.
Some of the topics include the following:
o Project management issues and challenges
o Changing corporate cultures
o Measuring reaction and satisfaction
o How to calculate and interpret and ROI
o Capturing business impact data
o Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project
o Monitoring the true costs of the project
o Converting business measure to monetary values
o Forecasting ROI
This book provides a straight-forward approach to setting up and measuring project success. The authors have taken an onerous topic and provided clarity through simple techniques that can be easily adopted. If implemented, the solutions presented should siginificantly contribute to overall organizational success.
Read it and start tailor, or design, own PM tools.......2005-12-10
I love this book! Why?
1. It is written in easy to read style, simple and direct; anyone with minimal PM expertise, culture will understand it
2. It is covering a wide range of tools and possibilities
3. Anyone can start design, or adjust her/his own tools immediately
4. A great refference for future, to come and review it from time to time
5. It is obvious the author has experience in practicing what he is preaching
Begginer PM practitioner will find a lot of good points, easy to catch and study for future.
Experienced PM experts will have an useful guide to improve or design their own PM tools and ideas to adjust their appeoaches and processes. Highly recommended!
How to create a "project management culture" .......2005-11-09
Having read and then reviewed three books co-authored by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (The Balanced Scorecard, The Strategy-Focused Organization, and Strategy Maps) as well as Paul R. Niven's Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step, all of which I highly regard, I was especially interested in reading this book which the authors explain how to measure the success of project management solutions.
In the Preface, they assert that, currently, "there is no book that offers a comprehensive, practical presentation on a project management scorecard, using a process that meets the demands of [project managers, clients and senior managers who must approve project budgets, and evaluation researchers who develop, explore, and analyze new processes and techniques]. Most models and representations of the scorecard process ignore, or provide very little insight into, the two key elements essential to developing the scorecard: isolating the effects of project management solutions and converting data to monetary values." Others (notably Kaplan, Norton, and Niven) are far better qualified than I am to verify or dispute that claim. Of greater interest to me is how well organized and written this book is, and, how helpful I believe it will be, at least to project managers as well as to those who must approve project budgets. My Five Star rating speaks for itself.
Phillips, Bothell, and Snead present their material within four Parts: Setting the Stage (e.g. "Project Management Issues and Challenges), The Seven Measures (e.g. "How to Capture Business Impact Data"), Key Issues with the Measures (e.g. "How to Convert Business Measures to Monetary Values"), and Challenges (e.g. "Overcoming Resistance and Barriers to the Project Management Scorecard"). They conclude with an Appendix in which they suggest how to establish an effective project management culture. In it, they identify 16 "Best Practices" and include a brief case study example for each.
What I especially appreciate about this volume is the fact that the authors devote the bulk of their attention to explaining how to implement effectively the various concepts, strategies, and tactics they present. They are also to be commended for concluding each of the 16 chapters with a "Final Thoughts" section. This facilitates a convenient review when a reader wishes to review key points. In fact, I strongly recommend to project managers that they complete such a review at least every 90 days but, preferably, every 30 days throughout their project's duration.
As the authors correctly point out, "One of the greatest challenges is deciding which costs should be included in the project solution cost calculation. For some projects, certain costs are hidden and never included in the cost calculation. Our preference is a conservative one: Account for all costs, both direct and indirect."
There are several major cost categories:
Initial analysis and assessment
Development of solutions
Acquisition of solutions
Implementation and application
Maintenance and monitoring
Administrative support and overhead
Evaluation and reporting
For most projects, the authors recommend this sequence by which to convert data to monetary values:
1. First, define a unit of measure
2. Determine the monetary value of each unit
3. Calculate the change in performance data
4. Determine the annual rate (and amount) of change
5. Calculate the annual value of the improvement
"Costs are important and should be fully loaded in the ROI calculation. From a practical standpoint, some costs may be optional based on an organization's guidelines and philosophy. However, because of the scrutiny involved in the ROI calculations, it is recommended that all costs be included, even if this goes beyond the requirements of the policy."
In this volume, Phillips, Bothell, and Snead offer a wealth of information and counsel which can help achieve the ultimate success of almost any project in almost any organization. That success can then inform and guide efforts to create throughout the same organization a "project management culture."
Essential for PMOs and mature project organizations.......2002-05-12
This book is ROI-focused and integrates the people and process elements of project management with a balanced scorecard approach. One of the authors, Jack J. Phillips, has extensive experience and a large published body of knowledge in the domains of HR, ROI and scorecard development. This book has his touch, and covers the essentials of a mature project organization, what to measure and how to measure it.
The approach is as follows:
1. Measure:
* reaction and satisfaction
* skill and knowledge churn during the project
* implementation and progress metrics throughout the project
2. From the metrics capture:
* business impact data
* ROI
3. Identify both tangible and intangible benefits and apply them to an aggregate 'true cost'.
The book also shows how to translate business metrics to dollar values, build a business case, and communicate status, based on the scorecard, to clients and stakeholders. This is essential for anyone who is setting up or managing a program management office or who wants to improve internal project managment processes. It also provides one of the best methods for communicating status to clients and upper management.
Books:
- It Don't Worry Me: The Revolutionary American Films of the Seventies
- James Bond's London
- James Dean: Fifty Years Ago
- JFK, Nixon, Oliver Stone and Me: An Idealist's Journey from Capitol Hill to Hollywood Hell
- K Foundation Burn a Million Quid
- Last Action Hero: The Official Moviebook
- Maggie Smith: A Bright Particular Star
- Making It Big: Sex Stars, Porn Films and Me
- Male Trouble: A Crisis in Representation
- Managing Linux Systems with Webmin: System Administration and Module Development
Books Index
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The Movie Business Book, Third Edition (Movie Business Book)
