Directors Books

I've just stumbled across Wendy Hornsby and her protagonist, Maggie MacGowen. My initial reaction was anger: How could I have missed this writer for so long? I've since discovered, however, that a good many people seem to have missed her as well. And that's a shame for all concerned.

"Bad Intent" is that rarest of creations (or perhaps Hornsby achieves this as a matter of routine, I can't wait to find out): It's a compelling mystery that succeeds equally well as a novel. I found myself gripped with equal intensity by the questions of how to merge two households into one, how to reconcile one's perceptions of a loved one with the day-by-day realities they present, how to pull up stakes and move to a different locale and go about the whole process of starting anew, even the eternal question of how-the-hell-does-a-parent-deal-with-a-budding-adolescent-child?, as well as those usual questions of "whodunnit" or, equally importantly in this book, "whydunnit" and "who-done-what"?

Maggie MacGowen is a jewel of a protagonist, outwardly a Berkeley liberal, yet realist enough -- the result, one infers, of a lifetime of experience -- to accept the need for pragmatism as a credo. Toughminded without being hardhearted, smart and hip without succumbing to the lure of cynicism, Maggie steps off the printed page as a person rather than simply a character in a book. She lives, she breathes, she acts. In that order.

As do all the characters in "Bad Intent." Hornsby seems simply incapable of creating a single "cardboard" character or locale, let alone a premise. Character, as any writer learns in his/her first class, determines plot, while plot illustrates character; to me it's obvious that Ms. Hornsby has taken this lesson to heart. It's equally obvious that she has researched her characters with a degree of diligence other writers would do well to emulate. Her cops, as one striking example (and of course, most notably, Maggie's lover, Mike Flint), burst forth in all their strengths and flaws; neither saint nor sinner, simply individual people with foibles determined by their upbringings, experiences and reactions to their job.

Things happen in this novel; they happen for a reason (and not, as opposed to many mystery/thrillers, simply to provide a body). Questions are asked, and answered. And the reader's interest is maintained throughout. The fact that this interest is maintained to such a high degree is what makes "Bad Intent" the book that it is. And what it is, is -- to put it quite simply -- a book to savor.

For junior and senior high band directors, a ready-to-use curriculum for teaching students ABOUT music as well as how to play it. Includes 37 detailed lesson plans and 122 related REPRODUCIBLE worksheets, spiral bound for eady photocopying. Major sections on linear pitch, vertical pitch, duration, acoustics, style and form - plus much more. Complete answer keys for all worksheets and quizes are included. Sprial bound, 268 pages

I am a student at the University of Arkansas where Mr. Janzen is pofessor emeritus. His book is laid out into categories that deal with adminstrative and teaching aspects of being a band director. Everything in his book is straight forward and to the point. Anything that he feels is important is placed in a list with a brief explaination following. This book is a great resource for anyone that is or wants to become a band director.

I give this book five stars because it's a great read for anyone interested in the history of the early days of Hollywood. However, the potential buyer needs to know that this book was originally published under the title "The White Brothers: Jack, Jules, and Sam White." (The title was apparently changed to "Behind the Three Stooges" to boost sales when the second edition was released...?) The White Brother's involvement with the Three Stooges (especially Jules') is indeed discussed in the book, but the book is not about the Stooges exclusively. The White Brothers made many non-Stooge films, so people interested in reading only about the Stooges may find this book disappointing.

A very short observation: Every one that wants to explore the reasons of why Adorno and Brecht were water and oil, why Brecht was very interested in dialectical relationships between wave and matter or why Brecht never ended at Frankfurt receiving three naked students meanwhile a director, can't miss this book.

"This study of IT developments in public libraries is based on interviews with IT department directors and other librarians knowledgeable about IT developments in their respective libraries. Participating public libraries include those from Minneapolis, Princeton, Cedar Falls, San Francisco, Boston, Columbus, Denver, Santa Monica, Evansville, and Seattle." (summary by South Texas Library System)
If you have decisions to make about E-books, database licensing, consortiums, workstation deployment, reservation policies, technology centers, and internet access policies, then take a look at this book. It also covers internet filtering, automated book check out, automated routing of returned books, catalog enhancements, digitizing of special audio/video collections, web site maintenance and development, virtual reference systems, size and composition of technology staff, relation of library technology staff to city/county technology staff, help desk policies, and wireless access. Whew, there must be something there that would benefit your library.

Betty Crocker's Cooky Book is a rediscovery from childhood for many and an entire world of delicious cookie treasures for anyone who loves baking, especially in the holiday season.

Each year at Christmas my grandmother would take out about 20 (it seemed) cookie tins and bake until each and every one of those tins were filled with cookies during the winter months and especially near Christmas.

This is also the book we loved as children. I fondly remember spending hours just looking through this book and wishing the cookies I wanted to make would magically appear on a plate. Soon, I was old enough to cook the Peanut butter Cookies, Russian Teacakes and Candy Cane Cookies. My favorite page as a child was page 56. A page filled with storybook cookies that were painted and iced sugar cookies.

The contents include:

Drop, Bar, Refrigerator, Rolled, Pressed and Molded Cookies.

Holiday Cookies for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Cookies for Children, Lunchbox treats, Cookies that will travel, Heritage cookies, Cookies for Special Diets.

Brownies, Date Bars, Ginger Cookies, Cookies made from mixes

Teatime Cookies, Cookies for a Crowd, Confections

Best Cookies

In this cookbook, they say you can use either the traditional or the sifting method. We always used the traditional dip and sweep method for measuring the flour. Then, on the next page they explain why your cookie dough might be too soft. I've always found this rather amusing, since you see...if you use the sifting method, you will possibly not have enough flour, at least in my mind. Most cookbooks say to use one OR the
other method for all the recipes and some don't really give you the choice and this is eternally confusing.

Some of the cookies you might enjoy:

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Butterscotch Brownies
Holiday Spritz
Snickerdoodles
Christmas Bells
Cream Wafers
Nougat Bars

Definitely a collectable Betty Crocker Cookbook. For a Facsimile Edition from 2002, look for ISBN 0764566377. My mother recently bought me the newer edition and it is wonderful to have this cookbook all in one piece. This is the type of cookbook you will truly use and that is why our family has been through numerous copies over the years.

~The Rebecca Review, already dreaming of Candy Cane Cookies...

Few Americans have seen Muhammad Abderrahman Tazi's films and Kevin Dwyer is an anthropologist. But you needn't be a specialist to find this book fascinating. As Tazi's career is described, readers will also learn a great deal about film making, Morocco's colonial hangover, and the effects of globalization on Third World culture.

Dwyer is well qualified to write about Morocco and its arts. He has spent much of his professional life there and in other North African countries and is now Professor of Anthropology at the American University in Cairo. As demonstrated in this and previous books, he is also well qualified to conduct the interviews on which much of Beyond Casablanca is based. Thoughtful questions and comments put his subjects at ease. There is organization and direction, but we feel we are privy to the conversations of friends -- without the grinding of personal or academic axes.

Foreign film producers often take advantage of Morocco's exotic settings and lower production costs, and so Tazi has worked with Scorsese, Coppola, Huston and others. His credits include "The Last Temptation of Christ", "The Black Stallion Returns" and "The Man Who Would Be King". On the latter, a John Huston film, Tazi assisted with casting, recommended shooting locations and managed portions of the production effort. As he describes his early practical experience we begin to appreciate the logistics of creating a film. Whether in Morocco or Hollywood the basic requirements are the same. Casting, scene location, lighting, shooting sequences, props, continuity, sound mix, camera angles and perspective are some of the elements discussed here.

It's intriguing to hear a director talk about technique. Tazi tells us he tends to shoot from a distance rather than close in. He believes close-ups ruin "objectivity" and intrude on more appropriately private space. It's even more intriguing to learn that early in his career, lacking guide tracks and Steadicams, the director shot from the trunk of a moving car or from a wheelbarrow pushed by an assistant. I won't take the cameraman for granted the next time I watch Indiana Jones tearing away from a mortal threat.

Dwyer knows that the technical problems of a Third World film maker are a good stand-in for the more general challenges faced by ex-colonies. That wheelbarrow is a not so subtle reminder of what they face as they adjust to independence. Dwyer traces Tazi's evolution from wheelbarrow to digital editing, a difficult trip that remains incomplete. The parallel journey from colony to viable independent state is unimaginably more challenging and happy endings are far from given. Physical infrastructure, the economy, and governmental and educational systems must be rethought and made more effective. Pessimism and frustration have many thousands of Moroccans taking to small boats to cross the Mediterranean on dangerous voyages to Spain as illegal immigrants, a problem Tazi highlights in two of his more serious films.

The film maker's career also demonstrates that globalization can add to the woes of a country such as Morocco. It makes digital technology more readily available so it's easier and less expensive for Tazi to create the movie he wants, but at the same time he must now compete with U.S. media giants. Because of the limited number of screens in Morocco and the lack of foreign interest, Moroccan films invariably lose money. That means funding is scarce and only 10 or so films are made each year in spite of strong domestic interest. American films, profitable because of enormously wider distribution, fill much of the vacuum. Over 95% of the movies shown in Morocco are by foreign producers. Analogous problems plague many Third World industries. Proponents, including me, believe globalization will be for the best longer term, but there is increasing recognition that governments must intervene to temper market forces as long as there are huge imbalances in relative strength.

Fighting through the paucity of funding, weak technical support and strong foreign competition, Tazi has produced and directed five feature films. Beyond Casablanca describes the plot and circumstances of production of each in some detail. One of the clearest messages is that he makes movies that tell stories about, as he says, "... what haunts me". That's one of the reasons he is a frequent winner at various international festivals.

I think some American films are terrific and many more are entertaining, but few American directors make films because they have stories to tell about what haunts them. Even the most successful, and therefore independent, check marketing studies before they get very far into a new project. It's a business with big stakes. Film company managements have input and writers tend to come in teams designed to ensure something for everyone. M. A. Tazi on the other hand knows even his most popular films won't breakeven. He makes them because he has to. That's a pretty good definition of being an artist and Beyond Casablanca is well worth reading for its insight into an artist's mind and for the light it sheds on some of today's most difficult and controversial international social and economic issues.

From the Follett Publishing Series on Social Studies. Remember Billy and His Family and Billy and His Friends. there were 12 in the series by Follett.) over 126 pages including a Word List at the back. Popular period artful pictures on every page. Large clear print along with the attractive artwork makes for a fun study and learning experience. The text includes Fun In School, Time For Work, Spring is Here, Going to Billy's House, A surprise for Mrs.Day, Good News, good Stories and Mother's Day. You will enjoy pictures and text of the children playing together, Helping Baby, Games and Rides and wonderful times at Ann's Home sharing in the chores that children learn to love when mom and dad join in as a family. you will find the book an incentive to help your young child feel a part of Mom and dad's world of work and play.

From the early pioneers of Black Film like Oscar Micheaux in the 1930's to the present day era of filmmakers including Spike Lee, this book adequately covers it all, with a fair amount of time devoted on independent cinema. Interesting read. Especially useful for the academic world.