Robert Duncan Books

This calendar is filled with beautiful pictures of families, women and children. It is beauty that will be enjoyed all year.

New York painter Robert Kushner is known for his floral paintings and has achieved international acclaim: now a wider audience can enjoy these works with the appearance of WILD GARDENS, featuring the extent of works, many of which are painted directly on antique Japanese screens and sliding doors. An essay by Kushner explains his philosophy and love of nontraditional surfaces, while historical background is supplied by Michael Duncan, contributing editor to Art in America Magazine. It's a 'must have' for any art library featuring modern artists in general and floral artists in particular.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Have you ever read any books by or about poet Robert Duncan? The man died some few years ago..totally brilliant man...I just learnt of him a couple months ago, and couldn't beleive that I hadn't encountered his writing earlier...Un-REAL! what a great thinker and writer...he was raised by a family of theosophists, having been an orphan...realized in high school that he wanted to be a poet, tried to conform to society but failed, was gay, married but marriage failed in a few months..brilliant brilliant BRILLIANT man. Unbelievably brilliant and insightful. I'm out of superlatives, but I havent'exaggerated as to my opinion of him. I'd give my left (choose a piece of anatomy)if he was still alive, to be able to talk about poetry, life, and these times with him, to have him read one or two of my poems. And aside from a few people interested in poetry, nobody's heard of him ! His name should be a household word, they should make a commemorative stamp of him! He's up there in the firmament of the heavens with Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson, and the lesser angels (which he exceeds in brilliance) like Kerouac and Ginsberg. BUY THIS BOOK!!! And buy an extra copy to loan to friends, 'cause you ain't gonna want to part with yours!!!

Robert Duncan said that he thought Olson and Creeley were a little wary of him because he was always a threat to come out with something that was a throwback to older poetics. (This is a paraphrase.) And, of course, with the 17th century english poets, we find a wonderful parallel for Duncan that threatens to do exactly that! But it doesn't.

Duncan, like the 17th c. English poets, was never shy of making an abstraction -- which is a big no-no in 20th c. academic circles. These are not Duncan's most abstract poems. In fact, in comparison with some earlier pieces, they more easily meet the demands of accessibility that are brought by those who want an immediate, and disposable, culture. I say "more easily" because they still require a lot of attention and some study on the part of the reader. But the beauty of this chapbook lies in the ease with which Duncan moves around in his topics.

One of the most striking poems creates a parallelism between Southwell's Burning babe and the child victims of the carpet napalming of Vietnamese villages. Where the Southwell piece (which is a Christmas poem) gazes apon the vision in awe, Duncan's stares in horror. Similar differences occur in other works, demonstrating the different beliefs of Duncan from these 17th century English poets. Yet they remain similar in their topics and their methods.

This chapbook was collected into Groundwork: Before the War, and later collected into the complete Groundwork. It is out of print as a chapbook, original printed privately.

Alternative Link is amazing. I have known about them for 8 years and watched them grow. They have taken the complexity of insurance coding and simplified it. And the best part is that they have developed codes for complementary and alternative medical practices. This hadn't been done.

The CAM and Nursing Coding Manual is an example of this work. It is simple, concise straight forward because it is based on the ABC codes. It is easy to read and not hard to follow. It is a must for healthcare providers particularly those who need an overview of the process. It is the future of CAM.

I was fortunate enough to see the Surrealism USA exhibit on tour in Phoenix in July. The collection was astounding. I found this book in the Phoenix Art Museum Store, however, $50 seemed like a lot to spend on a book while on a weekend vacation. I was thrilled to find it on Amazon for much less. The book is beautiful, the photographs are museum print quality and oversized, mostly one or two on each page. The book contains a thorough history of the surrealism movement in the United States during the last century. I would not hesitate to purchase it again.

This is such a classic. I enjoy the movie very much and I love
charlston Heston for he is such a wonderful actor.

I love this film. But as I see older films getting re-issued with an improved mastering effort, I expected this film to look better than it does since this is its third re-issue. I've got DVD's of films older than this 1956 classic that look alot better than this DVD.

So, don't waste your money if you think the copy you have looks like it should be improved in video quality because this latest release looks no better than the 1999 first DVD release.

Repurchase this film only if you want to have the extra "special features" DVD. Most people may only watch those "special features" (documentaries, the making of..., profiles from the starring actors, etc.) maybe only once anyway so is it really worth it to buy the same movie again? Rent the "special features" DVD from Netflix or Blockbuster if you absolutely have to see them. I wish I did instead of buying it again like I did.

The 1956 version of 'The Ten Commandments' is easily one of the most popular films in Hollywood history, eclipsing even Ben-Hur. (Let the protests begin!) Charlton Heston won his only Oscar for his performance in Ben-Hur, but it is in his role as Moses where he clearly had the most defining and remarkable performance of his distinguished career. I've seen the film countless times and couldn't recommend it more enthusiastically. Interestingly, Demille's first go at this story during the silent era is a tremendous curiosity and quite a puzzling oddity. The first half of the film presents a fairly generic although competent survey of the Moses/Exodus story, but only when the film abruptly segues into a modern day morality play involving two brothers, does the actual head scratching begin. Unfortunately, this part of the film was meant to be the heart and soul of Demille's picture, but it amounts to some kind of strange ham fisted unintentional parody of such odious transparency and bludgeoning obviousness that I found myself chuckling and shrugging throughout. It's actually difficult to review this film objectively because I still appreciate Demille's attempt here to really say something, however much a failure it may have been. Fortunately, he quite thouroughly redeemed himself with the '56 remake.

We watched this movie around Easter and decided to get it. We are very happy with the versions that are included. A good movie to have on hand when you want to watch it.

I bought this to add to my collection of Charlton Heston movies. I had seen it many times on television. An outstanding performance!

This film is a wonderful combination of ideas on what the mass media system is doing to our perceptions of the world and how humanity is in constant struggle with the ways success has taken the place of real human emotions. It also presents the argument that corporate globalization is an inevitable process that will be to the ultimate benefit of mankind. A very interesting spin on so many of the most popular conspiracy theories. This film provokes serious thought on many controversial topics the people of the world are currently facing. Awesome film!

es la vida misma.... todos sus discursos, paracen validarse en nuestro dia a dia....Visionaria.... es hora de que las personas creemos mas conciencia en donde vivimos y para lo que trabajamos....

A refreshingly cynical film about the fallout occuring from transitioning the business of journalism to a commoditized commercial interest. A peak experience movie that captures the business of marketing anger, as enabled by the ambitious personalities beholden to nothing but competitive advantage.

The conflict is a struggle of principles for prominence, one that serves the sense of an individual free will against the "forces of nature" argued as capitalism. The prophet for the humanistic cause makes his choices and the captivated public echoes him enthusiastically whatever his position happens to be. Why? The business of amusement doesn't serve any great human design, only the ceremonious murder of boredom.

There is also a love story, that serves as an excellent compatibility experiment between the old and new. William Holden, our objective old school news executive is loyal to the news and the traditional values, and we see his transformation upon realizations of whether falling for the seductive charms of a mercenary agent of entertainment are really worth the conversion. And what is to be said of this new mercenary, how would she fare having to face the responsibility for genuine human experience? Who, needed whom?

I think my favorite part had to be the legal terms and conditions negotiations between the ecumenical liberation army and the network attorneys over the Mao Tse Tung Hour.

I am amazed at the extent to which the makers of this film demonstrated lucid self awareness with vivid and meaningful representations of the competing ideologies at work. I wonder to what extent the hippy celebrations for the dawning of the age of aquarious mantras had something to do with this film's themes, given its timing and central arguments against the hypocrisy inherent in the new order of things. Many have wondered if the hippy generations really added anything to the American Experience. Perhaps this film could be argued in favor of the cause to expand American awareness through creative license.

I think my review is only about 32 years overdue, however, I just discovered this film a couple of months ago, and to be honest, I was very young when it came out, more captivated by Sesame Street at that point in time.

Altogether a fascinating and intriguing story with brillint dialog, direction, performances and an outstanding story in general. I wonder how the people of Fox News would comment on this film given their current criticims.

Intense viewing experience. This movie certainly is not for everyone. If you are looking for a very intelligent and rewarding viewing experience, this is a movie for you. With a warning - it is a slow moving vehicle, with some fantastic scenes no doubt, but not the kind of action people are used to these days.

This film takes a little (or a lot depending the person) patience as a viewer. Beyond the pacing, I couldn't believe how on-point this movie was. Not simply about television and media, but about life. Wow, what a message this movie delivers to those who are listening. And this was 1976 to boot!

There are a few monologues from Howard that are fabulous and packed with emotion and words that may shake you, if only slightly. There Is a particular scene, when Howard is in the office talking to Max and Max tells him they are taking him off the air. Listen carefully to Howard's monologue about energy and purpose and oneness of life. Wow.

Peter Finch is fantastic, but all main players do excellent. He won the Oscar for best actor and it was certainly deserved. This move is worth seeing for his performance alone.

This movie should definitely find an audience in today's new age spiritual movement and those questioning the veils of society. It gets five stars from me. Highly recommended for the patient viewer.

Finch won a well deserved Oscar for his portrayal of Howard Beall, a highly disturbed news anchorman, whom the network uses to increase its ratings.Holden, his supposed best friend, has too many problems of his own to urge Finch to receive the psychiatric help he needs. Chief among Holden's problems is Dunaway, a power hungry runaway train who's been directly responsible for his firing. Nevertheless, Holden has an affair going with her, a relationship that has no rational sense. Then, we have Duvall in his prime, convincingly portraying a man who's just staged a coup d'etat. All goes reasonably well until Beall's ratings begin to drop. Enter corporate chair Arthur Jensen, giving Beall one of Hollywood's great all time lambastings. When ratings continue to drop, it's Dunaway who indirectly delivers the bad news. This movie will always stand up because its main themes of money, power, and sex are timeless. It's about time you saw it.

A refreshingly cynical film about the fallout occuring from transitioning the business of journalism to a commoditized commercial interest. A peak experience movie that captures the business of marketing anger, as enabled by the ambitious personalities beholden to nothing but competitive advantage.

The conflict is a struggle of principles for prominence, one that serves the sense of an individual free will against the "forces of nature" argued as capitalism. The prophet for the humanistic cause makes his choices and the captivated public echoes him enthusiastically whatever his position happens to be. Why? The business of amusement doesn't serve any great human design, only the ceremonious murder of boredom.

There is also a love story, that serves as an excellent compatibility experiment between the old and new. William Holden, our objective old school news executive is loyal to the news and the traditional values, and we see his transformation upon realizations of whether falling for the seductive charms of a mercenary agent of entertainment are really worth the conversion. And what is to be said of this new mercenary, how would she fare having to face the responsibility for genuine human experience? Who, needed whom?

I think my favorite part had to be the legal terms and conditions negotiations between the ecumenical liberation army and the network attorneys over the Mao Tse Tung Hour.

I am amazed at the extent to which the makers of this film demonstrated lucid self awareness with vivid and meaningful representations of the competing ideologies at work. I wonder to what extent the hippy celebrations for the dawning of the age of aquarious mantras had something to do with this film's themes, given its timing and central arguments against the hypocrisy inherent in the new order of things. Many have wondered if the hippy generations really added anything to the American Experience. Perhaps this film could be argued in favor of the cause to expand American awareness through creative license.

I think my review is only about 32 years overdue, however, I just discovered this film a couple of months ago, and to be honest, I was very young when it came out, more captivated by Sesame Street at that point in time.

Altogether a fascinating and intriguing story with brillint dialog, direction, performances and an outstanding story in general. I wonder how the people of Fox News would comment on this film given their current criticims.

Intense viewing experience. This movie certainly is not for everyone. If you are looking for a very intelligent and rewarding viewing experience, this is a movie for you. With a warning - it is a slow moving vehicle, with some fantastic scenes no doubt, but not the kind of action people are used to these days.

This film takes a little (or a lot depending the person) patience as a viewer. Beyond the pacing, I couldn't believe how on-point this movie was. Not simply about television and media, but about life. Wow, what a message this movie delivers to those who are listening. And this was 1976 to boot!

There are a few monologues from Howard that are fabulous and packed with emotion and words that may shake you, if only slightly. There Is a particular scene, when Howard is in the office talking to Max and Max tells him they are taking him off the air. Listen carefully to Howard's monologue about energy and purpose and oneness of life. Wow.

Peter Finch is fantastic, but all main players do excellent. He won the Oscar for best actor and it was certainly deserved. This move is worth seeing for his performance alone.

This movie should definitely find an audience in today's new age spiritual movement and those questioning the veils of society. It gets five stars from me. Highly recommended for the patient viewer.

This movie totally rocks, I suggest it to any movie lover. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it!!!!

Back in 1976, the notion of "Sybil the Soothsayer" was an absurdity happily confined to the movies. These days, there's a guy named John Edward whose 15 minutes of fame seems to be on an endless loop: he appears on daytime gabfests, TV shopping networks, & with the "serious" interviewer Larry King. (How a career gossipmonger like Larry King became a serious TV journalist couldn't be imagined by "Network": there, serious journalist became gossipmonger. Larry King presents the inexplicable case of life ridiculing art.)

"Network" was a gag gift for the Bicentennial: a newsman's emotional decline becomes ratings fodder, until that decline horns in on the network's behind-the-anchor-desk dealings. These days, the airwaves are so cluttered with madmen that emotional decline is only cited as such after a dozen lie dead in a mall or school. Apparently, this is sponsors' way of distinguishing betw. newsmakers & newsreaders, a difference that disappears anyway @awards time.

In 1978, humorist Mort Sahl said on his D.C. radio show that Chayevsky told him that the Beale character was in part based on Sahl, who had by then become an object of peer ridicule for reading text from the Warren Commission Report on stage. (You remember the Warren Commission: an investigative body appointed by President Johnson, one member of which [Allen Dulles] was compelled to step down as CIA dir. by the same President whose assassination was being investigated. No, they can't make this stuff up, but they can always pretend someone did.) Howard Beale alienated his bosses, so they arranged for apparent audience members to waste him.

What strikes the conscientious viewer of "Network" is the literate script & the intensity of the characters: it's a sad comment on mature entertainment today that the breakup scene between Wm. Holden & Beatrice Straight is far more romantic, sincere, & even erotic than any current under-the-covers tete-te-tete. Today, there remains only stereotype, so our crop of right wing, pseudo-patriotic zealots must be comforted by the fact that the primary by-product of secular humanism is the endless self-congratulatory orgy of history repeated as farce.

Finch won a well deserved Oscar for his portrayal of Howard Beall, a highly disturbed news anchorman, whom the network uses to increase its ratings.Holden, his supposed best friend, has too many problems of his own to urge Finch to receive the psychiatric help he needs. Chief among Holden's problems is Dunaway, a power hungry runaway train who's been directly responsible for his firing. Nevertheless, Holden has an affair going with her, a relationship that has no rational sense. Then, we have Duvall in his prime, convincingly portraying a man who's just staged a coup d'etat. All goes reasonably well until Beall's ratings begin to drop. Enter corporate chair Arthur Jensen, giving Beall one of Hollywood's great all time lambastings. When ratings continue to drop, it's Dunaway who indirectly delivers the bad news. This movie will always stand up because its main themes of money, power, and sex are timeless. It's about time you saw it.

EUREKA! I have found a breakthrough book and a phenomenal primer on strategy in "Simplified Strategic Planning A No-Nonsense Guide For Busy People Who Want Results Fast!" And as a bonus, I also have discovered kindred spirits in the strategic planning world in the persons of Robert W. Bradford and J. Peter Duncan. This book is well written, practical and an extremely useful guide for creating winning strategies. I strongly recommend that you get this book into your hands and the hands of your management team ASAP and then read and use it as your guide to embark on an incredible journey to a future filled with success through simplified strategic planning.
Reviewed by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. EBERSOLE ASSOCIATES and THE RENAISSANCE GROUP (tm), Lancaster, PA. and Author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" newsletter www.renaissanceman4u.com

This book is very poor and I would recommend against purchasing it. This guide is seems to be written by seminar teachers, full of simple one-liners and cheesy analogies that don't really add that much to your understanding of strategy. Possibly a starter guide, but not recommended if you have already read anything on strategy.

This book's strength is that it is basically an outline of good strategy development. Another reviewer called it the book for "dummies"-like that was a criticism. It provides an excellent guide for real managers trying to get a tough job done in competition with their "real job" requirements. If you need something to impress a teacher, buy something different. If you need to get some strategic planning done in the typical workplace, put this book high on your list of resources.

This book takes strategic planning off the shelf and into the realm of implementation. It makes strategic planning an inclusive, usable, adjustable tool to manage the growth of an organization. Too often, we hear the complaint that organizations have spent considerable time and money on creating a sophisticated strategic plan only to have it sit on the shelf for years without any action taken. Simplified Strategic Planning is just that, a process that retains the complexity inherent in creating a comprehensive plan for an organization while breaking it down into small, clear, actionable steps. Perhaps the best part of this book is that in addition to creating a strategic plan, underlying the process is a deep understanding of how to involve people in the work of gathering data, analyzing the data and then creating a customized strategic plan.

Yes the book "simplifies" a difficult process, but the real proof of its worth is actually using the plan set forth by the authors. We are well into year one of following the instructions and our 38 year old company has never communicated to the level it is now. We have already enabled ourselves to take advantage of two major opportunities that would have benn missed without planning by the book.

Read it sure - Use it for sure!