Performance Books

Good nutrition is very important for the sportive horse

This an excellent book for anyone interested in the science of keeping a performance horse sound and bringing it to peak condition at the time of the events of the season. The details of new information on interpreting physiological signs in your horse will help the analytical, or the more intuitive owner of a polocrosse, event, polo or trail horse.

I normally don't buy books. But having read this one from the library, I found it so useful, I had to own my own copy.

The benefit for an understanding of musical politics, for standards of performance, for audience civility and for musicology in general, has been incalculable, and it is hard to see how existing standards in any of these fields can be maintained, much less improved without continuous and patient prodding and the occasional outpouring of bile from such a source. Let music lovers, makers,administrators and editors, all please take note! " Concert Life in Puerto Rico" is therefore valuable for use and imporvement but also for pleasure. Who can resist a book that contains cracks like, "the orchestra sounded like a faulty zipper," or that compares the first act of Tosca to La Boheme played backwards?!

The benefit for an understanding of musical politics, for standards of performance, for audience civility and for musicology in general, has been incalculable, and it is hard to see how existing standards in any of these fields can be maintained, much less improved without continuous and patient prodding and the occasional outpouring of bile from such a source. Let music lovers, makers,administrators and editors, all please take note! " Concert Life in Puerto Rico" is therefore valuable for use and imporvement but also for pleasure. Who can resist a book that contains cracks like, "the orchestra sounded like a faulty zipper," or that compares the first act of Tosca to La Boheme played backwards?!

Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance is an excellent reference for both practioners and researchers in the field. The basic science sections are very well organized and written. I was very impressed with the way difficult material was explained in a clear and easy to understand fashion. The descriptions and instructional cues for various exercises were also very well done. Most importantly, the chapters on program design provide a wealth of information on exercise prescription. A worthy text in the library for anyone who works in the strength and conditioning field.

This book is an excellent choice for students wishing to advance their knoweledge on everything from basic science to nutrition, testing, resistance training, and aerobic conditioning for the improvement of human performance. The book also provides clear identification of various adaptations in response to exercise, as well as a section on special topics such as ergogenic aids and special populations. A variety of color pictures demonstrating graphs, charts, and exercise demonstrations are also included, as well as a cd-rom to supplement.

Overall, this book is a great tool for those wishing to understand the latest findings from research. For those wishing to advance their knowledge in the fields of exercise science and strength and conditioning, this book is a must-have for your library!

I new this book was special when I read the opening quote from the first page of the Introduction to Amplification and Signal Processing chapter:

We're here to hurt you!"
--Billy Corgan of the smashing Pumpkins

Simply put: This book is a revalation to the contemporary string music scene. Extreemly well written, full of countless scores and short examples. Invaluable.

I knew this book was special when I read the opening quote from the first page of the one of the chapters:

We're here to hurt you!"
--Billy Corgan of the smashing Pumpkins

Simply put: This book is a revalation to the contemporary string music scene. Extreemly well written, full of countless scores and short examples. Invaluable.

Current wisdom is that shareholder value should be the guiding light for corporate management. The US is following this lodestar. US companies outperform all other so who can quarrel with this? European companies are following the US example. The author wonders if companies are digging their own graves by doing so. Her arguments may not be watertight but they make you sit up and think. She correctly states that a company's success is dependent on innovation. There is no evidence that concentrating on shareholder value is best for innovation. The blossoming of the electronics industry is not based on the free market or entrepreneurship or shareholder value. The foundation was enlightened procurement by the Department Of Defence. IBM, INTEL and DEC all owe their success to "buy only American" defence orders according to her analysis. She also shows that the stock market only plays a very small role in providing capital for investment. Most funding comes from depreciation and retained earnings. Equity issues are only important to buy out owners and to allow companies to acquire other ones. An interesting analysis shows that the benefit of an acquisition almost always accrues to the shareholders of the acquired company and almost never to the acquiring company. Institutional investors (and raiders) are the only shareholders with influence. Their only interest is share performance. They have aligned their interest with that of top management through stock options and bonus plans depending on share performance. Company managers can now become very rich when increasing the value of the shares. As the average tenure of a CEO is around five years, it leads automatically to a short-term perspective. She believes that there is more to the economic value a company can produce than shareholder value. This point is not dealt with in any detail other than the emphasis on innovation and organisational learning that are long-term processes. One interesting point is the difference between German and Japanese companies on the one hand and US on the other. US companies do not see it as an objective to upgrade the job opportunities for its employees. In the past companies offered good pay for relatively simple jobs. The company attitude is to move these jobs to low cost countries and make the employees redundant. Most of the redundant people have to take lower paid service jobs. She believes that companies can and should follow a different path and enrich the kind of work the company can offer and invest in the education of its employees. She gives no real-life examples of US companies that have successfully done so. The different path taken by German is described very lucidly. Even though German companies have made much greater effort than American companies in upgrading its workforce, they face other problems. Financing pensions is big problem, so is the restructuring of the banks. Getting the "upgraded" specialists at all levels to work as teams across specialist borders is very difficult. This book presents many thought-provoking challenges to readers that believe in shareholder value and the free market without any reservations or concerns.

Current wisdom is that shareholder value should be the guiding light for corporate management. The US is following this lodestar. US companies outperform all other so who can quarrel with this? European companies are following the US example. The author wonders if companies are digging their own graves by doing so. Her arguments may not be watertight but they make you sit up and think. She correctly states that a company's success is dependent on innovation. There is no evidence that concentrating on shareholder value is best for innovation. The blossoming of the electronics industry is not based on the free market or entrepreneurship or shareholder value. The foundation was enlightened procurement by the Department Of Defence. IBM, INTEL and DEC all owe their success to "buy only American" defence orders according to her analysis. She also shows that the stock market only plays a very small role in providing capital for investment. Most funding comes from depreciation and retained earnings. Equity issues are only important to buy out owners and to allow companies to acquire other ones. An interesting analysis shows that the benefit of an acquisition almost always accrues to the shareholders of the acquired company and almost never to the acquiring company. Institutional investors (and raiders) are the only shareholders with influence. Their only interest is share performance. They have aligned their interest with that of top management through stock options and bonus plans depending on share performance. Company managers can now become very rich when increasing the value of the shares. As the average tenure of a CEO is around five years, it leads automatically to a short-term perspective. She believes that there is more to the economic value a company can produce than shareholder value. This point is not dealt with in any detail other than the emphasis on innovation and organisational learning that are long-term processes. One interesting point is the difference between German and Japanese companies on the one hand and US on the other. US companies do not see it as an objective to upgrade the job opportunities for its employees. In the past companies offered good pay for relatively simple jobs. The company attitude is to move these jobs to low cost countries and make the employees redundant. Most of the redundant people have to take lower paid service jobs. She believes that companies can and should follow a different path and enrich the kind of work the company can offer and invest in the education of its employees. She gives no real-life examples of US companies that have successfully done so. The different path taken by German is described very lucidly. Even though German companies have made much greater effort than American companies in upgrading its workforce, they face other problems. Financing pensions is big problem, so is the restructuring of the banks. Getting the "upgraded" specialists at all levels to work as teams across specialist borders is very difficult. This book presents many thought-provoking challenges to readers that believe in shareholder value and the free market without any reservations or concerns.

One common thread has connected the companies involved in the recent spate of high-profile corporate bankruptcies and scandals: The failure of boards of directors to control management. John Carver, an international consultant on corporate governance, explains the role of the board of directors and defines the proper relationship between the board and top management. To summarize: The board commands; management obeys. Since this is all too often not the case, we from getAbstract strongly recommend that everyone in business read this book for its essential advice on strengthening the authority and accountability of corporate boards of directors.

Shareholders today are becoming used to scanning the headlines for the most recent corporate disaster. Where were the boards that were theoretically looking after the shareholders' interests? While there has been much public moaning about the problems, most of the "solutions" being proposed are band-aid therapy, neglecting the root problems: lack of clarity about the role of governance, and lack of a systematic approach to ensure accountable governance while at the same time appropriately empowering management.

The Policy Governance model described in this book provides a solution. Boards that conscientiously apply the principles set out in the model can be confident that they are indeed fulfilling their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders. This book provides the clearest, most straightforward and lucid explanation of the principles necessary to responsible governance that I have seen in my years of experience as a governance coach and consultant. I highly recommend it, not only to corporate boards, but to governing boards of any organization.

What is most striking about this book is its lack of sentimentality and incisive, sharp language. There has, indeed, been much written about Tennessee Williams, perhaps too much; the endless nonsense of his being a self-hating homosexual, the lurid tales of his promiscuity, the alleged Oedipal complexes, the temper tantrums and paranoia, and other such twaddle have all obfuscated many essential things about the genius who was Tennessee Williams. This excellent book stands out because it reminds us of Mr. Williams' power -as a person and a playwright- and at the same time it is not sycophantic nor is it cleverly bitchy. Smith, the author, meets Williams rather by accident and the unlikely friendship blossoms. I found the writing to be rather enthralling, evocative, and extremely well-crafted, which allows it to stand apart from many of the other (lesser) books on Williams. It is a memoir and does not purport to be anything but that, which allows the reader a keen insight into the life and work and humanity of the great Tennessee Williams. Because it is told from Smith's eyes the recounting of these stories is deeply personal and often effervescent with images and ideas; a far cry from the mawkish, self-consumed memoirs that pass as literature these days. I also liked the fact that Smith names some names and makes clear the case that the critics, PR people, and the various 'powers that be' in the theater and film worlds (i.e. agents, lawyers, producers) all played their part in Williams' miserable and protracted demise as much as the alcohol and pills did. And while Smith does not exculpate Williams from his vices he carefully explains why, he in fact, had them, and elucidates the nefarious forces constantly in conflict with the artist and his creative process.

Make no mistake this is Mr. Smith's story of his friendship with Tennessee, and thank goodness for its uniqueness, honesty, and edge. I think to truly appreciate this book one has to be familiar with serious writing (Eliot, Shaw) and not the Pop pap that sadly passes for publishable literature today. COSTLY PERFORMANCES and its author are both class acts and any writer or artist or person with a soul or fan of Tennessee Williams will love this book.


PS
The comment about grammatical errors is totally wrong and unfounded. And the Braun woman; who is she? "The author needed distance"? If she works in a library, how does she not know what a memoir is, and what the first person POV narrative offers the reader? These types of hit jobs are precisely the type of aforementioned `nefarious forces' to which I referred.

I am a young actor living in London where the plays of Tennesssee Williams are experiencing a great deal of interest within the entire theatre community: schools and universities; theatre companies; theatre media. All fans of his work are turning to background material on Williams and one of the most discussed -- and admired -- is Costly Performances/Tennessee Williams: The Last Stage by Bruce Smith. Mr Smith has, since writing this memoir, become actively involved in London's theatre world, saying he learned "at the master's hand" many enduring and valuable lessons re dramaturgy, play production and, more importantly, playwriting. His play 'Papal Gore' is scheduled for a West End staging. As well, his book about Mr. Williams is now being made into a major motion picture here in England. Real theatre people understand the sensitivity Mr. Smith brought to his portrayal of Mr Williams in his last, very difficult years and value it as a real contribution to 20th Century theatre history. It is highly literate but -- above all -- a very good read. This book, with Lyle Leverich's
The Unknown Tennessee Williams and the gossipy The Kindness of Strangers by Donald Spoto provide an indepth look at the author's life and times.

As a documentary filmmaker this text was really helpful to me when working with my sources and talents. It was suggested to me by a friend when critiquing my new work. After reading it I was able to place myself in an increasingly thoughtful and thorough position when working with my interviewees. I would suggest every visual artist interested in exploring ethnicity or identity through appropriations should check out the ethics section!

D. Soyini Madison's "Critical Ethnography: Method, Ethics, and Performance" is a rich and accessible resource for scholars and students engaged in ethnographic fieldwork. It provides a concise primer in the theoretical, methodological, ethical, and performative dimensions of field research, and maintains a very pragmatic, "how-to" approach that might be especially valuable to younger scholars or those doing ethnographic work for the first time. The goals of the book are explicitly pedagogical, and to this end Madison organizes it around three fictional case studies which she relates to the tripartite divisions of method/theory, ethics, and performance that structure the work. Madison's recapitulations of important theories in anthropology, gender studies, performance studies, postcolonial studies and related fields are particularly deft and approachable for those of us who sometimes need a little help keeping our "dasein" straight from our interpellation, our Merleau-Ponty from our Heidegger. Throughout the book, Madison seems particularly indebted to the work of the late Dwight Conquergood, whose ideas on the intersections of performance, ethnography, and ethics are quite prominent and inform many of her positions. All in all, the book is a treasure trove of sound, practical advice from a seasoned ethnographer on topics ranging from how to deal with writer's block, to how to conduct an interview, to how to think about ethical obligations to your informants, as well as many other concerns that often arise in the context of doing and writing about fieldwork.

So you might be smart, capable, hardworking ... this is not always enough for success in the workplace. In Crooks Hoods and Vagabonds Alan reveals the other elements that are at play which simply cannot be ignored.

This book certainly helped me to find explanations for past experiences and issues I have personally faced. Recommended to readers for this reason - or if you haven't yet had confrontational dealings or had to manage a situation of conflicting values in the workplace - read this immediately - in any case it will deliver an extensively more conscious awareness of human nature and how it can manifest in organisations, and how you as an individual can respond.

Knowledge is power - and anyone struggling with concepts of unethical or unfair behaviour in the workplace needs the messages and explanations this book provides.

What you won't learn in an educational institution but what you need to provide context to human behaviour when money and power are involved.

I have read many great books on leadership for me this one tops the bill.

I've been in the people business for over 20 years . If you are like me, we already know the basic business fundamental's of knowing your staff and creating an environment of trust, integrity and consciously working together to achieve outcomes.

DuMee brings you into his world and opens the doors to many levels of management from that of an employee to the ground floor supervisor and in "easy speak terms" gives you an insight to the blue print of " days in our lives" experienced in the high altitudes of a CEO-

You know when you get one of those books and you cant put it down...I kept reading this book into the night and almost pulled out my dairy to see if it was still there!!! as some of the experiences he described in the workplace painted a similar picture to my experiences in battle field called "my fab career"...

DuMee described in detail some of the worst experiences which are rampant in the business world..for example
* When managers cant manage- they deflect the confrontation away from themselves by creating in-house wars with their staff-
* Little agreements made under the table in the exchange for the outcome of turning a blind eye to certain practices,
* Workplace bullying disguised as "management" decisions-

Take heart...DuMee gives you good examples of how to work with this stuff- and gives some great techniques for you to know "what and who you are really dealing with"

DuMee is a pure visionary , we need more like him in the business world-


Maryanne Parker. Team Leader. Business Industry.

Performance artist Guillermo Gomez -Pena is an incredible talent who in this, his fifth book, has put together his thoughts and recollections on his art through the nineties. I was intrigued with him after seeing some of his performances on video and wanted to know more about this modern day shamanistic being. The book does not dissapoint , reads fast and is full of the emotions evoked from his performances. His writing style is puntuated with sharp insights into the human psyche. There is poetry, interviews and some experiences that will make you laugh. GGP often wrties in Spanglish, creating colorful language, deep rooted in the barrios from points north and south of the border, easily shifting gears and writng as though he were Harvard educated. GGP shares his views on everything from Zapatismo to skinheads, Roc en Espanol to La Virgen de Guadalupe, cyber communities to barios and everything in between from an insightful Chicano perspective. Although it is not necessary to read the book chapter by chapter, if one does you'll find yourself flying through the experiences and recollections of GGP and partner Roberto Sifuentes and other collaborators. The characters that GGP creates for his art are memorable and often take offs on pop icon culture. In this book you'll meet such notable creations as "Border Brujo," "El Naftaaztec," "El Mexterminator," "Cyber-Vato" and "El Mad Mex"(from the film "Natural Born Matones"), traverse the globe from Helsinki to Vladivostok, Montana to Buenos Aires, Chiapas to Ciudad Juarez, Wales to Tijuana or from Fort Collings to back "home" in San Francisco or Mexico City. Experience the selections from audience confessions as they confront the beings created by GGP, the reactions and fears are amazing truths that only performance art can create. See GGP and partner Roberto Sifuentes amost die from hanging on crosses as they portray themselves as the good and bad thief from the crucification. They stayed on the cross until they were finally brought down when someone realized they could die from their performance. Vicariously experience the shock that they both create and recieve from their performances. GGP lives an existence that is bicultural and international in scope , a Mexican who is a Chicano in the US, he understands the nowhere land he stands firmly on, neither Mexican nor American through some people eyes, he confronts peoples fears making them examine their own prejudices. This is a brilliiat book that captures the essence of GGP and his performance troupe La Pocha Nosta. The book is printed on quality paper, full of magnifent black and white photographs and some very nice precolumbian illustrations. The photographs visually delight as they show the characters created , complete with props that result in stunning dramatic appeal. This book is a cultural tour de force that transcends borders, extending the readers imagination to challenge common perceptions and reevaluate the world of the Chicano as we know it. Highly recommended for those interested in one of the best performance artists of our times.

Guillermo Gomez-Pena has put together a book that should rock you in your socks if you've got any interest in how performance art can, and is being used shamanically (although "he" doesn't use this term) to manifest the hidden powers of the human unconsciousness, play with them, and perhaps bring balance.

In this collection of essays, interviews, and scripts, Gomez-Pena describes the preparation, processes, goals and results of his work, and muses on the whole shebang. While so much of the art world seems to be content with cerebral stagnation in the hallowed halls of the "academy" - Guillermo is out there on the pavement, living his art for the betterment of everyone. He's not just making himself look good in this work, he's honest enough to talk about his own fears and insecurities, and discuss the idea of artistic responsibility.

He does this all in a way that is down to earth while clearly displaying the depth of his intelligent approach to his work and the issues involved. He's funny and theoretically as sharp as a razor.

If you are at all interested in performance art, or, the American psyche as it relates to race, gender, economics and politics, get the book and enjoy. (I might add that this is a great price particularly considering the quality of the paper it's printed on.)