Cameron Books

"Plop" is an extensive, if not truly comprehensive, look at the New York City-based Public Art Fund's recent projects of public contemporary art in media ranging from light to performance. It includes memorable work by distinguished artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons (his famous flower puppy at Rockefeller Center), Mariko Mori (Her UFO spaceship "docked" indoors in the Madison Avenue building adjacent to 5th Avenue's Trump Tower.), Takashi Murakami (An assemblage of aliens depicted on balloon sculptures in Rockefeller Center with its roots in Japanese anime and probably William Gibson's cyberpunk fiction too.), and Nam June Paik (a dazzling laser light show and sculpture at Rockefeller Center). It also includes work by up-and-coming conceptual/performance artist and sculptor Anissa Mack, whose "Pies for a Passerby", a kitschy Americana performance piece, received some curious national and international attention two years ago (An astute blog columnist wrote a well-reasoned essay back then arguing that this work was not art; I believe it is still posted on the internet.). Notably absent is the sculpture installation by the late George Segal, the distinguished sculptor noted for his realistic papier mache sculptures of ordinary people doing ordinary things - and I might add, a fellow alumnus of Stuyvesant High School - exhibited late last year near Central Park's Grand Army Plaza (southeast corner of the park, across the street from the Hotel Pierre). While the Public Art Fund's aims are truly admirable, much of its work on display tends to be too whimsical (e. g. work by Koons, Mack and Mori, to name but a few). As such it lacks the gravitas I've seen in excellent work by such prominent Tucson, Arizona artists as painters Robert Colescott, James G. Davis, Alfred Quiroz and Jim Waid, photographers Harold Jones, Joe Labate and Frances Murray and last, but not least, performance artist, sculptor and poet Ned Schaper (aka Mat Bevel).

If someone told you that there was an exhibition of plop art at your local museum, would you rush over to see it? Probably not. But, you should because plop art is some of the most exciting, innovative art to be found.

The name "plop art," which is sometimes used in a pejorative manner, refers to public art that is not considered to have any relation to its surroundings. In other words, it's "plopped" there. What a wonderful surprise that can be! Have you seen Jeff Koon's huge puppy made of flowering plants in Rockefeller Center? You can't help but smile.

For a quarter of a century buildings, plazas, parks, and streets in New York City have been the recipients of amazing art installations, all thanks to the Public Art Fund, an organization that enthusiastically supports contemporary art.

"Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund" presents projects by 45 internationally acclaimed artists whose works now decorate New York City. Among the artists included are Vito Acconci, Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed, Dan Graham, Kim Sooja, Jeff Koons, Mariko Mori, Takashi Murakami, Paul Pfeiffer, Brian Tolle, and many more.

A discussion of the pros and cons involved in making contemporary art for the public is also found in this 256 page volume boasting 500 illustrations.

- Gail Cooke

Happiness is something different than the absence of misery and health is something more than the absence of disease and debilitation. These statements are so obvious as to seem trivial. However, they are still true. If you have been fortunate to be part of an organization that was in one of those wonderful upward spirals that also involved a phenomenal team that was unified and happy, well, you know that working in such a positive environment is wonderfully different than working in an organization going through downward spiral with a demoralized team. What can be most interesting is that when the phenomenal team that experienced the upward cycle runs into a rough patch, they seem to stick together and avoid letting the rough patch develop into a crushing storm.

This terrific book is not one of those soft and gooey books calling for people to just get along or offering what amount to incantations in order to get people to somehow coalesce into the team they aren't. Instead, it posits the notion that when an organization is in a state of a certain kind of success it is as much an exception as a business that is falling towards extinction. It asks that if there are death spirals there might also be positive spirals. Yet the bulk of business study is on the mistakes and failures of organizations and on avoiding mistakes. While it is important to avoid making mistakes that can kill your organization, does it seem likely that one can learn success only by avoiding failure? Of course not.

This book and the papers it contains are laying a foundation for scholarly study of the positive deviance of successful organizations in order to develop principles for organizations to implement to achieve success in all aspects of its organizational being. It really isn't just about the money. Although the organization has to have financial success to exist, it is also about the people who make up the organization. One of the core principles of this book is that an organization that is concerned about virtuousness is going to be more successful and more resilient than one that ignores these principles.

There are 23 fine papers in here and I am sure that some will resonate with you more than others. However, I encourage you to read it. I believe you can begin to view your organization and your participation in it differently. You can begin to see what Professors Cameron, Quinn, Dutton and others are pointing us towards. And after you get past the wrong notion that they are talking about something too squishy to be real business, you begin to relate the questions they are asking to the times in your life when you were in that state of positive deviance. You will be able to relate the principles of virtue to what went well and things will seem more clear about why things go right.

While the book is really laying out possible areas of study for other scholars of organizational behavior to pursue, it also is quite useful for businesspeople and other organizational participants to read and think through the ideas of positive deviance. And while the upward spirals did have components of financial success, that alone will not last. It won't last without the people and people cannot perform well over extended periods of time without trust, gratitude, and more of the virtues that allow people to bond and put forward exceptional performance. The goal of this area of study is to develop theories and measures that will allow organizations to understand how these kinds of principles are part of their core ability to succeed.

The notes for the various chapters also provide sources for further reading and study.

Recommended.

This is definitely a scholarly book. It's a difficult read for the lay audience, but if you are willing to "weave your way through an academic writing style," the information is excellent.

If you are a climber and enjoy humour, then get a copy of this book! It is definitely one of the funniest collection of short climbing-related stories I've ever read. While not all equally good and funny, the best easily rate up there with the best John Long stories. Be sure to catch the yarn on Cameron marking all his gear with orange paint, outrageous! Also, don't miss all the classic Warren Harding quotes!

A very funy enjoyable ecclectic group of stories taken from Cameron Burns' excellent writing career. Cam doesn't take himself or climbing too seriously; his spontinaety and wit are a funny and entertaining glimpse of what most climbers seek to obtain from their own experiences. A MUST READ!

A lucidly written book in oncology that gives a very practical guide to the management of cancer

I think it is an excellent book, it has a good order and gives precise information about the different topics on cancer. I would like to know, When will you publish the new edition?

Do you know why Nas and Jay-Z had beef? Or the meaning of A Tribe Called Quest's rule number 4080? How about taking it back to the basics by learning what is meant by the terms cutting and scratching? Well, Rap-Up by Cameron and Devin Lazerine can tell you all of that and more. Rap-Up discusses various elements that created what we call hip-hop and R&B. It examines artists, including their rise to fame, break dancers, disc jockeys (d.j.'s), territories, etc., that have been instrumental in shaping what appeared to be just music into a lifestyle. From graffiti artists tagging subway trains to heavy, west coast bass lines, the manual looks at these genres from all angles. It also includes passages about movies, i.e. Breakin and Beat Street, and tragedies, i.e. death of rapper Easy E and unauthorized sampling, that show how circumstances continually change the direction of hip-hop and R&B.

Rap-Up was a great read. Although I knew all of the artists described in the manual, I was intrigued with their success stories and the impact they made in a genre that was looked at as a passing fad. I found the articles witty, engaging, and thorough. I expected to read biased accounts but was pleasantly surprised when there were none. Rap-Up is a useful guide for people of all ages, with all levels of hip-hop and R&B knowledge.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

This book is laid out like a "Dummies Guide". It uses well written grammar, and is broken down into clear logical chapters. It provides a brief History of Hip Hop's origins, plus sub chapters focussing on main Hip Hop acts, a bit of RnB and Neo-Soul, plus Hip Hop on TV and in the movies.

It is all the stronger for this, as it avoids the over complex dense text associated with so many sociological Hip Hop books that try to be too clever by half. There is decent analysis in this book, and it makes salient points about MCs such as Tupac and Nas, rather than pop culture miscellany. One knows that the authors know what they are writing about.

The only criticisms I have are that for a book that bills itself as an "Ultimate Guide", it does not cover much about Beatboxing or Graffiti, instead it concentrates on Hip Hop as a music and film media. There is also scant mention of the wealth of Hip Hop outside of the USA, which is a sadly common yet glaring ommission from many books. Other than that I think it would be a good read for the 12 upwards age group who want to study Hip Hop, or adults who want an up to date introduction.

This slim volume packs a one-two punch. It is the fascinating story of a bygone era of boxers and mobsters, and the story of a man of great character who, against great obstacles, stands above the corruption to try to change the dangerous conditions faced by the fighters, and completely changes himself.

Ms. Cameron's writing style brings the era to life as you hear the accented voices of the men and women of this historic time. I cheered for the plucky title character, Ed August. I got even more insight into him through the diary entries of his daughter, the "stardust girl."

This book will appeal to all audiences interested in a well-written, exciting and hopeful tale of transformation.

I am always interested in stories about people who change the course of their life in middle age or beyond. This is a great one about a man who went from a career in the fight game to being a much-loved clergyman. Highly recommended for those contemplating a change in their own life, or for anyone who wants to be inspired by one man's journey.

This tape will leave you feeling juiced and inspired to blast through your creative blocks by revealing secrets and insights for reclaiming artistic vitality.

During this taped lecture and interview, Julia Cameron responds with wit and wisdom to frequently asked questions about her book the "Artist's Way." Her humor, depth and clarity are a direct translation of the power of creative recovery.

The author's unwavering advice and simplistic tools jumpstart a journey toward connecting with that unique expressive power lying dormant within all of us.

I love these CDs. I have been listening to them and I KNOW that I will listen to them many times in the years to come. I am working through The Artist's Way program and hearing Julia talk to her students and explain some of the material is invaluable. It is also amazingnly motivational. Hearing her makes you realize that you can move past your creative blocks and make a creative life for yourself. I highly recommend these. They are the gift that keeps on giving.

Remarkably handsome, devastatingly charming, Viscount Peterbloom was rumored to have kept as many as eight mistresses at once. But five years ago he became tired of his dissolute ways and has been leading an exemplary life ever since. Miranda Fraser has come to London to save her family home-only to discover the estate is now owned by the rakish Viscount Petebloom. Five years earlier, Peterbloom stole a kiss from the naive young Miranda. She was outraged, as was only proper.

Can a scoundrel change his wicked ways? Miranda ardently hopes so, because she has come to realize that this nobleman holds not only the deed to her home, but the key to her true heart's desire....

I love this book. Well written and certainly a page turner.

I wish to apologize to the people who have read my review on this book.I was thinking of another book and so reviewed it instead. This is also a wonderful book and I enjoyed it very much.

Lady Gabriela Pennington came disguised as a servant to the country manor of her distant cousin Alina as a matter of family duty. She had to find out the truth about rumors that Alina was totally besotted with the handsome, unscrupulous, fortune-hunting Sir Willard Craig. Soon Gabriela was installed as abigail to the hapless heiress, determined to save Alina from the marriage trap triggered to snap shut. Acting as a servant of good sense was one thing. But it was so much harder to stop from becoming the slave of this lord whom it was an obvious folly to love...

This book is a wonderul inspiration in case you're thinking about refurbishing your house, flat or even better: loft.
With a bunch of logic ideas, design and mainly re-functioned everday objetcs, it also makes for a really good coffee table book. I have the MDF ( hard wood cover ) version, which i personally prefer to the pink edition.
Definitely a good buy. One of my top 10 fave design books.

tom dixon is good. buy this book if you've ever liked anything.

I recently went on a 3-week backpacking tour of Central and Eastern Europe, using Rick Steves' book as my primary guide. Although I did use a few country-specific books, I found that this one book had virtually all the information I needed. After reading through this book, I planned my itinerary based heavily on Steves' recommendations--Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Krakow, Eger, Budapest, Ljubljana, Bled, and Vienna.
I've found that many travel guides cover the same places, but Steves suggested visits to places I would not have been able to find otherwise, such as the Roman Ruins in Obouda (near Budapest).
The book is well organized--each country's section begins with basic information about that country, such as language, currency, entrance requirements, etc. Within the country section, Steves has selected the best places to visit and provides detailed information about each. He tells you how to use the public transportation systems, what to do when you arrive at the airport, trainstation, bus station, etc.
I was very pleased with this book, and ran into several other travelers using the same guide. If you are interested in seeing Eastern Europe as more of a local than a tourist, this is the perfect guide. It's also updated every year, so almost all of the information was correct.

Rick Steves has never failed me and I thoroughly enjoy his views and what he feels is not to be missed. You can never go wrong with a Rick Steves book. I do, however, always companion his books with a Frommers guide book and then I feel like I get the complete story of a city or country.