Washington University Books

I am quite moved by this book. All the speeches give me pause as I am a Tlingit and what this book is about is a big part of the present Tlingit culture. Again, this book is a part of our Tlingit Literature class. I have the privelege of not just having the authors as the professors of the class but many Tlingit elders who either were present for some of the "potlatches" where the speeches were made or who knew the orators in the book.

This is an absolutely excellent book for the area it covers, but the title is misleading. It purports to cover the entire Northwest, when in fact it only covers a few counties in Oregon and Washington west of the Cascade Mountains. I'll keep the book because one of the counties covered is where I was born, and I'm already fairly familiar with the plants there, but I was looking for a book that would cover the whole Pacific Northwest, so I'm pretty disappointed. If I'd known before I bought it that the coverage was so limited, I wouldn't have bought it. Still, I gave it five stars, because for the area it covers (Lane County, Oregon, to just north of Seattle) it is probably the best book you can buy.

This is the closest title to the "Technology Assessment Workshop by Coates".
The workshop contains many case studies depicting various aspects of
technology assessment. The author categorizes the process into 3 basic
sub-superstructures i.e. physical (machines) biological ( bacteria)
and social ( issues of population growth). The systems approach is utlized
throughout the presentation. There is a substantial mix for the rationale
of conducting a technology assessment. i.e. changing values, the complexity of society, evolving market mechanisms and interconnected governmental applications. The overall model has a triparte purpose i.e. policy study, technology and consequences. The workshop book would be very helpful for a plethora of strategic constituencies and public issues.
Acquire a copy if you are fortunate enough to stumble upon an available
one. I'm keeping mine.

"Harold!" captures the exciting years of polical evolution in Chicago from 1983 to 1989. I was part of Harold's administration, working to bring in Asian Americans and immigrants in a city that was limited by racial boundaries. I worked with the photographers who put this together and their images show what words alone cannot: Harold Washington's magic and the movement behind him, of which I became a part, brought Chicago into a modern reality. In addition to the white ethnic base of the city that the old machine brought in, Harold showed that by going beyond the patronage approach and including the excluded would work for everybody. American politics are still driven by personalities and Harold's made this all possible. Latinos and African Americans (as the book notes- Carole Moseley Braun and now Presidential frontrunner Barack Obama)are now mainstream parts of Illinois' politics. Asians are still working at it and Harold's anniversary rededicates that evolution.

From the first page, the reader's attention is grabbed and held on to for a wild ride of suspense and amazement. The broken down healthcare billing system at the University of Washington Medical Center is clearly born of arrogance, greed, and power. The author had hoped to meet or exceed expected work goals and bring home a paycheck for her family. Instead she was forced to make choices when corruption came to light.
I was able to identify with co-workers and supervisors that I have encountered in my work history as well. It will beg a look at your own moral character and how you would proceed if deception crosses your path.

The book holds the hand of the naif reader from the very first page to the end, when the reader is no longer a naif one but a good practitioner. Very good examples and exercises. Few of listed features regarding some searching engines are no longer up-to-date (as in Altavista or Google, just to mention a few) but this is quite inevitable for a book published in 2003.
If I can suggest an improvement to the author: provide web exempla too from non-English speaking countries as France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It could enlarge even more the number of readers.

In the Introduction, the Freeds establish the boundaries of the book, distinguishing between Rites of passage, as covered in a previous monograph and the subject of the monograph discussed here: `rites of intensification or calendric rites' (ibid.: 2). They clarify the distinction between rites of passage and rights of intensification. Briefly, differences delineated by the Freeds being: 1. The principal actors, in rites of passage, are members of the community whereas with rites of intensification the central characters are gods; 2. Rites of passage are more complex and require religious specialists; 3. Rites of intensification are more varied. This is understandable as there are only 3 rites of passage compared with 28 calendric festivals (ibid.: 4). Similarities between rites of passage and calendric rites or festivals are: they all strengthen ties with family, friends and kin and secondly, gift giving is a characteristic of both types.

Other important points in the introduction include: an explanation of the two important groups in the village; the Samajis and the Santanis, and how membership in these groups affects participation in festivals; and the reporting of differences in fieldwork between their first visit in the 1950's and their second in the 1970's.

Concerning the book: one third is devoted to describing festivals of welfare, fertility and protection compared with one sixth for festivals honouring the deities and the same for festivals of interaction and honouring the dead. This matches the authors' calculations that 14 of the 28 calendric festivals `have as their major purpose the `well-being' of the family' (Freed & Freed 1998: 4).

Useful features in the ethnography include: a bibliography, 8 tables (tables of festivals and descriptions of the Hindu calendar systems etc.), 86 illustrations, index and glossary combined.

In their conclusion, the Freeds speak of the functions of festivals and how they bring social cohesion and how women participate in and need the festivals more than men. Women are the ones who are normally restricted to the home and are responsible for the welfare of husbands and children and to blame if the couple is infertile.

When speaking of India, it is a huge task to take on the description of Hindu festivals in one village, and the Freeds have done an excellent job, considering the vastness and variation of the topic and the potential for comparison. I would really recommend this book as a reference for village Hinduism and for people interested in religion in India in general.

This book covers all of the main concepts you will need to know when studying history of the German language. It's very organized and was great help to me as I was getting my German degree. It was also the only book I could find on the subject in English at the time (this was 2 years ago) and had to special order it. Also- if you are using "Geschichte der deutschen Sprache" by Peter von Polenz in a class and are struggling with translation you REALLY need the Waterman! It will clarify much of the von Polenz.
If you are looking into getting this book, you're probably interested in specific content, so here is a list of the chapters:
Ch. 1 Indo-European (pg.3-18)
Ch. 2 Germanic (pg. 20-49)
Ch. 3 Old High German Period from Beginnings to 1050 (pg 52- 81)
Ch. 4 Middle High German Period 1050-1350 (pg 83-97)
Ch. 5 Early New High German Period, 1350-1600 (pg 102-135)
Ch. 6 New High German Period 1600-1800 (pg 137-147)
Ch. 7 New High German Period from 1800 (pg 163- 193)
Ch. 8 A Brief Description of the Sounds of German (pg 201-208)
Appendix 1: Plates
Appendix 2: Maps
Bibliography (pg 233-275)
Index
If you are a German studies student this is a must have, but
even if you don't have a background in linguistics and are interested in european history, you are likely to find the Waterman fascinating.

A long unit history, compiled by participants some time postwar, about a brigade which contemporary scholars have perhaps underrated.

Originally Ashby's Valley cavalry and always looking back upon him as their most beloved leader, the Laurels (named during the war by Rosser) participated in Jackson's Valley Campaign. Under Grumble Jones' command, they went on a raid into West Virginia in early '63--something I don't recall being covered by Longacre or any other CS cavalry historian, but if the writers here are not exaggerating, it was an impressive accomplishment. No doubt, after riding 700 miles in 30 days, they were less than thrilled at shining themselves up for the Brandy Station review.

And, interestingly, where almost every primary cavalry document I've read takes a moment during the Brandy Station review to praise Stuart, his appearance on a horse and so forth, the Laurels are tellingly silent.

The battle of Brandy Station gets much detail and good description, and while there's a bit of a gap around the start of the Gettysburg campaign (perhaps not coincidentally), the rearguard fighting is well told. The account continues through various actions to the Valley Campaign of '64, and this is interesting again, because this unit has been rather derided during that campaign. "The laurel is a running vine," General Early is said to have scoffed. According to this text, he might better have said, "The laurel is a raiding into West Virginia and bringing me supplies..." Two more impressive raids, one in 25' snow, took place during this period. So perhaps the Laurels weren't as pathetic as contemporary scholars seem to accept (cf. Lee's Miserables; Lee's Cavalrymen), though the unit historians do lament the state of their mounts and materiel.

An interesting and valuable account, and, though obviously written by interested participants, seeming to suggest that this unit contributed more to the Confederacy than it commonly receives credit for.

What a great resource and reference for theater in this time. Subtitle is: From the Beginning to 1914. Lots of photos, detailed complete appendixes for plays, entertainments. Chapters include Multum in Parvo, the Box-Houses, Morals and Manners, the Circuits, and There Isn't Any More. Names of the troupes and companies are precious. Great deal, recommended, and very rare.