Product Description
There is a place between worlds, which is in fact the space we all occupy while moving. In this lively collection of essays, fiction, and poetry, bound by a city and the shared experience of emigration, The Frankfurt Writers' Group has compiled a storehouse of impressions dealing with the adventure, loss, and enrichment of cultural change. As each writer investigates his or her own personal observations, these stories flow into a narrative of a hilarious, often moving significance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Read!
This is a "Must Read" book for anyone who experienced navigating through the turbulent waters of cultural change. I love the fact that it is an anthology, as the collective whole provides a broad spectrum of perspectives, experiences, and writing styles.

I particularly liked the first sentence of the book by Patricia Bartholomew, "Take a plate of glass, smash it. Glue the pieces painstakingly back together and you'll have some idea of how I first felt about living overseas". This is a perfect beginning for a book which examines, through various means, how one can "painstakingly" put glass back together.

Some of my favorite stories are the "Tel Aviv Terminal" by Nina Scheister, the "Prince and Heir" by Bonnie Barski,"Diving in the Past" by Patricia Bartholomew and "White Widow" by Peggy Roasana Preciado.

You will not be dissappointed by this book and will in fact be left asking for more!

Between Me and You
My MUM liked it and that is meaning it passed the scrutiny of a very observant and critical reader. And don't we know something about the subject covered.

Living "abroad" can be many things. Some we like to emphasize: the travel, the languages, the fun, the sun! Some we realize only when we get there: the travel, the language, the lack of sun, the Amt!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. You adapt and decide to write about it, in an endearing, enlightened and perceptive way. Fortunately this is what this group of writers decided to do and the result is international, collective and interesting.

I hope there will be more on this and other subjects from this group soon. ... Read more

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A survey of American literature from early colonial days to the present. ... Read more

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Agnes Toews-Andrews, author of The Original, The Incredible PotatoA Cookbook and History, combines a love of healthy cooking with a comprehensive knowledge of nutrition. This UPDATED National Best-Seller, has several new sections; health information, international Organic and Heritage Seed Potato Suppliers, a REVISED Potato Variety list for home growers, several New, Healthy, Low-Cost Potato Recipes, adding to over 200 existing international recipes all based on the nutritious, versatile potato. There is no food on earth as complete as the potato. From delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes; imaginative appetizers, snacks, salads, side dishes, soups, breads, desserts and sweets; budget conscious or gourmet, the potato reigns with an epicurean fillip in this book. Throughout the book, potato caricatures indicate humorous, educational, historical, culinary and nutritional information.

6" x 9"; illustrations throughout; wire coil bound ... Read more

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As retirement years, leisure time, money available for leisure, and desire for therapeutic or healthy activities all increase, the need to provide an extensive range of leisure facilities becomes a matter of concern for both the private and public sectors. The chapters that follow are concerned with exploring the context in which leisure plays a constructive part in modern day life. Reference is made to a range of leisure projects including theme parks, visitor attractions leisure centres, zoos, marine animal parks and aquaria. A final section is concerned with the project development and some of the equipment and techniques involved. ... Read more

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A thematically arranged anthology of poems, short stories, plays, novellas, and excerpts from longer works for junior high school readers. ... Read more

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Emotionally engaging literary short stories. ... Read more

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Most healthcare organizations report that one of the biggest challenges their organization faces when adopting new programs is the resistance of doctors to these changes. This resource provides physician engagement strategies ranging from democratic and open forums to workshops, new technology, pay for performance (PFP) and incentive programs. This 31-page special report explores means to accomplish change and offers insider tips for achieving the ultimate goal: physician buy-in for program success. In this report, two physician facilitators provide an inside look at the physician culture and suggest ways to create trust and alignment between management and physicians. ... Read more

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When was the last time your company improved productivity from 20 percent to 60 percent—in only four days? Or cut inventory by 50 percent in the same amount of time? Remarkable results like these were delivered by teams of employees and those who participated in the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Kaizen BlitzSM events. Using the Kaizen Blitz, employees learned how to work as a team to tackle problems from the shop floor and, most importantly, how to solve them quickly.

That's what The Kaizen Blitz can teach you. Simply translated as "continuous improvement," kaizen is a highly focused process aimed at producing incremental performance improvements in narrowly targeted areas. The Kaizen Blitz is a powerful technique that delivers breakthrough improvements throughout an organization—fast. This book will show you how the Kaizen Blitz works and how to bring the extraordinary benefits of this approach to your company. Coauthored by executives of the AME, the book provides a frank discussion of what kaizen will and won't do, the preparation necessary, obstacles to be wary of, and the results you can expect.

The Kaizen Blitz involves everyone across an organization—managers and workers alike. 44t is a low-cost, hands-on process, where all team members are equal and everyone gets their hands dirty. This thorough guide explains how your company can put together your own Kaizen Blitz teams to rapidly develop, test, and refine solutions to problems, leaving a new process in place in just a few days. It outlines how employees can work side by side to implement the best of their ideas for reaching common business goals, such as inventory reduction, capacity expansion, cost reduction, and leveraging capital investments. You will discover how the application of a few simple tools in a straightforward, common-sense approach can bring about real and profound change, provided that management is fully committed and ready to lead the process.

In addition, the authors of this important book:

• Help you determine whether your organization is ready to attempt the Kaizen Blitz
• Outline what you need for an initial Kaizen Blitz project—and what to avoid
• Explain why software package-driven process change has limitations
• Cite results and applications in top U.S. manufacturers.

If you are committed to adopting lean manufacturing; if you want an effective tool to address specific problems in your company; if you need radical change to happen now, The Kaizen Blitz will deliver beyond your highest expectations.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence has pioneered a powerful version of kaizen—a process for achieving continuous improvement in an organization—called the Kaizen Blitz.SM This book will show you how to use this remarkable tool to deliver breakthrough improvements in your company in areas like productivity, inventory reduction, capacity expansion, and much more. You'll learn how to assemble a kaizen team that will determine solutions to your company's specific problems by designing new systems, correcting mistakes quickly and moving on, running and refining procedures, and ultimately demonstrating a new process in place in just a few days. You'll also read about top U.S. manufacturers who have successfully used the Kaizen Blitz to bring about radical, positive change. If your company is ready to achieve dramatic results by implementing new processes—not just proposed, but in place and functioning—in a matter of days, the Kaizen Blitz is the way to make it happen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Very good, noproblem
Ther are many "Kaizen" books but most of them are modified or only insisting auhters opinion, sometimes useless in real life. This book gives real picture of "Kaizen" written by Japanese TQC taste. "Kaize" must be done within a short time because emvironments of improvement are always chaging that can not wait so long as DMAIC. Quick action makes quick success, simply find it to fix it. The improvement is not so difficult if you continue "Kaizen" Blitz.

Great Book
The Kaizen Blitz is a excellent book. It is helpful for studying about lean manufacturing. It is a excellent guide to do improvements in the factories.

Enlightening Book
This is a book that is useful to those people who may wish to implement Kaizen Blitzes. The Kaizen Blitzes are a series of educational initiatives developed by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. The book explains how organizations can accelerate the process of achieving rapid breakthrough success in productivity and performance. This can be achieved with good leadership and support at the top and a motivated workforce working to achieve clear targets.

Although the book was written by authors without hands on experienced on running Kaizen Events, nevertheless, they carried out extensive research on companies that successfully implemented the concept, that the information they provide is very enlightening and useful.

The book provide a good overview on the Kaizen blitz and explains how a company can eliminate waste, focus on valuable activities, create an efficient, lean operation whilst explaining how this can be quickly achieved. The book is written in a simple and easy-to-follow style that should make it readable to specialists and non-specialists alike.

Disappointed!
Did NOT help us run Kaizen events. An overview and story.
Author has never implemented Kaizen, only told about others' successes.
Not a "how to do it" book.

"Continuous Improvement" of What?
As you probably know already, the word "kaizen" is a Japanese term meaning "to make better" with the implication that such effort should be continuous, indeed intensive and unrelenting. Since 1994, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) has developed a series of educational initiatives known as the "Kaizen Blitz." In the Introduction to this volume, Jon Brodeur observes: "We think non-consultant-driven events -- training and on-the-floor work by the experts, the hands-on employees who have experienced the power of the Kaizen Blitz -- will continue to be a welcome addition to any organization's arsenal of improvement approaches. Small- and medium-sized companies can do it as well as larger ones and they may have an advantage if operations are small enough in scope to get their arms around." However, positive and significant results can only be achieved with an appropriate combination of leadership at its highest level, acceptance (indeed enthusiasm) throughout all other levels, and tenacious involvement about attaining 20 percent to 50 percent improvement (or greater) in performance in a short time and in narrowly targeted areas. The effective Kaizen process must be top-down, initiated and sustained by teamwork, and focused entirely on doing "whatever needs to be done" ASAP. The authors of this book explain both how and why.

The material is organized within 11 chapters whose titles correctly suggest the nature and extent of coverage: The Power of AME's Kaizen Blitz: Learning by Doing; The Roots of Kaizen; Improvement Strategy: Implementing the Big Picture; Getting Ready for Kaizen; Time Prints and Takt Times; How to Tell If There Is Improvement: Adding Value, Subtracting Waste: Uncovering the Flows: Establishing and Clarifying Process Flows; Forms, Charts, and Measurements; Sustaining the Gain: Lean Leadership; and finally, Never Look Back. Throughout the book, the authors reiterate the imperative that Kaizen Blitz initiatives must be sharply focused, task oriented, results driven, measurable and -- meanwhile -- FAST. Hence the relevance of the concept of "blitz," which gained worldwide prominence prior to and then during World War II when Fascist and then Allied forces attacked enemy positions with unprecedented velocity. As the AME Kaizen Blitz has demonstrated so convincingly, the same strategy (with obvious modifications) can effectively be implemented within any organization, regardless of size or nature.

Obviously I think highly of this book because it offers a sensitive, flexible, thoughtful and rigorous program to achieve what the subtitle correctly describes as "accelerating breakthroughs in productivity and performance." If these brief comments suggest that this is a program your organization needs, I strongly recommend that all of its decision-makers read it. Then, schedule an offsite meeting during which the book becomes the agenda for collaborative efforts to formulate and implement a Kaizen Blitz appropriate to your organization's specific needs and interests. If there is a need for additional resources, I strongly suggest Breyfogle's two books as well as one written by Pande and his co-authors. ... Read more

Product Description
A leading cause of illness, disability and death among healthcare consumers, chronic disease claims a disproportionate share of costs for the elderly and generates a heavy financial burden on the nation as a whole.Now more than ever, health plans and providers are seeking strategies to balance the healthcare equation. Medicare disease management (DM) programs have emerged to even the odds, and have already demonstrated positive impacts on patients' health status and spending.This special report, "Medicare Disease Management: Tactics to Improve Health, Education and Independence in an Aging Population," highlights challenges and opportunities in working with the Medicare population, strategies to close gaps in care, and steps for sustaining system change and improved outcomes within senior care communities.Report contributors Blake Andersen, president of the Chronic Care Group at Health Sciences Institute, Pamela Fromelt, vice president of government programs at LifeMasters Inc., and Dr. Randall Krakauer, national medical director of retiree markets at Aetna, provide inside details on how disease management programs can serve the needs of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions to improve their health status, while reducing spending on these conditions. ... Read more

Product Description
Approximately twelve thousand years ago, a group of nomads known as the Clovis People roamed North America hunting woolly mammoths with stone-tipped spears.

Archaeologists know this from artifacts found in excavations all across the continent. But there is no written history from that time, so scientists can only guess how they lived.

Perhaps the Clovis hunters watched and learned from the wolves how to work together as apackto bring down an animal much larger than they were. Living in small groups of about twenty people, the Clovis would be smart to follow the wolvesexample.

One mammoth could provide food for months, as well as hide for shelter and bone for tools.

This is the story of Zol, a Clovis boy. He lived at a time when beavers were as big as bears. When the scream of a sabre-toothed tiger could still pierce the night. When a moving mountain of hair could suddenly block out the sun.

This was the time of mammoths.

This was the Ice Age.

At eleven summers, Zol approaches manhood in his clan of Ice Age Hunters. He should be eager for his first mammoth hunt, but shameful fear gnaws at his insides like a hungry rat.

In his quest for courage, Zol barely escapes death in a raging river, stands face-to-face with a young mammoth, and survives two attacks by a long-toothed cat.

Zol gains confidence from these encounters. But will his new-found courage stand the test of the mammoth hunt? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Meaningful Glance into Our Past
I just finished this book in one sitting, having only intended to read a chapter or two.I was drawn in and instantly caught up in the story of Zol, and his trek toward becoming a man in his clan.This book is not only engaging, but is historically accurate, using the Clovis people as Zol's clan base.The characters seemed real and engaging; I found myself holding my breath as Zol encounters dangers that seem unfathomable for an eleven year old boy to face in 2005.I enjoyed particularly the appearance and antics of Koot, the young hunter's pet crow.His actions and behavior were very accurate for those of the Corvid family and I could not help but laugh out loud.I would certainly recommend this book to intermediate readers, especially those young people who enjoy historical fiction.Furthermore, In the Shadow of the Mammoth would be a wonderful addition to anyone's "read-aloud" collection.This book is a triumph for Ms. Clark, and I look forward to seeing more books from her.

An Interesting Way To Learn About The Ice Age
This book is exciting from the very first page.I have bought it for six middle-school aged children in my family, both male and female, and they all loved the story. Even their parents were intrigued with the topic aand read it as well. As a former teacher, I highly recommend"In The Shadow Of The Mammoth" as a wonderful addition to a teenager's personal library.

Enchanting Read
An easy read that moves at a fast pace. Both my daughter and son loved this book (pre-teens). Although the setting is the ice age, the story speaks to the universal struggle kids face in trying to belong, have a purpose and be courageous. The action (especially the encounters with the Sabortooth Cat) had them hooked. They also really enjoyed Zol's pet crow's antics. The illustrations are beautiful and the characters come to life. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive directory provides the most thorough coverage available on resources for the performing arts. In this single volume, researchers will find information on a wide range of topics relating to theatre, film, radio, and television. The book provides documentation on collections as well as individuals. Divided into two main sections, the first part of the book gives resource information on collections and institutions with major holdings in each of the fields under consideration. The remainder of the volume is devoted primarily to a "who's who" of leading academics, archivists, critics, historians, librarians, and scholars in the performing arts. Entries include major accomplishments, publications, academic and professional affiliations, as well as general biographical information. Completing the work is a listing of useful addresses of publishers, bookshops, organizations, periodicals, studios, film commissions, television networks, guilds, unions, and associations. A comprehensive index provides ready access to persons, institutions, and collections referenced throughout. ... Read more

Product Description
This extensive collection of 28 essays written by over 40 leading health care professionals in the United States provides both theoretical and practical approaches to improving the quality of partnership skills practiced within the health system, and whether at the level of patient and clinician or of insurers and government -without a commitment to partnership and the knowledge and skills to make it happen. Using theoretical models and a wide variety of specific examples from clinical,educational and administrative settings, the authors show how the partnership process can be guided by core values of respect, honesty, compassion, and accountability. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review from Annals of Internal Medicine
From The Annals of Internal Medicine, January 5, 1999

Audience: Health care providers, including physicians, nurses, and social workers; health care administrators; and health care educators.

Purpose: To improve thequality of partnership processes within the health care system.

Content:This book is divided into five sections. The first section containsconceptual material that is generic to partnerships at all levels. Each ofthe four subsequent sections deals with partnerships at various levels inthe health care system: clinician-patient partnerships, partnerships inhealth care teams, community health care system partnerships, andeducational partnerships. The chapters contain a mix of theoreticaldiscussions and practical examples. The authors come from diverseprofessional disciplines, geographic centers, and personal backgrounds.

Highlights: Four aspects of the book stand out. First, although manypractitioners have expertise in promoting partnerships in a specific area,few have knowledge in all four areas discussed. Second, through thediscussions partnerships at different levels, one recognizes the importanceof the editors' conceptual framework. Third, the book discusses importanttopics that are often neglected in similar books. For example, the chapterson spirituality, friends as patients and patients as friends, andguidelines for primary care physician-consultant relationships helped mebetter understand common but often ignored topics.

Finally, the bookincludes several innovative programs that a clinician, administrator, oreducator could modify for his or her own purpose. The chapters on familysystems case consultation and development of an educational consultativeservice for physicians about whom patients have repeatedly lodgedcomplaints are especially useful.

Limitations: The book has some flawsendemic to an edited volume. Much of the background material onpartnerships, their advantages, and the attitude needed to promote them isrepetitive. Moreover, because the book is written for a somewhat generalaudience, some chapters are too basic for readers who are familiar with thefield. The chapters on real-world experiences would benefit from moredetails on the obstacles that innovators faced and overcame. Relatedreading: Although numerous other books cover specific topics, I know of noother book that surveys partnerships so broadly.

Reviewed by: Robert M.Arnold, MD ... Read more

Product Description
A refereed international journal, "Anthrozoos" addresses the characteristics and consequences of interactions/relationships between people and non-human animals. Papers are welcome from the arts and humanities, behavioural and biological sciences, social sciences and the health sciences. It is the journal of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ). The journal was established in 1987, and is now an important forum for the academic discussion of human-animal relations and includes book reviews, empirical research and scholarly articles. ... Read more

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The screenplay of Anthony Minghella's new film based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith The complete screenplay of Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law and Cate Blanchett. Tom Ripley, a small-time con man, arrives in Italy from New York in search of a wealthy young man named Dickie Greenleaf. He has been sent by the young man's wealthy father to bring Dickie back to America. But once in Italy, Ripley becomes so attracted to Greenleaf and his exotic lifestyle in the seaport village of Mongibello that Tom yearns to inhabit Dickie's life and falls tragically in love with him. Dickie's wealth, style and good looks are qualities that Tom begins to covet. The frightening consequences of this attraction and the moral choices raised by the crime of murder lie at the heart of Minghella's absorbing film. Set throughout Italy (Ischia, Palermo, Rome, Tuscany and Venice), Minghella's adaptation brings to life Highsmith's amoral tale of a criminal who gets away with murder."The craft with which [Minghella] has expanded Patricia Highsmith's 1955 classic crime novel has made the film an even richer experience than the gleefully amoral original" (Scotsman)Amazon.com Review
One of the great crime novels of the 20th century, PatriciaHighsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a blend of the narrativesubtlety of Henry James and the self-reflexive irony of VladimirNabokov. Like the best modernist fiction, Ripley works on twolevels. First, it is the story of a young man, Tom Ripley, whosenihilistic tendencies lead him on a deadly passage across Europe. Onanother level, the novel is a commentary on fictionmaking andtechniques of narrative persuasion. Like Humbert Humbert, Tom Ripleyseduces readers into empathizing with him even as his actions defy allmoral standards.

The novel begins with a play on James's The Ambassadors. TomRipley is chosen by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf to retrieveGreenleaf's son, Dickie, from his overlong sojourn in Italy. Dickie,it seems, is held captive both by the Mediterranean climate and theattractions of his female companion, but Mr. Greenleaf needs him backin New York to help with the family business. With an allowance and anew purpose, Tom leaves behind his dismal city apartment to begin hiscareer as a return escort. But Tom, too, is captivated by Italy. He isalso taken with the life and looks of Dickie Greenleaf. He insinuateshimself into Dickie's world and soon finds that his passion for alifestyle of wealth and sophistication transcends moralcompunction. Tom will become Dickie Greenleaf--at all costs.

Unlike many modernist experiments, The Talented Mr. Ripley iseminently readable and is driven by a gripping chase narrative thatchronicles each of Tom's calculated maneuvers ofself-preservation. Highsmith was in peak form with this novel, and herability to enter the mind of a sociopath and view the world throughhis disturbingly amoral eyes is a model that has spawned suchlatter-day serial killers as Hannibal Lecter. --PatrickO'Kelley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (157)

Love the style, disappointed in the story development
5 stars for writing, 3 stars for story development. I love Patricia Highsmith's writing, and loved this book up until about the halfway point. But the suspense gives way to behavior that just wouldn't happen and so leads up to actions that would not happen as a result. I suppose for its time it was enticingly revealing about a dark personality but now we have a better understanding of narcissism and sociopaths so we know when they would have moved on. I think it's significant that among Patricia's statements about Ripley was that she didn't think he was gay. Yet today we know that someone who behaves like him is definitely gay. There are more inconsistencies within the work than that, however. I think the film Purple Noon is a better rendition of the story as it throws out things that aren't in sync with reality and created a more likely execution of Tom. (Sorry Patricia, my writing is amateur compared to yours but that was my experience!)

Couldn't put it down...
Never saw the movie - thank goodness.Started this book after 4pm one day and finished it by 7pm the next.Literally couldn't stop reading it.

Disappointed
I found the story to contain a very interesting premise, but it was not well executed. I found myself not caring much about Ripley as a character because his motivations were not well descibed, and many chances were missed to show us the subtleties and little peculiarities of character that woud have brought Ripley to life and etched him into our memories.

Perhaps the author intended to show the very superficial reasons for many of the actions taken by the psychopathic personality, but the style of writing itself was as bland and as superficial as the character.

I would prefer to read a story about an ordinary character that is superbly told rather than a story about a potentially intriguing character that is poorly told.

Creepy but good
Ms. Highsmith gave quite a good read into the mind of psychopath. I was truly enjoying the pace of the story - trying hard NOT to compare it with the movie of the same title.I was caught short on the ending, but would like to read other in the Ripley series.

Look Back
Patricia Highsmith's THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY is an exercise in noir. Tom Ripley sinister efforts to gain what he desires through murder is fantastic in that the reader must suspend belief and will readily accept Tom for what he is. This early psychological mystery novel holds your attention as Tom readily justifies his acts and feels little if no remorse.
This classic crime fiction continues to enthrall readers as Tom is the one who gets away with murder.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS ... Read more