Friday, January 15, 2010

“Box Office: 'Eli' prays for divine intervention - New York Post” plus 2 more

“Box Office: 'Eli' prays for divine intervention - New York Post” plus 2 more

Box Office: 'Eli' prays for divine intervention - New York Post

Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:45 AM PST

Movies

LOU LUMENICK Lou Lumenick is The Post's chief film critic. He has been reviewing here since 1999, after a stint as metropolitan editor, and covered films for the Bergen Record going back to 1981. A native of Astoria, Queens, who attended the City College of New York, he lives in Manhattan and has attended the Sundance, Toronto and Cannes film festivals, as well as events closer to home. Lou has frequently appeared on TV and taped introductions to a collection of classic films. He blogs at blogs.nypost.com/movies and rates "Casablanca'' as his favorite movie of all time. Columnist Archives

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Good news about book reviews; or, man bites dog - Boston Globe

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 04:04 PM PST

The New Republic is going against the grain by strengthening its commitment to book reviews. This week it launched The Book, a new online venture under the umbrella of the larger tnr.com. The site's main feature will be a fresh book review each weekday, but it will also feature debates on intellectual topics, links to notable pieces posted elsewhere (a la Arts and Letters Daily and, well, other sites), and video clips featuring literary or philosophical figures from the past.

The Book's content will be unique; the reviews will not appear in The New Republic's highly respected "back of the book," edited by Leon Wieseltier.

In announcing the new site, Isaac Chotiner, executive editor for The Book, wrote that the move rectified an imbalance: while the magazine could be thought of as half political and half literary, tnr.com has, until now, been dominated by politics. "The time has come to break out of that necessary but constraining box." He wrote, too, that the move was in part a reaction to shrinking books coverage on the part of newspapers and magazines: "It is a time ... for friends of books to push back."

Apart from its content, the site is noteworthy because The New Republic's literary editor, Leon Wieseltier, has long been a critic of just about everything Web-related. "The Internet is like closing time at a blue-collar bar in Boston," he has said. "Everyone's drunk and ugly and they're going to pass out in a few minutes."

There are hints of Web-wariness even in Chotiner's announcement (in which he says he is also speaking for Wieseltier). "We are not slumming here, or surrendering to the carnival of the web," he writes. "Quite the contrary. We are hoping to offer an example of resistance to it ... Here you will find criticism, not blogging; pieces, not posts." TNR has a number of fine political bloggers; why, at this late date, the reflexive equating of blogging with superficiality?

In a (yes) blog post, Marty Peretz, the editor in chief, writes that the magazine is "committed to both resuscitating and reinventing a genre." In passing, he dismisses The New York Times Book Review as "predictable and often very slight" and The New York Review of Books as a dinosaur. The books coverage of such publications as The Boston Globe and Washington Post--admittedly not what it used to be--is evidently even not on his radar screen. "The daily book review is certainly dead," he writes, "as is even the book review in the Sunday supplements."

Peretz's exaggerations aside, The Book brings good news.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Book reviews from Larry Cox - Tucson Citizen

Posted: 08 Jan 2010 11:58 AM PST

Reorganize for Resilience: Putting Customers at the Center of Your Organization by Ranjay Gulati (Harvard Business Press, $35)
Ranjay Gulati, the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business at Harvard Business School, builds a convincing case that in order to create a resilient organization there must be coordination, to connect, eradicate, or restructure silos to enable swift responses; cooperation to alight all employes around shared goals; clout to redistribute power to "bridge builders" and customer champions; capability to develop employees' skills at tackling changing customer needs; and connection so that offerings can be blended with partners' to provide unique customer solutions. Businesses that survive are generally those that have a master plan such as the one Professor Gulati provides.

Fix Your Body, Fix Your Swing: The Revolutionary Biomechanics Workout Program Used by the Pros by Joey Diovisalvi and Steve Steinberg (St. Martin's Press, $24.99)
There are more than 20 billion golf books in print, three for every person alive on the planet. With that in mind, what makes this one so special? According to Joiey Diovisalvi, the head strength, conditioning, and biomechanics coach at the PGA Tour Academy at TPC Sawgrass, and Steve Steinberg, a fitness writer and contributing editor at Men's Magazine, before a golfer can achieve success, he or she must know their body and fitness strength. What gives this book its legs is its attention to the use of biomechanics. The innovative program is broken down by accessing six physical aspects of the golfer's game, namely shoulder rotation, upper body rotation, lower body rotation, pelvic tilt & posture, balance, and full body strength & coordination. In addition to these six areas, the authors offer twelve workout secrets of the pro. By following the "Diovisalvi Plan," not only can you improve your golf game, you can also help achieve better overall health.

The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam (Portfolio/Penguin Group, $28.95 hardbound) & Unfolding the Napkin by Dan Roam (Portfolio/Penguin Group, $20 softbound)
These two innovative books show that thinking with pictures can help develop new ideas, solve problems in unexpected ways, and share insights more powerfully. Roam, president of Digital Roam, has staged seminars throughout the country and helped such companies as Microsoft, Google, and even the U.S. Senate. Packed with illustrations that are reminiscent of Munro Leaf's early work, Roam takes readers step-by-step through the process of seeing and identifying problems and then imagining new and innovative solutions. Written with both wit and insight, the author shows how paper and whiteboards can be turned into essential business tools. The Back of the Napkin was named the best innovative book by Business Week, and Unfolding the Napkin was an Amazon.com business book pick of the year.

Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again by Frank Lipman, M.D., with Mollie Doyle (Fireside, $15)
Dr. Frank Lipman, the author of Total Renewal: 7 Key Steps to Resilience, Vitality, and Long-Term Health, thinks that too many Americans are plagued by a new epidemic, a pervasive syndrome he calls spent. He claims that while there is no magic pill to reverse the fatigue, back and joint pain, distractibility, irritability, or digestive problems that are symptomatic of Spent, there is a solution: Revive. His sane, accessible advice can help stressed people to slow down, detoxify, replenish, and restore the body. Delicious recipes, research-based exercises and stretches, and suggestions to nourish both the mind and body are all featured in this guide.

59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot by Richard Wiseman (Alfred A. Knopf, $24)
Psychologist and best-selling author Richard Wiseman overturns many of our accepted beliefs about self-improvement. His new book brims with tips and tricks that will help improve lives and, best of all, they are firmly grounded and come straight from the scientific community. By bringing together diverse scientific advice and simple-to-accomplish techniques, he claims you can begin changing your life for the better in less than 59 seconds. Ever wonder why writing down goals is more effective than visualizing them, or just thinking about going to the gym can help you keep in shape, or putting a pencil between your teeth makes you feel happier instantly? Wiseman has the answers to those questions and much, much more.

Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love: Relationship Repair in a Flash by Nancy Dreyfus, Psy. D. (Tarcher/Penguin, $16.95)
Relationships are never easy. When there is a conflict it is tricky to maintain both your tone and inflection without mangling the message you want to communicate. Veteran psychotherapist Nancy Dreyfus has written an insightful guide that highlights the power of written messages to defuse tension and put an end to conflict. Her turning point began one day when she found herself scribbling a note on a scrap of paper that said "talk to me like I'm someone you love." That phrase and a flashcard system are the basis of her new book in which she offers more than 100 "flashcards" that can be utilized to defuse even the most volatile situation. For example, she recommends shifting gears by stating that while that it isn't necessary to see things exactly the same, it is important to respect another point of view.

How to Change Someone You Love: Four Steps to Help You Help Them by Brad Lamm (St. Martin's Press, $24.99)
This book shows in powerful, ground-breaking steps, that it is possible to stop a loved one from engaging in self-destructive behavior. Lamm thinks that it is important to first understand why one engages in destructive behaviors and then determine if the problem is likely to clear up with time or if it a situation that requires more drastic action. The author claims his approaches will make it easier to do such things as convince a loved one to stop drinking, quit gambling, end prescription drug addiction, and even stop a spendthrift from maxing out his or her credit cards. For anyone tired of watching their spouse, child, relative, or best friend go downhill, and being dragged down by them, this guide could be the lifeline needed. As Lamm puts it, no one has to endure behavior that is unhealthy, abusive, possibly deadly, and that threatens to unravel relationships. With help, we can change even the almost impossible of situations.

A Little Bit Married: When to Know When It's Time to Walk Down the Aisle or Out the Door by Hannah Seligson (Da Capo, 15.95)
A major trend in dating today comes in three basic stages: first there's love, following by years of being "a little bit married," and finally marriage itself. The long-term relationship has become a rite of passage. In fact, a quarter of unmarried Americans, some 23 million adults, claim that they are in as committed romantic relationship. From making marriage-like commitments such as moving in together to handling the stress of whether you should or should not tie the knot, Hannah Seligson, a journalist who has written extensively for such publications as The New York Times and Forbes, provides a roadmap to successfully navigating the long-term relationship which boils down to either "I Do" or "Do I?" Her book includes the Cohabitation Commandments that should be memorized by anyone even thinking of entering "a little bit married" arrangement.

Snark: It's Mean, It's Personal, and It's Ruining Our Conversation by David Denby (Simon and Schuster, $12)
This bestseller is finally in paperback. Hallelujah! Snark is, of course, the biting, clever put down. It is the cheap shot that is snide, condescending, and more often than not, hateful. Snark has permeated our society to such a point, it has trashed our very conversation. David Denby, a film critic for The New Yorker, serves up a lively, biting commentary on snark and what we must do as individuals to change directions.

One Year to an Organized Financial Life: From Your Bills to Your Bank Account, Your Home to Your Retirement, the Week-by-Week Guide to Achieving Financial Peace of Mind by Regina Leeds with Russell Wild (Da Capo, $16.95)
With the uncertainty of our present economic climate, most Americans need all they help they can get. That help might be as easy as getting organized. Regina Leeds, a professional organizer, and Russell Wild, a NAPFA-certified financial advisor, have designed a week-by-week plan so that controlling personal finances can be achieved with a minimum of pain. Whether you're unsure where to invest, disorganized in your bill-paying methods, or procrastinating it all for fear of what the bottom line might be, this guide will provide the structure needed to get on track. The advice includes how to organize files, determine the right insurance coverage, pay bills on time, clear the clutter, cut costs, and even protect identity and establish a retirement plan. From sticking to a budget to getting our of debt, One Year to an Organized Financial Life is essential and accessible.

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