In this short (and at times very difficult) collection of essays, Bataille challenges Sartre's view that "literature is innocent". A selective survey of key writers - including Bronte, Genet and Sade - shows that literature is a necessary antidote to the overarching Superego and Capitalism's emphasis on the Reality Principle. In this way, Bataille shows that literture is in fact evil, in that it is anti-utilitiarian and thus embedded in the childish Pleasure Principle. While Bataille seems to alternate between ascribing the driving force of literature to both the Life Drive (Eros) and the Death Drive (Thanatos), he does succeed in showing how Freud - although he never explicitely invokes the name - can be used for a new method of reading literature.

If you're into postmodernism and literary theory, you can't go wrong by reading this book. And what makes this book a cut above most books in po-mo literary theory is that it's got an accessibe layer that any fool can understand. There's also an esoteric underbelly that only people who've read Nietzsche closely will get. But the only time the esoteric underbelly becomes important is in the chapter on Genet.

Bataille claims Genet did not know how to give, because he liked to betray people. And since he did not know how to give, he wasn't truly evil because he sacrifices nothing. By which Bataille means that he doesn't know how to take. There's no collusion with doing a 100% gratuitous act, like committing suicide. (Let's face it: the suicide is the most selfish person around. The subway system in my city is frequently held up by them, preventing all sorts of people from going to work on time. All because their life is depressing.) Bataille's entire oeuvre is a celebration of paradoxes and the idea of give = take is not so far from his idea in Inner Experience of the subjectobject.

Apparently contemporary postmodern theory finds itself in crisis. Any outside observer could tell you why: the thinkers are opaque. The reason they are opaque is because they like to give. What Bataille knew is that in order to give, you also have to take. Hence his exoteric, loquacious facade and his esoteric, unutterable interior. If you are an American postmodernist, you ignore this advice at your peril.

Georges Battaille throws down a challange to Jean-Paul Sartre, who held that "literature is inncocent". Bataille, in his examination of such figures as Emily Bronte, Sade, Baudelaire, Genet, Kafka and Michelet, and the component of "evil" in their works, argues that literature is, in fact, "guilty" and that, moreover, it must acknowledge itself as such. In his reading of these literary figures, Bataille proceeds to analyse literature's complicity with evil and how this enables it reach a fuller level of communication. Drawing on Freud, he "eroticises" literary creativity and contends that the notion of "Art for art's sake", which emerges as a reaction to a fragmented and reified social world dominated by utilitarianism and commodity fetishism, is actually a subterfuge, literature masquerading as innocent under the mantle of "pure art", in order to rechannel the forces that are dammed up owing to the repressions imposed by culture. Though elliptical and opaque, this book is a challenging and fascinating study, which has a potential for laying the foundations for a philosophy of composition that underwrites the aesthetic of evil and explores its relation to the overarching forces of institutional and administrative surveillance.

Make space on your bookshelf for The PRIVACY PAYOFF: How Successful Businesses Build Customer Trust, a valuable new business primer on privacy by Ann Cavoukian and Tyler Hamilton. Cavoukian is the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and co-author of a previous book on privacy entitled Who Knows: safeguarding your privacy in a networked world. Hamilton is a business reporter and technology columnist at the Toronto Star who has covered consumer privacy issues extensively.
While Cavoukian's first book was consumer-oriented, this book is aimed at the small to medium business market, providing an excellent insight into the importance of good privacy practices.
In 12 chapters, this 300 page plus book addresses the significance of good data protection as a leading business issue (stating unequivocally that heightened post 9-11 government security concerns have absolutely nothing to do with the business need to address consumer privacy).
Chapters 3 and 4 address the fundamental concepts of privacy and the development of fair information practices or FIPS, with an explanation of how these FIPs have been translated into various codes (OECD, CSA and the FTC's "Big Four"). Chapter 4 goes on to describe the global regulatory environment, including the development of the EU Directive and the impacts of article 25 (adequacy of non EU-nation data protection), as well as the development of PIPEDA and the U.S. Safe Harbor arrangement. Other key U.S. privacy laws are also briefly summarized and there is a short comment on Asia/Pacific privacy legislation.
Chapter 5 looks at the need for business to take a comprehensive approach to privacy implementation beginning with a privacy diagnosis. Some tools are highlighted that businesses can use to assess their own current level of privacy principles compliance and shortcomings, including a Privacy Risk Assessment Test developed by Forrester Research Inc.
Some readers of this book may turn to chapter 6 first where the authors include profiles on six Chief Privacy Officers (five U.S.) including IBM's Harriet Pearson and Peter Cullen of the RBC Financial Group, who reports a 50 percent drop in privacy complaints since RBC committed to a high profile approach to privacy protection to maintain customer trust and achieve competitive differentiation. Jules Polonetsky of DoubleClick, which has had a roller-coaster ride of privacy problems, Kirk Herath of Nationwide Insurance Companies, Zoe Strickland of the US Postal Service, and Oliver Johnson of Merck & Co. are also profiled. All of the CPOs offer useful advice on the processes of privacy management within large and diversified organizations - see especially Zoe Strickland's five-point list.
Chapter 7 covers safeguards leaks, glitches and breaches with descriptions of viruses, worms and Trojan Horses, first-hand evidence on the perils of unsecured wireless networks, and a bottom-line comment that "sorry isn't enough."
In Chapter 8, the authors focus on consumer worries about digital data shadows, solutions to the cookies problem, the privacy risks of biometrics, satellite tracking, electronic tags, interactive TV, and other similar devices, and the growing, in fact alarming, increase in identity theft.
Chapters 9 and 10 cover the impacts of such consumer fears on marketing activities and the big issue of workplace privacy (there are excellent tips for employers on pages 247-249).
Chapter 11 covers technologies that can be used to enhance privacy (an ongoing focus of the Ontario Commissioner) and chapter 12 concludes with very practical advice on a privacy action plan for business. The "Top 25 Tips for Privacy Payoff" list is useful and practical.
This book is well researched and any observations and conclusions made by the authors are well-supported by factual detail and analysis. If there is any criticism of this book for a Canadian reader it is the orientation towards the U.S. marketplace as a source of research, examples of privacy issues, CPO profiles, and in some cases, even legislation. For example, a discussion of workplace privacy law starts off with a discussion of the U.S. Electronic Communications Privacy Act. It is only two pages later that Canada's private sector privacy law and its effect on workplace surveillance is briefly mentioned. While the authors cannot be faulted in aiming their book at the larger market of U.S. corporations (their publisher, McGraw-Hill, owner of Standard & Poor's and Business Week, is one of the world's biggest business publishing houses), and U.S. privacy mistakes by business tend to have far more dramatic impacts, more Canadian focussed content would have been desirable.
Nevertheless, this is an excellent primer for any business reader seeking to understand the broad issues of privacy protection in the commercial world and the business imperative to implement a thorough and cohesive privacy program. The practical advice in Chapter 12 alone makes the book worth every cent. For readers interested in Ann Cavoukian's views on opt in and opt-out consent, the book is also worth the money.

Murray Long, Canadian privacy consultant and journalist
N.B. This review taken from my electronic privacy newsletter

Avoiding Privacy Chaos: the Privacy Payoff, October 2, 2002
Reviewer: mike gurski (see more about me) from Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada
Businesses are increasingly finding that the 'ignore it and it will go away' attitude to addressing privacy is similar to the man that jumps out of the ten story building and is heard saying 'so far so good' as he passes each floor. Cavoukian and Hamilton, show in a well researched and compellingly argued text, that businesses can benefit addressing privacy issues in a managed and strategic way. They also illustrate with enough examples that not addressing privacy can in end in real mess on the floor.

Of particular value to business decision-makers, pressed for time and wishing to cut to the chase are two notable sections in the book. The first is the bottom-line. At the end of each chapter a one-page summary, aptly entitled, the bottom line presents the pith. Also 25 key steps to addressing privacy can be found at the end of the book.

In between the one-page bottom-liners the authors have succeeded in providing key information for business executives to help them form and implement company strategy regarding privacy.

If there is one area that could be expanded on in the book it is the role of privacy enhancing technology for businesses. Agreed that enterprise privacy enhancing solutions are in their infancy and the authors did cover the waterfront, but this book will likely be relied on by many senior executives. And the question on 'how do I build privacy into the information technology of my organisation' is not fully answered.

An area that is both vital to organisations turning their mind to privacy and those wrestling the work involved are the two sections on interviews with leading Chief Privacy Officers and the Appendix detailing a privacy practices case study. Together these two sections will prove essential to any staff or executive tasked with managing privacy for their organisation.

This book is a must read for business.

Privacy Pays is an indispensable reference for anyone concerned with privacy issues. It contains a cogent analysis of the threats to individuals and corporations posed by modern information technology as well as an appraisal of regulatory solutions. The book offers compelling and practical advice for organizations that seek to protect the privacy of employees and customers and clearly demonstrates how doing so can enhance the bottom line. The Action Plan for Business alone is well worth the price of the book.

This isn't a bad book - in fact, it's a GREAT choice as a gift to a mainstream parent who is "teetering on the edge" of becoming a more alternative parent. It is NOT the best choice for the already-alternative parent.

This book has a very well written section on feeding your family healthy, organic foods. It explains why organic is better, offers alternatives for buying organic and whole foods less expensively, and has good nutrition information. It also has interesting sections on what you should allow your children to view on TV and in movies, educating your children, and earth conservation.

Strangely, although this book seems to want to be a guide for the "natural" family, it has sections emphasizing the benefits and importance of vaccinations. It also extols the religious virtues of circumcision. I found these two viewpoints in opposition to the rest of the book. There isn't even the slightest hint of suggestion that there ARE reasons to be concerned about vaccinations.

I was disappointed that this book wasn't all that I wanted it to be. For families who find themselves in the space between "Mainstream" and "Alternative", it might be a very good option. It would probably be valuable to demonstrate to mainstream family members that some of your beliefs aren't completely "out there."

although i am not yet blessed to be a parent, i was entranced by this delicious book & felt compelled to invest in it now. i have enjoyed exploring different topics contained within & though i agree it is not quite as comprehensive as i would wish nor is it coming from quite the same center i am, it has truly been a delight! i must admit a big part of handing over the $20 for it was the wonderful resources listed at the end of each section. i truly believe being a part of children's development is one of the most amazing gifts we're given in this life & my heart swells with this collection that seems to echo that sentiment.

"Family life is transforming for the better for millions of American parents and children. They examine what mainstream society hands down as received parenting wisdom with a critical eye. They welcome the unconventional, as long as it works." And that's what this rich parenting book that advocates whole parenting is all about. It embraces what many in the recent past had thrown out as primitive--natural birthing, breastfeeding, natural healthcare and holistic nutrition. The authors examine the historical issues that contributed to the development of parenting styles from the turn of the century on and discusses how "cultural creatives" came to be. These are families hoping to instill progressive values in their kids in the face of commercialism, prejudice, drugs, inadequate public education and a whole host of other modern issues. This book pledges to help parents sort through the alternative parenting ideas and find the ones that truly hold some answers for today's parents. It lives up to it's goal marvelously. This book recommends natural, organic and healthful eating and touches briefly on health, ethics and environment concerns as they relate to vegetarianism.

In all honesty, I'm not a movie fantatic, but to imply one hasn't seen these 4 star films is rather problematic. I'm not quite sure who these people are--who haven't seen these films--that the writer has in mind. I've seen about all of these films; some are good, some not so good. The commentary is ok, but not on a par with informed film critics. Well, I guess if you haven't read much, you might have a book called "Great Books You've Never Read," and perhaps "1984" would be among them, but that tells us more about the assumptions of the writer than the audience.

goo

Throw all of your other video guides away -- this one is the only one you'll need. Text is intelligent and funny, and out of the 10 or 11 films out of the book that I rented, I've really enjoyed all of them, and had never heard of any of them beforehand

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Nightshade by Laurell K. Hamilton is a book where Worf and Troi shine and Captain Picard is more in the background as the Enterprise is called away on another mission.

I found the book to be captivating and mildly fascinating as a planetary war on Oriana, which has gone on for two hundred years, has finally come to a negotiation for a settlement. After the planet's biosphere has been devastated and the people are dying. Picard, Worf, and Troi are beamed down to Oriana, but soon find that the Enterprise is called away leaving them all alone to settle the conflict. After this set up, the book takes off and Picard is accused of murder and Worf is left in charge of the negotiations. Throughout the book we see the Worf/Troi relationship begin to flower bringing them closer to one another, but the overlying problem of planetary war looms and to avert a planet-wide disaster, Worf has to negotiae the peace between the two warring factions.

Worf has Troi to fall back on, but together they unravel the truth. This is a well told story with a narrative that flows and the character development between Worf and Troi is excellent. I enjoyed this story as the main thrust of the story fell on someone else other than Captain Picard; and the Enterprise was away on another mission, which left the characters to their own resources to solve this potential disaster.

If you like Worf and Troi this is the book for you as both characters begin to explore a relationship and problem solving together.

Those who come to "Nightshade" as fans of writer Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series might be a bit disappointed with this novel, but fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" will find this a solid effort. There is a common element between the two bodies of work and that is Hamilton's devotion to character, specifically the relationship between Worf and Troi. This time around the Enterprise is visiting the planet Oriana, which has been waging civil war for two hundred years. The biosphere is just about completely destroyed and as a last ditch effort the two warring parties are sitting down with Picard to talk peace. The captain is accompanied down to the planet by Worf and Troi, but just as they beam down the Enterprise is called away on another emergency mission. This means that when Picard is falsely accused of murder, the volatile Worf is suddenly in charge of the delicate negotiations. At least he has Troi to help him, and the best part of this novel are those that explore their relationship, which had been on shaky ground ever since the episode of the television series where Troi gave birth to Ian and Worf wanted to kill the invader. Given that the couple would become romantically involved down the road, "Nightshade" makes sense as a transitional story and is a solid STNG novel, although admittedly not the equal of Hamilton's best efforts with her own characters.

This book was interesting, but mostly a long, drawn-out cliché. You could basically just see what was going to happen before it did. I didn't really get a sense of the aliens' culture or themselves as people. Also, I found that the characterization of Talanne kept changing, which was rather odd. The captain was relegated to the background and didn't seem like himself either. What was good, though, was the way Worf and Troi had to work together to solve the mystery. I also enjoyed the way Troi felt emotions. That was descriptive and interesting. Another thing - the book was a bit on the dark side, what with torture, deformities, and death, but it really hit home in several parts - especially the nursery scene. And the numerous small errors got annoying - especially where two short sentences would read much smoother as one sentence or one long sentence would work much better as two. And the subplot? Well, you didn't even see how it tied in until the end, and even then it was contrived. Oh yeah, and why wouldn't Picard let Troi negotiate instead of Worf? That would have made much more sense, but not much of a story. Anyways, I never felt the sense of complete involvement in the story like I do with a great book. Only read this one if you want to see Worf and Troi working together and see what a story's like through their points of view.

I found the advice given in this book to be simple common sense, In other words, I have that so I should have used it to flip through the pages and see I did not need this book! Also, it is directed only at ballet dancers- I am a jazz dancer(though I study ballet as well). Still, I felt discounted. Dance describes so many diferrent genres. The title should have specified it's focus.

I found that this book is the ONLY book that I can trust with for ALL of my dancing questions. I have read numerous other books on dance and none of the them compare to this. Mrs.Hamilton has helped me through all of the struggles that every dancer goes through from audiioning advice to how to break in my pointe shoes more effectively to improving my tecnique and many, many others. I would HAVE to give this book a 5 stars. ADVICE FOR DANCERS is a definate must have for every dancer out there!!!

EXCELLENT! IT WAS A GREAT FOR MY EMOTIONAL STRUGGLES THROUGH DANCING. I FELT VERY SUPPORTITED BY MRS HAMILTON, IT MADE ME A BETTER DANCER EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY, I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL DANCERS, IT WILL HELP YOU! WITHOUT A DOUBT 5 STARS!

I purchased this book a couple of years ago. I was taken with it right away. It brings back wonderful old memories of Christmas long gone. It is beautifully illustrated!! The illustrations attracted me to the book, the words won my heart!

It was a simpler time and these succulent memories bring back my own. Better yet, my special little ones are privy to what it was like to be a child in the "olden days". A beautiful thing to read together. Loved it.

I loved this story of a time in rural Texas before life was so rushed and hectic. This is a beautifully written and illustrated story and a wonderful Christmas gift. I originally was interested because of the author, Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. And this book gives a new look at her altogether. I gather it is a true story written by Kirkland for friends and family and then this publisher picked it up to share it with a larger audience. My husband and I have given many copies of this book to friends who have loved it. They all identify with the relationship between the girl and her family and the wonderful old-fashioned Christmas. What a great Christmas gift for such a reasonable price!

I did not find the recipes hard to follow at all - there are many alternative ingredients that do not take away the spirit of the dishes in question, and they are provided in the book.
Historically, I found it more than usually accurate as far as ethnic cookbooks go, and this is more of a multi-ethnic effort united mostly by history and to a lesser degree by religion and language.
Having no prejudices whatsoever before approaching it, I honestly believe this book deserves kudos for introducing the multi-ethnic cuisine of the lusophone world to us - and as a somewhat lost vegeterian in my city of adoption I'm particularly thankful to the many vegeterian dishes from Goa, Malacca, Macao, mainland Portugal and just a bit everywhere else I was able to find, prepare and serve in the family home with more lauding than my previous vegan attempts.
So thanks for the book, and whatever species you are - carnivourous, omnivourous, seafoodivourous or vegeterian, *do* try this book!

Having bought a copy of this book in spite of one of the reviews, I feel one should challege the notion that 'very silly recipes are the norm'. It might be fair to say that the section on Portuguese colonial history is a little thin but the explanations accompanying the recipes of how the dishes have moved from one location to another and have been altered in the process, together with details of variations, go some way to compensating for this. Then again, if I were looking for information on Portuguese history, I would not begin with a cookery book. The suggestion that recipe ingredients 'do not ring true' is rather baffling. I can find similar recipes in, for instance, other Portuguese, Brazilian and Goan cookery books. Likewise, the ingredients in African recipes are often common to nearby countries which do not have the same Portuguese influence. Also, while bibliographies are not a foolproof guide to the quality of books, it would be unusual to see a bibliography as good as this in a bad book.
All things considered, this book has a fascinating range of recipes - many relatively easy to prepare - from a wide variety of countries and its ingenuity is the simple linkage of Portuguese influence. It's not perfect but is highly unusual and I am thoroughly pleased to add it to my collection of several hundred other cookery books. My advice is: when you read a review from someone who is dismissive without providing substantive reasons for being so and fails to distinguish between a bad book and one they simply don't like, ignore it. Or, to put in another way, if you're interested in something different in the cookery line, why not buy this book?

I just found a great new cookbook. In the 16th century the Portuguese developed one of history's greatest empires. The Portuguese empire, in turn, created a diverse cuisine that was influenced by the local crops and recipes of many different nations, with a strong emphasis on seafood. Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters by Cherie Hamilton is filled with fantastic, easy-to-follow recipes that capture these amazing and unusual combinations of flavors. One evening I made fish curry from Goa (p 174), a stew of whitefish and grated coconut seasoned with cumin, coriander, ginger, onions, and green chiles. As a salad I made a delicious creamy mmixture of avocado and dates (p 59), pureed and served in the avocado shells, from the windward island of Sao Vincente. This venture was such a success with my family that I next made a fish ragout from Southern Angola (p 172), that is a marvelous blend of fish and okra. The side dish for this meal was rice with split peas cooked in coconut milk (p 144), a creamy preparation from Zambesia in central Mozambique. Urged on by the praises of my family, this past weekend I made Caranguejo em Cosquinha (stuffed crab), a dish tht has traveled from Goa to Brazil (p 206). It consists of a saute of crabmeat, green and white onions, curry, and black olives in a pastry shell. Along with this, we had a fantastic Arroz de Tomate (tomato rice), a popular way to prepare rice in Portugal (p 146), which is rice prepared with tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Each of these recipes was easy and fun to prepare, with wonderfully unusual combinations of flavors. Highly recommended!!

This book hits home for most girls as we all grapple with the issue of sexual relations before marriage. But, it seemed as if the author was trying *too hard* to be "hip" and "cool" and use slang that kids use now days. Nice story line, but a little more than a tad cheesy for my taste. In some areas, it was so cheesy it was painful while other times it flows along nicely. An okay read if you need to (I read this title for a report on STDs and teen sexuality) but I definitly wouldn't recommend this.

I think this was a really good book. I think that Lauren did the right thing by waiting and I also think that she should forget about Tyler he is no good. I just wanted to say if you read this book you might be kind of dissapointed in the end it leaves you wanting more!

I thought this book was great. I read it when I was 13, and at the end ( I wont tell what happens) I cried. I could not believe Tyler did that to Lauren! But I think its very realistic and it made me want even more to wait for sex

Atrocious is the word for this horribly researched, terribly written piece of "fiction." This book in no way reflects anything very accurate about the true Mae West. It is totally unfair, and amounts to a vicious attack designed to assassinate the character of the legendary film star Mae West. No fan should read this disastrous hodge-podge of disinformation, and for that matter, no one should read such an unfair book at all. Having known Mae West and knowing a tremendous amount of information about her career and her life, I found this diatribe completely without any kind of merit. The "author" (if that is what one would call this nasty writer) has no sense of balance at all. This is one of the most unfair, one-sided, pathetic excuses for a "biography" I have ever had the displeasure of reading. It is no wonder than when this piece of crap was released it was stillborn. It was and is a colossal failure both in sales and in what it set out to do.

Very early in West's career in this book, the author loses all credibility by her constant and horrendous assault (and that is exactly what it is) on West. The whole second part of the book is nothing but an angry, bitter attack against West, which leaves out so much about West, but delves up nothing but one constant, angry attack after the other. It is NEGATIVE beyond comprehension!

When I finished reading this mess, I felt like I had been assaulted myself, and was ashamed that I even read anything so negative to the extreme. The "author" attacks West on ALL levels, for any and ALL reasons, and guesses at alleged "facts" rather than revealing anything new here. The entire book is just a simple-minded rehash of other previously published material and ALMOST entirely in the negative. No fair-minded person could give any credibility to a "work" so vicious, so obviously full of just plain hate! I was offended to the 9th degree. Never have I read a book full of such venom, untruths, and consistently inaccurate information. Anyone could have performed better research than this 4th rate writer. This mockery of an autobiographical account is submerged by the bitter, twisted and demented mind of the pathetic excuse for an author (not to mention human being). A TRULY, uncompassionate, possibly insane witch wrote this nasty piece of crap!!!

You won't find out anything that is true or accurate about the great Mae West here, but you will find distortions, countless information about other plays and actors (that have nothing to do with West) and an appalling lack of feeling and humanity. One of the LOWEST, CHEAPEST pieces of trash ever written, and one of the most UNSUCCESSFUL too!!!

This book uncovers every detail of Mae Wests early career. Though Hamilton seems to accent on the negative, those who love Mae West will relish in the new details and great photos. The author is the exact opposite of Mae West, one can easlily surmise, so every triumpth of West's is quickly dashed with a failure, indicating an almost peciliar jealousy on behalf of the author towards her subject! THAT is what makes this book so interesting.

My recent interest in Mae West started while viewing the play "Dirty Blonde" It led to watching her films, listening to her archival music, reading her autobiography, her "Wit and Wisdom" and her rewritten version of "Pleasure Man". From childhood I had viewed "Myra Breckinridge" and "Sextette" as well as listened to her albums "Way Out West" and "Wild Christmas". Marybeth Hamilton Ph.D. in history from Princeton University, has written the missing link in the West saga. Describing in accurate detail the origins and influence of a well known and well loved pioneer. "Her sheer inventiveness with materials makes her a percursor of the likes of Madonna and a forerunner of comic performers like Bette Midler and Sandra Bernhardt, women who deliberately manipulate camp humor rather than remaining naive objects of it. West rewrote her past in the service of her marketability and reputation. Crafted and recrafted by a shrewd judge of audiences who knew what she was doing at every step." This is a brilliant historical study, well researched and informative. Hamilton deserves honors for bringing Mae West and her career into the film history and gender studies perspective. Highly recomended!