Customer Reviews:
LIfe Saver.......2007-05-14
If you are a court reporting student, you can benefit from this book. I found that this book contained a lot of briefs that was not incorporated in my theory book. This book will help you gain the speed to pass speed test.
Valuable resource!.......2006-11-10
My judge uses all kinds of crazy words, things that people don't usually hear in everyday courtroom proceedings...yet I have found most of them in this book! In my efforts to reduce my overall strokes and improve my realtime, this book has been my sidekick. Not a day goes by that I don't look for some help between its covers. It's awesome!
Great referece book for any court reporter...........2006-05-11
This book will become a staple in my realtime library, love it!
A Court Reporter's Bible!.......2002-12-05
WOW, WOW, WOW!!! I think this book should be required reading for EVERY court reporter. I've been reporting 21 years, have all my certifications, but I'd have to say I feel like I have just now "turned the corner" after incorporating some of these briefs!
Curious? How about MOINGS for "among other things," AEFM for "African-American," and my favorite, the 40+ pages of "is" phrases including STHR-LGS for "Is there anything else."
You'll want to make space in your carrying case so you always have this reference with you!
THE building-block resource for reporters and students........1998-09-06
I can't say enough good things about Laurie's books for court reporters. BRIEF ENCOUNTERS should be on every reporter's and student's reference shelf. This book contains one- and two-stroke briefs and phrases for everyday reporting and is full of ideas which you will want to incorporate into your dictionaries. Some examples:
HOUB = how about HOUBT = how about the HOUBZ = how about these HOUBS = how about those HOUF = how far HOUFT = how fast HOUM = how many HOUFM = how many of them HOUMZ = how many of these HOUMS = how many of those
The consistency of Laurie's outlines makes it very easy to adopt new briefs and streamline your writing. Get it -- you won't be disappointed!
Book Description
Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History, the highly-anticipated concise version of Bentley and Ziegler's best-selling survey text, provides a streamlined account of the cultures and interactions that have shaped world history. With an engaging narrative, strong thematic approach, visual appeal, and solid pedagogy, it offers enhanced flexibility and affordability without sacrificing the features that have made the complete text a favorite among instructors and students alike.
Book Description
The well-meaning protagonists of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara are caught—to both disastrous and hilarious effect—in the maelstrom of political and social upheaval surrounding them. Ben Fountain's prize-winning debut speaks to the intimate connection between the foreign, the familiar, and the inescapably human.
Customer Reviews:
Exotic ficition.......2007-08-09
I really enjoyed Brief Encounters With Che Guevara by Ben Fountain. The stories take place in exotic locales like Haiti, Columbia, and Myanmar and they all have some sort of epiphany that enlightens the protagonists. Some stories are more compelling than other and Fountain knows more about Haiti, so that country has prominence in being the setting for three of the stories. My favorites were the opening story of the committed bird watcher, "Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera", the story of the opportunist golf pro, "Asian Tiger," and the collection's namesake: "Brief Encounters With Che Guevara." I look forward to more from Fountain. One note about the Harper Perennial edition-it had a really interesting section at the end called P.S., with interviews, essays and a selection of book reading suggestions from the author-I wish all books had these extras.
Fountain of Wisdom.......2007-08-07
I can't commit to novels. They require too much of an emotional investment, and I haven't enough time to deal with my own crap, let alone a fictional character's. Which is why I'm into short fiction these days. It started with an Etgar Keret binge on the heels of my yeridah (departure from Israel) two months ago. I read every story he ever published in about a week (four 150+ page collections alone). In search of a quick fix to satiate my newfound literary urges, and in the absence of further Keret, I came upon Ben Fountain's "Brief Encounters with Che Guevara," a masterful volume of short fiction that carries with it hints of what I appreciate most in Keret's work. In that, Fountain achieves a similar level of surrealism without being overtly surrealistic.
Nearly all of the included eight stories places a naive white American in a third-world country confronted by experiences that are unexpected, to say the very least. An ornithologist kidnapped by Columbian guerrillas, a Marine inducted into a Haitian voodoo cult, an NGO worker smuggling diamonds out of Sierra Leone... Brilliant stuff, truly.
Fountain does a bang up job of conveying the reality of the world outside our own privileged bubble with inspired hope and honest cynicism. One recurring theme, for example, is a romantic revolutionaryism that is consistently tempered by the half-heartedness of its advocates.
Fountain projects a sort-of sad beauty, and in that a true beauty, drawing light out of an increasingly dark world.
I highly recommend giving it a go.
Politics and Principles.......2007-07-12
The common theme of these eight fine stories is that of a more or less ordinary person getting caught up in a political situation, generally in a third-world country, and discovering some point of moral principle in themselves which leads to a courageous decision and thought-provoking ending. So we have most memorably a graduate student ornithologist captured by rebels in Colombia, a washed-up golf pro used for propoganda purposes in Myanmar, and a US aid worker involved in the diamond trade in Sierra Leone. Despite the cover quotation from the Boston Globe, these stories are not "downright funny" so much as aptly wry -- squint windows on the human comedy. But the jacket comparisons with Conrad and Graham Green are to the point; Fountain has a remarkable ability to conjure up the physical and human atmosphere of out-of-the-way places, and his evocation of distant danger is palpable. As yet, though, he takes fewer risks than either of these authors; one soon gets to trust that none of these stories will end in calamity, and although this makes for pleasant reading, it may weaken the moral dimension that he otherwise addresses so well.
Three of the eight stories do not quite fit the pattern described above. "The Good Ones are Already Taken" is set near Fort Bragg and concerns a young army wife whose Green Beret husband comes back changed from a tour of duty in Haiti; the strangeness that Fountain captures so strongly in the two other stories set in Haiti comes over less well when translated to the context of an American couple and their sex life. The title story, "Brief Encounters with Che Guevara," is the only one that is virtually without plot, being merely a series of brief brushes with people who may have known Che, though it is outstandingly successful in touching a dimension that some of the more traditional tales lack. And final story in the book, "Fantasy for Eleven Fingers," about a child prodigy pianist in turn-of-the-century Vienna, breaks from the others in both period and location. Instead of jungle revolutionaries, we have bourgeois pan-Germanic anti-Semites, a context much closer to home though less modern, providing a mirror in which all the other stories are reflected.
Politics and the Short Story.......2007-02-01
This debut collection is welcome relief from the usual workshopped-to-death, navel-gazing, interior short stories that seem so prevalent in the U.S. Fountain likes to take his characters to parts of the world not particularly welcoming to Americans and put them in challenging situations. For example, he has a particular interest in Haiti (which he's visited approximately thirty times), and it forms the backdrop for three of the stories.
In "Reve Haitien" (originally published in Harper's), a chess-playing Organization of American States observer in Haiti following Aristide's 2004 departure agrees to help a charismatic guerilla member. The plot involves smuggling paintings by Haitian masters to Miami in exchange for cash the guerillas can use to buy arms. The story shares themes with several others in the collection, as the Westerner comes to sympathize with the oppressed native and tried to help. (The main point of interest in the story for me was the paintings, many of which were by artists whom my grandparents collected in the '60s. One minor snag in the plotline is that the paintings are described as being rolled up and hidden in a duffle bag, but most of the paintings by these artists in my grandparents' collection are on solid chipboard and rather harder to convey.)
"The Good Ones Are Already Taken" takes place in North Carolina, but also references Haiti, as a young soldier's wife eagerly awaits the return of her Special Forces husband from Operation Uphold Democracy (1994-95). The husband returns home greatly affected by his interaction with the Haitian spirit world, forcing the wife to work hard to understand. The material is somewhat over the top, but Fountain manages to make it work for the most part. "Bouki and the Cocaine" (first published in Zoetrope and available freely online) is a pretty straightforward story about some poor fishermen whose civic attempts to interdict the local cocaine traffic result only in the local police profiting. In an Robin Hood-style operation, they decide to steal one more load and use a Port-au-Prince contact to help the community. The finale is somewhat predictable, but enjoyable in the manner of an Elmore Leonard caper.
In "Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera", a graduate ornithology student is swept up by FARC guerillas in Columbia and must survive as a hostage for half a year. Over the course of this time (which seems to be circa 1999), he gets to know the guerillas and comes to understand their struggle -- only to have the carpet jerked out from under him at the end. Originally published in Zoetrope (and available for free at their web site), it's a fairly solid piece, if a little too precious toward the end. "Asian Tiger" (also published in Zoetrope and available freely online) is my favorite of the collection. Here we meet a divorced pro golfer of the lowest tier, reduced to playing obscure, fourth-rate tournaments. After appearing the "Myanmar Peace and Enlightened Leadership Cup", he is made a lucrative offer he can't really refuse (for the sake of his daughters' college fund). Through his naive eyes, the Burmese junta takes on an even more bizarre visage, as he accompanies generals on foursomes involving shady American oilmen, a spook, and Japanese suits.
It's out of the frying pan and into the fire, as the next story (which first appeared in The Paris Review), "The Lion's Mouth", visits war-ravaged Sierra Leone. A female American aid worker hustles to improve the lives of a tiny few, while also getting sexually entangled with a diamond dealer. The topic of "blood diamonds" has been well-covered elsewhere, and this story does little to add to the topic. It's also the third story in the book to involve some manner of smuggling, and while the portrait of the various rebels, UN peacekeepers, and shady operatives is keen, the story itself is entirely predictable. The title story is a series of five vignettes in which the author recounts his fascination with Che Guevara and his encounters with several people who may have known him. It's rather aimless in comparison to the rest of the collection and didn't do much for me. "Fantasy for Eleven Fingers" is somewhat of an outlier as well, taking place in the music world of 19th-century Vienna, and following the strange story of the titular piano composition. It does an effective job of capturing the time and place, and there's a decent-enough story there, but it's so different from the rest of the collection that its inclusion is somewhat jarring.
On the whole, this is definitely a collection worth dipping into, but perhaps not as vital as some of the more enthusiastic reviews make out. One theme that is worth highlighting as particularly important is Fountain's representation of travel as privilege. In most of the stories, Americans "visit" the third world by choice and are able to leave, while those who live there suffer onward (and get exploited by Western business interests). I'll definitely keep an eye out for his Fountain's next work.
Things Happen.......2006-12-03
I really don't like short stories very much anymore-especially the kind that appear in places like "The New Yorker" (which is otherwise an exemplary magazine) - for the most part, it seems to me that these stories are humorless, shapeless chronicles of middle class angst that start from nowhere and, if you actaully bother to finish one, conlude in a morass of pointless self pity- leaving this reader with only one agonized thought - "WHO CARES".
If those are your kind of storeies, do not buy "Brief Encounters". Fountain's stories are crisp, compelling and often mordantly funny - there's not a wasted sentence, really not a wasted word. And, best of all, THINGS HAPPEN, EVENTS TRANSPIRE, and you turn the pages to see what's going to happen next.
Customer Reviews:
Cross-Cultural Resource.......2007-07-20
The author is truly clever in the layout of this book. It is thoroughly enjoyable, as well as enlightening. This is not a book of cultural rules, but of cultural surprises.
As we see ourselves..........2007-02-03
It may seem that Mr. Storti's book shows other world cultures - Asian, Latin, European - through an American magnifying lens. It may be so if you are an American reader. If you're not, it gives you the chance to look at your own culture through foreign eyes. This can be a rather informative and actually liberating experience. I strongly recommend it.
Transforming the way we interact with foreigners.......2006-01-24
When dealing with people overseas, the blind assumption among many Americans is that individuals from other societies possess the same value system, process information in the same way, and express themselves in the same manner as we do. This attitude, however, is almost bound to lead to hurt feelings, sour business deals, or worse. In an effort to reduce these cultural misunderstandings, Craig Storti aims to educate readers on the perils of not only inadvertantly insulting your foreign counterpart in a conversation, but of taking his or her words at face value as well. Through the study of 10 major cultures, we are able to briefly explore the psyche of such groups as Arabs, Indians, and the Japanese in order to better understand the way they see the world.
The short dialogues followed by an explanation of the conversation by Storti provides for a highly effective means of discovering how very differently human beings from contrasting cultures think and communicate on an implicit level, thereby confusing your average Joe who is at a loss to understand what actually was said.
Regardless of whether you wish to better understand one particular culture or to gain a broader understanding of major ethnic groups in general, you will surely benefit from this book.
excellent.......2003-04-22
This was a riveting read. very insightful and helpful in understanding cultural differences. I read it to learn more about american culture and found it helpful. I also learnt about many other cultures too.
Great Training Tool.......2001-01-04
As president of a cross-cultural training and consulting company, I have found this text extremely useful for providing our clients, corporate managers and executives, a quick, easy-to-read overview of the types of communication challenges that can arise in daily cross-cultural conversations. Typically, the reaction we get is "That just happened to me, but I didn't know what was going on at the time." At ERUdyne, we use the text on a regular basis. We recommend it to all our clients who are new to the global business environment, and to those who want to fine tune their skills for picking up the real message behind the words.
Average customer rating:
- Brief encounters - an excellent perspective
- Excellent Book
|
Brief Encounters
Emily Coleman
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Interpersonal Relations
| Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0385155794
Release Date: 1979-12-11 |
Customer Reviews:
Brief encounters - an excellent perspective.......2001-08-25
An excellent book which takes a positive & optimistic view of relationships that may not last forever. Designed for mature and experienced readers, with experience being IN a relationship, but forgetting how to START a relationship. First 1/3 of book helps the reader accept the OK-ness of the end of a major intimate relationship. The second 1/3 helps the reader identify him/her self as an individual, now able to pursue any dreams desired. The 3rd 1/3 of the book helps the reader start to confidently re-enter the outside world, with their now-clarified self-concept, in search of new (more compatible) friendships, acquaintances, and maybe loves.
Excellent Book.......1998-04-11
This book explains short term relationships between friends, family, lovers, and strangers. It explains why we need short term relationships and how to keep long term relationships by viewing them as a daily decision for a short term relationship. It is not about lack of commitment, lack of love, lack of anything. It is about healthy relationships
Average customer rating:
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Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930-1971 (Film Studies)
Stephen Bourne
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Gay & Lesbian
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| Gay & Lesbian
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Lesbian Studies
| Special Groups
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Gay & Lesbian
| Special Groups
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Bibliographies & Indexes
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Bibliographies & Indexes
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Art & Photography
| Bibliographies & Indexes
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0304332860 |
Book Description
Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History, the highly-anticipated concise version of Bentley and Ziegler's best-selling survey text, provides a streamlined account of the cultures and interactions that have shaped world history. With an engaging narrative, strong thematic approach, visual appeal, and solid pedagogy, it offers enhanced flexibility and affordability without sacrificing the features that have made the complete text a favorite among instructors and students alike.
Book Description
Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History, the highly-anticipated concise version of Bentley and Ziegler's best-selling survey text, provides a streamlined account of the cultures and interactions that have shaped world history. With an engaging narrative, strong thematic approach, visual appeal, and solid pedagogy, it offers enhanced flexibility and affordability without sacrificing the features that have made the complete text a favorite among instructors and students alike.
Book Description
Invigorating creative nonfiction—short, but never slight—gathered by the co-editor of In Short and In Brief.
In the years since the perennially popular In Short and In Brief were published, readers have come to delight in the deft focus of the succinct piece we now call The Short. Extending this trend, Short Takes presents over seventy-five writers whose range and style demonstrate the myriad ways we humans have of telling our truths. Themes develop and speak to or collide with one another: musings about parents, childhood, sports, weather, war, solitude, nature, loss—and, of course, love. The stellar roster of contributors includes well-known writers—Verlyn Klinkenborg, Jo Ann Beard, David Sedaris, Dorothy Allison, Salman Rushdie, and Terry Tempest Williams—along with Michael Perry, Mark Spragg, Jane Brox, and others whose literary stars are clearly rising.
Each short—whether a few paragraphs or reaching 2,000 words, and reflecting almost every way nonfiction can be written—invites us to experience the power of the small to move, persuade, and change us.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Book for Teachers.......2005-08-15
As a high school English teacher, I have been searching for a good collection of SHORT, contemporary examples of well-crafted non-fiction to share with my students because our curriculum is seriously lacking in this area. Providing a wide range of subjects written in beautiful prose with strong vocabulary, SHORT TAKES fit the bill perfectly.
Average customer rating:
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Law in Brief Encounters
W. Michael Reisman
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Communications
| Skills
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
Philosophy
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Law
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0300075693 |
Book Description
Even in our most casual encounters with strangers legal systems play a role, explains the author of this fascinating book. Michael Reisman shows how "microlegal" systems function and how their elaborate codes, exceptions, and procedures sanction deviance and govern acceptable behavior in all our social interactions. He also demonstrates that, paradoxically, efforts to improve microlaw may threaten individual autonomy and privacy.
Books:
- Burdens of History: British Feminists, Indian Women, and Imperial Culture, 1865-1915
- Confession of Saint Patrick
- Did Jesus Have a Last Name? And 199 Other Questions from Catholic Teenagers
- Dirty Little Altar Boy
- Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Penguin Classics)
- Everything Corgi: Wit and Wisdom for Lovers of Cardis and Pems
- Excursions In The Real World: Memoirs
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- FDR
- The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
- Recollections of My Life
- Perennials for the Southwest: Plants That Flourish in Arid Gardens
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective
- Scientific Computing
- The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
- Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire
- Memoirs in a Country Churchyard: A Tobaccoman's Plea : Clean Up Tobacco Row!
- Assemblies Cost Data 1998
CATegorically Speaking: A Reference Work And Study Guide for Realtime Writing
Briefs Encountered: Version 4: A Searchable Database of Briefs And Phrases for Court Reporting
Medical Briefs: A Dictionary of Medical Briefs And Phrases for Court Reporting
Successful Freelance Court Reporting
Legal Terminology with Flashcards
