The key to success for any organization whether it be a business, a government agency, a human services system, or and educational establishment is good supervision. In the past twenty years as a result of good supervision in America, the national output doubled (George, 1970). How has this minor miracle happened? Simply put, supervisors get things done through the efforts of other people. They accomplish the objectives of their organizations by directing the efforts of others. Whether the supervisory role is simple or complex, the goal is still the same: to get others to perform tasks up to their potential to maximize output and achieve results which support the mission of the organization. Who are these supervisors? What do they do? What are their specific responsibilities? What kinds of qualities do the most effective supervisors possess? How do they use these qualities to "get others to perform tasks?" What are the present and future challenges facing supervisors as the world moves toward the 21st Century? It is the purpose of this book to answer these questions.
21st Century Consulting explores the role of the internal and external consultant facing the new century and wanting to be successful in his or her pursuit of excellence in the profession. The role, characteristics, skill set and an extensive bibliography are included. If you are a consultant, this book was written for you. If you are considering becoming one or are thrust into the role of consultant inside your organization or are asked to assist with another one, then you will find what you need in between the book covers.
The following selected articles appeared in the Forest Press in my column entitled, Life, Liberty, and Library. Alex Badenoch, who originated the column many years ago, died in 1993. Before Alex died, he and I corresponded frequently. Alex told me that he was retiring from the newspaper business and wanted me to take over the column. I told him that he could not retire yet. He said he was about to do so. What he and I both knew by that time was he was not going to live much longer. Alex had Lou Gehrig's disease. He suffered quietly, and when he died, many people missed his cheer, Scottish wit, and homespun knowledge. Though Alex never went to college, he was an exceptionally well-read man. His column was not just a misnomer, or some cutesy title. He read voraciously and encouraged others to do so. By trade, Alex was a lumber grader. He traveled all over the forests and worked for many people, but always with trees. Each and every week for nearly six years, he wrote his weekly column. As his illness destroyed his energy, he withdrew from life, and refused to write anymore. I chastised him in one letter saying that many of his loyal readers were upset that he was not contributing any articles to the paper. He wrote back to me and said that he was not well. However, he did write one more story before he died. I guess my words did affect him. I wrote and thanked him. I began my column with a tribute to Alex. It is the only reference to him, and yet, his work is still inside of me. Many times when I sit down to write, I sense his presence near me. I am not Alex. I don't possess his wit. Nor am I Scottish. However, I am who I am, and when he told me to take over for him, I believe he trusted me to do my very best. With that in mind, I proceeded. What I want you all to know is that these stories are just like Alex's - straight from the heart. Some are humorous and some serious. Each is an attempt to tie together the themes of life, liberty, and library. Sometimes I succeeded in accomplishing this. Other times I guess I fell short. Over the past nine months, many ideas for stories flowed through me. I was never sure when I sat down at the keyboard what might appear. Perhaps, that is what makes this type of writing so much fun. Some were spontaneous inspirations that flowed from mind to keyboard without much editing. Others were mulled over for many days, weeks, often months, before I was prepared to write them. Nothing pleases me more than the opportunity to create something that did not exist before. In the writing is the creation of a new point of view, a new perspective, and a new notion how things just might be. I hope that as you read them, you are encouraged to live a little more fully. I hope that you cherish your own measure of liberty. Most of all, I hope that references to the many works cited in the stories prompt you to make a trip to the library and read them. Peace and love, Bert
" ...]strength will last until we can send relief; while they would sink in the attempt to reach it with us. I would go alone, but I cannot bear, dear Grace, to leave you here." "I should die if you left me," she said, simply. "I believe you would, Grace," he said as simply. "But can we not wait? Help may come at any moment-to-morrow." "To-morrow will find us weaker. I should not trust your strength nor my own a day longer." "But the old man-the Doctor?" ...]".
An examination of Japanese contemporary art through the lens of ecocriticism and environmental history Collectively referred to by the word tsuchi, earthy materials such as soil and clay are prolific in Japanese contemporary art. Highlighting works of photography, ceramics, and installation art, Bert Winther-Tamaki explores the many aesthetic manifestations of tsuchi and their connection to the country’s turbulent environmental history, investigating how Japanese artists have continually sought a passionate and redemptive engagement with earth.In the seven decades following 1955, Japan has experienced severe environmental degradation as a result of natural disasters, industrial pollution, and nuclear irradiation. Artists have responded to these ongoing catastrophes through modes of “mudlarking” and “muckracking,” utilizing raw elements from nature to establish deeper contact with the primal resources of their world and expose its unfettered contamination. Providing a comparative assessment of more than seventy works of art, this study reveals Japanese artists’ engagement with a richly diverse repertoire of earthy materialities, elucidating their aesthetic properties, changing conditions, and cultural significance. By focusing on the role of tsuchi as a convergence point for a wide range of creative practices, this book offers a critical reassessment of contemporary art in Japan and its intrinsic relationship to the environment. Situating art within the context of ecology and urbanization, Tsuchi shows artists striving to explore and reprocess raw forms of earth beneath the corruptions of human activity.
An examination of Japanese contemporary art through the lens of ecocriticism and environmental history Collectively referred to by the word tsuchi, earthy materials such as soil and clay are prolific in Japanese contemporary art. Highlighting works of photography, ceramics, and installation art, Bert Winther-Tamaki explores the many aesthetic manifestations of tsuchi and their connection to the country’s turbulent environmental history, investigating how Japanese artists have continually sought a passionate and redemptive engagement with earth.In the seven decades following 1955, Japan has experienced severe environmental degradation as a result of natural disasters, industrial pollution, and nuclear irradiation. Artists have responded to these ongoing catastrophes through modes of “mudlarking” and “muckracking,” utilizing raw elements from nature to establish deeper contact with the primal resources of their world and expose its unfettered contamination. Providing a comparative assessment of more than seventy works of art, this study reveals Japanese artists’ engagement with a richly diverse repertoire of earthy materialities, elucidating their aesthetic properties, changing conditions, and cultural significance. By focusing on the role of tsuchi as a convergence point for a wide range of creative practices, this book offers a critical reassessment of contemporary art in Japan and its intrinsic relationship to the environment. Situating art within the context of ecology and urbanization, Tsuchi shows artists striving to explore and reprocess raw forms of earth beneath the corruptions of human activity.
‘A brilliantly simple guide to give anyone instant confidence choosing wine.’ Russell NormanWhich Wine When offers brilliant wine matches to the food we eat every day. This is for anyone who knows their sourdough from their sliced white but still finds themselves standing in the wine aisle making panicked decisions about what to drink based on special offers, a vague memory or a nice-looking label. Now you’ll be able to look up dish or style of cooking and find three recommendations – and if the shop doesn’t have what you want, Bert and Claire give you the words to ask for the type of wine you’re looking for. From takeaways and snacks to Sunday lunches, home-cooked classics, cheese and desserts, these expert wine matches are fun, affordable and simple enough you can pop to a supermarket or local wine shop. Whether you’re ordering a curry, taking a bottle to a friend's, going out for dinner, or vegging out on the sofa with a bowl of pasta, Which Wine When will turn even the most down-to-earth meal into a magical combination of what’s on your plate and what’s in your glass. Don't wander the wine aisle without it.
Colonel Michal Volodyovski, a veteran of countless wars, a decorated hero and a mercenary cannot escape a recurring nightmare. Wading in a pool of blood, he sees the shapeless, dead men, women and children he has killed. He contemplates suicide, but an epiphany saves him. He must complete one final mission. He travels to Washington and begins a movement to "End War Forever". The forces of good and evil stand in his way. Congressional leaders, the presidential candidates, and the President are confronted by a movement determined to change American military policy. The mission takes the Colonel, Sergeant Joe, Sal Ruff, Sergeant Eric and thousands of people who join them to a climax that is both awe-inspiring and tragic. The Last Warrior is a story of what is possible when the human spirit is focused on one man's dream pursued with the belief nothing is impossible.
