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Beyond Culture
New dimensions of understanding and perception of human experience are opened in Beyond Culture. Noted anthropologist Edward Hall helps us to rethink our values in constructive ways. "A fascinating book."--Ashley Montagu. -
American Ways
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I Am America
Congratulations--just by looking at this webpage, you became 25% more patriotic. From Stephen Colbert, the host of television's highest-rated punditry show The Colbert Report , comes the book to fill the other 23¿ hours of your day. I Am America (And So Can You!) contains all of the opinions that Stephen doesn't have time to shoehorn into his nightly broadcast. Dictated directly into a microcassette recorder over a three-day weekend, this book contains Stephen's most deeply held knee-jerk beliefs on The American Family, Race, Religion, Sex, Sports, and many more topics, conveniently arranged in chapter form. Always controversial and outspoken, Stephen addresses why Hollywood is destroying America by inches, why evolution is a fraud, and why the elderly should be harnessed to millstones. You may not agree with everything Stephen says, but at the very least, you'll understand that your differing opinion is wrong. I Am America (And So Can You!) showcases Stephen Colbert at his most eloquent and impassioned. He is an unrelenting fighter for the soul of America , and in this book he fights the good fight for the traditional values that have served this country so well for so long. Please buy this book before you leave the store -
No LOGO
時尚/LV;運動/Nike;電腦/IBM……,眼下我們生存的時代,品牌形象代表一切,連小學生也懂得要用名牌。要表現自己的專業、品味、社經地位,就要消費特定的產品,不管你是否真喜歡其品質。獲得消費者的品牌認同,就等於獲利的保證,於是新創的品牌虎視眈眈,欲取市場第一品牌之位而代之。至於沒有顯赫招牌的產品,往往價美物廉還是乏人問津。 知名品牌挾著雄厚的資本、強勢的行銷能力、全球運籌(global logistics)的經營觀念,令其產品席捲全世界。一種產品行銷全球,創造了後現代的國際風格,統一了世人的消費觀,卻斲傷了異文化的豐富性。全球性的公司聲稱要支持文化的多樣性,其實他們所謂的「多元文化主義」只是生產更多的產品,讓消費者有較多的購買選擇。 而在知名品牌風光行銷全球的背後,是許多不為人注意的勞工。他們其中的大多數人無法分享公司的鉅額利潤。當某位大老闆被問到,他付出的薪水是否足以讓員工「維持生活」時,他答道:「這想法聽起來很好,但沒考慮到商業世界的現實狀況。」這些員工只能慶幸自己不是第三世界裡被剝削的女工,做一雙天價的Nike球鞋或一件時尚必須的產品只能賺到幾毛錢。 事實是,消費文化全球化所裨益的對象,侷限在資本家、中心國家,卻造成社會與社會間經濟實力的落差日漸加大,更使得文化的創造力漸趨枯竭。所幸,反動之勢已逐漸醞釀。人們注意到工廠裡被剝削的勞工,也擔憂非主流文化正逐漸消失,因而積極採取反制行動。全球化浪潮在二?世紀末淹沒世界,勢不可擋,但反全球化的能量在新世紀初正蓄勢反撲。 本書作者Naomi Klein被《泰晤士報》譽為「可能是三?五歲以下對世界最據影響力的人士」,她在《No Logo》一書中剖析知名品牌如何征服世界,對此現象提出深刻反思,也分析反全球化的風潮將如何反撲。本書在國外廣受書評家與讀者好評,為身陷品牌意識泥淖的現代人不容錯過的好書。 -
The Monocle Guide to Better Living
Full of writing, reports, and recommendations, The Monocle Guide to Better living is original, informative, entertaining, and comprehensive. This is not a book about glitz but rather an upbeat survey of products and ideas built to treasure and last. Monocle is one of the most successful magazines to be developed in the past decade. Armed with an unmistakable sense of aesthetics and journalistic tenacity, its team -- led by editor-in-chief tyler Brûlé --has created an intelligent publication that continually inspires a global readership who are interested in everything from diplomacy to design. For its first-ever book, the editorial team looks at one of their core themes: how to live well. The result is The Monocle Guide to Better living, an original, informative, and entertaining collection of writing, reports, and recommendations. This is not a book about glitz but rather an upbeat survey of products and ideas meant to be treasured and last. Structured into chapters on the city, culture, travel, food, and work, the book also provides answers to some key questions. Which cities offer the best quality of life? How do you build a good school? How do you run a city? Who makes the best coffee? And how do you start your own inspirational business? The Monocle Guide to Better living works as a guide but also includes 10 essays that explore what makes a great city, why craft is desirable, how to run your own hotel, and why culture is good for you. This is not a book about fashion or the next big thing. It's a book about finding enduring values --from a career you want to keep to furniture that will last a lifetime. It's a book designed to stay relevant, loved, and used. An indispensible guidebook to contemporary life, The Monocle Guide to Better living embodies everything that makes the magazine such a success: easy style and journalistic substance. -
What Chinese Want
Today China is a critical player in the global marketplace, but there is still widespread confusion about what really makes the country tick - even the Chinese have difficulty explaining their own "Chineseness" to outsiders. In What Chinese Want, China expert Tom Doctoroff posits that China’s distinguishing traits explain the country in profound ways, including: *Connection to History: For thousands of years, the impulses and conflicts within Chinese civilization have driven its people’s behavior and choices. More than any other nationality, they are driven by their past history as much as by their intense focus on the future. This manifests itself in a profound belief in their country's stability and an intense national pride that often drives business decisions. *A Complex View of Morality: As evidenced by their sticky human rights issues, rampant piracy, and endemic government corruption, the Chinese have a significantly higher tolerance for certain things the West would consider wrong. Doctoroff puts these differences in context so that the reader can understand their nuances and impact on business and international relations. *Family Over the Individual: Whereas in America the individual is a prized source of originality, freewill, and consumer choice, in China the focus is squarely on the family and the larger society. This difference can be seen in the educational system, entrepreneurial activity, and many other key aspects of Chinese society.From the new generation’s embrace of Christmas to the secrecy of industry titans; from the government’s meticulously incremental approach to currency appreciation to the middle class’s fixation with luxury brands, Doctoroff explains the mysteries of modern China for those looking to enter the market in a culturally sensitive and effective way.