Culture Shock!: Ireland (Culture Shock!)

Book Description

You'll never feel intimidated and awkward about the customs and etiquette of another country again. With the insights provided in this CULTURE SHOCK! Guide, you'll learn to see beyond the stereotypes and misinformation that often precede a visit to a foreign land. Whether you plan to stay for a week or for a year, you'll benefit from such topics as understanding the rules of driving and monetary systems, religious practices and making friends. There are tips on political traditions, building business relationships, and the particular intricacies of setting up a home or office. Great for the business traveler, the foreign exchange student, or the tourist who makes a sincere attempt to cross the bridge into a new and exciting culture.

Customer Reviews:

Culture Shock! Italy.......2006-03-20

It was delivered fast and it was brand new. I loved it!

After All, It's Not All Shillelaghs and Shamrocks.......2003-02-28

If you think of green beer, shamrocks and leprechauns when someone says "Ireland" then this is a book for you.

Different from a travel guide, this book will help a new Eire inductee gain insight to Ireland and the Irish people themselves whether you are there for vacation, business trip or school. Especially good is the section about Irish history, the people involved in the making of that history and the important player's in making peace in Northern Ireland. Having said that, this book is badly in need of an update since it stops just after the 1998 Peace Agreement was reached. It also helps you to understand where each side is coming from and how not to make conversation faux pas when discussing the often sensitive issue of The Troubles.

The book is great for an overall feel of Ireland's culture but it's not for those who have had much exposure already. Having gone on several trips to Ireland and knowing many native Irish individuals personaly, I found much of the book to be too basic. However I still was still entertained and learned bit more about the Irish in general. I wish I had read it before my first trip; it would have helped me to understand and appreciate the island more at that time.

Before You Go To Ireland, Read This...........2002-10-11

This book is a wonderful preliminary to any first-time excursion to Ireland, as well as a concise compendium of everything Irish. Not a tour-guide; it delves into cultural issues, Ireland's history (up to and including the 1998 Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, which, unfortunately will require a whole new chapter as of today's writing), political faces and national celebrities,interacting with the locals, pub life, key Gaelic phrases, and basically, how to navigate without looking like a total tourist.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in an introduction to Irish history and current issues, and to anyone who is going to Ireland for the very first time.

much to like, but appeal will vary a bit.......2000-09-25

Obligatory caveat: I have only been to Ireland once. For this reason I disqualify myself from making authoritative statements as to whether Levy's impressions are accurate; I can only compare against what I do know.

With this in mind, what I found most helpful is the up-to-date impressions of the author concerning the issues that tear at the national psyche of the Republic. She makes clear that much has changed in Ireland in the past forty years in almost every aspect of life, and gives the right amount of detail. Her suggestions as to pub etiquette are quite good, and pub culture is a key aspect of Irish life because they are in fact community centres of a sort. Her tone is that of someone who likes Ireland and its people, but is not blind to their foibles and weaknesses. Stereotypes are addressed head-on and debunked where necessary.

There is a distinctly feminist tinge to a lot of Levy's commentary. I don't think it reaches the level of polemic, but it would affect the reader's enjoyment of the book positively or negatively depending upon receptiveness to the author's views. Myself, I thought most of it was on the mark but that a few of the comments needed some balance. Those supportive of feminism will find it refreshing; those hostile to it will likely be put off.

The factor that bothered me most, oddly, was the consistent misspelling of Gaelic terms. While I understand that spelling Gaelic using the Latin characters is in some ways not an exact science, the misspelled words are among the most commonly known and the errors are glaring--if you pronounce the word as printed, you do not get the word that is commonly known. I felt this to be sufficiently glaring for a markdown.

Recommended with the specified reservations. Would form a good basis for avoiding pitfalls and entering into discussions with the Irish if you were planning to visit.

Going to Ireland? Buy this book!.......2000-04-14

I highly recommend "Culture Shock! A Guide to Customs and Etiquette: Ireland." This is not your average travel book containing descriptions of places, events, lodging, exchange rates, etc... Instead, it gives the nitty gritty on how to conduct yourself in your day-to-day life. Especially enjoyable was the chapter entitled "Paddies", which gives a valuable groundwork in dispelling myths and stereotypes surrounding the Irish and Ireland. I'd liken the book to the grease which lubricates social wheels. Quite useful is the insight into historical forces in Irish lives, as well as the influence of the land, religion, and politics on Irish culture. Entertaining and informative, this book will help visitors to Ireland get more out of their visit.

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The Shock of Medievalism (N/A)
Kathleen Biddick , and Kathleen Biddick
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

In The Shock of Medievalism Kathleen Biddick explores the nineteenth-century foundations of medieval studies as an academic discipline as well as certain unexamined contemporary consequences of these origins. By pairing debates over current academic trends and issues with innovative readings of medieval texts, Biddick exposes the presuppositions of the field of medieval studies and significantly shifts the objects of its historical inquiry.
Biddick describes how the discipline of medieval studies was defined by a process of isolation and exclusion—a process that not only ignored significant political and cultural issues of the nineteenth century but also removed the period from the forces of history itself. Wanting to separate themselves from popular studies of medieval culture, and valuing their own studies as scientific, nineteenth-century academics created an exclusive discipline whose structure is consistently practiced today, despite the denials of most contemporary medieval scholars. Biddick supports her argument by discussing the unavowed melancholy that medieval Christians felt for Jews and by revealing the unintentional irony of nineteenth-century medievalists’ fabrication of sentimental objects of longing (such as the “gothic peasant”). The subsequent historical distortions of this century-old sentimentality, the relevance of worker dislocation during the industrial revolution, and other topics lead to a conclusion in which Biddick considers the impact of an array of factors on current medieval studies.
Simultaneously displacing disciplinary stereotypes and altering an angle of historical inquiry, The Shock of Medievalism challenges accepted thinking even as it produces a new direction for medieval studies. This book will provoke scholars in this field and appeal to readers who are interested in how historicizing processes can affect the development of academic disciplines.

Product Description

This toothsome classic takes on the combined challenges of discovering the meaning of the universe and eliminating fat at the same time. Its topic sentence contains a promise that should sell millions: "In this book, I tell how to take weight off and keep it off." He doesn't stop there, but continues, "The book also embodies a philosophy of life. The weight program is the content of the book, the philosophy of life is its form." If Descartes had sat down to write a treatise on losing weight as a metaphor for maintaining discipline amidst life's vicissitudes, it would have read much like this.

Clearly, Mr. Watson has not written a low-fat, new-age, easy-fix solution for the weight challenged. After all, losing weight is hard work. But for our money, it is the most erudite, fascinating, and eccentric book ever written on the subject of weight control, a combination of common sense (driven by human experience), Cartesian philosophy, and the presumption that understanding the mysteries of weight loss and the universe are somehow compatible, even sympathetic, ambitions.

The author is (of course) a professional philosopher, and this extraordinary exegesis is at once a moral manifesto, a philosophical discourse, and a practical manual (although the chapter on "How to Live" and "How to Die" take it a few steps beyond the ordinary). We love this book for its humor, its iconoclasm, and its weird and wacky mixture of high seriousness and low humor. Read it. Even if you're not overweight, it's a book to treasure.

Customer Reviews:

It's a fun book.......more helpful than most diet books!!.......2006-09-17

What an enjoyable book. This may be helpful to both lighthearted (myself) dieters as well as those more serious ones. Thanks to Mr. Watson, counting calories doesn't seem so boring or even restrictive anymore. It may be my newest noble pursuit to build my character and along with exercise I will strengthen my spirit and eventually my cause...to change the world.
Loved this book. And by the way, 900 calories is just a number. I think most readers can make the leap that depending on your age, activity level, muscle mass, metabolism, ect., one may need more calories per day. I mean, the author is a philosopher for goodness sake!

The Philosophy of Personal Change.......2006-07-03

Do not buy this book expecting a regular diet/nutrition book! Rather buy this book if you are interested in an intelligent writer's musings on personal change interspersed with amusing and moving thoughts and anecdotes. I enjoyed this book very much and got some great new insights into an approach to personal change which just might include some dieting as well.

Something different to change your viewpoint.......2003-12-23

If you've been falling on and off the diet and exercise wagon for awhile now, you may be beginning to realize that the problem isn't your plan, but your ability to stick to it - and that your ability to stick to it is low because you HATE doing it. How do you change the way you view diet and exercise? Can you ever come to see it in a way that you'll like it, rather than view it as something you MUST do but hate doing? If you're looking for a new viewpoint, I highly recommend this book. It isn't about "how-to" stuff so much as it's about WHY to, and a new way of looking at things. It's an easy read, and well worth your time and money. You will particularly enjoy it if you like philosophy, but that's by no means a prerequisite.

weight loss, common sense, and taking charge of your life.......2002-12-17

There is so much to love about this little gem. The author speaks to you like a curmudgeonly uncle who takes you seriously enough not to coddle you or offer you comforting excuses. You want to lose weight? Fine. It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done, but here's how you go about it. While everyone else is counting calories and grams of this and that, he cuts straight to the point: cut calories (900 may be too few for some people, but he gets your attention with the dramatically low figure) and exercise (again, 4 miles in 30 minutes may be a bit much to ask for some of us penguins, but he doesn't set the bar too low to be a challenge). His voice, while caring, is uncompromising. He is not sympathetic in the cloying manner of many self-help gurus, but in the manner of a teacher who is confident that you can do what you set out to do - as he has - and if you don't succeed, it's because you don't really want to. Some people have medical conditions that may contribute to weight gain, and his simple approach does not address those complexities. I think the author would suggest that you know enough to take care of yourself, which is what this is all about anyway. He removes the weight loss/diet genre from the gnostic realm of medical professionals, and returns it to the accessible realm of common sense, where it belongs. The book is a metaphor for how you can take charge of your own life, give meaning to your own life, without waiting for someone with credentials to tell you you're doing it all wrong if you don't do it his/her way. If you're looking for more complexity, you may be looking for a program that's so difficult to follow that it comes with its own built-in excuses. You won't find excuses here, but encouragement and prodding. Americans are not fat and slovenly because we've failed to eat nothing but protein or failed to find The Zone, but because we eat too much and don't get enough exercise. Do something about that, and then, with the discipline you develop in the process, go change the world, why don'tcha. Lose the weight, and get over it.

Not recommended for long-term weight loss.......2002-10-28

I have to admit I didn't make it past the first chapter of this book, for two reasons. First, his insinuation that people who are drastically overweight (which by his definition appears to be more than 30 pounds) don't really care and aren't serious about losing weight. Now THAT's motivation! Second, his recommendation of a draconian 900-calorie-a-day diet, when it's been proven time and again that deprivation diets (just like the fad "grapefruit and steak" diets to which he refers) don't work in the long run. Mr. Watson may be a professional philosopher, but he is obviously not a weight-loss expert (and if he consulted with any while writing this book, I didn't see that referenced anywhere). So while the book may provide some entertaining and perhaps even valuable advice on behavior and life in general, its diet advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most important, check with your doctor before beginning ANY weight-loss program!!

The Super Anti-Oxidants: Why They Will Change the Face of Healthcare in the 21st Century

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I LOVE THE TOPIC AND GENERALLY ENJOY READING BOOKS IN THIS GENRE: THIS BOOK IS THE EXCEPTION
Repetitive, un-referenced and narrow-minded
Lots of info
What More Could You Possibly Need To Know?
Yep - Balch is right on target, again!

The Super Anti-Oxidants: Why They Will Change the Face of Healthcare in the 21st Century
James F. Balch
Manufacturer: M. Evans and Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0871318512

Amazon.com

By now you've probably heard that antioxidants are good for you, but a growing number of researchers are beginning to believe that adequate or even more-than-adequate amounts are absolutely vital to our health and well-being. This book by James F. Balch, M.D., author of the bestselling Prescription for Nutritional Healing, describes a wide range of antioxidant substances in food and extracted into supplements that can help prevent or conquer illness and even slow the aging process itself. As Balch points out, when our bodies turn oxygen into energy the reaction creates damaging byproducts known as free radicals, which "eat away" at us almost as rust does metal. Antioxidants help keep free radicals from forming and eliminate those already in the body, putting the brakes on at least some of this long-term damage. But while many people are aware of the antioxidant value of vitamins such as C and E, there are also powerful free-radical-scavenging substances in a wide variety of products-- including fish oils, tree barks, herbs, wine, and tea, as well as colorful fruits and vegetables. Because antioxidants may be more effective in combination, Balch makes a good case for taking concentrated antioxidant supplements as well as eating a diverse diet. A few of the substances he mentions are controversial (and he's careful to provide brief cautions), but it wouldn't be surprising if many of the antioxidants he recommends eventually become mainstream tonics. --Ben Kallen

Book Description

Provides detailed information about various illnesses and how they can be prevented or cured through the use of anti-oxidants.

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE THE TOPIC AND GENERALLY ENJOY READING BOOKS IN THIS GENRE: THIS BOOK IS THE EXCEPTION.......2007-07-26

IN A NUTSHELL: WRITTEN IN A DUMBED-DOWN CONDESCENDING MANNER WITHOUT MUCH SUBSTANCE

Since the Author of this book is an M.D. I was rather shocked and disappointed with his style of writing which included making numerous unsubstantiated claims mixed in with very insulting and distracting humor. An earlier reviewer compared the text of this book with "reading the back of a cereal box" and sadly I must agree.

Also, the author has an annoying habit of quoting many other writers in the field, most often Dr. Michael Murray, which tended to reinforce my notion that one should be reading a different book on this very important and worthwhile topic.

There are obvious errors and ommisions within the text, the worst which is the author's constant compulsion for not referencing the results of the numerous studies that have been conducted and which do demonstrate the importance of anti-oxidants in our daily diets. Instead, he simply makes statements without any referencing. Somehow everything within this book is distilled down to anti-oxidants vs. free radicals which is an obvious oversimplification.

Repetitive, un-referenced and narrow-minded.......2004-06-08

As a well-read reviewer on this subject, perhaps I am being overcritical. However, I found his testimony throughout the book that the only purpose of antioxidant consumption is to desotry fre radicals to be missing the point of good nutrition. He tries to extrapolate all benficial qualities of antioxidant rich food to their free radical scavenging abilities, which he does not back up with valid scientific sources. He neglects the vast epidemiological studies attributing better health from of consumption of antioxidant-rich foods because of their high fiber, unsaturdated fats, and low cholesterol.

I was also irked by his too-common slip-ups in seemingly basic biochemistry and toxicology. I understand his thesis that free radicals are one of the primary contributors to disease, but he tries to extend this theory to situations in which free radicals pale in comparison to other carcinogens in terms of their disease-promoting potential. For example, ciagrette smoke contains a group of scientifcally-proven very potent carcinogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, that he neglects entirely in explaining smoke's toxicity. Of course, he says that cigarette smoke is carcinogenic because of its radical producing chemicals, which he chooses not to name.

In addition, he mistakenly says that alpha lipoic acid is an amino acid that is an integral part of an antioxidant enzyme, when in fact alpha lipoic acid is a lipid (and antioxidant itself). Lastly, I was concerned with his suggestion that people take oral supplements of antioxidant enzymes to render free radicals harmless, as the HCl and proteases of our stomach and small intestine would surely destory any activity of these "enzymes" before they can can catalyze the intended reaction.

There are many claims throughout the book that are not backed by any scientific data, the majority of which I cannot argue against due to my incomplete knowledge of the subject. However, the fact that on several instances I found his science not only un-referenced, but also wrong, stopped me from finishing the book. I might as well have read the back of a cereal box, on which marketers attempt to persuade kids why vitamins are good for them (and henceforth their product).

For a more holistic and factual review of good nutrition, try "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins.

Lots of info.......2002-12-30

If your looking for a book to help you learn about the amazing powers of Anti-Oxidants this is a great book loaded with plenty of info. Worth the price.

What More Could You Possibly Need To Know?.......2002-05-08

This book is a tell-all source for the person wanting to learn about antioxidants and/or free radical damage. The only thing this book does not tell you is the absolute best supplements on the market today that contain all of the antioxidants listed in this book. But I can tell you that . . ....

Yep - Balch is right on target, again!.......2000-08-04

I couldn't agree more with the focus of Balch's book on Anti-Oxidants! We can no longer expect our food to contain enough of those wonderful supplements necessary for our bodies to sustain/prolong life in these stressful/toxic times. YES we need to eat well - cut out that fast food - to keep our everyday focus on being healthy, but unfortunately that isn't enough. If this book isn't enough to convince you (which I believe it is) access a site, PapaNature, and research further their documentation on anti-oxidants. They offer the same combinations as Balch recommends to his readership.

Institutional Change and Healthcare Organizations : From Professional Dominance to Managed Care

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Institutional Change and Healthcare Organizations : From Professional Dominance to Managed Care
W. Richard Scott , Martin Ruef , Peter J. Mendel , and Carol A. Caronna
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Health Care Delivery | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0226743101

Book Description

Few large institutions have changed as fully and dramatically as the U.S. healthcare system since World War II. Compared to the 1930s, healthcare now incorporates a variety of new technologies, service-delivery arrangements, financing mechanisms, and underlying sets of organizing principles.

This book examines the transformations that have occurred in medical care systems in the San Francisco Bay area since 1945. The authors describe these changes in detail and relate them to both the sociodemographic trends in the Bay Area and to shifts in regulatory systems and policy environments at local, state, and national levels. But this is more than a social history; the authors employ a variety of theoretical perspectives—including strategic management, population ecology, and institutional theory—to examine five types of healthcare organizations through quantitative data analysis and illustrative case studies.

Providing a thorough account of changes for one of the nation's leading metropolitan areas in health service innovation, this book is a landmark in the theory of organizations and in the history of healthcare systems.

Able-Bodied Womanhood: Personal Health and Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Boston

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Able-Bodied Womanhood: Personal Health and Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Boston
Martha H. Verbrugge
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195051246

Book Description

As urban life and women's roles changed in the 19th century, so did attitudes towards physical health and womanhood. In this case study of health reform in Boston between 1830 and 1900, Martha H. Verbrugge examines three institutions that popularized physiology and exercise among middle-class
women: The Ladies' Physiological Institute, Wellesley College, and the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics. Against the backdrop of a national debate about female duties and well-being, this book follows middle-class women as they learned about health and explored the relationship between fitness and
femininity. Combining medical and social history, Verbrugge looks at the ordinary women who participated in health reform and analyzes the conflicting messages--both feminist and conservative--projected by the concept of "able-bodied womanhood."

Health, State and Society in Kenya: Faces of Contact and Change (Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora)

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Health, State and Society in Kenya: Faces of Contact and Change (Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora)
George Ndege
Manufacturer: University of Rochester Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1580460992

Book Description

This book examines the conflicts brought on by the introduction, management and institutionalization of Western biomedicine into Kenya. From the dawn of the colonial age, there were conflicts over the issues and meanings of sickness, health and therapy. Conversations often broke down, especially during the first two decades of the twentieth century, because of the natural and strong desire on the part of local populations, the state and biomedical practitioners to protect their respective hallowed traditions, approaches and identities. However, the persistence of epidemics, spiraling mortality rates, the interdependent nature of the colonial economy, and the establishment and recommendations of Commissions of Inquiry turned the tensions of race and conflict into dialogues about accommodation and compromise. The focus on a common good, rather than upon partisan satisfaction, became a dominant force. Western biomedicine and African traditional therapies each contributed to the growth and development of colonial health care in Kenya.GEORGE NDEGE is Professor of History at St. Louis University

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The Politics of Dietary Change
Michael Mills
Manufacturer: Dartmouth Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1855212269

Technology and the Welfare State: The Influence of Technological Change upon the Development of Health Care in Britain and America

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Technology and the Welfare State: The Influence of Technological Change upon the Development of Health Care in Britain and America
Stephen Uttley
Manufacturer: Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited (Australia)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Health and Medicine (Century of Change)
Jane Shuter
Manufacturer: Heinemann Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0431038864

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