Monday, January 25, 2016

The Islamic State: A Brief Introduction

Charles R. Lister
online access from ebrary
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An authoritative guide to the rise of the Islamic State and its senior leadership.

How did the Islamic State grow from regional terrorist group to a brutal multinational bureaucratic machine? What are its goals? How can it be stopped?

In 2014 the Islamic State seemingly appeared out of nowhere, routing Iraqi forces, conquering Iraq's second-largest city, boldly announcing the establishment of a caliphate, and declaring itself the Islamic State (IS). Today, IS controls thousands of square miles and is attempting to govern millions of people.

In this definitive guide to the Islamic State and its senior leadership, Charles R. Lister traces its roots from the release of its notorious father figure, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, from a Jordanian prison and the group's formation in Afghanistan in the late-1990s, and finally to its stunning maturation in Iraq and Syria.

The West knows IS through its unrelenting propaganda war, with its deft use of social media and videos of horrific acts. Lister shares details of IS's sophisticated revenue machine, attempts at governing, and its formidable military.

With IS knocking on the doors of Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, Lister's portrait helps us understand what to expect next and recommends a course of action to defeat IS, extinguish extremism, and encourage a tolerant Islam across the Middle East.

This book includes a Who's Who in the Islamic State's senior leadership.

From the foreword by Ahmed Rashid
"The Islamic State is the best basic understanding available of the ISIS phenomena and how to deal with it."

(Excerpt from amazon.com)


三島由紀夫文學の旅

陳銘磻
online access from AiritiBooks
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閱讀之外,更在旅行地景中品味經典文學,
尋訪連日本人都看不到的文學感動!

文學旅行作家陳銘磻如此描述:「火燒金閣寺出現在小說中,使得被人生疏遠的主角溝口變得更為非凡,『被無盡的美包圍著時,怎麼能染指人生呢?』於是,作者讓自己的眼睛『變成了金閣寺的眼睛』,然後藉由書中患有口吃的見習僧人,對於人生是美或不完美,以及疏離與被疏離,以不得不的姿態,在化為永恆之美的幻象前驚恐不安起來。來到鹿苑寺,易於感染到『被無盡的美包圍著』的氛圍,也的確因為這座在日光底下彰顯美的象徵的『金閣殿』,而使人惶惶不安起來。金閣遙遠可見,她在樹叢搖曳的包圍下,一動不動的矗立著,但絕不是在酣睡中,好像是夜的守護神。」

他帶著對日本文史的熱愛,多次往返台日之間,走訪日本文學地景,從事相關資料收集及鑽研,以對日本經典文學的獨到見解,書寫出連日本人都看不到的文學感動;期盼在日本311震災後,讓身在台灣的讀者,依舊可以透過作家之眼,再現文學地景,依循著細膩文字,看見日本經典文學中的感動與美麗,走一趟感官之旅、文化之旅、文學之旅……。

三島由紀夫:一個集「神童」、「奇才」和「鬼才」於一身的文學家!

日本評論家村松剛:「三島由紀夫的每一本小說都是一場絢爛豪華的夢。」

日本著名比較文學研究家千葉宣一認為:「三島與普魯斯特、喬伊斯、托馬斯.曼齊名,是二十世紀四大代表作家之一」。

三島一生寫了40部小說,18個劇本與20篇短篇小說,主要著作有《假面的告白》、《金閣寺》、《禁色》、《美德的徘徊》、《近代能樂集》與《愛的饑渴》……等,堪稱二十世紀最重要的作家之一,曾二度獲諾貝爾文學獎提名,雖與諾貝爾獎無緣,依然是日本文學成就最高的作家;亦是著作被外國翻譯最多的當代作家!有人讚譽他為「日本的海明威」。

正值創作的高峰期,三島卻於1970年11月25日剖腹自殺(年僅45歲),此事被稱為:「日本戰後史上最大的謎團」……

本書帶你走進三島「毀滅與至美」並存的文學世界!

本書特色

三島由紀夫的出生背景與成長
一九四五年對三島來說,是最傷痛的一年,八月十五日,日本宣佈敗戰,向盟軍投降;四天之後,《文藝文化》的好友蓮田善明,以陸軍中尉的身分在馬來半島自殺。十月二十三日,妹妹美津子因為傷寒病逝,時年僅十七歲。種種打擊,使得三島的情緒陷入最低潮。……這種從年輕時代即萌生的死亡意識,分明了了,竟成為成就三島文學作品重要的素材;死亡與文學、文學與滅絕,無不深刻的被他寫入小說中,發展成隱晦、華麗、陰沉、孤傲,相互交錯的極端個人特色。

.三島式的死亡美學
三島認為「死的美學」是:人應該為自己而活,為慾望而死的都不算堅強;人為自己的理想而活,則死而無憾!三島式的死亡美學,是建築在自戀的基礎上,「我終於愛上自己的腋窩」。這就如同他在《金閣寺》藉由見習僧人溝口心中對金閣之美的妒火,而把美麗的金閣燒燬,用以滿足他的「滅絕之美」。

.三島由紀夫的文學創作與小說中的人格特質
三島在文學上探索多種藝術,集浪漫、唯美與古典主義於一身,特別是擷取日本古典主義與希臘古典主義結合的美學象徵,尤其描寫男性生與死之美所獲取的藝術成就,為各方所公認。在美學的追求上,三島著力於對深層心理的挖掘,並積極從隱晦的頹唐中探索人性的真實面。

.現象界虛幻無常的象徵《金閣寺
《金閣寺》出版至今已然超過半個世紀,三島在這部盛年時期完成的小說中,創造不可思議的獨特性,他不僅將罪犯行為藝術化,而且透過華麗又優美的文筆美化金閣寺,讓這一座被患有口吃的見習僧人溝口形容為,美到「非將金閣燒燬」的寺院,化成美的永恆幻影。

.伊勢灣彌漫著淳樸之美的《潮騷
三島曾說:「《潮騷》是以《塔夫尼斯與克蘿婀》為藍本,去尋覓被文明隔絕,卻瀰漫著淳樸美學的小島。」《塔夫尼斯與克蘿婀》是古希臘晚期作家朗戈斯田園詩式的愛情小說,全書著墨刻劃主角戀愛中的歡樂和痛苦,甚且謳歌樸素和真摯的愛情;而《潮騷》則對應男主角新治的苦難生活和愛情歷程,挑動讀者的心弦。

.憂鬱含蓄與淒絕的《春之雪
《春之雪》是三島生前最後的長篇鉅著《豐饒之海》四部曲的第一部。小說描繪大正時代,侯爵家公子松枝清顯和伯爵家千金綾倉聰子之間的愛戀,在三島筆下顯得古雅哀怨、細膩纖秀,充滿日本王朝文學之美,同時,三島更在這部小說中詮釋了個人對生與死的輪迴轉世見解。

.深陷在虛實輪迴中的《天人五衰
這部屬於三島畢生文學創作的壓軸之卷,他將個人淒絕的生死美學發揮到了極致,是夢、是死、是輪迴,更是他無盡滅絕的死亡美學之作。


(摘錄自博客來網路書店)


Monday, January 18, 2016

Fearless Photographer: Film in the Digital Era

By Joseph Salvatore Prezioso with Ingrid Nelson
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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Shooting film is not for the faint of heart--or at least that's what many photographers who have grown up shooting digital think. But maybe you're ready to set aside your trepidation and take the leap into the mysterious world of film. If so, let Fearless Photographer: Film in the Digital Era be your guide. This is not a book on how to develop and process film, although those topics are covered to an extent. Rather, it's a primer on how to shoot film--how to create breathtaking images on a medium that until recently, many believed to be a relic of the past. But film is making a resurgence, not only as a niche area of the field, but also as a way for any shooter to capture tangible images that won't be lost to future generations, relegated to long forgotten memory cards or defunct hard drives. Filled with easy-to-understand explanations and countless photographic examples, FEARLESS PHOTOGRAPHER: FILM IN THE DIGITAL ERA will walk you through making the transition from digital shooting to film shooting. At the end of the book, a series of film-shooting assignments will give you hands-on practice in this new-to-you medium.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

不平凡的攝影視角:快拍、快修的必學秘技

文淵閣工作室 編著
online access from AiritiBooks
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看看別人怎麼拍!

作者擁有數十年拍照經驗,讓你一窺專業人士是如何取材與設定,書中包含 6 大主題情境、45 張不同場景的相片;不需費神了解艱深的攝影理論,直接透過作品即可了解拍攝者的構思與想法。只要參考作品拍攝時設定的數值與環境條件,即可掌握相似的氛圍。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

Monday, January 11, 2016

Letting Go of the Words : Writing Web Content that Works

Janice (Ginny) Redish
online access from Books24x7
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Web site design and development continues to become more sophisticated. An important part of this maturity originates with well-laid-out and well-written content. Ginny Redish is a world-renowned expert on information design and how to produce clear writing in plain language for the web. All of the invaluable information that she shared in the first edition is included with numerous new examples. New information on content strategy for web sites, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media make this once again the only book you need to own to optimize your writing for the web.
•New material on content strategy, search engine optimization, and social media
•Lots of new and updated examples
•More emphasis on new hardware like tablets, iPads, and iPhones

"For anyone who works in e-learning, I strongly recommend Letting Go of the Words. It will transform how you communicate online. After reading it, the bad practices will leap off the page." -e.learning age, Nov 2014

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

盡管去做: 無壓工作的藝術 (Getting Things Done)

戴维·艾倫 (David Allen)
online access from EBSCOhost Audiobook Collection
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戴維·艾倫開出的處方救了我的命!一直以來,我幾乎淹沒在需要跟蹤處理的郵件和工作的海洋裏,透不過氣來。是戴維提供的自我管理模式,讓我的心平靜下來,並且工作效率也奇跡般地提高了!沒有一位e時代的領袖和先鋒能忽略這本書的存在!

戴維·艾倫曾說:“始終如一地堅持做一些看似瑣碎的小事,長此以往,將會産生重大的影響。”他的見識和具有實用價值的經驗令人歎爲觀止。如果你希望繼續保持懶散低效的作風,別碰這本書,如果你希望你的生活變得輕鬆有序,那就多讀上幾遍吧。

(摘錄自amazon.cn)

你希望既出色地完成工作,又可以快樂地享受生活嗎?本書向你介紹了如何獲取更加旺盛的精力,如何變得更加輕鬆自如,事半功倍的方法。作者在本書中揭示的方法,在各種類型的企業中,在每一種工作層面上,在不同的文化氛圍中,甚至在家庭和學校裡,都已經得到了証明是功效卓著的。

(摘錄自douban.com)


Monday, January 4, 2016

Make Waves: Be the One to Start Change at Work and in Life

Patti Johnson
online access from Books24x7
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Make Waves encourages readers to step up and be the one to initiate change in their work and lives. Author Patti Johnson walks readers through the tools and techniques that they can use to create change in their own situations. Johnson elaborates on these tools even further to give readers a sense of how to encourage and instill these “wave-making” behaviors in others within their organization. Using several diverse case studies as illustrative examples, Make Waves highlights the important steps that individuals at any level can take toward positive change. By reinforcing readers' desires to contribute and make a difference, Johnson connects on an individual level and bridges the gap between that desire and the actions necessary to realize bigger changes.

Change can be big or small. It is the act of stepping up that Johnson embraces, as well as the ripple effect on those around. Interviews with famous Wave Makers, as well as everyday people, illustrate why it is important to be the one to start change.

Wave Makers profiled include:

Clint Hurdle: Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates; believes in positive attitude and culture and changes the MLB clubhouse; this year leading the Pirates to their first winning season since 1992.

Charley Johnson: Started Pay It Forward foundation.

Joe Nussbaum: Started Big Event at Texas A&M when in college in the ’80s and has continued to grow; largest one-day college community service day in the country and has been adopted by over seventy universities.

Emma Scheffler: High school soccer player who started Insulin Angels, a nonprofit for children diagnosed with diabetes, after her own diagnosis; feared her dream of college soccer was over, so engaged other students and local hospitals after thinking about how to make her diagnosis a positive.

Allen Stephenson: Started Southern Tide at twenty-two-years old when in med school and followed a passion to create a clothing line; built momentum by creating interest and participation on southern college campuses; they are now growing rapidly and it started with a great polo shirt.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

想象香港的方法:香港小說(1945-2000)論集

蔡益懷 著
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香港是一座華美的城市,也是一個悲情的城市。香港小說“說”出了香港的故事,香港小說家用不同的方式觀照著這個城市,又塑造著這個城市,並用他們的“語言”構造了一座文學的“香港”。香港有說不完的風情,也有說不完的故事,且看作者蔡益懷──想像香港的方法。

(摘錄自cp1897.com.hk)