Lebanese American University

LAU Libraries

Selected new titles

In Beirut:

In Byblos:

The Modern Kitchen Garden

 
A visual feast of more than 500 glorious photographs A spectacular range of both classical and modern designs The most beautiful kitchen gardens and potagers of France, America, Australia, and the UK Over the past few years the kitchen garden has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance as people everywhere rediscover the rich, epicurean delights of fresh home-grown produce. Smitten by the idea of beautiful, fragrant garden spaces and an abundance of delectable produce, experienced and amateur gardeners alike are digging up their backyards to plant modern kitchen gardens. The Modern Kitchen Garden shows you how to create such a garden and eat it, too. A visual celebration of this mouthwatering concept, the book presents the history of kitchen gardens, sample garden designs and planting schemes, and a guide to growing according to the seasons, among countless other secrets to producing this most delicious type of garden.
 
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Design Things

 
Design Things offers an innovative view of design thinking and design practice, envisioning ways to combine creative design with a participatory approach encompassing aesthetic and democratic practices and values. The authors of Design Things look at design practice as a mode of inquiry that involves people, space, artifacts, materials, and aesthetic experience, following the process of transformation from a design concept to a thing. Design Things, which grew out of the Atelier (Architecture and Technology for Inspirational Living) research project, goes beyond the making of a single object to view design projects as sociomaterial assemblies of humans and artifacts—"design things." The book offers both theoretical and practical perspectives, providing empirical support for the authors’ conceptual framework with field projects, case studies, and examples from professional practice. The authors examine the dynamics of the design process; the multiple transformations of the object of design; metamorphing, performing, and taking place as design strategies; the concept of the design space as "emerging landscapes"; the relation between design and use; and the design of controversial things.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Dark Markets

 
Over-the-counter (OTC) markets for derivatives, collateralized debt obligations, and repurchase agreements played a significant role in the global financial crisis. Rather than being traded through a centralized institution such as a stock exchange, OTC trades are negotiated privately between market participants who may be unaware of prices that are currently available elsewhere in the market. In these relatively opaque markets, investors can be in the dark about the most attractive available terms and who might be offering them. This opaqueness exacerbated the financial crisis, as regulators and market participants were unable to quickly assess the risks and pricing of these instruments.
Dark Markets offers a concise introduction to OTC markets by explaining key conceptual issues and modeling techniques, and by providing readers with a foundation for more advanced subjects in this field. Darrell Duffie covers the basic methods for modeling search and random matching in economies with many agents. He gives an overview of asset pricing in OTC markets with symmetric and asymmetric information, showing how information percolates through these markets as investors encounter each other over time. This book also features appendixes containing methodologies supporting the more theory-oriented of the chapters, making this the most self-contained introduction to OTC markets available.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan

 
The military adventure that George W. Bush embarked on within months of his inauguration in 2001 was to eclipse everything else in his presidency. His name will forever be synonymous with the “war on terror.” What started as a military response to al Qaeda’s attacks in New York and Washington on 9/11, with the goal of neutralizing al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts in Afghanistan, quickly fused with the neo-conservative agenda to dominate and reshape the Middle East. Al Qaeda’s terrorism was answered by the terror of American military power, which has destroyed or blighted the lives of millions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Deepak Tripathi, a former BBC correspondent who has kept a keen eye on the region for more than three decades, identifies systematically the naive calculations, strategic and operational blunders, disregard for history and for other cultures, and even downright prejudice that have brought so much harm to so many. The legacy of Bush’s foreign policy will take years to overcome, Tripathi argues. His war on terror provoked resentment and violent opposition, opened up sectarian divisions, and created Hobbesian conditions of war of all against all. The long-term price tag for America has been estimated at a colossal $3 trillion, but as Tripathi seeks to demonstrate, the overall cost, in human and economic terms, will be incalculable.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The Beautiful Invisible

Challenging the image of theoretical physics as a dry discipline, The Beautiful Invisible shows that this highly abstract science is in fact teeming with beautiful concepts, and the task of imagining them demands profound creativity, just as creative as the work of poets or magical realist novelists such as Borges and Musil. "A good scientific theory is like a symbolic tale, an allegory of reality," writes Giovanni Vignale, as he uncovers the unexpected links between theoretical physics and artistic creativity. In engaging and at times poetic prose, and with ample quotations from many of the writers he admires, Vignale presents his own unorthodox accounts of fundamental theoretical concepts such as Newtonian mechanics, superconductivity, and Einstein’s theory of relativity, illuminating their profound implications. Throughout, the author treats readers to glimpses of physics as "exercised in the still night, when only the moon rages." Indeed, as we delve behind now-familiar concepts such as "electron spin" and "black hole," the world that we take for granted melts away, leaving a glimpse of something much stranger.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

18 Minutes

 
Based upon his weekly Harvard Business Review columns (which is one of the most popular columns on HBR.com, receiving hundreds of thousands of unique page views a month), 18 MINUTES clearly shows how busy people can cut through all the daily clutter and distractions and find a way to focus on those key items which are truly the top priorities in our lives.

Bregman works from the premise that the best way to combat constant and distracting interruptions is to create productive distractions of one’s own. Based upon a series of short bite-sized chapters, his approach allows us to safely navigate through the constant chatter of emails, text messages, phone calls, and endless meetings that prevent us from focusing our time on those things that are truly important to us.

Mixing first-person insights along with unique case studies, Bregman sprinkles his charming book with pathways which help guide us — pathways that can get us on the right trail in 18 minutes or less.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Carnal Resonance

Digital production tools and online networks have dramatically increased the general visibility, accessibility, and diversity of pornography. Porn can be accessed for free, anonymously, and in a seemingly endless range of niches, styles, and formats. In Carnal Resonance, Susanna Paasonen moves beyond the usual debates over the legal, political, and moral aspects of pornography to address online porn in a media historical framework, investigating its modalities, its affect, and its visceral and disturbing qualities. Countering theorizations of pornography as emotionless, affectless, detached, and cold, Paasonen addresses experiences of porn largely through the notion of affect as gut reactions, intensities of experience, bodily sensations, resonances, and ambiguous feelings. She links these investigations to considerations of methodology (ways of theorizing and analyzing online porn and affect), questions of materiality (bodies, technologies, and inscriptions), and the evolution of online pornography.[cut last sentence for catalog if nec.] Paasonen dicusses the development of online porn, focusing on the figure of the porn consumer, and considers user-generated content and amateur porn. She maps out the modality of online porn as hyperbolic, excessive, stylized, and repetitive, arguing that literal readings of the genre misunderstand its dynamics and appeal. And she analyzes viral videos and extreme and shock pornogaphy, arguing for the centrality of disgust and shame in the affective dynamics of porn. Paasonen’s analysis makes clear the crucial role of media technologies—digital production tools and networked communications in particular—in the forms that porn takes, the resonances it stirs, and the experiences it makes possible.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Arabesque

 
In the 1960s Claudia Roden introduced Americans to a new world of tastes in her classic A Book of Middle Eastern Food. Now, in her enchanting new book, Arabesque, she revisits the three countries with the most exciting cuisines today—Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon. Interweaving history, stories, and her own observations, she gives us 150 of the most delectable recipes: some of them new discoveries, some reworkings of classic dishes—all of them made even more accessible and delicious for today’s home cook.

From Morocco, the most exquisite and refined cuisine of North Africa: couscous dishes; multilayered pies; delicately flavored tagines; ways of marrying meat, poultry, or fish with fruit to create extraordinary combinations of spicy, savory, and sweet.

From Turkey, a highly sophisticated cuisine that dates back to the Ottoman Empire yet reflects many new influences today: a delicious array of kebabs, fillo pies, eggplant dishes in many guises, bulgur and chickpea salads, stuffed grape leaves and peppers, and sweet puddings.

From Lebanon, a cuisine of great diversity: a wide variety of mezze (those tempting appetizers that can make a meal all on their own); dishes featuring sun-drenched Middle Eastern vegetables and dried legumes; and national specialties such as kibbeh, meatballs with pine nuts, and lamb shanks with yogurt.

Claudia Roden knows this part of the world so intimately that we delight in being in such good hands as she translates the subtle play of flavors and simple cooking techniques to our own home kitchens.
 
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Spectacular Cakes

 
Mich Turner, whose critically acclaimed catering business designed wedding cakes for Madonna, Pierce Brosnan, Paul McCartney, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, has created a step-by-step guide to creating spectacular special occasion cakes that delight the senses and are exceptionally impressive.
There is no better guide to the art of cake decoration than Mich Turner, who outlines her basic philosophy that a special occasion cake should reflect four key variables-the personalities in attendance, the venue, the time of year, and the number of guests. This authoritative primer demonstrates how to design and decorate the perfect cake and guides the reader through the many layers of decision-making necessary to achieve crowd-stopping results. The one common denominator of every one of Mich Turner’s designs is that it is guaranteed to add that "wow" factor to any celebration.
Spectacular Cakes is a versatile sourcebook of cake decoration styles and techniques from the traditional to the cutting edge. It also includes cake recipes and a portfolio of incredible designs that can be copied step-by-step or adapted to suit any formal or informal event. Spectacular Cakes will make your next celebration an unforgettable event.
 
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Your Medical Mind

Date: 2011
Shelfmark: 610:G876y:c.1
 
The essential tools for making our own best medical decisions, cutting through the confusion caused by the health-care system, the media, and gaps in our own reasoning.
Making the right medical choices is harder than ever. Whether we’re deciding to take a cholesterol drug or choosing a cancer treatment, we are overwhelmed by information from all sides: our doctors’ recommendations, dissenting expert opinions, confusing statistics, conflicting media reports, the advice of friends, claims on the Internet, and a never-ending stream of drug company ads. Your Medical Mind shows us how to chart a clear path through this sea of confusion.
Drs. Groopman and Hartzband reveal that each of us has a set of deeply rooted beliefs whose profound influence we may not realize when we make medical decisions. How much trust we place in authority figures, in statistics, or in other patients’ stories, in science and technology or in natural healing, and whether we seek the most or the least treatment-all are key factors that shape our choices. Recognizing our preferences and the external factors that might lead our thinking astray can make a dramatic, even lifesaving, difference in our medical decision making. When conflicting information pulls us back and forth between options, when we feel pressured by doctors or loved ones to make a particular choice, or when we have no previous experience to guide us through a crisis, Your Medical Mind will prove an essential companion.
The authors interviewed scores of patients who have struggled with situations such as these. They also drew on research and insights from doctors, psychologists, economists, and other experts to help reveal the array of forces that can aid or impede our thinking. They show us the subtle strategies drug advertisers use to influence our choices: they unveil the extreme-sometimes dangerously misleading-power of both narratives and statistics. And they help us understand how to improve upon a universal human shortcoming- assessing the future impact of the decisions we make now.
Jerome Groopman, a New Yorker writer and bestselling author, is an oncologist who guides his patients through life-or-death decisions. Pamela Hartzband is a noted endocrinologist and educator at Harvard Medical School who helps patients make critical decisions about their long-term health. As patients, the authors have very different preferences, yet they are united when conveying the book’s groundbreaking message: we can cut through the confusion and arrive at decisions that serve us best.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The DASH Diet Action Plan

 
The complete guide to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol-without medication-through a proven diet, exercise, and weight loss program

finally, the #1 ranked DASH diet is popularized and user-friendly. Unlike any diet before it, DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, came out of groundbreaking NIH-funded research. Now, Marla Heller, MS, RD, who was trained by one of the primary architects of the DASH diet and is herself the leading dietician putting DASH into action for over ten years, shares the secret to making the diet easy and accessible, in THE DASH DIET ACTION PLAN.

Rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy, lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts, DASH is grounded in healthy eating principles that lower blood pressure; reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer; and support reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. No diet has a medical pedigree like DASH, and this book is a simple, actionable plan that can fit seamlessly into everyone’s life and lifestyle. It includes:
·         28 days of meal plans at different calorie ranges
·         Simple tools to help you personalize a DASH Diet Action Plan for guaranteed success
·         DASH-friendly recipes and shopping lists
·         Tips for eating on-the-run
·         Advice on healthy weight loss and exercise for every lifestyle.
Now, you can revolutionize your health and change your life-without medication. There are no magical combinations, no forbidden foods-just fabulous, healthy eating!
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Shingled Houses in the Summer Sun

 
Beautiful shingle-style, Gothic revival and Cape Cod-style homes in gorgeous New England settings by award-winning architect-builders Polhemus Savery DaSilva. Separate sections focus on specific rooms and features, with detailed photos and descriptions.

 

 

Back to Top ↑

200 Houses

 
A diverse collection of 200 houses from around the world.
 
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The Art of Asking your Boss for a Raise

 
Never-before-published fiction by the master novelist, this darkly funny, subversive story is also a profound examination of the psychology of the worker and the workplace.
A long-suffering employee in a big corporation has summoned up the courage to ask for a raise. But as he runs through the coming encounter in his mind, his neuroses come to the surface: What’s the best day to see the boss? What if he doesn’t offer you a seat when you go into his office? Would it be a smart move to ask about his daughter’s illness?

Never previously published, Georges Perec’s The Art of Asking Your Boss for a Raise is a hilarious account of an employee losing his identity—and possibly his sanity—as he tries to put on the most acceptable face for the corporate world, with its rigid hierarchies and hostility to ideas and innovation. If he follows a certain course of action, so this logic goes, he will succeed—but, in accepting these conditions, are his attempts to challenge his world of work doomed from the outset?

Neurotic and pessimistic, yet endearing, comic and never less than entertaining, Perec’s Woody Allen-esque underling presents an acute and penetrating vision of the world of office work, as pertinent today as it was when it was written in 1968.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Your Brain and Business

Harvard psychiatrist and executive coach Srinivasan S. Pillay illuminates the rapidly-emerging links between modern brain science and the corner office. What does neuroscience have to do with leadership? Recent advances in brain science and neuroimaging can dramatically improve the way leaders work with colleagues to drive successful change. As the brain is increasingly examined in the context of personal and organizational development, remarkable insights are being uncovered: insights that are leading to powerful new strategies for improving business execution. Pillay reveals six powerful ways that brain science can be used by today’s executives, and presents powerful new interventions for coaches who want to help their clients overcome common leadership problems. Discover how to use positive, “strengths-based” approaches to encourage the brain to learn… how the fascinating neuroscience of social intelligence can help leaders encourage more effective relationships… how to promote innovation and intuition, and overcome intangible vulnerabilities in leaders’ brains… how to transform the “idea” of change into crisp, timely execution… and much more. Leaders and coaches worldwide are already applying this knowledge to dramatically improve personal performance. Now, with Pillay’s help, everyone can.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The Elements of Power

What do a person’s knowledge, expressiveness, history, character, and attraction have in common? Or his or her role, resources, information, network and reputation? Each is a key to either personal or organizational power, and together they open the complex combination lock on the door of true leadership and irresistible influence. The Elements of Power combines the latest research on the nature of power all over the world with a handy self-assessment and invaluable insight into: How power works in organizations How people use and lose power The relationship between power and leadership What makes famous people powerful or what diminishes their power Sources of power and how to build each one Leading and influencing others more effectively Complete with "Portraits in Power" examining key business figures and world leaders alike, the full effect is an accessible and unprecedented pipeline to the many sources and types of internal and external power, including the most valuable of all: the power of will.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The New Rules of Retail

 
The retail world is undergoing a fundamental transformation.  Rapidly evolving technology, globalization, and a saturated marketplace offer consumers instant access to thousands of equally compelling products and services, creating unprecedented levels of expectation.  The impact of these changes is so profound that 50 percent of today’s retailers and consumer companies will not survive it.  Traditional business models will become extinct, and the relationship between vendors and consumers will shift dramatically.
 
Here, industry experts Robin Lewis and Michael Dart identify the forces behind these changes and look at the retail heroes of today and tomorrow to see how their business models are responding to the modern marketplace.  They profile industry giants such as VF Corporation (owner of Wrangler and The North Face), Starbucks, and Ralph Lauren, as well as cutting-edge favorites like Apple, Gilt Groupe, and Amazon, to uncover why some retailers are so successful at reaching today’s increasingly elusive and demanding customer while others miss the mark by a mile.  What they find are three crucial factors that determine whether businesses win or lose:
 
*Neurological Connectivity — creating an addictive, irresistible shopping experience, from preshopping anticipation to consumption satisfaction
 
*Preemptive Distribution — using all possible distribution platforms to access consumers ahead of the competition
 
*Value Chain Control — vertically integrating control of a company’s entire value chain, from creation through point of sale, for maximum delivery on the brand promise
 
This essential formula, Lewis and Dart argue, is responsible for virtually every retail success story of the past few decades.  So while the landscape may never look the same, The New Rules of Retail gives business leaders the tools they need to not only survive, but thrive.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Intellectual Capital

There is arguably no award more recognized in the academic and professional worlds than the Nobel Prize. The public pays attention to the prizes in the fields of economics, literature, and peace because their recipients are identified with particular ideas, concepts, or actions that often resonate with or sometimes surprise a global audience. The Nobel Prize in Economic Science established by the Bank of Sweden in 1969 has been granted to 64 individuals. Thomas Karier explores the core ideas of the economic theorists whose work led to their being awarded the Nobel in its first 40 years. He also discusses the assumptions and values that underlie their economic theories, revealing different and controversial features of the content and methods of the discipline. The Novelists include Keynesians, monetarists, financial economists, behaviorists, historians, statisticians, mathematicians, game theorists, and other innovators. Rich in biographical details, illuminating the modern history of the discipline as a whole, Intellectual Capital allows an audience of lay and professional readers to readily understand the notions that define modern economic science and practice. It pointedly asks, and answers, whether the prizes have been awarded to those economists "who have during the previous year rendered the greatest service to mankind.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art

The first publication to explore Calder’s significance for artists who emerged in the mid-1990s and the early twenty-first century.
Alexander Calder, a legendary and beloved figure in American art, has not generally been considered a major influence on contemporary artists. Yet as the twenty-first century unfolds, many artists are taking cues from Calder’s hands-on investigations of form, balance, color, and movement as well as from his foresight in what we now refer to as the creative reuse of materials. These artists are returning to explorations of structure and balance, creating expressive artworks that celebrate the visual over the intellectual experience.

Drawn from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago’s in-depth holdings of Calder’s work and augmented by the artist’s classic mobiles, standing mobiles, and stabiles from private and public collections, this pioneering consideration of Calder’s influence includes works by some of today’s most interesting and engaging sculptors: Martin Boyce, Nathan Carter, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Aaron Curry, Kristi Lippire, Jason Meadows, and Jason Middlebrook.

The book features new scholarship on Calder’s creative reuse of materials by noted expert Brooke Kamin Rapaport. Scholar George Baker evaluates how the modern era in general and Calder in particular have influenced young sculptors. Exhibition organizer Lynne Warren contributes an overview of current sculptural practices in relation to Calder’s work. There are also contributions by Bryan Granger, Dominic Molon, Diana Nawi, and Julie Rodrigues Wildholm.
 
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The M-Factor

 The definitive guide to turning the millennia’s’ great expectations into even greater results
The Millennial generation (those born between 1982 and 2000) has rapidly entered the workforce in greater numbers, but its introduction to the workplace has been anything but seamless. In fact, many companies already report attention-grabbing stories about:
·         the mother who called HR to complain when her Millennial daughter got a mediocre performance review;
·         the new hire who dialed the CEO directly to tell him what the company could be doing better;
·         the young employee who revealed a confidential new product on her Facebook page before it was made public.
Clashes like these are happening in workplaces around the world, and they leave leaders and coworkers scratching their heads and wondering, "What do these millennial want? Why are they so different? How do we get the good ones in the door? How do we keep them there without alienating the other generations?" Going forward, a company’s success will depend upon knowing the answers to these questions, because they are the keys to motivating this new generation and to taking advantage of the amazing potential it possesses.
In The M-Factor, Baby Boomer Lynne Lancaster and Generation Xer David Stillman draw on cutting-edge case studies, findings from large-scale surveys, and hundreds of interviews to identify the seven trends essential for understanding and managing the millennial: the role of the parents, entitlement, the search for meaning, great expectations, the need for speed, social networking, and collaboration. Observant, humorous, and savvy, this book—the ultimate guide to Millennial in the workplace—offers valuable insights and practical, take-action tips and solutions that Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen Xers, and even Millennial can use to bridge generational gaps, be more productive, and achieve organizational success like never before.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Al Diwan Al Amiri

The Diwan Al Amiri in Doha, Qatar, is the governmental headquarters of the state of Qatar. Opened in 1989, this impressive complex is the symbolic, ceremonial, and administrative center of the State. The first book to documentthis impressive building, it is packed full of specially commissioned photographs by a leading architectural photographer. The book shows the entire building from its dramatic exterior, through the monumental interior spaces, down to the details of craftsmanship applied to every decorative element of the interior and its furnishings. Beautifully designed and produced and accompanied by an authoritative text, this book will fascinate those interested in the history of Qatar and its culture.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism

The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism tells the gripping story of perhaps the most significant political force of our time through the lives and careers of six leading figures at the heart of the movement. David Farber traces the history of modern conservatism from its revolt against New Deal liberalism, to its breathtaking resurgence under Ronald Reagan, to its spectacular defeat with the election of Barack Obama.
Farber paints vivid portraits of Robert Taft, William F. Buckley Jr., Barry Goldwater, Phyllis Schlafly, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush. He shows how these outspoken, charismatic, and frequently controversial conservative leaders were united by a shared insistence on the primacy of social order, national security, and economic liberty. Farber demonstrates how they built a versatile movement capable of gaining and holding power, from Taft’s opposition to the New Deal to Buckley’s founding of the National Review as the intellectual standard-bearer of modern conservatism; from Goldwater’s crusade against leftist politics and his failed 1964 bid for the presidency to Schlafly’s rejection of feminism in favor of traditional gender roles and family values; and from Reagan’s city upon a hill to conservatism’s downfall with Bush’s ambitious presidency.
The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism provides rare insight into how conservatives captured the American political imagination by claiming moral superiority, downplaying economic inequality, relishing bellicosity, and embracing nationalism. This concise and accessible history reveals how these conservative leaders discovered a winning formula that enabled them to forge a powerful and formidable political majority.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Babylon of Egypt

This book presents a history of Old Cairo based on new archaeological evidence gathered between 2000 and 2006 during a major project to lower the groundwater level affecting the churches and monuments of this area of Cairo known by the Romans as Babylon. Examination of the material and structural remains revealed a sequence of continuous occupation extending from the sixth century BC to the present day. These include the massive stone walls of the canal linking the Nile to the Red Sea, and the harbor constructed by Trajan at its entrance around 110 AD. The Emperor Diocletian built the fortress of Babylon around the harbor and the canal in 300 AD, and much new information has come to light concerning the construction and internal layout of the fortress, which continues to enclose and define the enclave of Old Cairo. Important evidence for the early medieval transformation of the area into the nucleus of the Arab city of al-Fustat and its later medieval development is also presented.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Supernormal Stimuli

A Harvard psychologist explains how our once-helpful instincts get hijacked in our garish modern world.

Our instincts—for food, sex, or territorial protection— evolved for life on the savannahs 10,000 years ago, not in today’s world of densely populated cities, technological innovations, and pollution. We now have access to a glut of larger-than-life objects, from candy to pornography to atomic weapons—that gratify these gut instincts with often-dangerous results. Animal biologists coined the term “supernormal stimuli” to describe imitations that appeal to primitive instincts and exert a stronger pull than real things, such as soccer balls that geese prefer over eggs. Evolutionary psychologist Deirdre Barrett applies this concept to the alarming disconnect between human instinct and our created environment, demonstrating how supernormal stimuli are a major cause of today’s most pressing problems, including obesity and war. However, Barrett does more than show how unfettered instincts fuel dangerous excesses. She also reminds us that by exercising self-control we can rein them in, potentially saving ourselves and civilization.

 

 

 

 

Back to Top ↑

Sewing with Fabulous Vintage Fabrics

  • Date: 2004
  • Shelfmark: 646.2:F8313s:c.1
Luxurious linens, lovely old lace, charming chenille and cross-stitch, and timeless textiles: collectors who love beautiful antique fabrics and seamstresses who have classic clothing they’d like to repurpose will find inspiration in these 30 superb designs. There’s something for everyone, including an exquisite christening gown adorned with lace, a denim jacket with a vintage fur collar, and a jaunty set of 1950’s patterned café curtains. A blouse made from an elegant sheer curtain panel even has three variations; one is elegant and sophisticated, another features a cute strawberry print, and a third style showcases latticework from an old nightdress. Layout sketches for every article show clearly how each vintage textile, whether a doily or mid-century tablecloth, has undergone its transformation.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Leading across Boundaries

Praise for Leading Across Boundaries
"Leading Across Boundaries is a terrific resource for nonprofit leaders. It is filled with great stories of collaboration, and also with the how-to’s to make them work!"
–Arlene Kaukus, former president, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, and a nonprofit consultant
"Linden illustrates the importance of collaboration, but drives further into issues of networks to teach us valuable lessons about core interests, trust, leadership, and success. This book is a very valuable and timely resource for practitioners who seek to produce more value from effective collaboration."
–Stephen Goldsmith, Daniel Paul Professor of Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and author, The Power of Social Innovation
"Linden provides a fresh, practitioner-oriented perspective on the topic of collaboration–especially for those in the public and nonprofit sectors wanting to benefit from Web 2.0 and social-networking technologies. It’s a gem of a book and a terrific road map for leading change."
–Warren Master, president and editor-in-chief, The Public Manager
"Linden uses fabulous examples to illustrate the essential ideas for collaboration and for effective leadership. His discussions of political acumen and the interpersonal side of collaboration are especially enlightening. I’ve been a manager for a long time, and wish I’d read this book earlier in my career!"
–Ellen Switkes, assistant vice president emeritus, academic advancement, office of the president, University of California
"Trust, transparency, and relationships are keys to successful collaboration. Linden takes these concepts and more and constructs a masterful lesson plan for us to follow."
–Tim Longo, police chief, Charlottesville, Virginia
"…an invaluable contribution to anyone charged with shaping organizations, big and small."–Don Kettl, author, The Next Government of the United States.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western

Descriptions:Though 1960s European cinema frequently reflected the shifting ideological tides which now characterize the era in the popular imagination, the complex and extensive relationship of the Italian — or "Spaghetti" — Western to these political ferments has gone almost entirely unnoticed. Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western fills this gap as the first in-depth analysis of militant political trends in the Italian Western. Providing a detailed, historically-grounded examination of the films of Damiano Damiani, Sergio Sollima and Sergio Corbucci, Austin Fisher reveals how and why these filmmakers responded to international and national events by inscribing Italian Far Left revolutionary doctrine, and a legitimacy of violence, into the genre. Offering fresh perspectives across the Western genre while recasting the Spaghetti’s influential position in exploitation cinema, Fisher brings the genre more firmly into the tradition of European political filmmaking.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Glued to Games

With video game sales in the billions and strong opinions about their potential and their peril growing louder, Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound brings something new to the discussion. It is the first truly balanced review of the psychology of video game motivation and engagement, based on years of research with thousands of gamers. The book addresses both the positive and negative aspects of game play by drawing on significant recent studies and established motivational theory to explore the fundamental drivers of engagement, how games satisfy basic psychological needs, and how an understanding of these factors can be applied to controversial topics such as video game violence and game addiction.

Filled with examples from popular games and the real experiences of gamers themselves, Glued to Games gets to the heart of gaming’s powerful psychological and emotional allure—the benefits as well as the dangers. It gives everyone from researchers to parents to gamers themselves a clearer understanding of the psychology of gaming, while offering prescriptions for healthier, more enjoyable games and gaming experiences.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Business in the Cloud

Covering cloud computing from what the business leader needs to know, this book describes how IT can nimbly ramp up revenue initiatives, positively impact business operations and costs, and how this allows business leaders to shed worry about technology so they can focus on their business. It also reveals the cloud’s effect on corporate organization structures, the evolution of traditional IT in the global economy, potential benefits and risks of cloud models and most importantly, how the IT function is being rethought by companies today who are making room for the coming tidal wave that is cloud computing.
·         Why IT and business thinking must change to capture the full potential of cloud computing
·         Topics including emerging cloud solutions, data security, service reliability, the new role of IT and new business organization structures
·         Other titles by Hugos include: Business Agility: Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World and Essentials of Supply Chain Management, 2nd Edition
Practical and timely, this book reveals why it’s worth every company’s time and effort to exploit cloud computing’s potential for their business’s survival and success.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Why we get Fat

Building upon his critical work in Good Calories, Bad Calories and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Gary Taubes revisits the urgent question of what’s making us fat—and how we can change.
He reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century—none more damaging or misguided than the “calories-in, calories-out” model of why we get fat—and the good science that has been ignored. He also answers the most persistent questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat, and what foods should we avoid? Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, Why We Get Fat is an essential guide to nutrition and weight management.
 
 
Back to Top ↑

Official Lebanese American University website. Copyright 1997–2012 LAU, Lebanon.
Tel: Beirut: +961 1 786456. Byblos: +961 9 547254. New York Office: (212) 870-2592 | Feedback