Street

Robert Orsi's Madonna of 115th Street is a brilliant multi-dimensional research on the meaning of "popular religion" in the Italian community of Harlem in New York. However, to be just, Orsi himself is rather cautious about labeling his study by the term "popular". It is "religion in the streets," Orsi says, that is in the center of his examination: "This study began in a sense of the limitations of the meaning of popular religion and a desire to broaden and deepen our understanding of this phenomenon" (Orsi, 1985:xiv). Robert Orsi raises pertinent and engaging questions regarding the melding of ethnicity, religion, and community values which have implications beyond the scope of the present work.
The study of Italian American religion begins with the people themselves as a story of suffering, conflict, and hope intimately related to Mary. The men and women of Italian Harlem, the Sicilian refugees brought to the United States along with their modest material goods their incredibly rich religiosity and devotion to the Marian cult. The latter, unlike in the case of Polish Catholics (Orsi, 1985:xvi), was hardly controlled by the Church structures. This unique feature of the Southern Italian Catholicism defined people's religion as the totality of their ultimate values, their most deeply held ethical convictions, their efforts to order their reality, their cosmology: "This also could be called their "ground of being", but only if this is understood in a very concrete, social-historical way, not as reality beyond their lives, but as the reason that, consciously and unconsciously, structured and was expressed in their actions and reflections" (Orsi, 1985:xvii). Orsi's analysis resembles Durkheim's research on The Elementary Forms of Religious Life who believes that religion is "a fundamental and permanent aspect of humanity". The reality of religious forces is to be found in the real experience of social life, according to Durkheim (Durkheim, 1995:36). Interestingly enough, in the same way as Durkheim finds the birth of that idea in rites, as moments of collective effervescence, Orsi finds the annual festa of the Madonna of Mount Carmel in the 115th Street in the heart of the socio-religious dynamics of the Italian Harlem.
Symbol, ritual, and myth - the entire experience of Mount Carmel emerged from and referred back to the people's lives; the men and women of Italian Harlem shared and found themselves in the destiny of symbolic meanings when they attended the festa of the Madonna of 115th Street. In turn, their experience of the Madonna shaped their American destiny.

Great book! Covers not only the Catholicism of Italian Americans, but also a great deal about their home and family lives. Neither PC nor arrogant, this book depicts the Italian American world better than anything I have read! I kept nodding in agreement and underlining passages while reading. Forget the movie stereotypes and sentimental recollections; this is the real thing. It helped me understand my own culture a great deal.

The only letdown was the part about a "Theology of the Streets." That section struck me as a tad unrealistic.

In this lucid and eloquently written book, Orsi places the Madonna of 115th Street into the full context of the Italian Harlem community. I found the most interesting part of this extrememly insightful book to be Orsi's examination of the Italian-American domus, and how the complexities of the domus are played out in the festival itself. The book is a brilliant examination of the role of women in Italian Harlem; Orsi shows how the Madonna embodies both the power and restrictions of Italian-American women in this time. Orsi also effectively demonstrates how the Italian immigrants, with their annual festival, carved out an identity "niche" for themselves, apart from but no less legitimate than other immigrant groups and other, more church-oriented forms of Catholicism. For the Italian immigrants, the festival provided both an essential link to Italy and a way to define their particular community. This book is easily accessible to scholars, students, and the general public, and includes many interviews so the reader gets a vivid sense of the period and the people of Italian Harlem. Highly recommended.

I agree that the story is sad and the author got the short end. That said, this isn't the Greek Tragedy that some seem to imply, nor is it a realistic account of David versus Goliath in the strictest sense.

First, Mr. Schooley brought much of the mess on himself. Not for raising the issues and bringing them to the attention of Merrill Lynch's management, but for hiding behind a facade of ethics and integrity while refusing to meet the company's internal investigators half way. Would that have compromised his ethics or integrity? I don't believe so.

Merrill Lynch's first responses seemed to include a sincere effort to resolve the complaints to the satisfaction of all. While Mr. Schooley refused to budge from his demands which he claims were based on integrity, he also had strange ideas about integrity. While he was rolling dice with his family's future by rocking the boat, he neglected to let his wife in on what he was doing. That is deceit, not integrity and is only different from adultery is degree.

Second, this book is supposed to be evidence placed in the court of public opinion. Yes, the public will side with Mr. Schooley because we always root for the underdog and he was treated unfairly. If he thinks that this book will make a difference in Merrill Lynch's bottom line I contend that he's naive. The public will do what the public does. They'll feel sorry for him, but will not hesitate for a second to follow Merrill Lynch's investment advice if it'll make them money. That's the way life works.

Third, I take issue with the claims made by Mr. Schooley and the attorney who wrote the forward that arbitration is a bad thing. From personal experience I think arbitration is useful, especially in our society where we litigate at the drop of the hat. Of course an attorney is going to oppose arbitration because in most suits the only winners are the attorneys.

I do recommend this book because does have lessons to be learned. What those lessons mean is up to you. The story reads well in spite of bogging down in places in the beginning. It has the usual metaphors reported by others: Greek tragedy, Biblical David versus Goliath, and the more philosophical Good vs. Evil. It even has a bit of Karmic irony. After Mr. Schooley's life started falling apart which included a divorce his ex-wife went to work for Merrill Lynch. What it doesn't have is anything that will cause the same outrage as the Enron debacle. You'll have to look elsewhere for that kind of story.

What happens if a stand-up kind of guy decides to follow the written code of ethics in his brokerage firm? Welll, the result is as if you sent a cub scout to join a den of vipers.

Keith Schooley, tired of the rollercoaster world of oil investing in Oklahoma, turned his hardworking skills to brokering for Merrill Lynch. He did well on all his exams, he was one of the top 10 rookie producers for his area. He read all the required codes of behavior and ethics as set down by the brokerage industry, and monitored by the SEC and the NSAD, the internal brokerage self-regulating body.

Schooley soon found out that his office co-workers and supervisors were playing a bit fast and loose with their own guidelines in order to pass exams and win contests. When Schooley notified Merrill Lynch of violations of the ethics code as set down in their own documentation, his findings were hardly received with cries of joy. Rather, a cover-up on the scale of the Watergate break-in resulted.

While the violations that Schooley uncovered were not of the type that got Michael Milliken and Ivan Boesky in trouble, they were disturbing. Financial institutions hold themselves to a strict code (theoretically) of behavior because they deal with other people's money. This is why the words "fidelity" and "fiduciary" and "trust" are adjectives in so many financial institution names. Their self-regulating bodies and the SEC are supposed to watch over their activities and punish unacceptable behavior. But "quis custodiet custodes ipsos?" or "who's watching the watchers?" The effectiveness of the self-regulating NSAD was a bit like asking the mastiff to guard the roast.

Schooley became obsessed with getting justice and setting things to rights. He ended up escalating the incidents to the point where his entire life was consumed.

What's interesting about this book is NOT the nature of the scandal; frankly this is small beans compared to some of the violations we've seen in the courts. What is interesting is the peek into the inner world of a regional brokerage office. The culture encourages contests "pour le sport" that is, just for the joy of winning; the prizes were nothing these guys couldn't have put on their platinum cards. The contests were a way to one-up the next guy and for the bigger bosses to enrich their bonuses. As far as taking care of the customer, including doing all in the customer's best interest and fully informing a client about the financial products they were investing in, that was not even a consideration. As one supervisor put it "Just sell."

Why read this book? The arbitration proceedings, which form a greater part of the book, are interesting to see how these guys operate. The view into a brokerage office will make you think again about the trust and faith you may be putting in your own broker. More Latin: Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware.)

Memoirs are necessarily selective and subjective. They simply cannot cover everything as they share the thoughts and feelings as well as the perspectives and opinions of their author. to the extent that author wishes to share them (selectively). My own experience suggests that, in the "alley" of contemporary business, most of the "cats" are gray. It is therefore important to keep in mind that this is Schooley's account of what he believes happened...and did not happen...during his association with Merrill Lynch and thereafter. To his credit, he draws upon as many primary and secondary sources as possible to establish what he calls the "record," one which "can speak for itself."

What does it say? First, that an earnest, eager, and ambitious young man went to work for Merrill Lynch with the proverbial "high hopes" and "great expectations"; by the time he concluded his relationship, he had lost all respect for Merrill Lynch's organizational integrity. In this book, he explains why. Also, various circumstances and developments forced him to conduct rigorous soul-searching. Was he naive? Were his requests unreasonable? Should he have conducted himself differently? Was it all worth it to challenge such a large and powerful organization? Schooley responds to these and other questions in his book. Finally, the book says (to me at least) that it is difficult but not impossible for an individual to initiate and then sustain such a challenge. Perilous? Of course. Doomed to failure? Not necessarily.

Dante reserved the last (and worst) ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. According to Schooley, there were many senior-level executives within the Merrill Lynch organization who did so as did officials at various regulatory agencies. I admire Schooley's efforts to act upon his principles when he composed a memorandum for Merrill Lynch's senior managers, informing them of various improprieties and possible illegalities as well as efforts to conceal them. I admire his efforts even more after he was dismissed and then threatened with litigation unless he remained silent (i.e. preserving his neutrality). His personal as well as professional sacrifices were numerous and substantial. Nonetheless, he persevered.

As Schooley's reader, I have no reason to question his sincerity or integrity and am unqualified to comment on the merits of his allegations. Nor do I presume to suggest that his book will achieve all of the objectives he had in mind when he wrote it. (Organizations as large and complicated as Merrill Lynch remind me of the fact that "jumbo" oil tankers must travel approximately 30 miles to reverse their direction.) I rate this book so highly because I think it raises a number of questions which must be addressed by senior-level corporate executives, especially now as other allegations are made by other Schooleys in their respective organizations. Schooley obviously believes that our society needs more "white cats" and fewer "black "cats," not only in the private sector but in publicly-funded regulatory agencies which have fiduciary responsibility to all citizens. Within the limitations of the memoir genre, I think this is a brilliant achievement.

R.L. Stine, one of the greatest horror writers in history, is
out with another great thriller The Overnight part of the Fear
Street collection. The book is about five kids Della, Suki, Maia,
Gary and Ricky when they have plans to go to their outdoor club
and campout for the weekend but their fun turns to a secret they might have to keep for the rest of there lives.
When Della accedently kills a man the five kids must put it all on the line to make sure that their secret isn't revieled but can they keep the secret for the rest of their lives or will one of them spill the beans. Even though they go home they still remember the accedent. Also something strange starts happening and they need to fix it. They think someone has found out their secret and might tell, now they must find out a way to keep it a secret or they will have to face the consequences. R.L. Stine
has done it again this is definatly a book to read. Read R.L. Stine's (Fear Street) The Overnight.

This is one of the best FEAR STREET books ever!!Great plot+Great charters+Great action+Great suspence+Great Mystrey-Not enough Pages!=This book!Definaly a book in my top 10!!!

This book was very good. It showed me a good example of NOT going camping alone. I wanted to read on and on and never stop ~Ann

This is an EXCELLENT book for any Pastor or Church leader to read. It is amazingly helpful for anyone seeking to rid their ministries of unneeded fluff. Too often have we let American (Western) culture shape the minds of God's people and His Church. But Kennison and Street do a remarkable job of sifting through the enticing attractions of a marketing orientation to reveal its destructive nature when applied to Christ's Church. I highly recommend this book to anyone tired of our Chrurch's inability to shake itself free of the bonds of cultural influence.

This book is a reminder of the Church's important role of being a sign, a fortaste, and a herald of Christ's Kingdom, and explains how our willingness to accept cultural trends keeps us from realizing this God-given task.

Quite simply, this is an absolutely amazing book.

Kenneson and Street boldly declare that the Church's major problem today is that we simply stop looking at the Church as just another business or non-profit organization, and rather look at it rather as a (kingdom) community that God's calling to be a sign, a fortaste, and herald of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because the Church is not just another organization is why baptizing business philosophy and marketing strategy into this community fails. For the underlying principles of business marketing strategies are different than that of the foundations of the kingdom of God.

Marketing stratigies foundationally are ultimately geared around the self-interest of the business as well as the consumer. The business says to the consumer, "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." The consumer then looks at the business as just another commodity.

Such a mentality is contrary to two key principles of Christianity: servant-hood and giving. If the church attempts to reach out to others only so that it may profit (e.g. growth), then the church fails to truly give and fails to truly serve. Because ultimately, when it serves and when it gives, strings are attached. The same can be said concerning the consumers mentality, which is one of "church shopping."

Also, another problem of church marketing is that those who advocate marketing are fixated on numerical growth. For ultimately to them, it is the only way to plot the success of the mission of the church. Kenneson and Street powerfully asks, what if the mission of the church is not to grow simply in numbers, but rather, what if the goal of the church was simply to manifest the fruits of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5? Church marketers would shutter at such a thought, for their is no way to translate such things into numerical data. While the authors do not out right say it, but I believe it is hinted at between the lines: ultimately we cannot measure church growth through "scientific" methods, instead, church growth must be measured prophetically.

This book was very difficult to find, as it is out-of-print (at the time of this review), however, it is without a doubt a must read for all church leadership.

My only problem with this book is that while it offers a great deal of criticism concerning marketing, it does very little to suggest what must be done in light of this criticism. Even the authors admit this in their closing remarks, however, they do encourage us to seek from God the vision to shape our community.

CG is marketing. These authors show that is unbiblical but yet so attractive in a consumer-oriented (marketing) culture.

They do a fine job in sorting this out. I use several quotes from them in my book of a similar vein, Testing the Claims of Church Growth.

One of the exceptional elements of this work is their focus on the destruction of the transcendancy of God. Reading this book will inform if not transform many fliring with church marketing, i.e. CG.

Finally, a way to keep market madness in perspective. Pontification with poetry. This is a unique work that deserves a wide audience for the fresh approach it brings to our current obsessions.

This slender but iconoclasticly packed volume takes a clever and literary poke at the vagaries of the financial world. If you are an investor, you will find yourself herein, and the image may not be entirely to your liking! As compensation, you may also find your broker, perhaps in Elizabethan garb. This book is the perfect companion with which to enter the new financial order of 2001, irrespective of how much you lost. With this book flogging the street, who needs Peter Lynch?

I gave a copy to my broker....and he hasn't shot me yet.

Cutting through the jargon and the hyperbole, Silverstein offers his jaundiced, cycnical, more-than-slightly-skewed and yet always, always, brilliantly funny take on *the Markets* with this collection!

And after reading it, if you're bitten with the bug --as I was -- you can always try your hand at satirical verse on the wallstreetpoet.com Web site..:)

It was very cool how the aqua apes came aroung in this book. One of R. L. Stine's best yet. Ending is shocking!

Scott Adams ordered some tiny swimming Aqua Apes from an ad on the back of a magazine. But one Aqua Ape is getting bigger and bigger. And it's teeth are getting sharper and sharper. Can Scott and his friend Glen stop him before he gets out of control?

I absolutely love R.L. Stine's books, and, although normally I lean toward Fear Street instead of Goosebumps, I think this book is great! I want to be a writer myself one day, and R.L. Stine is one of my "heros" of the writing world. Don't ever stop those great stories, R.L. Stine, and thank you!

I would read this book on the bus to work and everyone would stare at me because I was laughing out loud. It's perfect for any one who appreciates Australians bizarre sense of humor.

Save your positive comments fellow Australians; I set the book for a class of US students and the 2 who bothered to read it missed all of the subtleties. I gave this review a contentious title in the hope it would tempt them to buy the book. Besides, the book is rare in the US--like people who get irony.

this book is really clever. i never thought about brisane this way (the way that it is) and it amazed me that these events are likely and could happen to anyone! i've read the book many times and today i decided to stop reading for a little bit and do something else. i live in red hill, very close to zig zag street and didn't think it was very special. so i'll keep this short and say that i love rick's long, meaningless pursuits...

This is well written, and spoke to me as an early reader and rodder in my young teens. I recently re-read this after thinking about it for nearly thirty years and was amazed at how well Felsen captures the raw energy of self-possessed teens who want only one thing--wheels! Wheels mean freedom, and Felsen's descriptions of throbbing straight pipes and sagging springs, dreams of polished chrome and gracious lines, will ignite the fire in any old soul who wants to re-live the memories of their adoloscent quest for a place in the universe where rods are the key to independence and self-expression. I am now ready to pass this work along if anyone is interested, as I have lived again my youth and dreams through Felsen's words. Read and enjoy, and may someone soon make this come alive on film for everyone!

With a book like "Street Rod," the title of my review could take on more than one meaning. It could be referring to the practice of pushing one's accelerator pedal down as far as it will go, like Ricky did more than once in the story. On the other hand, it could also describe the way you will most likely feel after reaching the end of the book. I know I felt that way. Since I don't want to reveal the ending and spoil it for those lucky enough to get a hold of this book, let me just say that the final few pages will leave you scratching your head and asking "Why?"

All in all, this is a good read, in my opinion. There are some times when it drags a little bit, but the action sequences more than make up for these occurences. I found myself literally flying across the pages at times, as I followed the exploits of Ricky and his friends in the early '50s heartland of America. As you read this review, keep in mind that I'm a 24 year old college student. The lessons in this story still hold true today, over 50 years after this book was first published. I only wonder how this story would appear if it were written today. You'd have tricked-out imports dragging in the midnight hours instead of old jalopies. Wait a minute, I think I just described a recent movie or two there. *laughs*

In all seriousness though, I would gladly recommend this book to any young driver to read. I think it would do a lot to at least make them think before going out and getting too reckless on the highways. I know if I had read it back when I'd just gotten my license, I probably would have been more careful than I was in my early driving days. A good book, despite its age. Check it out if you can find a copy.

I had a chance to correspond wih Felsen several years ago. He said this book was out-of-print because his publisher said it was old fashioned.WRONG!

I used it in my English classes in the mid- seventies and I know of two schools that teach its lessons today.

The story is simply: 'boy gets car'[also another title of this book],boy gets girl, boy loses girl, etc. I noticed the similarities in 'Christine'by S. King.When I brought that up to Mr. Felsen, he told me Steven King once referenced 'Street Rod'as one of the few books that scared him! The scare is in the message. Heavy-handed for the fifties but mildly plain-spoken for todays TVTeens . I recommend it for all readers especially 'reluctant readers', but who am I. Read it yourself for yourself. I have.Dozens of times.

This book is truely original, and I do not think that there will be another like it. Arthur and Stella Crandall are two dogs that live a very simple life. One thing that is very familiar about their life is that every morning while Arthur is making breakfast, he burns the toast. One day, a magic fly flies in and promises to grant Arthur three wishes in turn that Arthur does not [swat] him. Arthur, not believing the fly, makes wishes that come into his head, and he doesn't really think about them. The wishes end up coming true, and you will never believe what happens to Arthur and Stella unless you read the book. My favorite character was Stella. I would recommend this imaginative story to anyone.

Arthur Crandall and his wife are dogs who live on Crandall Street. One morning, a fly interrupts Crandall's usual burning of the breakfast toast. Crandall doesn't believe the fly is magic, and when offered three wishes in exchange for the fly's life, he makes some pretty crazy choices. This book plays on the time-tested theme: Watch out, or you may get what you wish for. There is a little tension in the book, but mostly the book is humorous and not too scary. Altogether, it contains about 800 words.

Arthur and Stella Crandall are two dogs who have a quiet, happy life. "Almost perfect, but not quite." Two things keep their lives from being completely perfect: one is that Arthur continually burns the toast in the morning and two are the 5 mean alligators that hang about on the street corner and continually taunt him and Stella on their morning walk.

Well, life goes on as usual (the sun rises, the toast burns, and all is well) until one day a fly buzzes through the window. Arthur raises his flyswatter to smack the thing when the fly cries out "Wait!" Turns out, the fly is a magic fly and in return for Arthur not swatting him, the fly will grant three wishes. "'Oh come on,' says Arthur, 'that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." At the fly's insistence, Arthur comes up with three ridiculous wishes: a new toaster, for the crocodiles to turn into squirrels and for him and his wife to be magically transported to a beautiful island where the natives sing and dance all day long.

Arthur, of course, doesn't believe any of this until some time later when he comes into the kitchen to find a squirrel running about and his toaster missing. What's more odd are the five new, shiny toasters sitting on the street corner where the crocs used to be. How odd!! However, that's nothing compared to what happens when he and Stella wake up on a lush, tropical island with the odd natives offering them fresh fruit from a silver platter!! Good grief, his wishes DID come true!!

Mr. Egan has written and illustrated a very amusing tale for story savvy children. Arthur's sarcastic comments to the "magic fly" will delight children who have grown up with (and possibly grown tired of) the old spare-me-and-I'll-grant-you-three-wishes fables. The pictures are big, bold and beautiful, drawing the reader right into the story (a note tacked to the fridge with a magnet reads "bones, milk"). Turning the page and finding Arthur and Stella on a tropical island while still in their bed adds the perfect, hilarious and surreal touch to this wonderful story. Highly recommended!!

i dun reccomand this book to any rookie or begginner who wish to reach their knees to ther tarmac,the book simply dont show how,its quite a disappointed n limited book.It doesnt satisfated what the basic rider wants,how to corner the proper way.There's still many much to be said,like arms position,where u laid yr footpeg,the position of it and throttle control.Disappointing for me..yet again for experince rider,might understand more but dun reccomand buying.

As a novice rider I purchased this book with the hope of gaining some expert advice. It was the perfect choice. The writing and advice is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Topics such as traction, throttle control, and turning techniques all helped me in gaining confidence on the road. This book should be required reading for all sport bike owners.

Nick Ienatsch's SPORT RIDING TECHNIQUES is easily the most beautifully produced and clearly and consumately written book on motorcycle racing and street riding, whatever your level of competence. I would recommend it to anyone who has completed a basic motorcycle safety course, whether their goal is to more safely and thourghly enjoy their street riding or to sharpen their technique for racing or track days. This, unlike most instructional books, is a pleasure to read. Ienatsch rides--I've seen him--and writes with equal skill. I've read it twice now and keep going back to it to practice the the techniques he limns so beautifully.