Steady Hands Needed

In this monograph, five former secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) reflect on their experiences and the challenges of their times. A far cry from the pukka fantasies of 'Yes Minister', their recollections reveal the realpolitik of the policy front line where the secretary must stay ahead of emerging themes and issues in Australia's international relations while simultaneously exercising governance oversight and providing leadership to a large, professional, diverse and dispersed organisation. From the Cold War to the War on Terror; from the floating of the dollar to GATT and the WTO; managing relations big and small, within our region and without; through relentless administrative reforms, technological change and changes of government; steering DFAT requires 'steady hands'. This collection of public lectures presented in 2006 to the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) offers an invaluable resource for those with an interest in recent Australian history, foreign policy and public sector administration.

In this collection of free-verse poems, inspired by Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer celebrates workers and the doing of work. The poems are short and direct, with strong, fresh images, and readers can easily imagine themselves in the roles she portrays: welder, librarian, surgeon, retail clerk, camp counselor. The illustrations are as original as the text---amazing multilayered collages made of paper, found objects, ephemera, photographs, dried flowers, and archival images. Steady Hands is sure to inspire discussion, creative writing, art projects, and new answers to the old question: What do you want to do when you grow up?

Inspired by the principles developed in the "Service Profit Chain", Mike Hohnen takes you through each of the steps needed to create an outstanding service business. We live in a world of abundance, there is plenty of choice everywhere. The result is a widening gap between supply and demand in virtually any category you can imagine. When that happens, many companies have a knee-jerk reaction, and the recipe is more or less always the same: initiate rigorous cost-cutting programmes, reduce staff and/or services, offer discounts in many forms, and increase advertising aggressively. This, however, is the equivalent of trying to steer and brake as your car begins to skid on black ice while going through a sharp curve. As you hit that declining demand curve, you need to perform what at first seems like a counter intuitive move: hold your price, improve your quality, and narrow your focus in the market. In this book, you will not only understand why but also see how you can do that.

We know what pain, rejection, anger, bitterness, and loneliness look and feel like. We know how those emotions intensify when it is from our own family members, those that are supposed to love and take care of us but are not always successful at it. I wanted to feel what others had, to read it, and to experience it just a little. As others shared what their mom relationships were like, that pain was deeper than I realized before. I no longer wanted to live through your experiences; instead, I wanted to let you know I get it a little. Through some real honest moments came some really raw memories and painful truths, not just my own but yours as well. I found myself weeping and praying for all of you that shared your stories with me. I know I needed to go on a journey with God as my guide to find my "missing mom pieces" so I could heal and pass that on to you. So I pray you take this journey as you figure out what your missing mom pieces are so you may feel peace in the pain, strength in the sorrow, and healing in the days to come. Are you ready?

From the bestselling, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, a novel that is "funny and wise and sumptuously written" (Jonathan Franzen, The New York Times Book Review). Colson Whitehead’s triumphant novel is on one level a multifaceted retelling of the story of John Henry, the black steel-driver who died outracing a machine designed to replace him. On another level it’s the story of a disaffected, middle-aged black journalist on a mission to set a record for junketeering who attends the annual John Henry Days festival. It is also a high-velocity thrill ride through the tunnel where American legend gives way to American pop culture, replete with p. r. flacks, stamp collectors, blues men , and turn-of-the-century song pluggers. John Henry Days is an acrobatic, intellectually dazzling, and laugh-out-loud funny book that will be read and talked about for years to come. Look for Colson Whitehead’s new novel, Crook Manifesto, coming soon!

Samuel Elwyn Biggs has fled the life-sucking poverty into which he was born the hard hammering fist of his drunkard of a father, and his religion-besotted mother. And now he must learn to survive on his own. The gaming halls of Petersburg beckon him. He finds he has a talent with games of chance. From a consumptive and dying old man who cares little for the things he spent a lifetime accruing, Sam wins undeveloped property in the piedmont of North Carolina. He leaves Petersburg behind and enters a world of conflict. And there, he encounters a mysterious and beautiful young woman named Rose. Sam and Rose wish to marry, but Rose continually delays the wedding. There are secrets that Sam must be told secrets that can ruin lives. Only Rose can tell Sam of her past. Wrongs must be righted and there are people who must die for the evil they have become.