This Time This Place

With the nation at war in the 1940s, 22-year-old Jack Valenti flew combat in Italy. He was in that fateful Dallas motorcade in 1963, flew back to Washington with the new president, and for three years worked in the inner circle of the White House as special assistant to President Johnson. Then, for the next 38 years, with American society and popular culture undergoing a revolutionary transformation, Valenti was the public face of Hollywood in his capacity as head of the Motion Picture Association of America. From growing up poor in a neighborhood of Greek and Italian immigrants in Houston to rising to the highest summits both of national government and Hollywood, Valenti has led several lives. Here is a candid reflection of the life of a brilliantly successful man who helped to shape politics and entertainment in the second half of the twentieth century.

A look at the human sense of time, a biological rhythm that may follow a different beat from that dictated by external, "official," "objective" timepieces. Time and Place—Timeplace—is a continuum of the mind, as fundamental as the spacetime that may be the ultimate reality of the material world.Kevin Lynch's book deals with this human sense of time, a biological rhythm that may follow a different beat from that dictated by external, "official," "objective" timepieces. The center of his interest is on how this innate sense affects the ways we view and change—or conserve, or destroy—our physical environment, especially in the cities.

With the nation at war in the 1940s, twenty-two-year-old Jack Valenti flew fifty-one combat missions as the pilot of a B-25 attack bomber with the 12th Air Force based in Italy. In the 1960s, with the nation reeling from the assassination of a beloved president and becoming embroiled in a far different kind of war in Vietnam, he was in that fateful Dallas motorcade in 1963, flew back to Washington with the new president, and for three years worked in the inner circle of the White House as special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson. Then, for the next thirty-eight years, with American society and popular culture undergoing a revolutionary transformation, Valenti was the public face of Hollywood in his capacity as head of the Motion Picture Association of America.Been there, done that, indeed. Texas-born and Harvard-educated, Valenti has led several lives, any one of which could have provided ample material for an unforgettable memoir. As it is, This Time, This Place is the gripping story of a man who saw the terrible face of war while fighting with skill and bravery for his country; who was in the room, listening, participating, and remembering, as political decisions were made that would benefit or devastate countless lives in this country and on the other side of the world; and who championed the interest of the vast and globally influential movie industry with tenacity and vision. The list of boldface names whom Valenti knew and with whom he worked is as varied as it is astonishing in number. Aside from LBJ, there were Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Robert McNamara, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Julia Roberts, Cary Grant, Lew Wasserman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Warren Beatty, and Bill Clinton, to begin a very long list.The life of a man who earned both the Distinguished Flying Cross and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is inherently intriguing, but Valenti’s warm, sometimes rueful, always engaging account gives this memoir a depth of humanity and a taste of life’s unpredictability that will linger long after you turn the final page. From growing up poor but largely oblivious to that fact in a hardscrabble neighborhood of Greek and Italian immigrants in Houston to rising to the highest summits both of national government and Hollywood, This Time, This Place is a candid and clear-eyed reflection of the joys and sorrows, ambitions and disappointments, of a life fully recognizable in its extraordinary variety. It is also a sweeping and important historical record, written by a brilliantly successful man who helped to shape politics and entertainment in the second half of the twentieth century, and who always found himself in the center of the current storm.

The book is a literary and theological study of the themes of time and place, which aims to set the so-called 'centralization-law' of Deut 12-26 in the broad context of the book. The authors show that time and place are pervasive themes of Deuteronomy, a crucial part of its articulation of its understanding of history, religion and ethics. The heart of the thesis is that the foundational encounter between God and Israel at Horeb is paradigmatic for all subsequent encounters. For this reason, no one time or place can have final or absolute significance. The thesis thus calls into question the received view that the altar-law of Deut 12-26 is a 'centralization-law' associated with Josiah's reform. The refusal to identify the 'place' is no mere device against anachronism, but a consistent element in Deuteronomy's theology of history. The Connection between Deuteronomy and Josiah's reform has long been an important tenet of Old Testament criticism. The debate about the interpretation of Deuteronomy, however, has never been finally settled. The present study looks in a new way at the so-called 'centralization-law' of Deuteronomy which has been the most important factor in the traditional critical view of the book. It sets the law in the context of a broadly based study of the theology of the book, and comes to conclusions which call the connection with Josiah's reform into question. A broadly based study of the themes of time and place in Deuteronomy, calling into question accepted ideas about the purpose and setting of the book.

Barnabus’s nephew is behaving oddly. Calling upon Doctor Humphrey for assistance has not been particularly helpful, because the good doctor’s diagnosis of demonic possession is clearly preposterous. Even the demon currently ensconced on the front room couch agrees it’s preposterous. But then, how else to explain the portal to another world through which his nephew and Humphrey have just now disappeared? Barnabus knows their only chance of rescue is for Barnabus J. Wildebear himself to step up and go through that portal. Thus begins an existential romp across space and time, trampling on Barnabus’ assumptions about causality, freewill, identity, good and evil. Can Barnabus save his nephew—and incidentally, all of humanity? Praise for A Time and a Place: "Mahoney skillfully... uses Barnabus's multilayered adventures to yank readers into moments of comedy, tragedy, horror, and philosophical contemplation of time, free will, and personal responsibility. ...Mahoney's work is great for those who like their speculative fiction thoughtful, eloquent, and messy." ~ Publishers Weekly "A Sci-Fi Fantasy with literary notes, there is so much to love about this book. The magic of A Time and a Place resides in its rich description of places we'll never see—not even in dreams—and the people who must manipulate impossible situations to save their kith and kin." ~ A.B. Funkhauser, author of Shell Game: A Black Cat Novel "A Time and a Place provides an entertaining frolic through the imaginary blue and yellow purple hills of someone desperately in need of therapy. And I loved it! Written in a Neil Gaimanesque style of witty prose and existential, thought-provoking dilemmas, it will captivate you, entertain you, and keep you out of mischief until it's time for tea. Excellent stuff . . . and highly recommended." ~ Andrew Weston, author of the internationally bestselling IX Series "An intricate plot laced with Mahoney humour and excellent writing makes this a must read for all lovers of good books." ~ Brian Wyvill, Author of The Second Gate "It's a great book." ~ Matt Watts, Comedian, Actor, Writer (Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, CBC Television)

This book champions vocation and calling as key elements of undergraduate education. It offers a historical and theoretical account of vocational reflection and discernment, as well as suggesting how these endeavors can be implemented through specific educational practices. Against the backdrop of the current national conversation about the purposes of higher education, it argues that the undergraduate years can provide a certain amount of relatively unfettered time, and a "free and ordered space," in which students can consider the kinds of lives to which they are being called. The book is divided into four parts; the first of these explores the broader context within which vocational reflection takes place (attending both to the current state of higher education and to broader cultural trends). The second part examines the contours of vocation from historical, theological, and philosophical perspectives, with particular attention tonarrative as a key factor in shaping (and accounting for) one's various callings. Part three considers the relationship between vocation and virtue, both of which encourage the cultivation of good habits with the goal of living a fulfilled and fulfilling life. The last part of the book explores vocational reflection beyond the classroom, suggesting that it can also be sustained through co-curricular activities, programs for community engagement, and attention to a campus's physical features. Concluding with an epilogue that summarizes that various pedagogies of vocation that are developed throughout the book, this book also suggests that vocation may itself serve as a kind of pedagogy by encouraging undergraduates to examine larger questions of meaning and purpose. At This Time and In This Place offers a compelling argument for vocational reflection and discernment in undergraduate education; as such, it represents a significant contribution to the emerging scholarly literature in this field.

The first book from renowned New York-based designer Steven Gambrel showcases his bold and innovative designs. Featuring 10 individual residences photographed by Eric Piasecki, Steven Gambrel illustrates the designer's fresh approach to color and composition in creating spaces that reflect, support, and enhance the lifestyles of today while at the same time embracing the history of each individual home. From Manhattan townhouses and apartments to beachside retreats in the Hamptons, Gambrel has a passion for timeless and unique interiors that allow him to design a backdrop for individual and changing lives. The photographs and accompanying text, written by Gambrel himself, reveal the inside stories behind stunning interiors that feature his signature mix of the modern and the traditional, and give the reader a window into his unique inspirations and design point of view.