Jon Smith – författare

The new southern studies has had an uneasy relationship with both American studies and the old southern studies. In Finding Purple America, Jon Smith, one of the founders of the new movement, locates the source of that unease in the fundamentally antimodern fantasies of both older fields.The old southern studies tends to view modernity as a threat to a mystic southern essence—a dangerous outside force taking the form of everything from a "bulldozer revolution" to a "national project of forgetting." Since the rise of the New Americanists, American studies has also imagined itself to be in a permanent crisis mode, seeking to affiliate the field and the national essence with youth countercultures that sixties leftists once imagined to be "the future." Such fantasies, Smith argues, have resulted in an old southern studies that cannot understand places like Birmingham or Atlanta (or cities at all) and an American studies that cannot understand red states.Most Americans live in neither a comforting, premodern Mayberry nor an exciting, postmodern Los Angeles but rather in what postcolonialists call "alternative modernities" and "hybrid cultures" whose relationships to past and future, to stability and change, are complex and ambivalent. Looking at how "the South" has played in global metropolitan pop culture since the nineties and at how southern popular and high culture alike have, in fact, repeatedly embraced urban modernity, Smith masterfully weaves together postcolonial theory, cultural studies, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and, surprisingly, marketing theory to open up the inconveniently in-between purple spaces and places that Americanist and southernist fantasies about "who we are"have so long sought to foreclose.

The new southern studies has had an uneasy relationship with both American studies and the old southern studies. In Finding Purple America, Jon Smith, one of the founders of the new movement, locates the source of that unease in the fundamentally antimodern fantasies of both older fields.The old southern studies tends to view modernity as a threat to a mystic southern essence—a dangerous outside force taking the form of everything from a "bulldozer revolution" to a "national project of forgetting." Since the rise of the New Americanists, American studies has also imagined itself to be in a permanent crisis mode, seeking to affiliate the field and the national essence with youth countercultures that sixties leftists once imagined to be "the future." Such fantasies, Smith argues, have resulted in an old southern studies that cannot understand places like Birmingham or Atlanta (or cities at all) and an American studies that cannot understand red states.Most Americans live in neither a comforting, premodern Mayberry nor an exciting, postmodern Los Angeles but rather in what postcolonialists call "alternative modernities" and "hybrid cultures" whose relationships to past and future, to stability and change, are complex and ambivalent. Looking at how "the South" has played in global metropolitan pop culture since the nineties and at how southern popular and high culture alike have, in fact, repeatedly embraced urban modernity, Smith masterfully weaves together postcolonial theory, cultural studies, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and, surprisingly, marketing theory to open up the inconveniently in-between purple spaces and places that Americanist and southernist fantasies about "who we are"have so long sought to foreclose.

Look Away! considers the U.S. South in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean. Given that some of the major characteristics that mark the South as exceptional within the United States-including the legacies of a plantation economy and slave trade-are common to most of the Americas, Look Away! points to postcolonial studies as perhaps the best perspective from which to comprehend the U.S. South. At the same time it shows how, as part of the United States, the South-both center and margin, victor and defeated, and empire and colony-complicates ideas of the postcolonial. The twenty-two essays in this comparative, interdisciplinary collection rethink southern U.S. identity, race, and the differences and commonalities between the cultural productions and imagined communities of the U.S. South and Latin America. Look Away! presents work by respected scholars in comparative literature, American studies, and Latin American studies. The contributors analyze how writers-including the Martinican Edouard Glissant, the Cuban-American Gustavo PÉrez Firmat, and the Trinidad-born, British V. S. Naipaul-have engaged with the southern United States. They explore William Faulkner’s role in Latin American thought and consider his work in relation to that of Gabriel GarcÍa MÁrquez and Jorge Luis Borges. Many essays re-examine major topics in southern U.S. culture-such as race, slavery, slave resistance, and the legacies of the past-through the lens of postcolonial theory and postmodern geography. Others discuss the South in relation to the U.S.–Mexico border. Throughout the volume, the contributors consistently reconceptualize U.S. southern culture in a way that acknowledges its postcolonial status without diminishing its distinctiveness.Contributors. Jesse AlemÁn, Bob Brinkmeyer, Debra Cohen, Deborah Cohn, Michael Dash, Leigh Anne Duck, Wendy Faris, Earl Fitz, George Handley, Steve Hunsaker, Kirsten Silva Gruesz, Dane Johnson, Richard King, Jane Landers, John T. Matthews, Stephanie Merrim, Helen Oakley, Vincent PÉrez, John-Michael Rivera, Scott Romine, Jon Smith, Ilan Stavans, Philip Weinstein, Lois Parkinson Zamora

Look Away! considers the U.S. South in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean. Given that some of the major characteristics that mark the South as exceptional within the United States-including the legacies of a plantation economy and slave trade-are common to most of the Americas, Look Away! points to postcolonial studies as perhaps the best perspective from which to comprehend the U.S. South. At the same time it shows how, as part of the United States, the South-both center and margin, victor and defeated, and empire and colony-complicates ideas of the postcolonial. The twenty-two essays in this comparative, interdisciplinary collection rethink southern U.S. identity, race, and the differences and commonalities between the cultural productions and imagined communities of the U.S. South and Latin America. Look Away! presents work by respected scholars in comparative literature, American studies, and Latin American studies. The contributors analyze how writers-including the Martinican Edouard Glissant, the Cuban-American Gustavo PÉrez Firmat, and the Trinidad-born, British V. S. Naipaul-have engaged with the southern United States. They explore William Faulkner’s role in Latin American thought and consider his work in relation to that of Gabriel GarcÍa MÁrquez and Jorge Luis Borges. Many essays re-examine major topics in southern U.S. culture-such as race, slavery, slave resistance, and the legacies of the past-through the lens of postcolonial theory and postmodern geography. Others discuss the South in relation to the U.S.–Mexico border. Throughout the volume, the contributors consistently reconceptualize U.S. southern culture in a way that acknowledges its postcolonial status without diminishing its distinctiveness.Contributors. Jesse AlemÁn, Bob Brinkmeyer, Debra Cohen, Deborah Cohn, Michael Dash, Leigh Anne Duck, Wendy Faris, Earl Fitz, George Handley, Steve Hunsaker, Kirsten Silva Gruesz, Dane Johnson, Richard King, Jane Landers, John T. Matthews, Stephanie Merrim, Helen Oakley, Vincent PÉrez, John-Michael Rivera, Scott Romine, Jon Smith, Ilan Stavans, Philip Weinstein, Lois Parkinson Zamora

Based on 100 interviews with expectant fathers, The Blokes Guide To Pregnancy has real life stories as well as loads of advice that isn't remotely boring (honestly). Now you will be abe to tell your trimesters from your triple blood tests, as well as money - do we really have to spend my entire beer allowance on that hand help breast pump? And a whole lot more besides.

"If you want a book that instructs you about all the technical skills you need to pass the examinations set by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and embark on a career in journalism, then this is the book for you. It outlines the basic knowledge required to succeed as a trainee reporter. Shorthand, intros, writing styles, subbing, layout, the way newsrooms work and how to find things out are among the range of skills described." - Times Higher Education

"Precisely what it says on the cover - a down-to-earth essential handbook for anyone embarking on a career in journalism. All you need to know about avoiding newsroom minefields and attracting the editor's attention for the right reasons. If only it had been around in my day!' - Bob Satchwell, Executive Director, Society of Editors

This is a book for everyone who wants to be a journalist: a practical guide to all you need to know, learn and do to succeed as a trainee reporter in today's newsroom.

Although the world of journalism is changing fast, as technology blurs the boundaries between newspapers, radio, television and web-based media, the reporter's core role remains the same: to recognise news, communicate with people, gather information, and create accurate, balanced and readable stories. Essential Reporting, written by an experienced NCTJ examiner, explains how to do this. Contents include:

what makes a good reporterwhat is news, and how to find ithow newsrooms workday-to-day life as a reporterkey reporting taskscovering courts and councilssuccessful interviewingwriting news storiesspecialist reportinghandling sound, pictures and the web

It also contains a wealth of advice, tips and warnings from working journalists, a guide to NCTJ training and examinations, a glossary and a guide to further reading.

It will be invaluable to anyone embarking on a career in journalism and is the NCTJ's recommended introductory text for all students on college and university courses preparing them to become successful reporters.

"If you want a book that instructs you about all the technical skills you need to pass the examinations set by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and embark on a career in journalism, then this is the book for you. It outlines the basic knowledge required to succeed as a trainee reporter. Shorthand, intros, writing styles, subbing, layout, the way newsrooms work and how to find things out are among the range of skills described." - Times Higher Education

"Precisely what it says on the cover - a down-to-earth essential handbook for anyone embarking on a career in journalism. All you need to know about avoiding newsroom minefields and attracting the editor's attention for the right reasons. If only it had been around in my day!' - Bob Satchwell, Executive Director, Society of Editors

This is a book for everyone who wants to be a journalist: a practical guide to all you need to know, learn and do to succeed as a trainee reporter in today's newsroom.

Although the world of journalism is changing fast, as technology blurs the boundaries between newspapers, radio, television and web-based media, the reporter's core role remains the same: to recognise news, communicate with people, gather information, and create accurate, balanced and readable stories. Essential Reporting, written by an experienced NCTJ examiner, explains how to do this. Contents include:

what makes a good reporterwhat is news, and how to find ithow newsrooms workday-to-day life as a reporterkey reporting taskscovering courts and councilssuccessful interviewingwriting news storiesspecialist reportinghandling sound, pictures and the web

It also contains a wealth of advice, tips and warnings from working journalists, a guide to NCTJ training and examinations, a glossary and a guide to further reading.

It will be invaluable to anyone embarking on a career in journalism and is the NCTJ's recommended introductory text for all students on college and university courses preparing them to become successful reporters.

'Excellent . . . an in-depth excavation of the murky and mysterious world of football business. Smith's candid and often shocking book reveals the true workings of football business that take into account things few of us even could even imagine . . . The Deal answers some of those questions and leaves you wanting more. It is an educational tool that most fans could do with researching' Joe Short, ExpressFootball analysis has grown at the same exponential rate as the sport's popularity and yet one of its most intrinsic elements remains tantalisingly opaque: the role of 'agent'. The Deal is a unique and fascinating perspective into the business of sports management through the eyes of 'Mr Football', 'super-agent', Jon Smith. 800,000 watch their professional football team play each week and TV pulls in audiences of around 600 million. Despite these phenomenal figures, the complex money-making scene behind sport is one of its biggest mysteries. The Deal will be an unprecedented insight into this world, showing what goes on as players and big money change hands. The Deal is also the story of one of the shrewdest and most successful businessmen of our time. Documented through Jon's personal rollercoaster of high-flying success to near bankruptcy, the book's over-arching narrative will offer an inspiring personal journey as well as insider knowledge of brokering deals at a high level and under extreme pressure. The Deal will appeal strongly to buyers of business books as well as a significant number of sports fans interested to know what goes on in the back room of their favourite sport.

Reading and storing data is a core part of any application, and .NET developers want database access to be easy and intuitive. Entity framework Core is a .NET library designed to simplify data persistence, bridging the mismatch between the different structures of object-oriented code and relational databases.

 

Entity Framework Core in Action teaches developers how to add database functionality to .NET applications with EF Core.

 

Key features

·    Clear Introduction

·    Teaches from real-world applications

·    Hands-on examples

 

Audience

This book assumes readers are familiar with .NET development and some understanding of what relational databases are. No experience with SQL needed.

 

About the technology

With EF Core, you can access data using abstract objects and properties without tightly coupling your code to the underlying relational database structure. And because it's part of Microsoft's open source .NET Core initiative, EF works on Windows, Linux and MacOS, and even mobile platforms via Microsoft's Xamarin.

 

Author biography

Jon Smith is a full-stack software developer and architect who focuses on

Microsoft's ASP.NET web applications using Entity Framework (EF) ORM on the server-side, with various front-end JavaScript libraries. Jon is especially interested in defining patterns and building libraries that improve the speed of development of ASP.NET web/database applications.

Entity Framework Core in Action, Second Edition  is an in-depth guide to reading and writing databases with EF Core. Revised from the bestselling original edition, it’s filled with over 100 diagrams, code snippets, and examples—including building and scaling your own bookselling web application. Learn from author Jon Smith’s extensive experience working with EF Core in production, as you discover time-saving patterns and best practices for security, performance tuning, unit testing, and all the book’s code is available on GitHub. about the technology

Entity Framework Core is an object-relational mapper (ORM) that bridges the gap between your C# code and the commands required to access relational databases. As Microsoft’s recommended data access technology, it automatically maps your classes and code to the tables and views of a database—making it radically easier to query and write to databases from a .NET application. It allows you to query and write to your database using standard LINQ commands, and it will even automatically generate the model from your database schema. Now that .NET Core 5 is Microsoft’s primary development system, it’s never been more important to master Entity Framework Core. about the book

Entity Framework Core in Action, Second Edition  is a comprehensive guide to accessing databases from .NET applications. Updated and upgraded with new content, new diagrams, and new examples, this second edition of the bestselling original begins with a clear breakdown of Entity Framework, along with the mental model behind ORM. You’ll discover time-saving patterns and best practices for security, performance tuning, and even unit testing, as well as tips and tricks developed by the author through their extensive experience working on different client applications. As you go, you’ll address common data access challenges and learn how to handle them with Entity Framework.   what's inside

Read and write databases with Entity Framework Core Configure EF Core to define every table and column in your database Update your schema as your app grows Using EF Core with ASP.NET Core web applications Write and test business logic for database access Looking at different architectures to use with EF Core about the reader

For .NET developers with beginning-to-intermediate experience using relational databases. about the author

Jon P. Smith  is an independent principal software developer and architect with a special focus on .NET Core and Azure. He mainly works on the back-end of client applications, typically using EF Core and ASP.NET Core web applications. He is a working developer with clients from the USA and UK, typically designing and writing large sections of an application.

Starting an online business is seen by many as a greatway to make money and a cheaper and easier option thancreating an offline business. Despite the risks,thousands of people in the UK and US start onlinebusinesses every month, to varying levels of success.This entrepreneurial spirit only seems to increase duringdifficult financial times; which the western world iscurrently facing. Starting an online business no longerrequires technical knowledge or previous experience asthere are a raft of tools, programmes and applications tohelp business owners create and manage a website, onlinemarketing and customer relationship management. There isalso a shift in society and attitudes towards thework/life balance. Now, running an online business, oftenfrom home, is seen by many as the perfect way to earnrevenue whilst enjoying life.

Start an Online Business in easy steps, 2nd edition will show you how to research, prepare and run your own online business and will also give you the tools and the confidence to be able to explain to other staff members, clients, potential suppliers and of course customers, about what your online business is, and what it can do for them.Now fully updated for today’s online market, it will guide you through: Planning, registering, and financing your business.Setting up your business online, and marketing it effectively. Monetizing your site. Managing and retaining customers. The tricks of the trade to earn more from your website, and much more to make your site successful! This book is intended for entrepreneurs, employees, employers, parents, students... in fact anyone interested in starting a business online no matter what their level of experience. It is for the non-techie who wants to be involved with every facet of setting up and running their own e-business. Whether you have a great idea for an online business but don’t know where to start, or you’ve just launched your online shop and need to attract customers, this book is for you!

Nowadays, just having a website or an app is not enough. Potential customers aren’t going to stumble across you by accident – you need to employ digital marketing tools and techniques to help them find you and keep you front of mind, and have them coming back again and again.Marketing your products and services online doesn’t have to cost the earth. Lots of digital marketing activities can be done for free, or very little, and are very effective. You may also save costs for advertising in magazines, and creating, printing, and distributing brochures. Furthermore, there are no geographical boundaries on the internet – you can target customers around the globe. Digital marketing for businesses in easy steps guides you through the essential steps you need to take to set your digital strategy and get it right first time. It covers all the key digital marketing channels you should consider deploying to generate a larger, stronger, and a more loyal customer base. It covers: The fundamentals of digital marketing.Getting more from your website and getting your “digital house in order”. The social network sites where your customers are most likely to be active: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The art of blogging to get customer loyalty. How to create and launch a powerful Content Marketing Strategy. How to use Search Engine Marketing to ensure customers find you and buy from you. How to measure and optimize the effectiveness of your digital marketing. Whether you are new to digital marketing or want to rethink your strategies, this book is for you. Digital marketing is now essential for businesses – don’t miss the trick!