Departments Books

A compilation of movers and shakers in gangland L.A. The book is historically correct in detail and content. I can't think what gang activity got left in the editor's wastebasket; it's all here in its seamy metropolitan underbelly. How the gangs began, why they started and what they're up to these days--and nights. Fascinating account of what we don't or didn't know. A true eye-opener, even for a native Angeleno.

Gangs of Los Angeles is a factural history of the evolution og tangs in the 20th century. It bolsters and highlights the fact that gangs are a serious growing menace and that law enforcement efforts to eradicate gangs should be given top priority by our elected officials.
Carl Fischer

With the American Mafia pretty much out of the picture, its having relocated to more white collar Wall Street crime (where there's plenty of company), the spread of gangs in the country's cities and smaller population centers where there's construction or some type of meat processing work to be had has become a real problem and a bigger threat to city life than ever before.
"The Gangs Of Los Angeles", by William Dunn, is a bit of a knock off of the classic "Gangs Of New York", but no less important or interesting. From the "Tomato Gangs" to the "West Side Story" style gangs of the late '50s, to the riots in Watts in 1965 and up to present day terrors like the Bloods and Crip gangs and Latin gangs like the dreaded MS13, Dunn paints a bleak picture, but also places the blame on lazy parenting, lack of a male authority figure and the nation's most historically corrupt and racist police force as ingredients in this violent stew that has spread nationwide.
The passion is there, the research is fine. The editing and grammar, however, are absolutely unforgivable for a published book. I have never read a book so full of misspelled words, even in direct quotes from other sources, poor punctuation, and italicizing where none is needed or makes sense. While I am the last to criticize his knowledge of his subject or his obvious concern, I recommend any further printings undergo a serious editing job. Such a botched script is insulting and costs the book two points. I'll edit a new manuscript for you, Mr. Dunn at a fair price if you're interested, because whomever your publisher and editor is, they sure aren't doing their job.

"The Gangs of Los Angeles", William Dunn, NY, iUniverse, Inc., 2007, ISBN: 978-0-595-44357-4, Pbk, 272 pgs. Includes Preface 3 pgs. Table Contents 1 pg.. 9" x 6".

A recognized gang expert and CRASH officer, UCLA Graduate Wm. Dunn is Detective Sgt. With Los Angeles Police Department. He has extensive first-hand knowledge of currently active gangs of their evolution and has provided nationwide instruction on the current MS-13 gang epidemic. Dunn provides a revealing accounting of the history of gangs since Biblical times and emphasizes the origin and evolution of Hispanic gangs, the Mexican Mafia, Blood & Crips, Hells Angeles, and details on dozens of the hundreds of other gangs now dispersed throughout the United States. He describes methodologies used by police, public officials and International authorities is identifying and dealing with gangs - with succinct commentary of the effectiveness or deleterious consequences of different intervention programs. Of especial importance is his depiction of the Mara Salvatrucha and its various offshoots, all of Salvadoran origin

Inveiglements for added clarity to this book would have been inclusion of maps of Greater LA, Mexican Counties and the Countries of Central America. This book is concise, covers the A to Zs of gangs and gangsters in its 19 chapters; and it is truly a classic book of the rise and dissemination of gangs, their diverse memberships, activities and influences throughout many parts of the world. Although moderately technical with names, dates and memberships, I'd consider it to be "Gangs 101" for anyone who professes to be knowledgeable in gangs and their activities. The disastrous consequences of "Sanctuary Cities" is provided, noting Los Angeles City and Boston join the ranks with San Francisco on aiding and abetting these most evil criminal elements. [Too many Mayors seem to put themselves above the law (are they "on the take" or just stupid?)].

Dunn is not only an accomplished writer but he is a refined historian with excellent citing and commentary on those economic, military and political forces which helped shaped gangland activity that now is overtly involved in money laundering, drugs (heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, Marijuana), prostitution and more recently, International Terrorism. It's a good read, one that's hard to put down!

good introduction to the corrupt world of los angeles and southern/northern california - through a cops point of view. though bearly scratches the surface as to what is really going on. it felt a little biased at times and is historically inaccurate in some cases. LOTS of type-0's. almost completely neglects the asian community in the book for some reason. but all in all a good read if you are or were from LA.

Rarely do any of us get a glimpse so throughout into a governmental body as large as the FDA. Author Fran Hawthorne claims the FDA to have nearly 11,000 doctors, scientists, and others --all there to maintain the safety of the drugs all Americans use and do a good job of it. I think they have been lucky. They (the FDA) has lost its objectivity over the years because of a counter productive lifestyle. They have panels voting on issues or problems with drugs on the markets of which the voting members often have stock in the very company which is being checked. They allow advertising of rx products on TV, a practice only permitted by one other country in the world..and a very bad practice. Money, has replaced their objectivity because they have become big friends to the pharmaceutical companies, especially the larger ones. CDER, one part of the FDA, even though on the outside pretends to play fair, will often intimidate smaller drug (generic companies) for apparently little or no reason at all. However, the author does miss one point. If current US law permits the FDA to grant additional time for patent bending and corruption (which it does), do not blame the agency for that. The FDA seems to have gotten too large for its own good. I have asked them why phenylalanine is placed in certain Rx products, and cannot get an answer. The best thing to do with the FDA, if you read this book, is quite obvious. Get rid of the current system. But so many government agencies (like the NTSB and EPA) are operated the same way. There needs to be more public oversight and accountabilitiy, which the author does a great job in exposing. Overall, I would rate this a good book because it exposes this giant agency for exactly what it is: an excercise in extreme loss of objectivity and greed. guyairey

This is one of the most thorough investigative books I have ever read on such a narrow topic. The author covers the history, and political and regulatory issues of the FDA in far more detail than I expected. Her in depth investigative style reminds me of Sylvia Nasar in A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash.

From the author's investigation I derived the FDA does the very best of an impossible situation. This is because its constituents have irreconcilable contradictory objectives. Big Pharma wants fast and efficient drug approvals. Consumers want safe drugs in all circumstances. Congress wants a cheap regulatory process (fiscal efficiency).

I also realize that despite their best efforts the FDA can't keep us safe. This is true for several reasons. The FDA does not control how doctors prescribe drugs. When they prescribe a drug for something else than its main purpose (off-label use), the FDA has no say on that. We are on our own. Also, supplements are not regulated by the FDA. You buy a supplement from China that has some lead in it. You do so at your own risk. Also, the FDA clinical trials will not catch side effects that occur less than 1% of the time. So, they approve drugs that are perfectly safe for 99% of the population but can turn out to be lethal to 1%. That's what happened with Vioxx. It passed all the rigorous clinical trials. But, when the population at large took it a very small percentage suffered dire cardiovascular implications. So, expect nasty headlines and drug recalls to continue because there is no explicit alternative to their occurrences.

No matter how you look at it, the FDA is under a huge amount of political pressure. Unlike the Federal Reserve they are not an independent branch of government. Their livelihood (Budget) is almost solely dependent on the goodwill of Congress. And, Big Pharma lobbies Congress to death. Thus, the FDA is always under huge pressure to do the right thing by its boss, Congress, who in turn does the right thing by its customer-constituent Big Pharma. Exacerbating those conflicts of interests even more, now a good part of the FDA's budget is financed by fees approved by Congress it earns directly from Big Pharma. This is the exact same conflict of interest that caused the housing and credit crisis. Moody's and S&P gave AAA ratings to mortgage securities that should have been rated BB at best in part because the rating agencies are paid by the security issuers. Fortunately, consumer groups and related liabilities mount a counter pressure to Big Pharma that forces the FDA to maintain its proper balancing act.

The author taught me a bunch of things I did not know about this whole business. Some are downright funny. I always wondered about drug advertising on TV. Remember when we were bombarded by drug TV commercials and the commercial did not even tell you what the drug was for. It just told you to ask your doctor about a specific drug. We probably all thought this was really absurd. Now I know it was at the time the FDA's effort to regulate what pharmaceutical companies could say in TV commercials about drug ads. For the FDA it was a way of saying `No' without having the full power to say no. I don't think the FDA thought Big Pharma would take their word for it and produce commercials without saying what their product was for but they did!

In any case, if you want to know everything there is to know about the FDA I strongly recommend this book.

If you know nothing of the FDA, than this will blow your mind. By the time you are through half the book you will be considered an expert on the subject by all your friends.

Not one of the more exciting reads, but extremely informative. Not just about what you might think it is about, but much much more. This book will give a clearer view of where we all live.

For those who have ever wondered how the FDA makes decisions and how those decisions effect companies this is a great starting point. Hawthorne takes an objective stance towards the FDA and shows their faults along with the positives. She tracks several instances of FDA oversight and gives their results. I think the part that tracks the companies progress through the FDA's is the most instructive. One of my fields of study was health and pharmaceutical economics and this was a great way to start learning about the FDA.

Democrats want more Big Pharma regulation and consumer protection. Republicans want to protect Big Pharma's profits. The tobacco and diet supplement industries want to be left the hell alone. And consumers want miracle drugs for free. Somehow, some way, the FDA navigates the minefields of the food and drug industries every day and tries to base its decisions on science. While some authors take cracks at the FDA because of a political agenda, Fran Hawthorne remains neutral and thus provides the most level-headed look at the FDA that's on the shelves. While the reading is pretty dense, this is a book that every concerned citizen needs to read.

This has always been on the keeper shelf since the first time I read it almost 20 years ago. It's a book that really captivates the reader and truly makes one wonder "what if ...?"

My 13 year old daughter is reading my original copy now and loves it almost as much as I do. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a kid that thrives on adventure and has an imagination as big as the universe itself. It's a truly amazing read and Peek did an excellent job on it.

I really liked this book because it was adventures. Sometimes it was like one minute it was whats going to happen next and the other times it relaxed. I recomend this book for people who likes adventures. My favorite part was when the main character and the new kid ran away to the shopping mall and durring the night the suciritygard came to where they were hidding with his cat.The cat came under the bed she was hidding under and started to howl. she got really scard but then the grad just walked away it was really exciting!!! I would tell you about the ending... But i would spoil it. So you will go have to read it for your self. I hope you like this book when you read it. not everyone will like it but I thought it was a really good book!!!!!

I had a project on Richard Peck and I had to read at least 750 pages of his books. When I first checked out this book I thought it was gonna be totally stupid! Come on, just look at the title and cover page! After reading a little of this book I got hooked! It was totally awesome, very imaginative, and creative, while some of the reasons why Theresa and Barnie left really hit home with alot of things most of us kids are going through.This was an amazing book and I would recomend it and any other book written by Mr.Peck!

Read this book in 1979 or 1980, as a pre-teen, and it is one of the few books still on my shelf from that long ago. Peck's writing is imaginative and vivid, and this book captured my attention. The secret world of a shopping mall at night after the lights are out! I would recommend it to any young person, male or female.

Secrets of the Shopping Mall by Richard Peck is a very interesting and enjoyable book. Two middle school aged children, Barnie and Teresa, run away from home to escape the King Kobra gang. After being defeated in a `fight' the gang was out for revenge and would surely kill Barnie and Teresa if they found them. With only two dollars each, the two hop on a bus and head to Paradise Park. But this place was no paradise instead it was a huge shopping mall.
Barnie was an intelligent kid and had moved up to the eighth grade from the seventh, He helped Teresa and himself live a somewhat comfortable life, hiding out in the shopping mall until one strange and eventful night. They are captured by store manikins that have a whole hidden world that comes alive after store hours end. The leader of the manikins, Barbie, says they will have a trial to determine if Barnie and Teresa are Mouth Breathers (manikins mortal enemies). If found guilty the price could be there lives. Will Teresa and Barnie get out of the shopping mall with their lives? Read the book and find out the answer. Any and all Richard Peck fans will love this book although I would recommend it to readers of all genres and authors.

This is a brilliant book for anyone looking to outsource their business processing or IT development. It is especially useful if you're thinking of making China your outsourcing base. It is written for the layman rather than the geek, making it very accessible, and is filled with interesting information and critical data on China's infrastructure and human capital that are necessary for outsourcing to succeed. I don't think there is another book of this type that has pulled together this wealth of information in one place.

Source Code China makes for interesting reading for those considering the outsourcing option. Providing readers with the essential information required and honestly identifies the pro's and con's.

Having lived and worked in China myself and still regularly visiting for business, I believe that Source Code China provides a true reflection of the current status and identifies where China is heading in the future.

As a firm believer in the future growth of China's IT Outsourcing Industry for all the reasons identified by Mr Eltschinger, Source Code China is a must read.

Mr. Eltschinger speaks with well over a decade of leadership in shaping not only the China I.T. scene, but the business landscape as well. A must read for anyone contemplating developing business in China.
Fred Croxton
Director, TPI, Inc.

As someone who's been in this game - outsourcing - for many years, I found Eltschinger's Source Code China, interesting and immensely readable. He presents a comprehensive read that not only informs and educates, but also illuminates the opportunities available to those willing to leverage China as an outsourcing destination.

His support for China as an outsourcing destination is based on projections that India will be unable to supply sufficient technology talent to meet global outsourcing needs. While he acknowledges that there are many countries and territories with players providing alternatives, Eltschinger argues that only China has the highly educated population, international communications' infrastructure, and foreign language skills to offer real competitive advantage.

Despite his support for outsourcing to China, Eltschinger doesn't sugar coat the challenges. He cites lack of local management experience as one of the main barriers for Western firms partnering in China. He also points out the need for Western firms to recognize the crucial role that relationship building plays in Chinese business circles.

Eltschinger presents a comprehensive overview of ten Chinese cities that are designated as outsourcing bases. In addition, he mentions five other cities that are slowly gathering momentum in this market. In my opinion, a map of China with key locations would have been beneficial for the average Western reader.

Notwithstanding, Source Code China is a must-read for CIOs, IT professionals and intermediaries who are interested in developing viable, sustainable, and mutually beneficial relationships with China based partners. It's even a smart read for non-IT pros who wish to be fully engaged in their business.

I read this as an attempt to learn more about technology outsourcing in China. Source Code China by Cyrill Eltschinger explores how to take advantage of China's educated workforce. The books reads a lot like one of those "For Dummies" books. Topics are covered superficially with many generalities. The book fails to be a very interesting read or even an adequate reference for those looking to outsource in China. I wouldn't recommend this book.

I love Zola and this was no exception. I don't know how he does it-he is never boring. His stories always enthrall me. This is a wonderful book about the beginnings of consumer culture, modern advertising, mass retailing, materialism, the forerunners of today's malls and the forcing out of small specialty shops and the family owned-store in the late ninteenth-century. It has so much relevance today. In addition, you will really like the heroine, Denise. She is lovable and sympathetic throughout the entire book.

And I couldn't help liking Mouret, though he is of course the crass modern villain of the tale. (He was earlier seen in Zola's "Pot Luck".) Although he is a symbol of everything cutthroat and reprehensible about capitalism, I kind of wanted to believe in his optimistic ingenuity and in the developing friendship between him and Denise. Denise seemed to be tempering him with her pragmatic socialism.

At any rate, the intro to the book-here is a SPOILER so don't read on if you don't want to know what happens-anyway in the INTRO,


...which you should NEVER read first, they always give away the ending- said that only the most naive person would believe in the happy ending, that when Mouret marries Denise all's well that ends well. His obsession with her does have obvious parallels to the way he tries to make women feel about certain commodities. Still, I can't resist a good Cinderella story, and it is fun to think of Mouret marrying Denise and bringing her back to Au Bonheur des Dames, on his arm, "all powerful" (no doubt "tout puissant" in the original French).

That will show those snooty shopgirls that even a poor provincial girl can strike it rich! Despite being somewhat sucked in by the "love" story-in my defense Mouret DID seem to respect Denise's noble qualities-I do agree with Zola's critique and criticisms and I really think they're relevant.

This story works on so many levels, as so many of Zola's books do-it's highly entertaining, I mean as entertaining as fun as any contemporary fiction-and it's also historically engaging, morally sound, educational and even has current relevance. Everyone should read him!

The eleventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart series, this book picks up where the last installment left off. Octave Mouret, featured in Pot-Bouille, also has a lead role in this novel. Through a fortunate marriage to a bride who dies not long afterward, young business man Mouret is left with a thriving department store named Au Bonheur des Dames. Through a natural business sense and a flair for promotion, he builds this store into the grandest mecca for shopping in all of Paris, in fact in the entire world. Soon the store swallows up the neighboring real estate, putting his old-school competitors out of business with his new brand of commerce. A few of the established firms, however, hang on for a grueling battle with this Goliath of retail.
At this point in history, department stores were a new invention, and a few stores in Paris totally revolutionized the way the world did business. Zola captures the excitement of that time. He obviously admires the revolutionary entrepreneurs for their efficiency, ingenuity, and showmanship, but he also laments the fall of the traditional Parisian shopkeeper. As Zola often does, he sets up a conflict between the two opposing philosophies, then brilliantly defends both sides of the argument. He also studies the consumers, and explores the growing obsession with shopping that blossomed among an enlarging middle class with disposable income. The depiction of the workings of the giant enterprise are interesting, and the store is staffed by a host of vividly-drawn characters. The main protagonist of the book is not Mouret, but Denise Baudu, a poor girl from the provinces who comes to Paris to work as a saleswoman. Zola is usually so good at creating realistic characters, warts-and-all, but Denise is so squeaky clean and noble that she comes across as too perfect to be true. She belongs in a melodrama, and the more the book concentrates on her, the more the story devolves into just that. Zola's literary style, Naturalism, calls for an exhaustive accumulation of sensory details. Unfortunately, these details form long, often tedious descriptions of store displays. On the whole, this is a good book, worth reading, though not one of Zola's masterworks. I would recommend reading Pot-Bouille (aka Pot Luck or Restless House). It is a much better novel.

What a great book! In Au Bonheur des Dames, Zola does his usual fabulous job of handing you a slice of 19th century French life between the covers of a book. The book's male protagonist is lackluster--it's hard to see what makes him so alluring to women. However, the fascinating heroine more than compensates for this flaw. Denise Baudu is a departure from any other 19th century female character imaginable, a combination of Mary Pickford and a 20th century career woman. As a student of consumer culture, I also really enjoyed reading the fruits of Zola's research into Parisian department stores, advertising, etc.

"Au Bonheur des Dames" is about life in and around of the great department stores (grands magasins) that emerged in Paris in the mid-19th century. As the city modernized (built the famous sewers, cleared out the slums and constructed massive boulevards, etc.), new and imposing department stores revolutionized commerce. Au Bonheur des Dames, owned by the rapacious capitalist Octave Mouret, is one such store. The story of the store's growth and social impact is told through the experience of Denise Baudu, a girl from the country who comes to Paris with dreams of succeeding and supporting her younger brothers. She gets a job at Au Bonheur des Dames, and the store becomes the central factor in her life.

The book is not always a great read. The story is wildly over-written. It is melodramatic, cheesy, and even silly. The ending is predictable, and 3/4 of the way through, you know what's coming. But have to to slog through 100 more pages to get there. The passages describing the store's physical appearance and operations can be extremely tedious. Do we really need to know so much about construction practices, commercial accounting mechanisms, how sales are put on, and exactly what items are in stock and why?

Still, "Au Bonheur des Dames" does a fantastic job explicating the birth of the modern department which revolutionized shopping, and it really gives the reader a sense of the transformation wrought to Paris by Napoleon III and Georges Hausmann.

"The foundations of a person are not in matter but in spirit." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Au Bonheur des Dames is the eleventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. Zola's classic centers around the bright lights of the massive department store (of which the novel is named) run by the charming, yet licentious Octave Mouret. In many ways Octave is almost the male equivalent of Zola's "Nana". The latter used the beauty of her sex to beguile men; while the former uses all the `material girl' treasures on sale at his colossal department store. It is this department store, 'Au Bonheur des Dames', which quickly becomes the center of Parisian society, especially for the upper class female population.

The story begins with the petite, soft-hearted, eighteen-year old Denise Baudu and her two younger brothers, Jean and Pepe entering into the big city for the first time. The trio have suddenly found themselves orphaned and in dire need of money. In order to support her two younger brothers, who in many ways are more like her children than siblings, Denise takes a lowly position as an assistant at the store. Despite the fact that she's an unworldly, poor country girl and to the rest of the staff comes across as weak and simple-minded, the real fact of the matter is - she's as tough as nails, very strong and very intelligent. She also is one of the most genuine, compassionate, and heroic belles I have ever been introduced to in literature. She is the total antithesis of Nana, and is without a doubt my favorite character in all of French literature. Definitely my favorite character EVER of Zola's!

Zola's classic is in many ways similar to that of a soap opera. He uses the department store as a new phenomenon to show how it helped reshape the business and social life of his country under the Second Empire (1851-1870). "Au Bonheur des Dames" is obviously a microcosm of French society, and when you read this novel you will easily see why. The beauty of his Rougon-Macquart series is that each story centers upon an important aspect of French society during that dynamic, distinctive period. While this may not be my favorite of his (it was # six for me thus far), it does possess quite a bit of charm and again, also introduces his most endearing character in Denise Baudu. Her Cinderella story is the main reason why I enjoyed this one so much, and why I recommend it.

On the minus side for me, as a few other reviewers aptly pointed out, was the fact that Zola really over does it at times with his lavish, overly decorative descriptions of the department store, its many luxurious displays, the day to day operations, etc... etc... At times, I was saying to myself "okay Emile, enough already! Get to the point my friend!" Also, the majority of the characters in this classic are extremely repugnant people with very few agreeable qualities. But that is not atypical when it comes to a Zola classic. For some reason, many of his characters are much seedier than those of his contemporaries (i.e. Flaubert, Balzac, Maupassant, et al...). Which is saying a lot, because none of them sugar-coated anything!

If you are a fan of French literature, love stories, and/or Horatio Alger works (i.e. rags to riches stories) than you probably will enjoy this one. I certainly did!

I use this book every day for tracking the daily activities of my newborn twins and love it! It does a great job of assisting me in staying organized with the twins. I like this product so much, I purchase it as a gift for all of my friends/family members who are new moms-to-be!

love this book! now i give it to any new mom i know expecting

Although we got tons of cute baby gifts, this one was by far, the most vaulable! We used it (and still do) every day to track the tremendous amount of information we needed to keep track of. Even our doctors found it useful when we had some troubles with feeding. I would strongly recommend it to help keep you organized and feeling sane during the crazy few days and weeks after birth.

I LOVE this organizer -- everything is in one place. My only suggestion would be to combine this book with a more "traditional" baby book (i.e. add journal pages, places for pictures, etc.) so everything really is in one place...

This is a great book! It provides an easy and clear way to note down all of baby's vital information. Even before the baby, you can note all your gifts too...very important when it came down to writing thank you notes. Definitely a nice gift for friends who are expecting as well. You think you could just use any old notebook, but this book makes it so conducive and is a bit of a splurge, but worth it when documenting important information regarding your baby (babies too!)

Although somewhat dated these days, this book and Rob Snevely's Enterprise Data Center Design and Methodology (Sun BluePrints, The Official Sun Microsystems Resource Series) are two very good primers on planning modern data centers. What we need now is a good guide to energy efficiency.

Have you wander why one person rates the same book with five while another person with one star. The rating system is subjective, that's why. When you buy the book at brick and mortar store you can return pages and make your purchasing decision. At Amazon.com you have only few pages you can view. It would be great if Amazon gives its readers a better opportunity. Please do read comments and person's background then compare with your needs.
As far as this book concerns I gave 5 stars for a beginner reader's use. But this book is not a design manual for Data Centers and it is a very task to write a manual. It involves Electrical Engineering, Information System, Mechanical Engineering, Fire Suppression, and Local and National Codes knowledge to create a manual.

When individuals consider recent events from natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes to terrorist attacks like September 11th, not to mention new government regulations within areas like HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley the need to secure organizations information is becoming more critical. Thus an organizations desire to design and/or construct a data center that will meet these needs has increased.

With in the book "Building the Best Data Center Facility for Your Business" by Douglas Alger guidance for items that need to be considered are presented in a detailed format. The general population and most companies assume that they can set a computer room or data area up without any issues or difficulties, hence it is always assumed that if you have knowledge of Server and Network design and someone that has an understanding of construction you can do it. But when you design a Data Center and consider items like power usage and cooling needs, you need to consider other items like fire suppression and redundant power sources. Within Alger's book we see items that most computer engineers will take for granted like raised flooring, and HVAC (cooling). But we also see items that some may consider common sense like generator power and supply guidance for fueling these generators.

This book I found an excellent baseline and for as the author said in the introductory pages "Setting up a data center is easy. Except that the first time you do it you're going to screw up badly." Hence as I read this book I found myself returning to discussions and implementations I did a few years ago and could see where we made mistakes and learned from them. Alger was correct in his statement and I was further able to reflect in my mind on the discussions that we had on items that included spacing and area needed for computers and networks then on topics like power utilization and cooling needs where always being considered. As I mentioned Alger's book provided me with reflections and will provide anyone reading it individuals with the needed initial guidance on either building or what to consider when improvements both a computer rooms or a data centers. While this book may appear small at only 374 pages including the index, its detail and guidance will add to anyone's knowledge or needs.

Some of the information and definitions like what is a "U" and the difference between DC and AC power are discussed ,but also items like how to properly clean the room with pH neutral items and services as well as how to gather metrics only enhance the books value and understanding. While the book does limit itself to certain rack sizes and power utilizations not comparable with newer equipment occurring today, it does provide an excellent guideline.

I can only hope that you like myself find the book informative and consider it, if nothing more than a guidance on how to work with a proper computer room and data center environment.

This is an excellent intorduction to facilities considerations for the data center. I think it would be very useful for an IT professional to get a sound understanding of the scope for the physical layer. There is little comprehensive material available today on this aspect of data center planning and management.

Its refreshing to see an IT manufacturer taking the initiative to address the facilities impacts that arise from the equipment they offer. Most IT vendors out there today leave this up to the customer. Its clear from reading this that Cisco and the author in particular understand this pain and are taking steps to alleviate it. This publication is a customer satisfaction home run in my eyes.

There is a entertaining aspect to this book as well in the real world stories drawn from the authors experience that help to drive home what can happen when to little attention is paid to arguebly the most critical layer of the data center.

We are in the process of purchasing multiple copies of this book for distribution to our data center, IT, application and network managers.

This CiscoPress book is quite an outsider compared to other more classical CiscoPress material. It does not talk about networking itself but about how to build
the physical infrastructure to host a data center, focusing on several areas such as temperature control, electrical and networking availability, or simply explains how to choose between raised floor or ceiling installations... The author of the book manages over 40 data centers all around the world, so you will find every now and then a text box with Douglas' tips or field experiences, which are
very valuable.

The first 9 chapters focus on designing and implementing a data center, from choosing an ideal site and sizing it right, tips on how to present the project to the executives and getting their approval, selecting the contractors who will build the data center etc.
It goes on a chapter at the time talking about the cooling infrastructure, the electrical layout and sizing, the most efficient network layout for both copper and fiber cabling.
The layout of the room is discussed all over these chapters explaining to the reader why not to put all small servers in the same rack (which could be a problem for eletrical and networking availability, heat generation or/and weight), or why the racks must align with floor tiles, how to creare cold and warm rows... Several layout examples are given showing their weaknesses and strengths.
Structural issues are discussed, such as problems with building the room on an upper floor compared to a ground floor, proximity to electromagnetic fields, to heavily polluted areas, or to sismic areas.
Guidelines for employees behaviour in the data center are also stated, with examples of what could happen if these rules are not strictly followed..
The remaining 6 chapters focus on how to get the best out of your data center and to keep it working at its best. Exemples of signage and labeling are shown to
help out the users do the right thing even in emergency situations. Douglas migth seem maniacal about labeling, but my own experience can confirm all he says...label everything!
Items to have in stock and everyday tools are listed to remind us which things should never be missing to help avoiding situations where system administrators cannot complete their job because of a missing patch cord or screwdriver.
Monitoring and professional room cleaning are the last two items discussed in the book and Douglas' experience is very valuable in both areas to give us some tips.

I found this book very interesting since I am running a data center that needs retrofitting soon and Douglas' experiences might come very handy to me. The language is very easy to follow as with most CiscoPress books, which is important for non-English people!

Enjoy the antics of a group of small town friends as they deal with the daily issues that arise. They are fun and the writing drags you into their world.

Third time is the charm! Karin Gillespie third book in the Bottom Dollar Girls series is the best!

Elizabeth Polk Hollingsworth is no longer the narrator, instead it is third person. We follow the lonely lives of the older Girls, all of whom are widowed. They think they can live without male companionship, but they soon realize they would much rather not. Octogenarian Attalee has fallen into a "hot and heavy" relationship with Dooley. Birdie, Gracie, and Mavis soon chase fellas of their own. Mavis and Birdie, long-time friends, have a falling out over the sexy, mysterious Brew.

Brew splits his time between Birdie's and Mavis's, never taking them out on dates. Birdie wants to be the object of Brew's attention and affection, so she attacts Mavis for fawning over Brew. Meanwhile, Mavis naively believes that Brew only has eyes for her. A very bitter argument ensues, will the ladies make up?

Brew and Mavis plan a reunion for Cayboo Creek class of '59. And, Mavis must prepare for her business dinner awards. Mavis hopes to take Brew with her, so she can formally announce their relationship to the crowd. Birdie will be at the awards ceremony, too. What will happen?

Attalee and Gracie have both found true love. Attalee plans her wedding. Gracie tries to reconcile her socialite past with her earthy present. Her new boyfriend, the Duct Doctor, is not "her kind". What will her socialite friends think???

And, then there is twenty-seven year old Elizabeth, adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mother. Timothy shows his spoiled rich kid side by stubbornly refusing to let her go back to work. Timothy very much hurts Elizabeth in this novel. It was nice for him not be such a "Prince Charming". What will Elizabeth do? She attempts to work part-time for the Hollingsworth corporation, but Timothy destroys any chance of success. Will Elizabeth forgive him?

We also catch glimpses into the lives of other characters from the previos two books. We get an update on Chenille, Chiffon, and Lanier. Dwayne Polk and Taffy make their appearance, as well as a new family member, Dorrie. Dorrie left her small town for university and an Atlanta law firm. So, why did Dorrie return to her small town to be a stay-at-home mom? Will she be an inspiration to Elizabeth?

Dollar Daze is a nice story with strong characters. That's really all I can say... a NICE story. Gillespie is writing to give readers pleasurable novels, and this one certainly is! Summer reading indeed!

In this third book of Bottom Dollar Girls, the four girls, Mavis,Mrs Tobias(Gracie), Birdie, and the very eccentric Attalee are all looking for love later in life. Elizabeth Hollingsworth is a stay-at-home mom going nuts at home with her baby Glenda, nearly a year old, and wants to return to work. Timothy, her husband simply will not hear of it though.

Brewster Clark, Mavis's high school beau comes to town and is more charming then ever in his older years. She and Brew begin a relationship, but not without trouble. Birdie, Mavis's best friend and worker at the Dollar Store falls for the man as well, and trouble between the two women is on the horizon.

The fancy Gracie Tobias begins to fall for Rusty, a plain ordinary guy. Gracie knows he's out of her league, and isn't sure she wats to come down to earth, but wants someone like her late husband Arnold, who was a well-to-do socialite. So she begins dating the rich Dr. Rutherford, knowing they'll hit it off. It is then she takes a closer look at herself and rethinks what really might be important in life besides wealth.

Attalee is a total case. She falls in love with Dooley and is a planning a wedding. If all goes well, the elderly couple will get to the altar.

Great reading and I can see where this trilogy might be continued in the future. There is room for possibilities as these women's lives continue.

The Bottom Dollar Girls are a breath of fresh air. You never know what they are going to be up to but you can be sure it will be hilarious. I can't put a book down once I start it. Much laughter and a few feel good tears are sure to present throughout the most wonderful romp with the 'girls'.

Elizabeth thinks she wants to go back to the corporate world, Attalee is getting married, Mrs. Tobias comes out of her shell, but is she comfortable being in different surroundings; Mavis and Birdie are both fawning over the same man, Brewster.

What happens in this book is a hoot. How they all get through life though is the secret. Each other! I love these books. No potty words, no sex scenes, and no violence. Just good friends, laughter and life! What more can you ask for.

This book leaves you guessing and you won't want to put it down!

Thought my item shipped in quick convenient timing, and arrived in perfect condition. I'm extremely pleased.

I'm taking a "Sexual Psychology" class, and this book details the nature of humans' need for sexual gratification. It gives detail illustrations and picts on both, the male and female genitals, how and why they work, the chemical actions that take place inside the human body which causes men and women to seek each other out, either of the opposite gender, or the same gender. It gives in fine detail, how a fertilized egg develops into a male or female; how the sperm cell's chromosome will influence the egg into forming either the female or male genitals. I mention "female" first because the human egg cell is defaulted to develop into a female, unless the sperm cell says otherwise. The book fails to mention that not all sperm cells are designed to fertilize the egg, which implies the authors disagree with the British findings. I recommend "Sperm Wars" by Robin Baker (to learn what the author neglects to mention about sperm), also available on Amazon. The authors detail not only heterosexuals, but gives scientific data on why some people grow up as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It further takes into account social culture, and how sex attitudes may differ in developed nations, versus 3rd-world nations. Another "plus" to how the author had written, is that it's easy to understand. Unlike biology and chemistry textbooks that are written with "big words" in every paragraph, this book is written with high school graduates in mind. It was very easy to follow along, and I wasn't reaching for the dictionary every 10 minutes to look up a word, like I'm doing when I read my other textbooks. To break the monotony of reading and absorbing all this data, the author would make a few humorous remark to elicit a smile or laughter from it's readers. My greatest regret is wishing I had come across this information earlier in life. I'm now in my late 40s, had gone back to college to pursue a degree because my trucking job is slowly being taken over by cheaper Mexican truckers. I've had pass problems with girlfriend relationships, and being confused with my desire for other women. Had I read this book earlier in my life (late teens), I would've handled my difficulties a lot better. As I'm typing this, I've only read the first 7 chapters, and there are 19 chapters in all. This book is a "must-have" to include in your personal library. Even if you have no time to take a class in psychology, reading this book will give you a better perspective on how and why people behave the way they do.

I purchased this book as a text book not knowing what to expect. Turns out it is very interesting, covering a plethora of topics. I definitely recommend it.

This is one of the most interesting text books I have read. It is easy to read and filled with Tables or pictures that help translate the information. I would recommend this book for the student and person who is interested in learning about sexuality.

this book is very informative and gives a basic introduction into the world of sexuality from all aspects from identification of sexual characteristics,education on intercourse, diviant behaviors, relationships, and current state of modern relationship roles for the 21st century.

I found the book to be easily read and understood. I used it to write a comparison contrast paper; referencing my leadership style with what I learned of Colin Powell's principles. I was pleasantly surprised of the similarities although we have been engaged in vastly different employment scenarios.
Colin Powell's principles are interesting. They are simple and follow ethical guidelines. I admire his outlooks. I generally have practiced similar work ethics and supervisory guidelines prior to learning his. However, I look forward to incorporating the principles I had not been utilizing.
The service of Amazon was right on the money as well. The purchase was delivered as promised without any "issues".

Excellent primer and on-going guide to how to enhance one's personal and professional development to help insure a successful career.

Excellent. To the point and usable. I am a better GM/COO because of it. I gave it to my managers for required reading.

It's a bit short...not deep at all....general common sense if you ask me....

The title of this review is my favorite line from the book. Author Oren Harari gives a short and concise distillation of the leadership principles of former secretary of state Colin Powell. The book is presented as a collection of short sections each outlining one of twenty-four principles espoused in the book. Although much of what is covered in each principle seems like common sense and aligned with what other leadership books have to offer, there is enough that is new and fresh to make this work a worthwhile and fresh read.

One of my favorite principles of the book is presented towards the end and is entitled "Challenge the Pros". The main point of this principle encourages leaders not to be afraid to challenge the pros even in their own backyard. By pros he means consultants, attorneys, accountants and the like. Another one of my favorite principles is the notion of trusting those in the trenches. Powell believes that people in the trenches are closer to everything local --- conditions, allies, enemies, customers, employees, suppliers and competitors. I can not count how many times I have worked for an organization that totally ignores the opinions of those that are actually doing the work.

There are several other principles that I think make this book worth purchasing to add to your leadership knowledge. I also like the way the book is organized. Each lesson is presented in two or three pages with each lesson ending with three suggestions for how to implement or work to introduce the principle into your life or organization. Over the past year, I have read many books on leadership. What is most impressive about this one is that I feel I gained so much more information without having to read 300 pages! The thing that I like the most about Powell's ideas is that he is speaking from experience as a leader in the military as well as the former Secretary of State.