Services Books

Just read it. It will change your life! You can see BJ mature through the book and he ends up more courageous for the Lord by the time he is nearly 16 than most of us will ever choose to be. BJ has a lot to teach each of us!

I bought this book on Friday and had it read by Sunday. I picked it up in the store looking for something for our church's Sr. Highs, and was fighting back the tears in the store. I was amazed by BJ's devotion. He was so totally spirit filled. Just to let others know if you use this in a study group there is a free study guide to download on the publishers sight www.revellbooks.com. I had emailed BJ's dad to tell him how great the book was and he e-mailed me with this news.

I purchased this book on a Thursday, started reading it, and finished it at 2am on Friday. I could not put it down. BJ Higgins' life, and the way he lived, is a battle-cry for those of us who call ourselves Christians to step up, even if it's just a little. I realized as I finished this book, that, although my life may not be called to be a missionary, I can certainly do more than just go to church on Wednesday and Saturday. I didn't feel guilty, I was just touched that this young man made Christ his sole focus, and a relationship with God is what he sought. A true modern-day David, I shudder to think about all of the times I've squandered when I could've have taken an opportunity to share the Word with someone. Here is a young man who was truly used by God and who's story should be told over and over. Who will take BJ's place? I will....

I ordered this book for my youth group and we have had a great time reading it so far. We are about half way through the book and the youth is very excited about finishing the book. My group has commented on being able to connect with the authors (mom and dad) as well as BJ himself. It has been a phenominal tool God is using to tug on our hearts!

Seeing into this young man's heart was exactly what I needed. When I think about what God did through him in 16 short years, I am inspired. What would God be able to accomplish if I let Him use me?

This book will definitely challenge you to be the person God intends you to be. Get several copies and share them with others. It won't only inspire Christians, but it makes clear salvation-- what a legacy BJ left behind.

This has been invaluable as a tool for learning about and teaching about ITIL. I have shared it with, and recommended it to, many colleagues and clients. I hope the authors are preparing an update for ITIL v3

Este libro es excelente como material de formación que permite presentar y obtener la certificación como ITSM Foundations.

Cubre de forma detallada cada uno de los procesos ITIL a nivel de sus objetivos, alcances, actividades, roles, etc. así como la relación con el resto de dichos procesos.

This " IT Service Management: An Introduction (Paperback) " published Apr'2005 paperback is only attributed to Van Bon.

Could someone point out the difference(s) in content between vs " IT Service Management: An Introduction (Paperback) by Jan Van Bon, George Kemmerling, Dick Pondman " published Sep'2002 ?

And why is the latter always 4-6 weeks availability?

This book was recommended to me on my ITIL Foundation course and for 6 months I have been trying to get a copy (Amazon and Blackwell's both failed). According to the publishers it has been superceeded by "Foundations of IT Service Management based on ITIL" ISBN 9077212582, also by Jan van Bon. I have ordered it from a supplier who has it in stock (try Google ISBN ...) but will never know if it is as good as ITSM:An Introduction.

The Office of Government Commerce's official ITIL books are great, and absolutely essential for anyone who does IT service management for a living, but the basic library will run you over $1000 in print, and the complete library on CD-ROM costs nearly $2000 (all prices in USD.)

If what you need is a good, serviceable introduction to ITIL that will give you excellent preparation for passing the ITIL Foundations exam, look no further than this book. It can be hard to get hold of, as it's understandably a very popular title right now, but it's worth tracking down and getting your hands on it; the price is certainly right, and the "just the basic facts" presentation makes for quick reading and good comprehension.

I do business process improvement work for a living; I have taken formal ITIL and CMMI training, and have also read a lot of books in this field.

If you're looking for the best introductory ITIL book on the market, this is absolutely it.

Once again, I think that this is going to be one of my shortest reviews ever and there is a great reason for it.

Out of all of the books I have reviewed on the subject (and there has been many) this one is without a doubt one of the best books I have yet seen on the subject. The author did an outstanding job in every aspect of putting this book together and it really shows.

If you are at all interested in grappling, then you definitely need to purchase this book. I highly recommend this book without any reservations whatsoever.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

Wow! A Jiu Jitsu University is exactly what this book is. The highest form of Jiu Jitsu education, with great structure, case studies, interesting details and accents. It's extreme big, thick and colourfull. Where 'real' universities can be very theoretical or lack connection with the practical real world, this book is very pragmatic and thoroughly tested in practice. Professor Ribiero is of course super experienced and technical, but he also can explain, demonstrate (with Xande) and teach in a cristal clear way. He lays great accents on details and tells exactly what to do (and what not). He comes with great new insights, gives his vision on the game and the Jiu Jitsu learning proces. The book is easy to read, packed with details, funny cases and interesting stories (I really liked Royler's armbar, p. 351, but there's so much in this book). Conclusion: A superior game improver from the first page till the last one. Get it, read it and use it!

I have been a fan of Saulo's since 1999 when i first met him at a seminar in Philadelphia. I could tell how deep his understanding of Bjj was. Almost ten years later his book has finally been released, and i pretty much consider it the new Bjj Bible as far as books witten for jiu jitsu. It covers everything from self defenfe to high level sweeps and subs that will keep beginners and expeienced fighters interested with hiw techniques. Everythingt is well explained that it easy for a brown belt or white belt to break down everything effectively. The most imprortant thing anout this book, compareother books is that he explains theory not just a string of moves unlike other instructors. He and Mf. Howell take the time to spend whole pages on expaining inconcorct techs. I highly recommend this book to anyone practing or thinking about trying brazilian jiu jitsu, as it covers everything and I wi recommed it to all of my students and everine who is interested in BJJ.

Of all the Jiu Jitsu books on the market today, only this one, the Marcelo's book on X guard & Joe moreira's 3 books ... others are just data dumps.
What makes Saulo's book head and shoulder above the others is that Saulo has successfully articulated the mind set, expectation, and needed learning requirements for different levels of jiu jitsu practitioners.
Minor drawback is that he did not get into more detail explanation of some of the moves i.e. running escape ...

This book is probably the best book yet written about sport Jiu-jitsu. Most books on the market are little more than technique databases which, while entertaining and useful for learning, always seem to neglect one of the most important aspects of grappling: proper positioning. This text contains a wealth of knowledge and may well redefine the reader's perception of BJJ.

When John Milton sat down in the 16th century and decided that his life's ambition was to become the greatest English poet who ever lived, he realized that obtaining that title required him to write a great epic poem. That work became "Paradise Lost". However, the epic as a form was ot be greatly endangered by a new literary style that was to emerge just a few decades after Milton's death: the novel. With an exquisite, gradual stroke, Daniel Defoe slew the epic as the great long-form narrative. Within a century, the novel had become the engine of high literature, and the epic, along with poetry in general to a great extent, was relegated to a niche (not only that, but trends in poetic form skewed away from the verse styles normally used). By the time American poet Stephen Vincent Benet wrote "John Brown's Body" in the 1920s, the literary world had long since passed the form by. Benet, chronicling the history of the American Civil War, demonstrates why the epic still deserves our attention.

Benet casts a wide net with his storytelling choices, bringing in a mix of historical figures (Lincoln, Davis, and the various generals, Lee most of all) and fictional characters who embody various viewpoints: while the real men all get moments either of description or internal monologue (Lee is described, for example; indeed, Benet makes a point of how there is much about him that we do not understand, especially the unknown nature of his wants), the character arcs and the main plots revolve around the fictional characters. There is Jack Ellyat, a Union soldier; Clay Wingate, a young Southern aristocrat who similarly goes to war; Melora Villas and Sally Dupre, the women they love (Melora being a frontier woman, Sally a Southern belle); various other soldiers and women; and a few slave characters, such as Wingate's loyal servant Cudjo and the runaway slave Spade. On the subject of the blacks, Benet makes a point that his "heart is too white" to really tell their story, but all the same he does a laudable job of recognizing the complexities of the southern slave system, a barbaric cruelty that all the same produced some enduring emotional ties between people that make little sense to us. He also reminds us that the North, while wanting to free the slaves (though this was ultimately up for grabs; Lincoln is given a revealing dialogue to the Almighty about whether or not he should release the Emancipation Proclamation), was not a bastion of racial equality. There is a final scene between a white Pennsylvania veteran and Spade that suggests a grudging briding of worlds through shared war experience.

Benet employs various different verse styles in the course of the poem, from rhyming couplets to ABAB rhymes to free verse without rhyme and limited metre, to prose on a couple of occasions. These shifts allow for rotations between buoyancy and starkness, as suited to individual scenes. Some characters, such as Clay Wingate, consistently employ one sort of poetic form. My two favourite passages in the poem are done in a rhyming style: the wind's prophecy of the thirteen sisters (an allegory of the breakup of the Union) and 'John Brown's Prayer', a brilliant dissection of Brown's conflicted mind.

This is a lengthy read, but very worthwhile; take a look and see how the Greeks' highest poetic form endures.

The reviews below say it well. I re-read parts of this every few months - not to refresh my knowledge of the civil war, but to re-fresh my awareness of life. This guy helps you SEE the real life going on around you. And his use of words is often just delicious. It is a masterpiece.

I first read John Brown's Body, the book length poem chronicling the Civil War in high school in the forties. It was my first exposure to narrative poetry and it has been my favorite book since then. When I read twenty years later that it was also the favorite book of John F. Kennedy it reassured me that he would avoid war at all costs. It is an anti-war story, and the devastation of war, the profiles of the all too human generals and of Lincoln are an important footnote of history. The poetry is musical and sometimes stark. He is able to impart the real devastation of war on the lives of those affected by it. I would reccommend it to anyone who loves poetry and history. It is a truly American story of a war that should never have been fought.

When Stephen Vincent Benet finished John Brown's Body in 1928 and the critics awaited its issue, the South was most anxious and skeptical that they would be portrayed honestly. They were and Stephen Benet's masterpiece is America's greatest epic poem and a most unappreciated work of literature. But, I love it and always will love it, because it makes those historic figures of so long ago - come alive. Out of the mist, they ride. Come traveler, pick it up, open its pages and from fish hook Gettysburg to the end, watch them ride and try to understand over all the years what was happening and why they were fighting. It was not all about Slavery!

While it is a staggering work of American poetry, John Brown's Body should not - and must not - be considered a factual account of the Civil War period. Like most Civil War works published in the 1920s - the period that saw the rise of Jim Crow and the rebirth of the KKK - Benet's "epic" seeks to distract readers from the role slavery played in sparking the war. If we admit that slavery sparked the war, then we admit that blacks were important enough for whites to fight and die for. And in the 1920s, social pressures in the United States were aimed toward disempowering blacks. Proponents of the "Lost Cause" mentality will argue that the Civil War was fought not over slavery, but rather over states' rights. But states' rights to do what? Keep slaves, of course. Appreciate this book for its contribution to poetry. Do no appreciate it for its views on the Civil War.

Leadership is one of those things that everyone recognizes when they see it but is difficult to define. Part of the problem is that it has so many forms. There is leadership on the battlefield, in the boardroom, in the factory, at academic institutions, in sports teams, in other words there is a leader in just about every activity involving more than one person. It is also a hard activity to carry out, because in nearly all cases the authority that the leader exercises is not based on any authoritarian right. Successful leadership is a partnership between the leader and the led, which means that the leader derives a great deal of their authority from the consent of the governed.
In this book, Rehkopf discusses the strategies good leaders employ from the perspective of the hospitality industry. He has managed hotels and resorts and opened golf and country clubs. His knowledge of the subject matter is thorough, yet his main themes are simple. If you are a manager, interact with your people, take an interest in their welfare and listen to their concerns. Leadership by controlling force is a managerial dead end, it works for a short time, as eventually people will leave. The first to leave will of course be your good people, as they are the ones with the most pride in their work and can more easily find another job.
The advice offered up in this book is sound, the American business world would be much more efficient if more managers were to follow it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. For a variety of reasons, so many managers choose to insulate themselves from their workers. While some professional distance is necessary in the work place, there are times when the human element must take precedence. By applying the basic courtesies of human interaction, good managers can motivate to an extent that no threat can ever achieve.
This book contains a simple blueprint for successfully managing a business in the hospitality industry. As such, all that aspire to or are currently managing in the business would be aided by reading and applying the advice.

Here's the book I wish someone had shared with me years ago.

This is a practical, back to the basics, presentation of every day service opportunities. Ed shared a copy of this book with me and I in turn shared it with one of our General Managers. She was so excited about its content that she requested I send more copies for her managers. We now utilize the book in management training programs, and all of our Department Managers receive a copy.

This book develops a level of understanding among our teams' managers that service is important to everyone, and when customers receive great service consistently, great results will occur.

Thanks Ed for sharing your valuable experiences with us!

For an industry that often lacks leadership guidance and supervisory training, this book delivers the key ingredients needed on the journey to becoming a sound leader. Well-written and easy to read, this book is beneficial for both experienced and new leaders. Rehkopf uses composite examples from his own diverse career in the hospitality industry as the basis for the book. A must read for every management trainee and aspiring leader.

Rehkopf hits a home run with this book. It is logically written, easily read, and full of pertinent examples. Although directed to the hospitality industry, the lessons are applicable to anyone in a leadership role. I've used it in my business and bought copies for all my mid-management people. This book is for owners, managers and all people who aspire to be an owner or manager one day.

A well written and concise book which presents a practical guide on leadership. This book was easy to read and offers many good examples of how to be an effective service based leader. An excellent training tool for all levels of management.

I consider this autobiography as essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the United States, or early 20th century international political history. Beyond its value as a historical document, 'Living My Life' is also a gripping read. Goldman was a real adventurer, a real revolutionary after a design that seems extinct today. The stories that come from her rough and tumble experiences in America, the still-born Soviet Union, and Europe, are breathtaking, heartbreaking, and pertinent in our own age of political and economic instability.

I firmly believe that this book should be required reading in American high schools or Junior Highs, especially for young women. The very fact that Goldman still comes off as so dangerously radical is testimony to both her brilliance and courage, and to the very real lack of change that typifies most of the world's social systems.

I agree with other reviewers' assessment of Goldman's writing abilities, but she was an ideologue more than an artist. Where her political philosophy is concerned, she is definitely uncompromising. However, Goldman seems to me much more human than many of the era's major revolutionary figures. Her devotion to woman's well-being and her renouncement of terrorist tactics in her later life demonstrate this quite sufficiently. The long relationship between Goldman and Alexander Berkman is probably worth a book of its own, and really reveals the personal cost of revolutionary activity.

I'm happy with the purchase, just typing on the keyboard in the privacy of my own home, selecting a book, clicking on it, easy, quick, effecient. Book arrived quickly, new book. All was well in my world. Only complaint would be that 2 of the 3 books I ordered simultaneously came packaged together in an excessive amount of packaging. Overboard on the plastic wrap followed by extra cardboard for protection, followed by a box. Don't need all that for books. Need to think about the environment Amazon.

This is the best autobiography I've ever read, because her life was lived with such commitment & independence. Certainly, she was hugely influential in her time, but her success was scratched out of nothing, with no support, and huge opposition. The difficulties and the times are conveyed amazingly well. The book will make you look carefully at your own life ... in ways that can only change it for the better.

I could not disagree more with Goldman's ultimate philosophical conclusions, but I enjoyed this book, and volume II as well. Her essential humanity emerges, and it is a good case study and an interesting read, historically, philosophically and personally. She is no Mark Twain or Billy Faulkner, but her life was interesting and her prose adequately conveys the milieu she became enmeshed in. A fair degree of antecedent historical knowledge is necessary to fully enjoy this book, but you most likely have that or you wouldn't be reading about Emma to begin with. If you don't, or find that you are getting lost in the history and sequence, it would pay to do a little research to better understand what she lived through. It will also help you spot bias on Goldman's part. I heartily recommend this book. It is informative, enlightening and entertaining to boot.

NOTE: THIS IS VOLUME ONE ONLY! It's a great book but it is not labeled as just the first half of the memoir.

Lots of pictures of different logos and the book is arranged in a very orderly manner. Excellent book!

Well printed, well edited and an excellent resource for designers and creative individuals.

I'm very impressed with the wide array and organization of this book (and the others in the series). Such great colors, and layout... everything just makes me want to study every last detail on every last page. I've bought the first two... and have added the third one to my wish list. If you want to be a good logo designer but experience "designer's block," this should get you over that hump. Thanks, Bill Gardner, and all the fabulous designers who were featured in the book!

Logo Lounge 1 is a must-have in my design library - I refer to it often. Unfortunately Logo Lounge 2 seems lackluster, uninspired, and disappointing. While it contains the same quantity of logos as the first book, the solutions are much less imaginative and the profile section at the beginning is too long and the designers profiled, and their work, are difficult to relate to.

Great for idea gathering and inspiration. It keeps you up to date with the newest logo designs.

In the dangerous post 9/11 world we live in today, Giandomenico Picco's "Man without a Gun" should be a primer for anyone wanting to understand the complex intricacies of Middle East politics. "Man without a Gun" is an unique firsthand account of Mr. Picco's diplomatic experiences at the UN during the 1980s and early 1990s. The setting of "Man without a Gun" takes place in some of the most volatile areas of the world: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.

It is fascinating to read Mr. Picco's first hand account from someone who successfully negotiated some of the most intractable crisis of the late 20th century including: Afghanistan/ Soviet-Russia war, Iran/ Iraq war and the Lebanon hostage crisis. Very interesting for US readers is that Mr Picco as an Italian and a UN diplomat, provides an important outside the Beltway perspective that Americans need to hear. Too often the US views the world as black and white, this simplistic world view has been the cause of many misguided US policies, not the least was our myopic view of communism. Mr. Picco refers to this US narrow world view when he describes how the US continued to provide arms to the Afghanistan Mujahideen in violation of the peace treaty signed with Soviet Union in 1988. Ultimately, the US arms hasten the fall of the Afghanistan government in 1992 that led to more fighting and ultimately led to the notorious anti Western Taliban regime.

The highlight of the "Man without a Gun" is Mr. Picco's successful efforts to free the Western hostages based in Lebanon. Its a fascinating to learn about the behind the scenes intrigue and the Herculean efforts pursued by Mr Picco in the Middle East and beyond to free the hostages. At a great personal risk, Mr Picco describes how he made secret rendezvous with the hostage takers and gradually over time earned their trust that formed the basis of the successful negotiations to release the hostages.

Unlike so much of the disturbing news coming today from the Middle East tinderbox, during Mr. Picco's tenure at the UN there was a streak of successfully negotiations with this part of the world and there seemed to be genuine hope for deceleration of tension in the Mid East. "Man without a Gun" provides insightful lessons on how the West can co-exist with the Middle East regimes. It is a shame that Mr. Picco's book is currently out of print, "Man without a Gun" should be re-issued so that more readers can have access to Mr. Picco's vast experience and excellent analysis.

I recently happened on to this book and bought one used from Amazon. I found it to be an interesting and very personal account of dealing with Iran behind the scenes. I think it is helpful and very applicable to the current situation with Iran. I found it to also be a quick and easy read that kept my attention throughout. You will like it - enjoy!

Picco's vivid description of his courageous efforts to win the freedom of all persons (not just the Western hostages) who became involuntary pawns in the politics of Lebanon's civil war is fascinating indeed. The most remarkable aspect of Picco's work was his ability to gain and keep the trust of the kidnappers, despite the actions of the U.S. and Israeli governments which often undermined his efforts.

Picco is to be commended for risking his life on multiple occassions to save the lives of people whom he had never met. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Picco is a remarkable diplomat who simultaneously juggled the conflicting interests of the kidnappers, Iran, Israel, Syria and the United States.

This was definitely a story that needed to be told. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the now largely forgotten hostage crisis in Lebanon.

Thanks for enriching and inspiring us again with your views on the true art of diplomacy. This book represents the materialization of something we were all waiting for after your unforgettable lessons in Gorizia. Credibility's once again is what will ultimately make us succeed in achieving results, a notion that may go, as it is masterfully explained in this great book, as far as saving human lives. Ancora grazie!

I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. I went into it with a limited memory of what I had heard through the news of the time of the hostages and the Iran-Iraq war, but came out with a much deeper understanding - not only of the times, but also of the people, the real players. I have come to appreciate the work of the brave Mr. Picco and those who worked along with him, and I am grateful for their service to those who could not serve themselves.

While I have read and reviewed many books on Windows 2000, this is the first one that I have read from this particular publisher. It is one of the best books and compares to the likes of Mark Minasi's works. As the title indicates, this book concentrates strictly on the networking services of Windows 2000. It covers all the typical items of DHCP, DNS, WINS, etc. in a very organized and detailed manner allowing you to quickly setup the services and get it right the first time. It does an excellent job of explaining how the services work with each other and the problems an administrator might encounter.

Although not designed as a test preparation book, the book could be used for that purpose. In my opinion it is much better than a test preparation book that tells you what answers to put where on an exam, it is a real-life problem solving book with the answers to the questions that you will have in reality instead of on an exam.

There is one more thing that is unique about the book and publisher. When you purchase a Syngress title you are given a unique warranty against content obsolescence as the result of vendor upgrades. If there is a vendor upgrade and you need to get the new information or changes to the information then you can download chapter updates directly from the Syngress web site. In addition you can sign up for monthly mailings of customer questions and the detailed explanations. Finally, you get a free membership to Access.GlobalKnowledge - an information source for IT professionals.

What a deal! An excellent book, a warranty against becoming outdated three months after you read it and access to an informative and helpful web site. This is a book that should be on every administrator's bookshelf and the extras just make it an even greater value.

Aside from the occasional incorrect terms and exhibits, it appears to me that the authors got bored during this project. As I progressed through the book I noticed that the level of detail was reduced with each chapter. If you need the nity-gritty, (ie to study for the Certs) this is not the book.

Having read the MS Press book for the Networking Infrastrucutre test, I knew I needed something thatI could use that would actually help me pass. I read this book and it covered the material in good detail and included good practice exercises to test my knowledge. Even if it wasn't written to be a test prep book, it worked for me. Nice book.

I have been to Global Knowledge's classes, 6 in fact and I am now a dedicated fan of their books. This book is well written and very helpful for those of us getting into Win 2000 in a big way.

Excellent book. I've read a number of Windows 2000 books from many different authors/publishers. Some good, some Ok, some not so good. This is one of the great ones. There is a wonderful chapter on TCP/IP 2000- which is obviously a foundation for Win 2000. I found myself reading this chapter numerous times as it delves into QoS, IPSec, Arp, DNS Caching, etc. This is followed by great sections on DHCP, DNS,Developing a WINS strategy, etc. As many of us get ready to take the MCSE2000 exams, this is one of the books that will provide a ton of value in one's studies- and will remain on my shelf for reference.

Gregg Ruppel's 9th Edition text has already been useful in our Pulmonary Function Laboratory, and now I am writing a hospital-based course of study for my staff members based upon this text. Since our laboratory uses plethysmography, this is a very useful reference work. Some of our Respiratory Therapists plan to sit for the CPFT board exam, and I believe this text should provide enough information for confidently taking the NBRC exam. For labs wishing to meet American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) standards, this text should provide excellent guidance.
While the book has held up well enough in our frequent handling, having a spiral binding would have been better. As it is, I am ordering a couple more copies to use as study texts for our Respiratory Therapists.

I recommend this book. If you are involved in Pulmonary Function Testing you are probably already aware of Mr. Ruppel's textbook. I often see it in the hands of Respiratory Therapy students who come to my lab for clinical experience. (They should NOT sell it back to the college bookstore!) I personally bought this copy to have on our reference shelf in the lab. It is very well put together, well written and covers nearly all aspects of Pulmonary Function Testing from lab organization and quality control to lung diagnostic techniques and their clinical significance. My edition did not have any discussion on Impulse Oscillometry but hope this rising technology will be included soon.

Buy it, read it and then use your knowledge to help "raise the bar" for our profession!

Very well written book...even the physcians loved it. A must have for every lab.

This book will serve as an excellent reference for anyone interested in knowing the rationale and procedures of pulmonary function testing. Nice sections on cardiopulmonary exercise testing as well. The latest edition features refined text and graphics and is really a nice read. We use it for our Pulmonary Fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital.

I teach Respiratory Therapy,and specifically Pulmonary Functions. I have found Ruppel's text to be very comprehensive and easy for students to read. He has written a book for the technologist, not the physician. The informations is well researched and correct according to the established standards set up by the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians. I have read other popular Respiratory Therapy Text that have apparently never heard of these standards. I am in anticipation of the release of his 8th edition.