Teams Books

The story was excellent, bring out the various viewpoints of Native Americans today on problems from mascots and powwows to land grabs and poverty on the reservations. One of the best portions of the book was when the players on the team, all Native Americans, "corrected" the mascot's outfit. The characters were believeable. While reading the book, I could say, "I know someone like that" on almost every character, even the broken-down rodeo rider. The climate of Oklahoma was described well also, from the stifling humidity of eastern Oklahoma to the tornadoes of the central area.
Unfortunately, the softball games themselves had so many inaccuracies it took away from the story. There are no "2nd base" coaches, and getting hit by a pitch in fast-pitch entitles you to 1st base.
Even so, I enjoyed the read and the discussion of issues in the Native community.

This easy to read page turner was one of the most enjoyable books I have read recently. Mihesuah is an excellent writer and every character is brought to life in a memorable way. With each Shrike game I was sitting on the edge of my seat hoping for a win. In addition to a wonderful storyline, The Lightning Shrikes is an excellent example of American Indian fiction. The book provides insights into current problems facing Indians today in an easy manner. Non-Indian readers will find these issues easy to swallow and might even learn something new. As an Indian reader, I was even challenged in the way I perceive other Indians. Thanks Devon for a fun and exciting read. I can't wait for the Shrikes second season!

Mihesuah, as usual, hits it out of the park, so to speak, with The Lightning Shrikes. This novel is remarkable in that it manages to be both a page turner, and a highly effective investigation of a plethora of issues germaine to Indian country. Mihesuah, a Choctaw academician, proves herself to have quite a gift for fiction, in addition to her formidable talents as a scholar. She manages to present many complicated topics and misperceptions in such a way that someone either misinformed or underinformed would finish this book significantly enlightened, without feeling beat up. Aside from political value, the characters are realistic and endearing, and the story engrossing - it's one of those books where you actually want a sequel!

Devon Mihesuah's "The Lightening Shrikes" breaks Native American stereotypes and allows the reader to have fun doing it. In a world where Native American literary fiction that is actually written by Native American authors too often tells only the tale of a reluctant Native American hero or heroine struggling in a seemingly un-winnable battle against impossible odds, Mihesuah hits a home run with a story that incorporates modern American Indian protagonists who are finally allowed to achieve and enjoy their success. After reading this highly enjoyable story of a cohesive team of players from a diverse set of tribal cultures coming together in a powerful and effective show of solidarity and sportsmanship, it causes one to wonder why someone didn't write a story like this sooner. All of that, and the "Indian mascots" issue is dealt with in a way that causes it to finally turn out (at least for the Lightning Shrikes) the way that it should, for a change. Mihesuah entertains, informs and raises consciousness about Native American issues all at the same time-a powerful triple play that will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. I highly recommend "The Lightning Shrikes" for anyone who is looking for a good read. It could also be a great way for the newcomer to Native American issues to find out nearly everything you might have wanted to know about Native American stereotypes and why Indian mascots are offensive, but were afraid to ask, but have fun while doing it. I am looking forward to more fiction by Devon Mihesuah.

This book is great! Not only does it provide a wealth of information about the 2001 games, but captures the passion of the season. I watched so many of the games on TV myself that I wanted something to help me remember what a fun time the Seattle Mariners gave us. This book - Mariners Magical Season - is it. KUDOS! KUDOS! KUDOS! and thanks for writing this book!

I had the good fortune to be able to read a fair amount of this book in the final galley proof just prior to it's going to the printer. Even for a casual baseball fan, this is a page turner. Yes, it has plenty of stats for the most diehard of fans, but it is a beautifully textured and "human" read. It puts the reader on the sidelines, in the dugout, behind homeplate, at all the bases, in the outfield, in the locker-room, in the stands, and inside the mind of a remarkable team. It also weaves in the tragedy of Sept 11, 2001, and the effects on spectator sports, the players, and the special inspiration that baseball provided our country, and perhaps, all the world, at a dark time. This book is about triumph in the finest sense.

I picked this book up as a luke warm Mariners fan and couldn't put it down! The player bios and day to day chronicling of each day of the team's season are a valuable addition to the library of any baseball fan.

I'll keep this short and to the point . . . If you are a Mariners fan, or just have a love for the game of baseball, it is necessary for you to check out "Mariners Magical Season" by Stan Emert and Mike Siegel. This book takes you on the ride with the Mariners as they enjoy their incredible run. It is insightful, an enjoyable read, and makes you eagerly anticipate the M's upcoming season. Reading this book will give you the feeling of sitting at Safeco field and experiencing the SoDo Mojo yourself! Check it out!

Have not read the book totally but I have obtained very useful information from what I read.

Valuable background information for any network admin working with Windows XP or Windows 2003 networks. You can find all information on the Internet but this brings the most usefull information together to quickly get up to speed on how to configure a secure environment

Ben and Brian, (my ex-Microsoft colleagues) have done a great job at providing well-rounded, valuable and actionable coverage of almost all aspects of Windows Security. Good job guys!

Thanks,
Sanjay
Formerly, AD Securty PM
www.sanjaytandon.com

I have previously done a review of the First Edition of the Microsoft Windows Security Resource Kit which I was very impressed with. All what I said for that book still applies. The first book applied to Windows 2000 and XP Pro. Since then there has been a major upgrade for XP in SP2 and the introduction of Windows 2003 which the Second Edition covers. As with the first book this edition is great for anyone that wants to learn how to secure their Windows 2000/2003/XP Pro operating systems/networks and is geared mostly to administrator types though anyone with such interest including power users will find it extremely helpful.

In just under 700 pages no book can be all inclusive about Windows security. The Windows Security Resource Kit goes into detail on many commonly implemented topics like password/account policy and on others it shows you the basics of what is possible and then refers you to online documantation/white papers if you are interested in a full implementaion which keeps the book affordable, readable, and under 10,000 pages. For example there is a full chapter 25 with detailed instruction on how to implement 802.1X security for wired and wireless networks. For Software Restriction Policies there are three pages but that is enough to make a user aware of what SRP is, how it can help you prevent users from installing and running unathorized applications, and the basics of how to implement it. As a MCSE in Windows 2003:Security and a common newsgroup participant I am often amazed at the number of admnistrators that are not aware of many the security features of Windows 2000/2003/XP Pro such as SRP or in particular ipsec. They would benefit tremendously from this book.

The two chapters on privacy were dropped and more room is devoted to W2003/XP Pro. Though a lot of the content is the same as the previous version much as been revised or added. Below are some that I considered of note though my list is not all inclusive of changes.

CH3. A much better table with descriptions of well known sids.
CH8. Using EFS with Webdav to keep files encrypted on the network and sharing of EFS files.
CH9. Full list AND description of all services for Windows 2000/2003/XP Pro.
CH10. Windows firewall including how to configure for scope and exceptions, using Group Policy or scripted intstallations using netfw.inf. Improvements for ipsec in Windows 2003 including default exemption handling.
CH.11 Group Policy for wireless networks and Software Restriction Policies.
CH.12 Interet Explore securtiy and pop up blocker.
CH.15 One of my favorite chapters on auditing. Includes tables with listing of more Event ID's for object access and policy change.
CH.17 Listed specific service recommendations for domain controllers for both Windows 2000/2003 and also listed a recommended ipsec filter for securing a domain controller.
CH.19 Much is changed in 2003 Terminal Servies. - Use of Software Restriction Policies, smart card logon, and SSL for TS with SP1.
CH.22 For RRAS a big change is the cability of remote access quarantine control. A step by step is given with a link to sample scripts to use or modify.
CH.23 Implementation of role separation for certificate authorities.
CH.24 IIS 6.0 is disussed with it's security capabilities such as default install state, Automatic Health Monitoring, and the all important Application Isolation.
Ch.25 A whole step by step chapter on 802.1X for wired and wireless networks including Remote Access Policies, IAS, and deploying user and computer certificates. 802.1X can greatly increase security of WEP by using dynamic wep and forcing key renewal if you still have to use WEP.
CH.27 Briefy discusses Windows Update Services and its advantages.
CH.29 How to install and use the Windows 2003 SP1 Security Configuration Wizard to help select a computer profile for "hardening" to disable uneeded servces, configure audit policy, and use ipsec filters to block uneeded ports! In my opinion this is a tremendous tool that also has a rollback capability. New features of netstat are shown [note that netstat -b can be used to show executeable to port use though not covered in the book]. Two extremely helpful new tools - portquery and port reporter.
CH.31 Great table on using built in and third party tools to capture state of the computer for incident response investigation. I am surprised however that msinfo32 was not mentioned as you can use it to generate a very useful report to a .nfo file.

There is much discussion throughout the book on use of ipsec to protect your network with either ESP/AH encryption/integrity or the use of an ipsec "filter" policy to manage access to computer ports. Included are examples of ipsec filters for domain controller, wins, and DHCP. As much as I like the book I disagree with the recommendation on pages 375-376 on implementing ipsec for the domain by implementing a client/respond policy for the domain and then a server require ipsec policy for the domain controller container. Refer to KB254949 for more details and be sure to throughly test and ipsec policies on a test domain before implementing. Poorly planned ipsec implementation can cause havoc on a domain. I highly recommend that you read the white paper on Improving Security with Domain Isolation to see ipsec can do to protect your domain with the proper ipsec policies.

All in all I still believe that the Microsoft Windows Security Resource Book is a top notch book for anyone to own who wants to learn how to maximize security on their computer or network within their risk manangement paramaters. The changes in Windows XP Pro SP2 and more so Windows 2003 are very significant. If you already own the First Edtition but have upgraded to Windows 2003 or want to learn more about how Windows 2003 can improve your security then this book is for you.

i am a big sportsa fan, and like most people i was very sad and upset about the north stars move. it helps to have this book to go back and live the good memorites of the teaam. i would recomend this book to any hockey fan. tim pekarek

Minnesota North Stars: History and Memories with Lou Nanne
Now this is the way a book on the history of a major sports franchise should be written. This book covers the history of the team from entry into the NHL until the move to Dallas. Also covered is the construction of the Met Center and a season-by-season review. The game action photos and individual player photos make this book a great addition to any collection, especially if you are a big NHL or North Stars fan. I have only seen two other franchise history books that come close to matching the quality of this book. Those two books are Relentless, volumes 1 and 2, on the history of the Buffalo Bills.

This book is a treasure, for anyone who loves hockey, but especialy for Fans of the North Stars.
The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. Billy Robin McFarland's camera provide a "look into the past".
Way to go Louuuuu!

When the 1992-93 National Hockey League season ended, the Minnesota North Stars franchise was moved from Bloomington, Minnesota to Dallas, Texas. The word 'North' was dropped from the team's name. Shortly afterwards, the Met Center (previously home base for the old Minnesota North Stars hockey team was demolished -- ending twenty-six years of Minnesota professional hockey. "Minnesota North Stars: History And Memories With Lou Nanne" by long time fan Bob Showers is an inherently fascinating history of those many years laced with anecdotal stories combined with vintage photographs, and official team stats, all graced with the personable narrative style of Lou Nanne. The result is informed and informative reading that is a 'must' for the legions of fans who remember the glory days of professional Minnesota ice hockey.

Its a must to read for all aspiring to be a General Manager in their organization. The Performance Cockpit bring you back to the reality of the corporate world. It offers tremendous practical insights into management and leadership. Christo's experience and observation could save you many man hours of learning on the the job and understanding potential pitfalls of leading people and managing upwards.

This is an excellent, easy-to-read guide to excellence in management. The Performance Cockpit book should be a required reading for all new managers and also for senior managers who think that may need to freshen up their skills once in a while. The author, Mr. Christos Kartalis, is an old business pro, and he shows this in his book. It is profound, that everything in the book has been implemented, tested, and proven to work. Kartalis presents many of the proactive approaches of practicing General Managers, offering succinct and straightforward advice on each. Although he avoids the boredom of theory, his advice is well grounded in it. This serves the new manager quite well by not complicating his quest for knowledge with unnecessary complications. Therefore, the book can be easily used as a reference by busy people and this will be greatly appreciated.

I personally recommend this book for any new manager or anyone interested in pursuing a career in management.

Athens, October 13, 2007

Basil N. Tsaras,
President and Managing Director,
Prothesis Business Consultants SA

"The New General Manager's Performance Cockpit" is a terrific distillation of Christos Kartalis' insights into successful management.

Even though he's still relatively young, the author has had an enormously successful career. What has allowed him to stand out, in part, is his ability to see the big picture.

"The Performance Cockpit" share this insight. New general managers often come into their jobs with wonderful preparation but not always with a lot of experience in putting their preparation into practice. This book provides that last piece of the puzzle, showing how new general managers can apply their skills, talents, and knowledge in the systems-based stucture of many large corporations.

Many of the areas Kartalis highlights are critical to successful management in the 21st Century. Understanding benchmarks and corporate expectations, navigating and managing change, controling the pace of change, setting appropriate targets, responding to feedback, allocating resources and investments...Kartalis shows how to manage all these areas in the larger context in which a general manager must function.

This is an excellent book. New general managers will come away from reading it with confidence that they can do the job. Experienced managers will benefit from the reminders of what is really important in the jobs.

In "Performance Cockpit", Christos Kartalis has assembled a powerful & practical toolkit for general managers. Many general management books elaborate on business theory, really few can advise on the executional aspect. If, once in your business life you didn't hit your annual targets, read Chapter 17 : "7 systems to Beat your Targets ...", and you will have the perfect roadmap, not to miss any target again.
Christos Kartalis has a unique way to combine concept, strategy & execution. The outcome is not a pile of thoughts & documents, but, with his "systems & principles" based approach, creates a framework that drives to sustainable success (see the "pressure mapping" system in Chapter 12 as a perfect example).
What is special to this book is that it comes from real life & an active general manager, not from a general manager theorist. Every system included has been torture-tested in real business life. I have witnessed that -since I had the opportunity to work with Christos in the past-, and believe me, this book can be read as a diary from Christos's colleagues.

Sports' most storied franchise walks us through baseball history. If you are an avid baseball fan, or even a casual one, this book belongs in your collection.

Sports' most storied franchise walks us through baseball history. If you are an avid baseball fan, or even a casual one, this book belongs in your collection.

This great book it full of rich history. Much will be learned of early baseball history such as rules and the evolution of the uniform. More than the game details, the author details the social and political drama of the day. The reader becomes part of the history. A must read for all baseball fans.

Whether you love the Yankees or hate them, you'll enjoy this team history that is woven into the fabric of americana. This is much more than another good baseball book. You'll feel as if you actually lived through the decades (1903-1996) and were fortunate enough to attend, listen to, or at least read the next day's newspaper describing each of the New York opening-day contests

Shows the territory of organizational change, the roads to success and the path to the post-buzzword organization. No More Darn Buzzwords: Keys to Successful Organized Change provides great insight into the complexities of managing change and how to maneuver around them.

Shows the territory of organizational change, the roads to success and the path to the post-buzzword organization. No More Darn Buzzwords: Keys to Successful Organized Change provides great insight into the complexities of managing change and how to maneuver around them.

No More Darn Buzzwords: Keys To Successful Organized Change by David Chaudron (a Managing Partner of Organized Change Consultancy) is a quite practical and accessible instructional and informational guide for business and organizational planning that warns against overuse of "canned" or pre-prepared approaches and buzzwords, so frequently used by corporate managers when attempting to squeeze their unique structure into a mass-produced stratagem that may not be effectively tailored for their own needs. Individual chapters succinctly address how to develop and implement plans that are geared specifically to what one's individual business requires, successful assessment and measurement, facilitating teamwork, improving training methods, and much, much more. No More Darn Buzzwords is strongly recommended as being an excellent and advantageous resource.

"No More Darn Buzzwords: Keys to Successful Organized Change" provides great insight into the complexities of managing change and how to maneuver around them. I highly recommend it!

Consiglio il dvd a tutti gli amanti di calcio ed in particolare a tutti i fans di Giorgio Chinaglia! Lunga vita Long John!
Alfonso Rossetti, Roma,Italy.
Lazio's fan.

I've now seen the documentary and read the book, and this is a story that is both fascinating and familiar to sports fans. The film sort of centers around the dream of Steve Ross, president of what became Warner Communications and the Cosmos. It paints him as a selfless and daring pioneer who was desperate to make soccer big in this country. To an extent, he really was that. The book is less charitable to his behavior, painting him as a poor sport who brought Warner to its knees. Ross partied on the company's dime, looked like a playboy genius, fouled things up with a few bad decisions, and got out with an enormous bank account. Hey, wouldn't we all love to do that? Except it cost thousands of people at Warner and Atari their jobs. Many American soccer players' dreams of playing in their domestic pro league were crushed. I hope Major League Soccer executives read this as their bible, and don't let history repeat itself. In the end, you have to feel sorry for the fans and players, who hoped in vain their success would last forever. But those few good years were pretty sweet, and it was entertaining to learn what happened behind the scenes after years of wondering.

You'll be in tears by the third chapter and will likely cry the whole way through. The characters are so engaging you can't help it!

ESPN Classic has been playing the movie made of this book. The two complement each other perfectly.

The story is of the NY Cosmos, a star-laden team that flamed in the late 70s and early 80s. They routinely drew sellout crowds to Giants Stadium, led by such stars as Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Alberto. Then a few years later, the team (and the league) disappeared. But what a ride, a hysterical story that is told quite well by Newsham. He interviewed many people (except Pele who reportedly wanted big $$$).

Book is weighed down by Newsham talking about what was happening in the country and world at the time.

But the story is so good. Even if you are NOT a soccer fan, and I am not, it is worth reading.

Thank you for writing this book! I found Tony Ruggiero on podcast and listened to his short stories. You should have seen the happy-dance I did when I discovered this novel!

Team of Darkness is a wonderful combination of two genres I love; military action stories and vampire fiction. Tony's gives the characters of the vampire protagonists far more emotional detail, making them more human than their foes. I look forward to Operation Save the Innocent.

I really enjoyed this book. I expected a lot of military details that would eventually bore me, but I was pleasantly surprised. It kept my attention so much that I couldn't put it down once I started it. It doesn't bog you down with too much military jargon and it makes you believe that vampires really exist. Oh, wait. They do. This is a great book and I recommend it to everyone. I will be reading more of this author. And others should too.

I enjoyed the previous version (Team of Darkness) but thought there might be something more to the story. I found out that I was right after the author told me this version was coming out.

There's something to the saying that you shouldn't read this after dark. I am not normally a fan of military science fiction, but this had me carrying it around while doing other things. I got so caught up in the story that I jumped when I heard a noise upstairs!

Tony does an exceptional job merging two popular subject matters without making the other more important than the other. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Thaxton was recently enlisted in the Union Army when his regiment was called to the battlefield. He barely had any skill or practice with a gun so he was forced to pick up the techniques along the way. His generals showed him the way and put him in the most dangerous job of all - the aerial observations. The objective of aerial observation was to simply map down enemy forces from the air view. Thaxton began as a private and was promoted to Lieutenant within weeks for his amazing skill and accomplishments. Thaxton was in the air on his hot air balloon mapping down enemy lines when all of the sudden the Confederates made a surprise attack and forced the Union lines to retreat leaving Thaxton behind enemy lines. Thaxton was completely astonished to find himself being lowered from the air and into Confederate hands. Throughout the rest of the story, Thaxton was imprisoned and escapes with a few others and journeys back to the Union lines. This story was vividly described and well written, great characters, and an excellent plot.
This book was very well written and adventurous from its details and descriptions of actions occurring throughout the story. The battles and fights were well described so I could imagine exactly what was going on. The imagery was designed perfectly just so the reader could be aware of what was happening. The first battle of the book was set in a field but later changed to the woods so even the settings changed from scene to scene which was a twist.
Characters in this book were described very well also. They physical traits and how they acted were both clearly stated for all characters. That showed me what to expect out of each and every character for what they might do later on in the story. Given how one character acted I guessed what he would do next such as Thaxton would run away but the author always changed it so this time Thaxton didn't run away. Some characters like Red, were described as being dangerous and clever so I assumed he would come up with a plan of escape and that was exactly what he did. Red constructed the plan for escape with Thaxton and a few others.
The plot to this book was obviously thought out for a while by the author as he showed it in his work. The plot was about a kid that gets captured and escapes from a prisoner of war camp and tries to get back to his lines but encounters several problems along the way. One of these problems is that he meets his cousin that looks exactly like him. His cousin takes Thaxton as an enemy although his cousin is a double spy and works for the Union and the Confederates. Thaxton's cousin challenges him to a duel and Thaxton wins by pure luck. As Thaxton continues on his journey to his Union lines, he meets his dying uncle. His uncle leaves Thaxton with his extremely large estate and fortune.
High Spy was a very good book that I found interesting and exciting. The author kept me guessing what would happen next after every page. This book had an amazing plot that was unique, unlike any other book I've read before. I would recommend it to all readers that favor action and adventure.
-k hurdle

With the introduction of a new character, the entire Spy High universe gets an overhaul. We learn about another school, social roles begin to change and the truth about Johnathan Deverauxe is revealed to us. Also, the elements of scinece fiction really take off here. A.J. Butcher said, "The best part of writing science fiction is that if you need something, you can just make it up." We continue to see teh change of the kids as they become young adults. This book starts their second and last year of training.

Devereaux Academy is a top secret training school for young secret agents. But the kids call it Spy High. The story opens with the Bond Team -- Lori, Ben, Jake, Eddie, and Cally -- returning to Spy High from a break, yet still reeling from the death of their teammate, Jennifer at the hands of Dr. Frankenstein on a previous mission. For that reason, they don't exactly accept Bex, their new recruit with open arms. It's not her spiked green hair, or body piercings, or even her big attitude that makes them suspicious. It's the sabotage of Eddie's SkyBike during practice. And the booby trap that springs up for Lori and Ben in the Gun Run training scenario. Then Cally's cyber-cradle malfunctions nearly suffocating her. When the Bond Team members find out that Bex lied about her background and she's sneaking around the campus late at night, they think she might be a double agent. They take their concerns to Senior Tutor Elmore Grant but he dismisses them. The Bond Team are on their own. Not only do they have to get to the bottom of the mischief at Spy High, but they are just as determined to uncover Bex's true identity.

"The Paranoia Plot" is the 4th book in the Spy High series. While it's helpful to have read previous books in the series, it's not necessary to the understanding of the story or characters. This book is loaded with fast-paced action and enough plot twists to keep thinking readers on their toes. With fun, futuristic props like shock blasters, space-spheres, holograms, and clones, Spy High reads like a video game inside a book.

Copyright (c) 2005 by Peggy Tibbetts

I have recently read the Paranoia Plot, by AJ Butcher. I think it was an amazing book. This was about the Bond Team, a team of teens at Spy High, who are in training to carry out the will of Mr. Devraux, the founder of Spy High. In the last book, Jake's girlfriend and teammate Jen falls in the line of duty, in this case stopping a gang leader named Talon. The team gets a new member, Bex, and ... well, if I said anything else, I would give away the story. It was very well writen (no mistakes), and it had a capturing plot. When Bond Team found out the plot, I felt what they felt. I laughed with Bex at Eddie's attempts to win her heart. I felt relieved when the good guys finally won out. It was a wonderful book, and it held my interest to the end. I gave it five stars, and I think if you read it you will agree that it earns every one.