Successful businessman Wynn Bryant is approached by his brother-in-law, the governor of Florida, to take over the position of congressman Hutchings, who has recently suffered a stroke. Wynn refuses, but quickly learns he has no choice, and the reason becomes clear...Legislation has recently put together the Jubilee Amendment which is to relieve Third World countries of their debt, and the governor was this squashed, no matter what the cost.

Jackie Havilland is working for a small detective agency when she is approached with a mysterious and unusual request...Esther Hutchings wants Jackie to find out who is behind the smear campaign of her husband, and make sure the Jubilee Amendment is passed.

As Jackie and Wynn become deeper involved in their assignments they realize there is a far reaching conspiracy, one that involves a secret project called Tsunami. Tsunami is the biggest currency scam in history, one that congressman Hutchings was investigating before his stroke. Before long Jackie and Wynn are faced with a deadly race against time with powerful forces. Forces that will kill anyone that gets in the way of their plan to reshape world economy.

'Drummer In The Dark' is a great follow-up to the best-selling 'The Great Divide.' T. Davis Bunn has switched gears, and instead of giving us another legal thriller, he has given a fast-paced political thriller laced with intrigue. The plot, while complex, is well written, and easy to follow, with plot twists at every turn, and enough shocks to keep you turning the pages.

T. Davis Bunn is quickly jumping into the forefront of thriller writers, and proving he is a skilled storyteller with a knack for churning out bestsellers.

Nick Gonnella

T. Davis Bunn can be counted on to do his research on any of his books which enables the reader to learn about an issue, while at the same time, being totally entertained. I was fascinated by the world of traders who trade millions in one day and how that affects the world's economy. It was so suspenseful, I could not put this book down. Best of all, it was tasteful. As a Christian, there was nothing about this book that offended me. In fact, just the opposite was true. I was inspired by anothers intention to make a difference.

T. Davis Bunn keeps getting better. Wow! I thought he'd found his niche with "The Great Divide" (his legal thriller), but this book of political and financial intrigue raises the standard even higher. I'm not a big stocks and funds enthusiast, but Bunn manages to create a suspenseful and well-researched plot that hooked me early on. He works in a credible idea of dealing with Third World debt that I particularly found interesting. Beyond his obvious knowledge of the subject, Bunn creates believable characters and writes with a narrative flair that I personally love. His story is complex and maybe too intertwined for some to delve into, but I couldn't get enough.

As the title of this review suggests, I did lose sleep finishing this book. But the title is stolen from Bunn's own writing. "Jackie's eyelids felt coated with shards from the hourglass of lost sleep." It's writing such as this, passionate and imaginative, that make the political and financial arena come alive. Jackie and Wynn, the two protaganists, are complex characters whom I came to care for. Although the spiritual lessons are muted and few, Bunn works in heartfelt and very real spiritual thoughts without seeming preachy.

With a recent batch of superlative novels by Christian authors("When Heaven Weeps" by Ted Dekker and "The List" by Robert Whitlow, to name a few), I must include "Drummer in the Dark" as one of my favorites.

Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals is mainly about physical principles that are the foundation of many of the techniques of Silat and Kuntoa which are the major systems covered in this book.

What sets this book apart from most martial arts is that the bulk of the book principles are all focused on how to "in fight" i.e. what are the main principles to use when fighting is up close and personal, when you are close enough to bite, head butt, elbow, knee and trip as primary weapons and techniques.

Besides the section on principles the author spends some time on principles on learning martial arts by analyzing his personal learning experiences in learning and teaching martial arts and leads you into understanding and hopefully questioning how you learn and analyze your current training (for those that are thinking of starting up in martial arts or switching to a different "style" see the author's other book "Martial Arts America" is a must read).

Negatives? The book is only 180 pages and $40. The price is justified because the book is filled with large, sharp B&W photo sequences that illustrate the principles and these are expensive to produce. The shortness of the book is really a shortcoming created by the author's excellent analytical and tight writing ability that makes you sad that you came to the end of the book but for me the beginning (well actually a renewal) of my martial arts journey of discovery.

The book does an excellent job of teaching several important fundamental principles of Silat and Kuntao and using techniques to demonstrate how they work. Regardless of what style you study, an understanding of these principles and how to apply them will make you a more effective martial artist.

I also highly recommend Bob Orlando's video, "Fighting Arts of Indonesia - Combat Secrets of Silat and Kuntao" which makes a great companion to the book.

It's rare indeed that a martial arts book can teach a reader much that they can incorporate into their own practice: usually the techniques that they teach are too difficult to learn from a book, or so simple that any student knows them already. But by focusing on principles and logic of combat rather than on specific techniques, Bob Orlando gives the student of martial arts not only insight into Indonesian styles but methods of practice and training which a student of virtually any art can incorporate into their own.

In addition, this book is an excellent companion to Orlando's video "Fighting Arts of Indonesia". They cover much of the same ground and reinforce each other. It had an immediate and transformative impact on my martial arts training.

Without a doubt, this is the most useful martial arts book I have ever purchased.

My wife and I have been to Walt Disney World 3 times in the last 4 years and it's getting tough to explain to our friends and family just why it is we spend money and valuable vacation time at the same place. In a word, it's: MAGIC. Walt Disney World is so much more than an collection of amusement parks filled with thematic attractions interspersed with gift shops and restaurants. Walt Disney World is a study in customer service excellence. It is one man's dream come true. We go as much to be inspired as we do to relax and have fun. This book was an excellent companion to our visit providing insight into just how Disney consistently delivers a quality experience.

So why is Disney flat-lining? Well, this is off the book, but if Michael and the gang are listening- in a word it is "Saturation". In Disney's effort to "be everywhere" the magic wears off. Disney stores in the mall, all over radio and TV, and in many ways becoming omnipresent, they are going to pull a "Planet Hollywood". They need to keep a healthy distance- not chasing people everywhere for fear the competition vying for their time and attention will somehow win out. Just keep doing the basics well and let the customers come and find you.

I highly recommend this easy-reading book for three reasons. First, it helped me understand and appreciate how Disney continues to deliver the highest quality products and services year-in and year-out. Secondly, it clearly described many proven ways and concepts to improve my organization's customer service. Lastly, this book gave me a lot of practical lessons that can and should be adapted to fit into most management or leadership situations.

I read a couple of outstanding books by Disney-outsiders ("Built to Last" by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, and "The Disney Way" by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson) about how and why they were so impressed with Disney. I wanted to read a book about a Disney-insider's perspectives on what Disney does to impress everyone and exceed all expectations. This book showed me the "what" of Disney's practical magic of customer service: a full-time business of shared values, enforced standards, focused work, self-discipline, and attention to detail that is virtually transparent to all Disney guests. I got all that I wanted and more from this outstanding book.

After I finished reading this book, I read through my highlights and realized that the following paragraph from the introduction perfectly previewed the book:

"In this book, we take you behind the scenes to discover Disney best practices and philosophies in action. We provide you with an insider's glimpse of quality service principles in action both at Walt Disney World, as told from the perspectives of cast members [Disney-speak for "employees"], and in other organizations, as told by executives who have participated in Disney Institute programs. Walt Disney's fundamentals for success still ring true. You build the best product you can. You give people effective training to support the delivery of exceptional service. You learn from your experiences. And you celebrate success. You never stop growing. You never stop believing."

Sharing the secrets behind Disney's 'practical magic' in this book is yet another example of Disney's commitment to exceptional guest [Disney-speak for "customer"] service. Read this book and enjoy being Disney's guest.

As the Director of an Entrepreneurship Program at a private University, I have found this book to be a valuable teaching tool. Students at all levels of learning enjoy the book because it connects practical stories that students can understand to important aspects of customer service as well as employee management. As recent visitors with our two young children, my wife and I enjoyed the book purely from a "guest" perspective. You can really appreciate all that goes into the magic of the Disney parks by reading this book.

POSITIVES:
- Excellent for educating vegetarians (and everyone) about the difference between Disney and ordinary restaurants...that the chefs work with you to create what you want, there's no need to stick to the menu.

- Good for convincing vegetarians (and gourmands) that it's worth going to nice restaurants at Disney.

NEGATIVES:
- Too much emphasis on "calling in advance" to work out your dream meal, not enough on just picking the restaurants that have the best (or most) vegetarian/vegan items already on the menu.

- Quite outdated by now, it's absolutely necessary to use their web site as an adjunct to bring the info up to date.

BOTTOM LINE:
- Use primarily as a narrative read before you go...only secondarily as a reference for choosing where to eat each day.

Being on Weight Watchers, I am much more conscious about what type of foods I can eat. Not being a strict vegetarian, (I don't eat red meat and VERY little meat at all) I found this book very enlightening. I found there are much more options out there than I expected!

While my options might be more than an average vegetarian, this book is a fantastic general guidebook to what is available at the WDW parks and resort restaurants. Knowing what places can give you egg substitute or garden burgers is very handy.. also knowing that many of the chefs around "the world" are very accomodating for special diets, helps a lot!

My suggestion for folks is definitely keep this as one of your top planning guides, read it at least once before you go.. have it handy so you can see what options are there and be flexible. If you aren't able to call ahead to the restaurant, have other places picked that you like to eat.

Another tip is letting the folks know when you make your reservation is a good heads up to the staff to have what you want available. I have a friend who is on a very strict diet after undergoing a gastric bipass, and she let them know ahead of time what she couldn't have and reminded them again when she checked in for dinner, and they were able to put together the most amazing meal!

A final note that chefs change resorts and so the accuracy of this book is not 100% but still well worth the read. This book has every restaurant listed and a very comprehensive review. I am so glad I got this book!

I bought this book because I have been trying to make my diet vegetarian and eating out is sometimes difficult. I thought that this would help me find the places for me. I also think it would be a helpful guide for anyone trying to just find healthier food in a junk food "world"

The book is great and very thoroughly researched. The only problem I found was that I would start out my day planning ahead for which restaurants I would go to at the theme parks and when I got into the line for food the item I wanted was no longer on the menu. The biggest offender was not Disney but still when you've got a heartier meal in mind a salad doesn't always cut it. This is not the fault of the authors and I highly recommend this boook to anyone planning a trip to Orlando.

Bob Truluck's first novel is a fast-paced detective thriller. A gay millionaire's sperm is stolen and injected into an unknown girl, the demand is simple- money or his baby dies. In comes Sloan, a man of the streets and a PI with a reputation to find the girl and put an end to a chain of gruesome murders which have been turning up, regarding the case. The novel has its share of action and mystery, and things get very nasty with the involvement of Latino gangs. For a debut, Street Level is a fine starting point for any new author and hopefully Truluck knows how to follow this one up correctly. It would've been much better if this book was thicker, because it was entirely interesting and original, so much that it shouldn't have finished so speedily. And, any Private Eye who admits he belongs out their on street level is a winner in my opinion; Sloan is a likeable character. A nice piece of reading for fans of this genre.

Isaac Pike, gay millionaire from Minnesota, is in a real bind. Sperm he deposited at a fertility clinic has not only been stolen but implanted into a low-life, trailer park nude dancer and if he ever wants to see his soon to be delivered child, he's going to have to pay up big time. The girl, Crystal Gail, was last seen in Orlando Florida, so Pike hires loose cannon private detective, Duncan Sloan, to sort out this mess and find the girl. Unfortunately, Sloan isn't the only person looking for Crystal, but he's the only one who wants to find and keep her alive. As the body count begins to grow exponentially and Sloan zeroes in on Crystal's whereabouts, he puts his plan in action and hopes they all come out of this alive..... Bob Truluck has written a spare, gritty and often witty novel full of graphic language and violence that's not for the faint of heart. His wise-cracking, hard-boiled detective, Duncan Sloan is an original, well drawn with a strong irreverent voice. This is a mystery/thriller that has it all...tight, fast paced plot, great characters and vivid, riveting scenes you won't soon forget. All in all a terrific debut you'll have to read in one sitting and a P.I. you'll look forward to following for many years to come.

In this initial outing, Bob Truluck's Duncan Sloan will remind the discerning detective-genre aficionado of Parker's early Spenser offerings...except that Sloan is hipper, smarter, and a bit more wry than Spenser ever was. On top of that, Bob Truluck has somehow managed to come up with a genuinely original premise for this story, an achievement that I haven't seen in years. If you appreciate an excellent hard-boiled detective novel, then you'll want this one on your bookshelf. In fact, the only problem with Street Level is that its sequel isn't already waiting on the shelf for me to buy.

This is a very good book for beginners. The problem is that versions of the software has been changing so rapidly; some of the instructions in the book do not conform with the changing versions of SPSS. Some functional buttons have changed positions or renamed (e.g., Analysis in place of Statistics) etc.Other than that, the book is still useful for basic statistics and could be used even with the newest versions of the software.

This is a fine book for someone new to SPSS. The problem is that version 10.0 doesn't match up with the examples in the book (written before version 10.0). If you're using 10.0, get a book specifically for it.

The book provides good statistical information and examples on using SPSS for Windows. One of the book's strengths is that it provides hands on examples and provides guidelines and interpretation of the results. In setting out the problems, the examples lead you through the multitude of options in SPSS statistical analysis. Highly recommended.

I noticed that this book had practically nothing bad to say about anything in the park. It is extremely enthusiastic about everything (for example, while slightly acknowledging the cheesy nature of the Kong ride, the book just goes on about how pretty the scenery is instead.) It makes it sound like Universal invented the S&S Space Shot tower with Dr. Doom's Fearfall, when, in actuality, the same ride was made by many parks first... etc. Do you know what's even better? When I was browsing the Universal gift shops, this book was featured prominently in many of them. If you want the book that Universal wants you to read, get this one.

This book is the best unbiased, comprehensive compilation of all things Universal on the market. If you are spending any amount of time in Orlando, pick up:
1) Universal Orlando (Monaghan)
2) The Unofficial Guide to Disney World (Sehlinger)
3) The Other Orlando (Monaghan)

Ride, Resort, and Restaurant reviews are thorough and right on the mark. After reading this, you'll feel like an "insider" and get the most out of your vacation. You'll recover the cost of this book after reading the first 31 pages. By the end of the book, you'll be able to extend your vacation or put much less of a dent in your credit cards.

BTW - The fact that this book is for sale at Universal should be a feather in Universal's cap, not an indictment against this book's accuracy. I wonder if Disney will ever feature the "Unofficial" guide in their stores.

Must have for first time travelers as well as returning visitors. This book contained some excellent tips for "hidden" things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. His ride and show details are very descriptive.

My first visit to Sicily - and I hope not my last - took place this May. Our group had planned just a short visit to Palermo. Everything I had read said the city was chaotic - evidence of Mafia contamination all over; dirty, inadequate services, horrible traffic and somewhat dangerous. But some of the jewels were still there and worth the visit, we concluded. What a lovely surprize - We found a different Palermo from the one described in "Midnight in Sicily, and "On Persephone's Island." Renovation all over; the Teatro Massima newly re-opened and a city with a bright, good feel to it....After reading this book, I feel I had an insight into some of the ways this was done. If Stille's "Excellent Cadavers" takes you through the legal battles, this book talks about political and cultural changes as seen by its mayor. At first I was a little concerned with self-aggrandizement and Stille doesn't seem to be too great a fan, but I came to respect Orlando's story....I am very curious and would like to find out more about Orlando and also want to go back to Palermo, with more open eyes this time....By the way, the traffic was still terrible.

This book tells an amazing story and has been a true inspiration for many people. Other groups/institutions/governments have tried to duplicate the methodology that was used in Sicily to improve their own cultures - moving from crime and corruption to a "culture of lawfulness." To see how a society has been able to move forward is great - it takes courage to be an optimist and obviously Leoluca Orlando and the people who worked with him were very courageous!

Fighting The Mafia and Renewing Sicilian Culture by Leoluca Orlando is an authentic chronicle of the incredible travails of the Sicilian people as they struggled to overthrow the yoke of the Mafia and the corrupted politicians with whom they were allied.

Orlando recounts the story as only one who was in the midst of the battle can do it. If you know anything at all about the history of the Mafia in Sicily and the US you realize that the story is authentic and understated. Enough detail is provided to support the narrative but there is no sensationalism, as incredible as that may sound.

The book ends on a chilling note. Much remains to be done.

Excellent and vital piece of work for the average bird watcher in Cuba. Please purchase before travelling to Cuba, as in the country itself you'll be unable to find ANY fieldguide on birds!

Excellent and very scientific guide. The descriptions are excellent and all the information extremely useful. It's obvious that the authors are experts in their field. I found the plates top notch and, I'm sure, they will allow quick identification of any bird we see. A couple of defects: The common Spanish name should be included in the plates. Imagine the guide telling you "That's a siju platanero" while the plate only calls it Cuban Pigmy owl!But that is minor compared to the lack of cross-reference from the plate to the text. The other guides I have state the page with the information about the sighted bird. Here you must go through the index or leaf your way to the correct text. Other than that I really enjoyed the book.

Garrido and Kirkconnell's new field guide to the Birds of Cuba fills a niche that has needed filling since Thomas Barbour's The Birds of Cuba, 1923 (not a field guide). This book, however, goes far beyond where Barbour left off. Although untested by most birders, this new work has the potential to be one of the leading birding field guides. If the species accounts, range maps and illustrations prove to be accurate, it will be. The geographical information will be a great aid not only in finding the birds, but also in selecting transportation and appropriate attire. The section, Bird Habitats, (page 10) gives brief but informative treatments on the eco-zones of Cuba mentioning some appropriate plants and the birds found in these habitats. The Endemic Species list (Appendix) gives us insight into a fascinating avifauna. The Endemic Subspecies list that follows could include English names for the sake of parallel structure. I have a feeling that "the splitters" will in the near future add to the species list. The beautiful illustrations by Roman F. Company are enhanced by tantalizing vignettes of the Cuban countryside.

As a student of Cuban natural history for over 35 years, this book whets my appetite for Cuba even more. My first trip to this enticing archipelago, known collectively as Cuba, lies ahead and it will be with my copy of Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba under my arm.

Clearly the author cannot speak for her generation at all. Her reviews are biased and opinionated, and her tips offer little to no help for those unfamiliar with the Walt Disney World resort. She refers to Epcot's trademark attraction, Spaceship Earth, as a "snooze," when I have seen plenty of teenagers who having nothing but good remarks to say about the ride.

My advice: stick with "Birnbaum's Official Guide." It is suitable for WDW fans of ALL ages: from young children, through teens, honeymooners, and the elderly. It will offer you far better--and less opinionated--information.

Im a teenager that gos down to disney world a lot and i loved this book!!!

I'm taking a youth group to Disney World this fall and bought this book along with several others. I must say I appreciate the fact that the authors gave their honest opinions about what rides are good for teens and which ones are just so-so. We have limited time in the theme parks during our visit and really need to use our time wisely, but the "official guides" we all rah-rah and "Everything is equally great." This was much more like "If you can only do five things, these are the things you should do." And, like somebody else said, it really does sound like it was written by a teenager.