It's Frank Peretti's brilliant novel writing skills...condensed! It's a super-cool family of archeologists--minus a mother--who investigate phenomena in the spirit of Indiana Jones, only with a Christian perspective. A nice alternative to the gore and junk in the Indiana Jones movies.

Flying Blind isn't as exciting or as spectacular of a plot as some of the others, but still will keep you on the edge of your seat. Jay Cooper has been struck blind on board his uncle's plane due to airplane turbulence. Now, with the help of ground crew, family, friends, and relatives he must attempt to keep his unconscious uncle alive and land safely...all while he is Flying Blind.

This book appears to be the last of the Cooper kids adventure series, sadly. It's not as grand as some of the other novels, like I said, but it's still worth reading.

For the parents: A pretty tame book, compared to the others. Jay gets whacked on the head and bleeds a little. That's it.

This one keeps you on the edge of your seat. Jay Cooper and his uncle were having a fun flight on his uncle's plane, when a larger plane knocked them terribly. Jay becomes blind, and his uncle is knocked unconscious. Jay must now atempt to land the plane without eyesight. He gets help, though, over the radio, from a friend, an airport trafic controler, and finally his father. His family down on the ground tries to think of a successful way for him to land the plane. But it may cost his uncle his life. Can Jay land the plane successfully without injuring himself or his uncle? This book grabs your attention, and keeps it!

Derek Carroll 3/13/01

FLYING BLIND

I really enjoyed reading this book because it was very suspenseful. It was full of excitement, it made you not want to stop reading the book or even put it down. It was like being inside a movie acting it out as you read on. I believe everyone should have the Frank Peretti collection in their home. If it is your first time reading a book you should start on this book. If you like a book full of action and danger this is the book you should be reading. It takes place on a little two-passenger plane that belongs to jay's uncle. They both were having fun until a huge passenger plane had blown its engine. The force of the turbulence under the plane forced jay's plane out of control and knocking them both unconscious.

I love making my own decorations but I like to finish projects that look tasteful and as nice (or better) than anything I could buy. You can't go wrong with this book, whether you are just starting out or looking for a larger challenge. There are some easier projects as well as ones that are more difficult. You could spend years using this book and not run out of ideas. Plenty of full-color photos, step by step directions and techniques. Worth every penny you spend on this one!

I borrowed this book from a friend and had to buy a copy for myself. It gets your right-brain in high gear. If you're looking for the cutesy, folksy arts & crafts flowing out of China these days, forget this one. But if you like to create and like the unique, this is it. Even if you've never did a cloth before, this book will show you step by step and lead you to create a work of art!

I love this book. In the first place, it's just a beautiful publication--very well written and designed, and loaded with examples of gorgeous floorcloths by many artists. I borrowed it from the library just to look at the pictures, then decided I had to buy a copy for myself! Secondly, the instructions are wonderfully clear and precise (I've written and edited instructional manuals, so I know good instructions when I see them.)

I've made one floorcloth and have started a second. This is practically the first time in my 49 years that I have actually completed a craft project, and I'm thrilled with myself, with my new floorcloth (now on my bathroom floor) and with this book. Anyone who is interested in floorcloths surely would want a copy.

I read the translation of this book in september 1997. The thing I like about the book is the test (EQ map) - in fact, I recommend buying the book for taking the test. The book itself isn't that great, especially the link between the test and the rest of the book is ratther weak (to say the least). A more extensive review can be found on my website, 7EQ.com. Conclusion: if you want to test your EQ, buy this book. If you want to develop it, look elsewhere.

I was very concerned, whether "Emotional Intelligence" can be descibed with words. Especially, when many authors tend to praise themselves and how important their subject is. However, this book is as good as it gets! Even chapters like "Intuitive Flow" are concrete and easy to understand. Furthermore, many examples and citations are taken from bussiness cases and really help to connect the topic with your working life.

Actually, I even bougth a second copy to give it to interested collegues.

Robert Cooper's book is heads above all the other enmotional intelligence books on the market. The others empahasize to much theory. This author is heavy on practical proven approaches that are based on people be authentic with one another and working together. Granted this book may not be for those who don't have the guts to push themelves to grow to heights not even mentioned in typical management theories. Honesty, putting the customer first, being genuinine, etc... have all but become extinct today. Robert Cooper's book issue's a challenge to all of us. To be the best means competing against your own standards so you can best serve your customers first and making a profit helps you do that better. Bravo Dr. Cooper.

The book by Stoler is an excellent,albeit somewhat abbreviated account of the life of Marshall. The format, which discusses a time period and its relevance in US History and the life of Marshall was an excellent choice by the author. The only place it falls short, in my opinion, is in that its not really a critical review - the author never really analyzed Marshall's actions and took him to task for anything, and I find it hard to believe that, while a great man, Marshall never did anything wrong. Nonetheless, anyone who wishes to understand US military and foreign policy in the 20th century needs to read this book.

As other reviewers note, Marshall was one of the greatest men of the 20th century and a model of what our leaders should be. The author does not engage in hagiography, but instead provides a concise view of this man's life in its historical context. Unfortunately, I was hoping for something more comprehensive, yet not as massive as Pogue's exhaustive (exhausting) work.

Stoller does a good job of describing the footprint that Marshall left upon the world, but not enough about him as a man.

Mark Stoler writes a concise account of the life and accomplishments of George C. Marshall, one of the greatest soldiers and statesmen in U.S. history. The opening lines in chapter one describe how Marshall was the only professional soldier to receive the Nobel Peace prize. Stoler's work provides inspiration to not only those in uniform, but also diplomats and others interested in leadership in general. I found the book highly readable, succinct, yet having the detailed notes that provide guidance for further reading. It is well worth the read.

Stoler's work comes in at just under two hundred pages, but adds depth with extensive notes for the reader who wishes to pursue more details on the life and accomplishments of General Marshall. The author leans heavily on Forrest C. Pogue, Marshall's official biography, and others who have written extensively on the leader and World War II. The book also features a chronology of Marshall's life, two sets of photos, a bibliographic essay, and an index.

I found the chapter on Marshall's time as Secretary of State to be extremely interesting. He not only garnered passage of the European Recovery Plan ("Marshall Plan") during his tenure, but he also helped negotiate the Rio Pact and Organization of American States, witnessed Tito's Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, opposed the Soviet blockade of Berlin, and supported the creation of NATO. Marshall's immense impact on world affairs can still be felt in Western Europe and elsewhere, as his military and diplomatic efforts set the stage for international relations for the remainder of the 20th century.

As a military leader, I found this to be great reading and a good source for future reading on General Marshall. Read Stoler's work if you are a student of history or enjoy reading about leadership. Highly recommended!

This is the best book currently available on the subject of log home construction planning. It is well-organized, clearly written, and offers helpful information to anyone who is planning on building a log home. The reason it gets four stars instead of five is that some statements in the book must be read with your thinking cap on...The author is a milled log kit seller, so he shows a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) bias against handcrafted homes, build-it-yourselfers, and the like. Of course, every salesman believes that his own product is the best- so who can fault him...just take in the book with a "grain of salt" and remember to think for yourself.

This is the book you need if you're planning a log home -- I am. Gets right to what you need to be thinking about. Great checkoff lists. Starts right from site selection and property purchase and walks you through choosing a home, paying for it and maintaining it.

Just what it says in his description of why he wrote the book. It is NOT for the owner/builder, however it will make you think. After reading this book any subcontractor or supplier will have to earn his money. I now know what to look for in my future dealings with log home businesses. His contributions to Log Home Living Magazine are invaluable to owners and future owners and dreamers.

What a wonderful compilation of the works of this unusual and extremely gifted artist! While Charles Addams is a household name, that of Edward Gorey still brings looks of puzzlement whenever it comes up in conversation. I personally feel he has never received the acclaim justly due him, but then again, his works certainly will not be to everyone's taste. At times his stories are beyond comprehension, but perhaps that was his intention--to leave us guessing or use our own imagination to fill in the gaps. Be that as it may, the illustrations are worth the price of the book alone. If you love Edward Gorey and would rather have some of his works together in one volume, do yourself a favor and purchase this book. But be prepared to enter his personal weird and at times incomprehensible world.

The third Edward Gorey collection- Dedicated to: The dog at Gay Head :-)

Features 17 stories

THE UTTER ZOO: An alphabet featuring creatures whose names begin with each of the 26 letters, from: "The Ampoo is intensely neat; it's head is small, likewise it's feet" to "About the Zote what can be said? There was just one, and now it's dead"

THE BLUE ASPIC: A classic, about Jasper Ankle a VERY obsessed fan of a opera singer named Ortenzia Caviglia who puts the audience in raptures with her arias like: "Gli Occhielli & Lizzia Bordena" (Lizzie Borden!) :-)

THE EPIPLECTIC BICYCLE: "It was the day after Tuesday and the day before Wednesday..Embley and Yewbert were hitting one another with croquet mallets"..suddenly they discover a bicycle, and go on an adventure!

THE SOPPING THURSDAY: It's raining and Bruno the dog's master cannot find his umbrella! Bruno (a very noble beast) goes off to search for his masters umbrella, passing by many people who are also trying to cope with the weather.

THE GRAND PASSION (A novel): A very short novel! About the odd conversation between a woman with a geisha hairdo and a gentleman in a top hat. :-P

LES PASSEMENTERIES HORRIBLES: A passementerie is: A dress trimming, as of braid or silk embroidery (The Winston Dictionary College Edition) This story features some very ominous passementeries looming over people and animals, peeking through windows at people. :-P Acting very suspicious!

THE ECLECTIC ABECEDARIUM: Another alphabet: "Betray no qualms, when asking for ALMS" "A hidden BIRD is often heard" together with cute little pictures.

L'HEURE BLEUE: The title translates to: "The Blue Hour" the sky in the background is colored a beautiful twilight blue. The story features two creautures who resemble dogs, who both have the letter "T" embroidered on their sweaters. The plot follows their many interesting observations, during this "blue hour" :-)...VERY CUTE!

THE BROKEN SPOKE: Featuring a variety of "cycling cards" with pictures of a bunch of people (from all walks of life!) on bicycles!

THE AWDREY GORE LEGACY: A murder mystery! Who did it?! "One moment she was sitting there. The next, she had vanished into air"! It shows you a selection of weapons which may have been used, an assortment of suspicious characters, and some spots the body may be located. And Englands most sought after detective, a half Irish, half Japanese gentleman: named "Waredo Dyrge" and his inseparable canine companion "Deary"

THE GLORIOUS NOSEBLEEED: Yet another alphabet, with charming illustrations..."She wandered among the trees AIMLESSLY" "The creature regarded them BALEFULLY"...."He exposed himself LEWDLY" ;-)

THE LOATHSOME COUPLE: May be shocking to SOME, but not me. About the terrible coupling of two loathsome (pathetic and pitiful!) individuals "Harold Snedleigh" & "Mona Gritch" who plan and carry out the murder of children together( those Gorey children are so hapless!). A long story, a Gorey classic and one of my favorites. The plot may make some frown and seem distastful, but strangley....it isn't.

THE GREEN BEADS: About little Tancred, whose mother sends him to buy three pennies worth of tapioca. Suddenly he meets a very odd old mentally disturbed person (whose sex is unclear) Who reveals SHE is Tancred's grandmother 'Baroness von Rettig" who Tancred's mother had thought was lost long ago. But what ever became of the Baroness's emerald necklace?

LES URNES UTILES: The title translates to: "The Useful Urns" and here they are huge, bigger than people. They stand in the most awkward of places, and bear odd inscriptions.

THE STUPID JOKE: All about Friederich and his idea for a stupid joke, instead of getting out of bead he'll just lie there, while his family come in trying various ways to make him get up!

THE PRUNE PEOPLE: Is all about..well, prune people! People who have prunes for heads!

THE TUNING FORK: About poor homely Theod whose presence drove her family wild! Bent on suicide she rushed to the ocean, flinging herself in. But instead she meets a fanstatic sea creature who sympatizes with poor Theoda and her cruel past.

Here Edward Gorey is as great as usual! The Loathsome Couple may shock and offend some people, but it really is done in the most tasteful way as possible, for the subject matter.

This is the third of the Amphigorey series. Like those before it, this book is witty, charming, horrifying, and a delight to read. Filled with gothic illustrations, these short stories will sometimes chill you, sometimes confuse you, yet always entertain you.

Huge disappointment. Chapter 1, page 1 starts with "Those
companies that succeed at new product dvelopment are the future
Mercks, HPs, 3Ms, and Microsofts; those companies that fail to excel
at developing new products will invariably disappear or be gobbed up
by the winners. .....". Despite this quite promising catch
phrase you will not find a single word on how the above mentioned
companies develope new products.

Things actually get worse. What you
will find in this book are random generated case studies on various
portfolio models the authors encountered in the few firms willing to
meet them - no theoretical framework is given on portfolio management,
criteria to be included and best practices in various industries.

As
a major disappointment I found the fact that not a single case/best
practise study came from the pharmaceutical industry and the software
industry, those industries where portfolio management/selection are at
the very heart of the strategic management process. It would have been
a huge (and logical) opportunity to cover in this book how Merck or
Pfizer steer their new product development processes. But don`t look
for clues to this questions in this book. The case studies you will
find in this book are about a small Canadian bank, a small US chemical
company, and about Hoechst US. The last case study offered at least
some ideas useful for improving the portfolio management process (that
is the main reason for the second star).

Somewhat disturbing are
platidudes widely used throughout the book (e.g. " ....Remember:
understanding the problem is the first step to a solution!
.... (p. 184)). If esclamation marks after platitudes make you
nervous, then you will probably throw this book away before reaching
page 100.

The only bright side of this book are the first 20 pages,
where the authors discribe present shortfalls of the portfolio
management process currently used in some firms (i.e. in the firms
they interview, and these firms are underperformers). It helps to get
an idea of what effective portfolio management should do - and these
points are very agreeable indeed (e.g. value creation, balance,
strategic fit). That these questions are inadequeately and only
empirically adressed in this book, is a source of frustration for its
readers. I would give only a very very weak recommendation for this
book....

databaseU

In this text, the authors thoroughly review the methods currently being practiced in companies to make decisions about their investments in new products and technologies, and the success of these various methods. They recognize the difficulties of making such decisions, especially by relying on simple processes without understanding shorfalls of the process and the robustness of the data. They focus on the goals of maximizing value, achieving a balanced portfolio and linking the decisions to business strategy. They tie this process into other key processes in the company, including the product development process and the new product strategy. By far the most valuable aspect of the book, however, is the link between process and real operation provided by the "Points for Management to Ponder" commentary which runs throughout the book. This is a current, encyclopedic and practical guide to this very difficult business process.

The resources invested in producing and supporting new products in markets provide, on average, a poor return on investment (see the research of Cooper and others on this topic). Managing across a portfolio of products adds a degree of complexity to the task of being successful with each individual product. This book provides the essential information for management to understand the fundamentals of a rational, process based approach to managing new products.

Well, as a female student pilot and someone who has been obsessed with flying since I was 5 years old, I was REALLY disappointed when I read this book. First of all, it becomes obvious to the reader that not one person wrote this book, as one goes through different sections. There is absolutely no coherence in it and it does no good to literary contributions. Secondly, I don't think that it was appropriate for the authors to elaborate on the details of her dysfanctional family. We don't really want to know the ugly stuff. Third, I found myself, while reading the book, saying "yeah, right..."; many things just don't add up. And, perhaps she is a great aerobatic pilot, no doubt about that, but basically it is a way to care for her fast-paced personality rather than the flying itself. At least this is what I got from the book. What about women in aviation, in general? There was so much more to be written in this book! I'd be more interested to read something from her pilot-sister Toni...

Why is flying so great? That is the question I've often asked myself.

Some biographies of super-pilots don't go much further than to say that flying was all the author ever wanted to do since he was a kid, and then fail to make clear what it really is about flying that touches them so deeply. In this book, however, the author sheds more light on the issue. She tells us about the feelings and emotions that flying an airplane evokes. Wagstaff really tries to make you feel what goes on in her head (or heart) when she flies, why she gets such a kick out of flying.

To me, that was the aspect of the book that really stood out for me. For the rest, the book was just a fascinating read. Wagstaff has lead an amazing life, and she writes well about it.

In the office of my flight instructor, there is a framed autographed poster hanging on the wall showing an Extra 300S banked at a reasonable angle in a climb. Closer inspection reveals that the background of sky and ground is reversed, the plane is actually at the top of a loop, heading downward. The top left headline reads, "Man was not meant to fly like this" and the sassy bottom tag line reads, "Man doesn't." A picture of Patty Wagstaff, flashing a provocative, over the shoulder smile, completes the image. That poster was my final nudge to begin aerobatic training, and I purchased this book to gain insight into the life of someone who not only mastered the field of competitive aerobatics, but also learned how to market her skills effectively. I wanted to know how she did it, and where the drive came from.

The answer is surprising, and painful. One begins to wonder if she would have bothered if her family of origin had been more normal, more pleasant, or if she had been allowed to give her talents free rein. Would we be celebrating her artistry in watercolor, instead of aerial performance? The first third of the book is gritty, and reads like an exercise in emotional therapy, of a boomer coming of age when society was tearing itself up. Start reading it by playing some CD's of the era, or the Forrest Gump soundtrack, turn on the UV lamp and light up an incense stick.

For the remainder, pull your harness extra tight and hang on. It is a fast ride, from learning to fly at 30 to entering her first contest at 34 to becoming US National Champion at 40. The value she places on having good friendships is obvious, as she names and credits everyone who helped her along the way. She was a teachable ex-hippie, who quickly made peace with machinery and power. She also had the inestimable advantage of a husband who introduced her to flying and enabled her gypsy lifestyle to enter contests and airshows. Not many of us can say, "Honey, I need a new $200,000 plane to be competitive this year." Well, we can say it, but it won't happen for most of us.

Pilots will enjoy the technical footnotes, but I recommend this book for anyone wanting to know what it takes to excel in any field, or to recover from a less than perfect start in life.

Patty's answer? It takes all that you have.

The NDE stories of the blind in this book are not that strong, such as a blind person saying, "I was this person do [something unique]," and having that story backed up. Most of the stories are old and could only be loosely verified. In one story, a man had his sight before the NDE or incident, but subsequently lost his sight just before the NDE or afterwards. Perhaps the strongest story was one of a blind woman who saw her friend throwing up in a bathroom in another house. However, as with all the stories in the book, the authors attempt to verify the stories many years after the incident happened when some of the witness aren't even alive, so they take the person's word for what happened.

All in all, I would say this is a quick attempt to make a buck, and jump on the NDE-Death-Reincarnation bandwagon. The book only has value if you are looking for a book on NDEs of the blind which cannot be verified thoroughly.

The book is an important contribution to the subject for a number of reasons, one of which is that some of the so-called skeptics have dismissed NDEs as evidence in favour of the survival hypothesis on the grounds that the NDEs of the blind differ from those of the sighted. This book firmly puts that myth to rest.

The book consists mostly of reviews of various cases of OBEs and NDEs in the blind, and one of the strongest concerns a woman blinded during surgery who apparently left her body while she was dying on a gurney with a breathing apparatus over her face. She seems to have seen her boyfriend and former husband standing speachless some distance away down the hallway. Seperate interviews with the two me support her story.

I predict more cases like this being made public in this decade. We could use a book on the cases of NDEs occuring during times when the patient's EEG recording was flat.

If you are even remotely interested in the NDE, this book will not only provide you with thorough evidence and annecdotal science, but the descriptions of the study participants' NDEs will leave you breathless. This book is superbly written and reads like a novel, although it is definitely a scientific text. The participants in the study are presented with the dignity and professionalism they deserve - not as freaks being prodded in the name of science. Quite seriously parts of this book made me want to cry out with joy for the potential it lays at the feet of humankind. I was so taken by this book that I finished it in a few hours in one sitting. Although the authors steer clear of sentimentality and "lessons from the light", etc., this book will provide riveting and rich lessons to anyone who dare pick it up. Highly recommended for ALL readers, especially the bereaved or those facing terminal illness and their families.

If your an NT 4.0 Admin then buy a copy of this book used (its cheap enough). For the money its an excellent resource. I purchased it full price and found that it was somewhat useful in instituting security polices for the Web servers I was responsible for. You should also consider getting some of the Hacker expliotation books just to understand more of the mindset of how a Hacker attacks.

For the last last few years, I have concentrated on NT auditing. I have read about 6 books on NT security, attended many security conferences, including SANS. I also search the net and study using MS tutorial courses. I attended 5 Microsoft NT courses. (It is hard work trying to find all those little bits of information.) I regard this book as the easiest one to start anyone off on this topic and the best for auditors. It is written for auditors (and not sysadmins). It is unfortunately out-of-date every time it is released (the last version for NT 3.51 as well), but that is not their fault, rather the fault of NT with its numerous security bugs that keep on coming (Watch out for SP7). It is still a good reference and the only audit book. Get "Hacking Exposed" as a companion to provide the updating info, and for the latest on NT security holes in working details.

Not a good idea to breeze through if you have not seen this before. This is a very good book, alot of tools exists today which does this but the book tells the registry locations and gives explanations. However if you attended SANS, this book might not be for you.