A series of excellent essays that critique television and society. A highly recommended follow up read to Arlen's "Living Room War". Its nice to read intelligent television criticism from someone who actually likes the medium and doesn't scapegoat it.

Michael Robert Davis will take your ideas from where they are to where they could be. I found the content of witty inventions to be so powerful and inspiring that I read the entire book two times in one weekend...

In this skeet shoot of idea development and generation, Michael Robert Davis is the marksman of the hour...

Most importantly, his desire is to see your God-given ideas succeed.

I have mixed feelings about Michael Jordan. On the one hand, he is a great athlete. I respect his work ethic. He has turned in a number of great performances and is no doubt one of the greatest to have ever played the game of basketball.

There is a flipside. Michael Jordan got all kinds of special treatment while he was in the NBA. He was the first player I noticed who was granted all kinds of trips to the charity stripe because of unbelievably, ticky tack calls. He scored at least ten points a game at the free throw line from bogus calls. It was great when there was a picture session for 'greats of the game' with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Magic told Larry not to stand too close to Michael or they might call a foul. In front of reporters and television viewers, that was a classic comment by Magic. I believe Mike got 99% of all calls in his favor because he was such a cash cow for the NBA. Dominique Wilkins was robbed of a slam dunk championship when Mike scored a perfect 50 doing the same dunk Dr. J did years before. I doubt Dr. J ever received a perfect 50 for it. Dominique's dunk was much more impressive, and he received a 49.5. Please. Mike got in a fight with Reggie Miller, and only Miller got suspended at first. Only after there was an outcry did Mike get suspended. How are Mike's punches different? Mike elbowed Kevin Johnson to the ground for all to see, and Kevin was called for blocking!

I am not too impressed that the bulls beat the lakers in the NBA finals. Magic was double teamed every game every minute he was in. On top of that, James Worthy and Byron Scott were injured. Magic and Larry never won three championships in a row because the competition, teams, and players in the 80s were much better than the nineties. Luc Longley, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, or Bill Wennington stopping Kareem? Ha!

Sport Magazine recently had a piece on the ten greatest moments and ten greatest players ever in the NBA. Mike was ranked number one all time player. Kudos to Mike for mentioning in 'For the love of the game' that to pick a "greatest ever" is impossible because of all the different eras and evolutions of basketball. The nineties bulls were given three of the ten greatest moments in NBA history. This is just more Mike bias. Give me a break. There are hundreds of classic and amazing moments in NBA history. One of the moments picked was Mike beating the Jazz in the final minutes of his last game. He put his hand on Bryon Russel's backside and shoved him out of the way. Then Mike made the game winnig shot. All eyes were on Mike, but the ref did not make the obvious call.

There is also Mike's arrogance. According to him, Wilt Chamberlain was a fluke eventhough Wilt was a great all around player. He made a comment about Magic and Larry reaching a 'certain level of greatness' and that the two were not good on defense. What? Are we talking about the same Larry Bird? Shaquille Oneal is also much better and much improved than Mike gives him credit for. Shaq has turned into a solid defender, passer, and he works hard at both ends of the floor.

Mike's corporate poster boy behavior is laughable. He did ads for AT&T and then MCI. The Wayans family is also split between the two companies. Mike talked about the enviroment in Rayovac ads and then pitches hot dogs? Mike is not the only athlete who will pitch anything and everything to make millions. I wonder if Mike has checked into Nike's labor practices.

Players like Mike and Charles Barkley soured me on the NBA. Charles played like a thug and got away with it because he was a star. Plus, Charles insisted on wearing number 34 at Philadelphia eventhough it was retired for NBA great Billy Cunningham. The star treatment and inflated egos has grown old, and that has turned a lot of people off to sports. I miss the Lakers and Celtics match ups of the 1980s.

there are all sorts of neat features in this book. What I especially liked were the box scores, where you can see Jordan's changing cast and how it evolved. I don't agree with every ranking, but he's got good reasons for his choices. There's even a practice listed, which I thought was really interesting.

Everybody has a favorite Michael story; it was a smart move for this writer to hash out an objective way--a formula that makes sense-- to rate stellar MJ performances on the court. In the same way that video stores carry Roger Ebert's movie/video book at the checkout counter, sports bars should stock Condor's book--right behind the Jagermeister and shot glasses--to settle countless Jordan debates that are sure to rage in years to come....

I read the book and thought it was an excellent primer in intellectual property law. I also spoke to a friend of mine who works in a large law firm (100+) attorneys in Milwaukee. He told me that the attorneys in the IP department in this prestigious firm use this book as a reference. I think that speaks quite highly of the book. I strongly recommend it.

Micheal Lechter has done us all a valuable favor by writing this book! As an experienced attorney dealing with copyrights, patents, and trademarks, his experience, illustrations and insights are priceless! If you are a business owner, investor, inventor, author, or doing just about ANYTHING that has income potential beyond a 9-5 job, then you NEED to read, absorb and apply the knowledge of this book to protect yourself from the competition and "thieves" out there who would like to profit from your intellectual property--at YOUR expense. This is a "must read" as a part of your overall business and investment education. I also recommend ALL of Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad" books, and thus far, all the "Rich Dad Advisor" series that I have read (of which this book is a part) are also worthy of your time and investment.

I hear Michael on CNET Radio on Online Tonight with David Lawrence. I've just finished reading "Protecting Your #1 Assets" and was really happy to get it. It was filled with answers and it really helped give me focus for goals I had at the office. In particular, it hit home in regards to the importance of protection. This is not an easy subject to find good information about - Michaels book really made it much easier for me to learn what to do and how to avoid some of the nightmares I was almost ready to discover first hand.

Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.

Mr Gates' background in writing intelligence analysis is very apparent in his book, which covers the role of intelligence on policy and the figures that carried out the policy, from President Nixon to Bush Sr. Stylistically, ideas are introduced, expanded upon, and brought back together in sum and reflection in efficient essay form, yet in, one senses, what epitomizes intelligence directorate reporting at Langley. As such the recounting can be understandably dry (albeit with ready humor), but these ARE renderings of historical events; when I was patient, I found that his clarity and humility make the work readable and insightful. The DC cocktail crowd no doubt received ample fuel from Mr Gates' (decidedly fair) renderings of George Schultz and William Casey, both of whom Mr Gates spent much time with during the Reagan years. Other character sketches elucidate and emphasize Mr Gates' opinions about other high-ranking individuals in the various administrations, but his everyman-ish voice is an able mediator among the personalities.

The retelling of some events where Mr Gates plays up his role or access get a bit tedious; for example, when he and Larry Eagleburger hit the European circuit to sell arms reductions (somewhat to the effect of "we went to London, then Rome, then Bonn, then Amsterdam")-likewise, when Mr Gates would accompany other advisers and President Bush to Kennebunkport, and almost any private meetings Mr Gates would have with President Bush.

Mr Gates' own conservative bent comes through in several places, but most succinctly in his concluding remarks about the Soviet Union's demise. Here Mr Gates writes of a Soviet role in terrorist activity, yet a US role in aiding freedom fighters, which only extends a pervasive double standard in US government foreign policy. Of course Mr Gates' worked on a day-to-day basis to limit the Soviets' opportunities, and of course US hegemony is all the greater for it, but zeal can sometimes be confused for rationale: certainly the US has carried out its own "terrorist" activities, many through the CIA itself, and recent uncoverings of Kissinger's strong hand in Latin America are evidence of more glib and (many believe) illegal workings by the US executive branch.

Mr Gates has personally intrigued me since I read an article on him around the time of his confirmation as DCI in 1991. The article told of his early job as a bus driver, teaching Russian phrases to community riders, and his reference to many of the Easterners among the DC establishment ranks as "guys with last names as first names." Such an endearing portrait of himself is difficult to find in his narrative and made me a bit disappointed he didn't talk more about graduate school and Russian studies years, especially as the Sovietology schools were evolving in the 1960s, yet such topics would admittedly digress from the book's theme.

Aside from its occasional name-dropping and some opportune flag waving, Mr Gates' memoir is evenly told and offers a straightforward, insider view of executive policy during pivotal moments between 1970 and 1992. It is also well written, with helpful and sufficient background for the events recounted. I would look forward to reading anything he further publishes, especially concerning the direction or affairs of Russia and its former Soviet neighbors.

Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!

The important point here is the subtitle, which specifies "a photographic journey." This is a picture book and no more, but the pictures are fine and they are welcome. Most wine books, after all, skimp on photos (which are expensive to produce), and those they use are often pedestrian. Thus we seldom get a chance to see how beautiful is the world of wine-making. Here the photographer Charles O'Rear has traveled to many of the regions where the Cabernet grape is grown--Bordeaux, California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Spain--to record and glorify the making of Cabernet from vine to bottle. There are plenty of panoramas here; vast views over endless vineyards are the bedrock of wine photography. But there are also lots of rewarding detail shots of pickers and their tools, winery interiors, grafting, and even the tally tokens used to record how much each picker has harvested. At one vineyard they are colored baskets; at another, plastic discs; at still another, ordinary clothes pins. All different, but all with the same meaning: They determine how much each picker is paid. These homely details, when added to the faces of the workers, invite you into the world shown in the vineyard panoramas. They're far more appealing that the inevitable "art" shots of wine glasses and barrel halls and ranks of bottles in a cobwebbed cellar.

The photos are generally so expressive it's not necessary to read the captions, which is a good thing. It seems to be a rule in picture books that captions must be made confusing and inconvenient wherever possible for the reader. Also, anyone who wants to actually read about wine is advised to go elsewhere. In picture books, the text is usually scanty and used as mere filler, and that is the case here.

--Bill Marsano

A great way to travel from vine to wine for all wine lovers

Pyle grew up near an irrigation canal running through Denver and Aurora, Colorado. He has returned to this canal throughout his life, and in this book he tells their stories. Urbanization leaves these pockets of unclaimed land behind, and this book is a durable guide to one example. Coloradans will find Pyle's work especially relevant. At times, the author strays into a didactic zeal as he warns of the need to protect such places, but this is by far the lesser part of The Thunder Tree.

Starting from a personal viewpoint (but in no means limited by it) author Robert Michael Pyle eloquently writes of the importance of nature and of making a personal connection to the land and the natural world. Never preachy, he manages to gently urge the reader to look more closely at the local landmarks, wildlife and little details that make up their most familiar landscapes. I saw the landscape in my area with new eyes after reading this book.

This book is organized by terms of harmonic content. The book is divided into three sections: Diatonic Materials, Chromatic Materials, and Twentieth Century Materials. It contains an analytic checklist and sample analysis that can be used as a guide to the student. An index of composers makes it easy to study the musical style of a particular composer. The excerpts can be played by any competant keyboard player. This book contains mostly excerpts, but a few sections that contain a complete piece or movement of a piece. The selections are not analyzed, which makes for fun practice at analyzing them yourself!

These aren't foods that the average "gotta feed the kids quick" person is going to be interested in. The recipes are complex and have many specific ingredients (such as "Rind of 1 lemon, all white pith removed" ) This might be appropriate for a gourmet who wants to cook fancy meals ahead, but for me, trying to feed my family of picky kids, it didn't offer anything.

After we invested in a chest freezer for the basement, I have been seeking out cookbooks to help me use it to feed the family easily and well. Most freezer cookbooks, especially the "cook for a month" type, rely on high-fat recipes and processed foods which, frankly, are NOT how I want to eat. By contrast, this book taught me how to use the freezer as a tool to become a better cook, make the most of in-season foods, and freeze components of a meal that I can then finish cooking quickly before dinnertime. I hope this goes back in print because it would make a good gift for anyone who is trying to get beyond the "cream of mushroom soup casserole" type of food. My biggest complaint is that the edges are ragged so it's hard to flip through the pages -- I can't imagine why anyone would publish a cookbook this way.

This book purports to take the reader "on a tour" of Pacific warship shipwrecks. What a complete crock.
There are probably not a dozen wrecks covered here; all the photos save one are very small and mostly boring (unless you're really keen to see portholes underwater). Two photos come from the Japanese merchant wrecks at Truk, some of the most-photographed wrecks in the world (and offered in exceptionally better quality in other publications). The only large wreck illustration is a lovely Tom Freeman painting of the YORKTOWN wreck. Nice, but by no means worth the space on your bookshelf.
If you're someone who knows nothing about the Pacific war, then this is a reasonably good primer of some of the major actions. If you already know what the Battle of Midway was and have some idea that the Americans and Japanese each had aircraft carriers, this book will tell you nothing about the war you don't already know, and the photos, while nice, are available in dozens of other books. If you're looking for some interesting views of the shipwrecks Ballard has made his reputation on finding, you will find nothing of interest here.
Save your money, and pass this one up.

In 1960, A T-33 from Hickam crashed into Hilo Harbor while making a practice low approach one night to Hilo VOR. A surface search was non-productive. Beyond that, no effort was made to recover the bodies of the two pilots. Subsequently (this year, in fact) I attempted to have the Air Force look for the airplane and its two pilots. However, I was told by General Hess, acting for the Secretary of the Air Force, that because the T-33 is no longer in the AF inventory and that underwater searches are difficult, nothing could be done. I must say that the General most likely reached his conclusion without looking at the radio logs from Hilo Approach Control which narrows down the point of impact, without looking at the water depth in the most likely area where the T-bird crashed and without considering the technical advances made in the past 42 years in the subject of underwater searches. . So, the Air Force looks after its own? Well, maybe not all of its own. ... The USN? The Coast Guard? The University of Hawaii in Hilo, private agencies? Thanks for reading this and for any help you can provide. Jackson S. Wallace, Colonel, USAF Retired.

Very interesting account of World War II Pacific wreck sites. However, I was hoping for a detailed photographic examination of the wrecks.