Kelvin Sampson:OU Basketball Story

Book Description

Kelvin can coach the great ones, but he doesn't have to have great ones to win. Chicago Bulls Coach Tim Floyd

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Unknown world of high school football

Lessons of the Game: A Must Read!!

How true is it?

Lessons of the Game: The Untold Story of High School Footbal

One of my favorites!

Lessons of the Game: The Untold Story of High School Football
Derek Sparks
Manufacturer: Game Time Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0967147115

Book Description

Payoffs (under the table cash), grade tampering , eligibility scandals, illegal recruitment tactics, lies, deception and immorality are all a continuous part of this real life story.

It shows the twisted nature of coaches, administrators, and family, hell-bent on winning while ambivalent to the academic and personal development of the student athlete.

Derek Sparks shows us what it takes to keep a dream alive, in this story of his transfer to four different high schools in four different years. He faces the challenges of loneliness, temptation, ostracism, while living in a gang-land enviroment. He also fights a desperate battle to prove his eligibility, while protecting his scholarship offers, and acheive qualifying SAT scores even after an insidious vow from his coaches: "YOU'LL NEVER PLAY ORGANIZED FOOTBALL AGAIN!"

Derek's story delivers a message to today's students seeking a future in athletics, or to the average student seeking a future in life. It tells of the wisdom and maturity a 21st century student must have to steer their way through a maze of manipulators and opportunists.

Through his mistakes and his successes, Derek conveys his testimony with a vision of a better way. END

Customer Reviews:

Unknown world of high school football.......2005-03-14

The book, Lessons of the game by Derek Sparks tells about something that parents and many high school students do not even know about. Derek Sparks who wrote about his life growing up through high school; he lived a life far diverse than the average teenager. While other kids and students are working hard to keep good grades by staying in class and studying; nothing like that applied to Derek in high school. Everything was taken care of and it did not really matter who was doing all of this. While other normal families struggle with money, Derek had money shoved into his pocket, and if he desired food or any thing like that there was always someone who would go out and get it for him. He did not have an existent Dad as he walked out on him and he left his Mother who lives in Texas to play high school football in California. Derek did not go out to California by himself as his Uncle Jay brought him out there and tried to do what was best for him. As he could not live with his Uncle Jay, each high school had plenty to offer Derek including living in his own home or apartment near the school with all the expenses being taken care of.
You follow Derek on and off the field and learn how people would sell him out and not protect him from what he should not have to deal with as a young kid. Not only would people not do what was best for him but also they would do what ever they could to have him on their team or make money out of him because of being a "star" athlete and having the ability of becoming a professional. This is a great book and a must read for any one who is interested in sports. Even if you are not, I would recommend Lessons of the Game by Derek Sparks because once you start reading, you will not want to put it down.

Lessons of the Game: A Must Read!!.......2003-06-27

Lessons of the Game is truly an amazing book. Although a non-avid reader, I recently picked up this book and read it within two days. Derek's writing style is very easy to understand. His choice of words to describe things made me know exactly where he was coming from and what it was like at points in Derek's life. I found myself laughing out loud several times as he described scenes as well as almost shedding a tear. This book gives the reader an inside look into Derek's life and true test of character. I believe this book is for the young, old, athletes, non-athletes, or anyone who is ready for an excellent book to read! It is a must read and won't be put down until finished!!!

How true is it?.......2003-01-16

Hello,
I just finished this book and found it very interesting being as how i just finished my first season as a high school quarterback, and i have many of the same aspirations to do what he dreamed of doing. I was wondering though how much of a sugarcoat was put on derek in this book. it played out looking like everyone else were the bad guys. I wondered if one of the so called bad guys were to write a book stating his side who would you belive. But anyhow it was an exelent book and i encourage every one to give this book a try!!!

Lessons of the Game: The Untold Story of High School Footbal.......2003-01-14

I would highly recommend this book for all young athletes who aspire to compete at a higher level. It is an excellent example of how a young athlete can be convinced he is immune to the rules of the game. As a former high school athlete and coach it also serves as a warning for parents and coaches on how their own behavior can have devasting effects on a young athlete's career and life.

One of my favorites!.......2002-12-23

I became a fan of Derek Sparks after hearing him speak at the YMCA Apple Cup Rally Benefit Dinner. He was amazing! Today, a month later, I can still feel the power of the GAMETIME message. I am 33 years old and Derek helped me examine myself and my life . I have a renewed spirit and confidence in the days ahead. I applaud Derek for his work with youth and his courage to make a difference.

His life story is sad and heart wrenching, but at the same time refreshing to know that we all can survive the Lessons of Life and live to tell the good news.

Amazon.com

Claiming inspiration from Lawrence Krauss's The Physics of Star Trek, the Jenkinses focus on the biological logic (or illogic) behind the alien ecologies in Star Trek--the original TV series and all of its sequels and movie spinoffs. The best parts are the biological bloopers, even though only a fan will truly appreciate them. For instance, how did the Klingons evolve forehead ridges between the original and the new series ... and why do all the planets look like California?

The science in the book helps the authors hypothesize about how humanoid life might have evolved throughout the universe (panspermia revisited). They offer simple evolutionary theories to explain the various head shapes and behaviors of fictional alien species. An entertaining read for a Star Trek science nerd. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

It's a routine mission. The Enterprise-D is in synchronous orbit over a Class-M planet to be surveyed for possible colonization. Commander Riker calls the life science team to its station, then Captain Picard orders a "search for life signs." As the principal investigator on this mission, you're up.

What do you do now? With Life Signs: The Biology of Star Trek, you'll know exactly what to do. In this vastly entertaining and informative volume, a research geneticist at a world-renowned medical center and a noted psychiatrist investigate the myriad questions Star Trek raises about "new life and new civilizations." They draw surprising conclusions about everything from the likelihood that any humanoid could be blue in color to the climate on the Vulcan homeworld to what caused the dramatic physiological changes in the Klingon race between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth centuries (something even Klingons themselves avoid discussing).

Life Signs: The Biology of Star Trek pays special attention to the Federation's astonishing technological advances, probing the accuracy and effects of these developments. How might the food replicators work? (And how would replicated food taste?) Is there any scientific basis for all that hyper-high-tech equipment in sickbay? Will it ever be possible to genetically enhance intelligence (the way Dr. Bashir's wits were sharpened when he was a boy)?

The Jenkinses also chart the remarkable parallels between the Star Trek universe and our own. They find earthly analogues to the Pon farr that puts Vulcans in heat every seven years. They hunt down common creatures reminiscent of the "crystalline entity" and the silicon-based Horta. They even introduce us to the billions of life-forms residing in our own bodies and induce us to wonder whether Jadzia Dax's Trill symbiont is really such a far-fetched notion after all.

Throughout, this engaging and authoritative book bristles with insights on the cutting edge of contemporary biology. Discover how close we are to cloning humans. Examine implants and prosthetics that might make the Borg proud. Watch NASA wrestle with the perils of extended space travel as it plans for a three-year-long manned mission to Mars. And learn where no one has gone before or ever will go as the Jenkinses highlight some of Star Trek's more notable biological bloopers.

Whether you run your own genetics lab or you ran screaming from high-school biology class, Life Signs: The Biology of Star Trek will heighten your appreciation for the mind-expanding magic of Star Trek.

Customer Reviews:

Much Better.......2007-01-20

If you read To Seek Out New Life, I'm sorry. There Andreadis claims to love Star Trek, and spends most of the book proving how false the science of the show is. She forgets the cardinal rule of a Trekkie- apologize for the show. Yes, it has problems in physics. Yes, there are continuity errors. Yes, the biology isn't always up to snuff. But you love the show, so you try to make it work. You try to find a work-around. And then, if you absolutely can't, you admit there was a mistake.

This is the tradition the Jenkinses boldly go with. They use Star Trek to have fun with biology, and understand more about new life. What would Horta psychology be like? Why do Gorgons make us uncomfortable? Where do we find Trill-like species here on Earth? The Jenkinses use Trek to help us understand more about life, in the process fully explaining the biology, but not in such detail to bore the unscientific reader. This is what was great about the show. It entertained, yes, but it took us beyond. It made us struggle with philosophy, history, anthropology, and science. It made us think about new possibilities, and use our imaginations to understand the world around us. It is in this tradition that the Jenkinses lead us.

A solid, worthy book, even for non-Trekkers.......2000-06-26

The doctors Jenkins may not have Dr. Lawrence Krauss's easy way of turning hard science into a page-turner, but their work is an entertaining, informative, accessible book.

The book covers topics from a wide range of biological study, including how the structure of faces affect psychology, why 'silicon-based life' is a possibility while 'aluminum-based life' is not, practical applications of gene therapy, and the traditional chapter of bloopers committed by the Star Trek writers (including the intriguing question of why it is that Captain Picard is the only member of the Enterprise bridge crew who can't seem to grow his own hair back). The single chapter on the biology of love and romance covers such wide-ranging topics as the possible mating customs of various Star Trek races, the biology of inter-species reproduction (including the surprising revelation that you may turn out differently depending on whether your mother or your father was the Vulcan), and the distinctions between biological, psychological, and sociological concepts of gender.

If you're looking for a book heavy on information and light on gushing asides about how wonderful it would be if we all lived in the Star Trek universe, you'll enjoy this book.

Fantastic travel : Star Trek's beings, biological vision.......1998-11-30

A fantastic, professional written book, focusing on the most unbelievable (and unthought) aspects of the Star Trek's beings. Now you can understand the most different behaviors and acts of some aliens of ST universe, once believed illogical and strange for you. And you can see it through the eyes of two medical doctors, which give you complete and comprehensive explanation. Recomended for the Star Trek fans (Old Series, New Generation, Deep Space 9, etc.) and everyone who's interest for understanding more how our Terran lifeforms are and how theoretical (????) ET's would be.

Thinking about getting this book? Make it so!.......1998-10-04

This latest entry in the "Science of Star Trek" series examines several important concepts in the field of biology, with an emphasis on genetics. While including many references to various Star Trek episodes, the book's primary mission is to educate the reader, particularly in regard to cutting-edge research and theories. The authors do a great job in presenting this information in a manner that is easily understood, and all Trek fans will be delighted that many glaring "bloopers" (such as, why do so many aliens look so similar to humans? And what exactly happened to the Klingons?) are thoughtfully addressed. In short, this book is a worthy addition to a Star Trek fan's library.

Fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......1998-09-03

This was not the ultra-heavy science book I'd been lead to believe by the title, but it was very a informative and fascinating look at the different humanoids of Star Trek and what really constitutes a life. Definitely for the science fan, the Sci-fi fan, and the Star Trek fan. I don't know that non-Trekkers would like it because they may or may not get it. But definitely a good read.

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The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema
Mark C. Glassy
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786426047

Product Description

Science fiction films of the 1930s and 1940s were often set in dark laboratories that had strange looking glass containers with bubbling fluids and mad scientists conducting glandular and hormonal experiments. In the 1950s, films were more focused on radiation induced mutations. The 1960s and 1970s brought more sophisticated biological sciences to the movies and focused on such relatively new concepts as immunology, cyrobiology, and biochemistry. In the 1980s and 1990s, the focus of science fiction films has been DNA. This work of film criticism relates 71 science fiction films to the biological sciences. The author covers cell biology, pharmacology, endocrinology, hematology, and entomology, to name just a few topics. An analysis of each film includes a brief plot synopsis, the authors favorite quotations, the biological principles involved, the accuracy of the laboratory, and correct and incorrect biological information. In his analyses, the author sets out what would be required to achieve in real life the results seen in the movies and whether these experiments or events could actually happen.

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Fantastic Voyages
Leroy W. Dubeck , Suzanne E. Moshier , and Judith E. Boss
Manufacturer: AIP Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563961954

Book Description

By revealing the facts behind the fiction of some of the finest films in the sci-fi genre, Fantastic Voyages offers a novel approach to teaching science--namely, it uses scenes from science fiction films to illustrate fundamental concepts of physics, astronomy, and biology. Each film scene depicts a scientific principle--or its violation- reinforcing concepts that are taught in more traditional ways. The chapter Electricity and Magnetism discusses the use of computers in Blade Runner. Within Astronomy, 2001 is examined as it relates to ancient astronauts. And what could be a better choice for the chapter on evolution than Planet of the Apes. Helpful end-of-chapter exercises are included, together with more than 20 movie stills.

From the reviews:

"If you find science fiction films thought-provoking, this could be the book for you....The scope of the book is wide, with a good grounding in basic physics and biology, and a lot of other information besides." - New Scientist

"The idea of using science fiction films to convey science in an interesting way is sound, and anyone preparing a course using the genre should at least consult this book." - Nature

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-01-27

Everything this artist does is excellent, this CD being no exception. I listen to his techinques when I play my own bowls but cannot duplicate his sound. He is the Mozart of tibetan bowl playing.

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My Favorite Game Collection

Lessons in the middlegame

Chess Struggle in Practice
David Bronstein
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0679141529
Release Date: 1980-10-12

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Game Collection.......2000-12-19

Every English-speaking chessplayer (who is not also fluent in Russian) should have a translation of this book. Bronstein provides thoughtful and instructive analysis of 210 top level games from this great 1953 tournament. Add to this analysis, Bronstein's insight, as a participant and also as one of the top five players of the period, into both the overall context for the tournament and the competitive context for each game and you have something that will leave you wanting more: more chess and more Bronstein analysis.

Taking it then as a given that you should have a copy, should you track down this 1978 translation by Oscar Freedman, edited by Bruce Hochberg, with an additional introduction by Max Euwe, or should you stick with Marfia's translation, which has the obvious advantage that it remains in print? I haven't read Marfia's translation but my guess is that notwithstanding Freedman's valiant effort, Marfia's translation will do just fine for most people.

Why? First, this edition does not use algebraic notation. You can partially work around this by playing through the games on your computer (a database on the games is readily available on the web). Second, as with many McKay titles, the binding separates with the inevitable heavy use a book like this deserves. On the other hand, the book has the bonus of relatively large print and Euwe's thoughtful seven-page introduction.

Even better than the existing translations by Freedman or Marfia would be an update on either translation (or a perhaps an entirely new translation) in algebraic notation (or, perhaps, on CD). Ideally, this update would focus on light editing and error-checking of the analysis in the manner of Nunn's update on Vukovic's Art of Attack in Chess.

Nonetheless, any new editor should leave Bronstein's opening analysis alone because it discusses the openings, as understood at that time, in a coherent way. After reading the book you have a better understanding of the key ideas behind the openings frequently adopted in the tournament (e.g., King's Indian Defense, Nimzo-Indian Defense) even if you need to look elsewhere for the key lines in use today.

A final nice touch to such an update would be an additional introduction by one of the several distinguished surviving participants from the tournament. Any takers?

Lessons in the middlegame.......2000-02-23

This book also goes under the title "Zurich 1953 Chess Tournament." David Bronstein is one of the best chess writers in history: he mixes prose explanations with analysis of variations in a way that makes this an easy read. You will get an exceptional grounding in the Nimzoindian Defense as played in the 1950's. More importantly, however, you will get engrossing explanations of middlegame analysis and planning that make this book a perrenial treasure. One of the most important books in my library.

The chess struggle in practice: Candidates tournament, Zurich 1953

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The chess struggle in practice: Candidates tournament, Zurich 1953
David Ionovich Bronshtein
Manufacturer: D. McKay Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0679130640

Book Description

In 1982, the Dow hovered below 1000. Then, the market rose and rapidly gained speed until it peaked above 11,000. Noted journalist and financial reporter Maggie Mahar has written the first book on the remarkable bull market that began in 1982 and ended just in the early 2000s. For almost two decades, a colorful cast of characters such as Abby Joseph Cohen, Mary Meeker, Henry Blodget, and Alan Greenspan came to dominate the market news.

This inside look at that 17-year cycle of growth, built upon interviews and unparalleled access to the most important analysts, market observers, and fund managers who eagerly tell the tales of excesses, presents the period with a historical perspective and explains what really happened and why.

Customer Reviews:

Mind-opening views of investment history.......2007-05-14

This is a very well written book about the ups and downs of the stock market. Mahar puts great investors' view points, plus convincing facts through the 20 some years of investment history. A very mind-opening and enjoyable reading. No wonder Warren Buffett recommanded it.

Insights into the market psyche.......2007-03-29

Great expose on the bulls and the bears. What really drives the markets. What happens when people get too full of themselves.

Wall St. doesn't have my best interest at heart???.......2006-04-10

This book does a great job breaking down the boom/bust cycles in the markets. From a history perspective, it is very entertaining. From a reality perspective, it is required reading for anyone investing in the markets. If you learn how people cheat or manipulate, you can sometimes avoid being manipulated or cheated in the future.

"History does not repeat, it rhymes." I forget who said that, but it is true. Learn about the boom/bust cycles and you can profit from them when they return. Understand the cycles and maybe when the music stops you wont be the only one without a chair.

If you think the people on Wall Street are your friends, if you think CNBC is giving you good advice, if you think your 401k is a safe investment, even if you think the stock market outperforms every investment over the long run, then you really should read this book.

Going against the Zebra herd on this one.......2005-12-07

Have you noticed that anyone who writes a negative review on Amazon gets dinged more frequently?? Well, I'm using one of Maggie Mahar's take-away points who wrote about Gail Dudack and Jim Grant (market contrarians at the peak of the internet boom) to say this book is a not worth buying... I can almost hear the ding'ing now.

As the title suggests, this book is mostly about the market's history between Reagan to George W. Within that space, its a narrow assimilation of 6-9 books, 4-5 market contrarian interviews, and mostly financial news articles. For example, the stock market crash of '87 is very narrowly described as a cyclical and/or over-advancement of prices and over-exhuberance by buyers. Obviously, arguments such as these support the theme of the book. However, stock market fluctuations are fantastically complex and influenced by broader economic conditions and triggers. Several interlinked elements contributing to '87 would have been helpful to learn about: the Fed strategies at that time, post-Plaza Agreement aftermath on the dollar, intricate problems from UAL failed LBO, Milken's problems with a number of restructings, why gold was down, Real Estate syndicates boom in Texas, S&L liquidity, etc. And I'm just a novice writing this from memory.

Mahar is no economist, statistician, nor trader. Her style of writing and context of her arguments are similar to that of a financial journalist -- not unlike how "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" was written. Moreover, her tone towards the latter half of the book turns noticeable negative as she constantly applies (dare I say "manipulates") certain events/information to support her argument that the Bull market was soooooo clearly overvaluing stocks and everyone was stupid to be caught up in the frenzy. Hind sight is 20/20. Sometimes her statistical analysis is weak. For example, on pg 318, she writes about how insider stock sales/buys are incorrigible, were almost frauds, and how the public ignored the street signs: "... from 1995 through the end of 2002, the Tribune's analysis showed that in 25% of all cases, the share price of the company in question tumbled by at least 20%-and sometimes as much as 50%- in the six months following the sale. Insiders were equally fortunate in picking their spots when buying their own companies' stock: more than half of all purchases preceded gains of more than 20%, which several well above 50%." Her use of the Tribune's 2003 Dow30 study to support her argument lacks insight and analysis: (a) 75% of all cases conversely mean that insiders were wrong to sell, (b) about half the insiders who bought were dumb, and (c) during that same period, what were company-specific fluctations (ie knowledgeable to insiders) vs. simply relative correlations to the DJIA.

If you are a casual reader interested in a chronicle of the markets, this book provides an overview of the times. However, if you are an investor with a medium-term memory, you may find that this book is not for you, as you invariably compare your recollections with her version of the chronicles; thus making this book questionable advice for the future.

In that regard, I was disappointed and could not help but to feel that this book represents not a "history" of that bull market, but rather "her history" of that bull market. A good history book should give you confidence in your education's integrity and thoroughness, particularly if you were living back then and remember things (unlike "1776").

In summary, I didn't so much disagree with the writer's points, but rather hoped that it would have been more broadly educational and analytical in order for it to be helpful as we move thru the 21st Century.

-- P.S. The above reviewer Mr. Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the author of "Fooled by Randomness" and complemented/cited by Mahar in this book. FYI.

well crafted report from the roller-coaster.......2005-08-02

It isn't easy to write an up-lifting story about folks that successfully predict disaster. This one does a pretty good job, though. If you are new to investing, this is probably one of the best introductions to reality available. If all you needed to know was the maxim: don't trust anyone from Wall Street!, it would be all one ever needed. Unfortunately, finding trusted investment advice generally starts by learning when to trust yourself. You won't find anything on that subject here, but there is plenty of time for that. Read this book and enjoy the ride.

This is a book about winners and losers. You might want to skip the book and go straight to the 'winners':
Richard Russell: Dow Theory Letter
Gail Dudack: Bear fired at the top for being right
James Grant: Grant's Interest Rate Observer
Ralph Acampora
Warren Buffett
Jim Chanos: king of the corporate report readers
Mark Faber
Steve Leuthold: realist analyst

and losers:
AOL: con artists
Henry Bloggett: media tar baby
CNBC: hoax masters
Mary Meeker: Internet hypster
Phil Graham: congressional weasel

But, that wouldn't be any fun, so read the whole thing.

Mahar promises to tell us what drove the bull market, but what she delivers is a few pages on every popular guru, be they meditating on a mountain or TV talking head. There are more than a hundred gurus covered in this smoothly crafted narrative, so get ready for something of a beauty contest.

Woven into the narrative is a theme that ought to resonate with many, and tantalize the rest: the people investing are among the smartest people in the world, surely it represents a sort of democratic capital allocation system with wonderful efficiencies. Was this the fundamental delusion behind the crash? Can individual investors as a group, guide the economy with their expert stock selections, force the hiring and firing of the best talent, and produce a golden age where the majority win. Can this system replace the old bureaucratic 'social security system' and would these intelligent investors protect the less savvy investors? Are free markets and democracy related? In Mahar's view, this was just hot air.

Mahar concludes with some unnecessary guru like predictions of her own.

While wonderfully entertaining, it is also self-contradictory. The superficial theme is 'do your own homework', but Mahar's most striking advice might be paraphrased as 'find the right guru and skip the homework, its impossible. '

Without saying much about the 2001 crash, which may yet turn out to be a temporary blip, the ways of the wise guru and crafty con artist are woven together against the backdrop of impending disaster. This is all hindsight, and hindsight is a tricky game. Anyone can poke fun at the scapegoat, but making the right decision in 'the moment' is always difficult.

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