Fire Department City of New York (Fdny) the Bravest: An Illustrated History 1865-2002

Customer Reviews:

FDNY Offical History is the Real Deal.......2005-03-15

This book is a "coffee table" sized history of the FDNY. I was also surprised to learn that it is the offical history as written by a member of the FDNY. It is a must have for any fire collector or people who are interested in the FDNY. It is packked with color photos and a comprehensive text outlining the department's history since 1865. It has a section that I haven't seen anywhere else, individual photos of the firefighters killed on 9-11. Having seen so much about that horrible act, nothing brought home the tragedy like seeing the photos of the brave souls who lost their lives taht day. While there are many books on 9-11 that provide great history such as 102 minutes, FDNY: The bravest fills a gap that no other book does. It provides an insider look the department's photos and account of the event.

The Bravest is fact based, no nonsense history that tells it like it was and has a deep and rich historic perspective that other books cannot deliver.

FDNY: An Illustrated History of the Fire Department of New York City (American Icon Close-Up Guides)

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Our Heroes

FDNY: An Illustrated History of the Fire Department of New York City (American Icon Close-Up Guides)
The New York City Fire Museum , and Andrew Coe
Manufacturer: Odyssey Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Law Enforcement | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Firefighting & Prevention | Civil Service | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown3 | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 9622176593

Book Description

Since the earliest years of city history, New York's firefighters have put their lives on the line to protect its citizens from fire. Written by experts on Fire Department history, this book documents the evolution of city firefighting from the earliest bucket brigades through to the post 911 Department, largely through the collection of the Museum. Along the way, it documents the organizational improvements and political changes that have made city firefighting significantly more effective. This book tells the tale of the greatest fires that threatened New York, including the Great Fire of 1835 and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. It includes the attack on the World Trade Center and looks beyond from the perspective of the months following that traumatic day when hundreds of New York's Bravest tragically lost their lives. Illustrated throughout with full-color photographs of fire fighting equipment, memorabilia and notable fires, mostly taken from the remarkable collection of the NYC Fire Museum and generously supplemented with unique additional material from private collections as well as from the FDNY Photo Unit. With chilling accounts of the most devastating fires that have threatened New York, including the Great Fire of 1835, the General Slocum Streamboat Fire and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, FDNY: An Illustrated History tells the story of the world's greatest city and the brave firefighters who work tirelessly to protect it. 70 illustrations, 2 maps.

Customer Reviews:

Our Heroes.......2003-05-27

The photos in this book just blew me away. I mean, we all knew about the firefighters' bravery on 9/11. This book shows how this tradition of bravery, of heading into the flames, goes all the way back to the city's early days. Just look at the faces of the firemen fighting the slum fires back in the '60s. A real trial by fire. And the chapters give a good solid look at the department's history, not dumbed-down but also not too long. If you were going to buy just one book on the FDNY, this one has it all.

FDNY: An Illustrated History of the Fire Department of New York (American Icon Close-Up Guide)

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FDNY: An Illustrated History of the Fire Department of New York (American Icon Close-Up Guide)
Andrew Coe
Manufacturer: Odyssey Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Law Enforcement | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Firefighting & Prevention | Civil Service | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 962217714X

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

The demise of an ideal.......1999-04-02

This book is a look at a noble attempt to bring the voice of organized labor to the public by way of broadcasting. In intricate detail, Godfried provides a history of the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) attempt to stake labor's claim for a place amid the commercial broadcasters. The story is a testament to Edward Nockles, the CFL secretary who had the vision and persistence to see his dream take form. Readers will gain insight into organized labor history, particularly the role of the American Federation of Labor in it's tepid support for WCFL and the apathetic response of Chicago unions as a whole to the radio station. Trying to get labor support while battling the broadcasting giants for a clear channel on the AM radio dial, Nockles emerges as a real hero for his refusal to give up. There were remarkable successes along the way but the war was a losing one almost from the start as WCFL was forced by economics to become little different from other radio stations. The book revels in the period of the 1920's, 30's and 40's then races to a close with the sale of WCFL by the CFL in 1978. This is appropriate because it was in those earlier years that the station came closest to being a voice for labor. Though longer than it needs to be, the book is a historical delight. Anyone who wonders how radio came to be as it is today will find this book a treasure. Anyone who believes that one individual cannot make a difference will find in the story of Edward Nockles a reason to think again. He was the heart and soul of "The Voice of Labor"

WCFL: Chicago's voice of labor, 1926-78.: An article from: Labour/Le Travail

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WCFL: Chicago's voice of labor, 1926-78.: An article from: Labour/Le Travail

Manufacturer: Canadian Committee on Labour History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Canadian Committee on Labour History on September 22, 1998. The length of the article is 1004 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: WCFL: Chicago's voice of labor, 1926-78.
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1998
Publisher: Canadian Committee on Labour History
Issue: 42 Page: 280-2

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

This new edition sets the stage for the twenty-first century by outlining a number of major trends, issues, and challenges for the leisure-service field. Leisure in a Changing America, Second Edition, provides the in-depth coverage while still providing the comprehensive picture of the role of recreation and leisure in American culture needed for a survey course. This edition has drastically expanded the scope of the original book. It points sharply toward the social, economic, cultural, and other trends that have accelerated during the last decade and seem certain to be more pronounced in the years ahead. It covers the predictions of study and planning groups involving such issues as changing age-group patterns, family life, work and leisure changes, the influence of technology, the trend toward public/private partnerships, environmental needs, and urban/suburban developments. This book covers a wide range of societal developments affecting leisure. For anyone interested in recreation, leisure services, and park departments.

Leisure in a Changing America: Trends and Issues for the Twenty-First Century

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Leisure in a Changing America: Trends and Issues for the Twenty-First Century
Richard G. Kraus
Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OP2PKE

Product Description

Proverbs 17:22 says 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones.' In her book, 'Humorous Happenings in Holy Places,' Barbara Eubanks offers 101 amusing short stories and devotions which are sure to make your heart merry.

Customer Reviews:

A Joyful Experience.......2006-01-31

Some people may think humor and religion do not mix, but Barbara Eubanks, author of "Humorous Happenings in Holy Places,"
is not one of them. She has documented 101 incidents that have been observed or have happened to her, as wife of a minister, to her husband, children and grandchildren which are delightful and uplifting to read. It's those out-of-place happenings in church, such as an intruding horsefly, bird or dog causing havoc among the choir or the congregation that bring on the laughs. Author Eubanks has caught the essence of "what right at the wrong time or what's wrong at the right time" which accounts for much of the humor. She seems to be saying that God has given us the ability to laugh at ourselves, for when He created us He created humor as a sunny companion. The book carries one beyond humor, however, to related Scriptures which can be used in daily devotionals. Excellent work.

Kenneth Hutcheson
Colorado Authors' League

A Fun Read.......2005-09-30

Humorous Happenings in Holy Places is a fun read. With warmth and insight, the author shares funny moments taken from the land of the Holy. I especially enjoyed a story she told on herself. It involved a bottle of cough syrup that looked more like a bottle of booze. When she tried to sneak a drink in a Sunday School class, she received some strange looks. This is only one example of 101 humorous happenings. This book would be an excellent gift for a new Christian. It reminds us all that we are only human. We all make mistakes-and they can prove to be hilarious ones.

Book Description

Behind the scenes at the recording sessions for such classics as "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" and the making of Stones albums, from the psychedelia-drenched "Their Satanic Majesties Request," through the decadent blues and country of "Exile on Main Street" to their latest 1997 album release, Rolling Stones: Rip This Joint is heavily illustrated with photos of the band from its founding days to the present. The book covers every Rolling Stones song in detail: how it was written, recorded and why. It also includes over 130 four-color illustrations and a song-by-song description of the output of what some people call rock's greatest band. Featuring original interviews with those close to the band, such s Marianne Faithfull, and collaborators such as Bobby Keys, Jim Price and the Dust Brothers, this is the essential companion to a legendary 35-year repertoire.

Customer Reviews:

BOOK IS A FRAUD AND A JOKE!.......2006-01-10

Find out the back-story to the Stones songs - what a great read I thought as I opened this book. Naw! The author HAS gathered some good pictures of the Stones, however, the synopsis of the songs is horrible. There are no quotes about the songwriting from either Keith or Mick; the comments are all the author's GUESSES of what the stones were writing about. Some of the comments are very trivial. I agree whole-heartedly with Richard Carlton, a most knowledgable reviewer regarding the Rolling Stones. See his review also. One star for the photos.

Pretty Pictures.......2002-09-10

A great picture book. Excellent quality photos (>130 of them) of the Stones, the people who surrounded them through the various eras of their careers, the places and stage sets, recording sessions, etc. If you are looking for information, stories, or accurate data, you would do better to get Bill's book "Stone Alone" or a good guide like Karnbach and Bernson's "It's Only Rock `n' Roll" or Jimmy Phlege's "Nankering" or even the oldest Stones book - Goodman's "Our Own Story."

Author Steve Appleford did not have access to any of the Stones. Apparently the closest he came was the last row of the L.A. Coliseum Steel Wheels tour in 89....he goes so far as to envy a friend who saw the Stones in 72......jeesh....I've been closer to them than that.....and I saw them in 72 too. Ok, he did interview Marianne Faithful, Bobby Keys, Bobby Womack and a few others, but come on, man.....when you use photo captions like "The Glimmer Twins, hard at work on the devil's music;" totally miss the difference between the U.K. and U.S. releases of Out Of Our Heads, Aftermath, and Between The Buttons in your discography; and have nothing to say about the unreleased tracks like the early demos That Girl Belongs To Yesterday, Sure I Do, Shang A Doo Lang, or the lost 67 single English Summer, you really shouldn't lay claim to any sort of authority about the Stones other than being a fan, just like the rest of us.

I can't get no satisfaction.......2002-06-22

This book does NOT have background information on all the Stones' songs. For some songs there is a story of how it was composed, for some a note about the recording, for some it describes the music (because why would we have listened to any of the songs?), and for others it just editorializes about a song's relative merits. There is VERY little new information for relatively long term Stones fans. More importantly however are the ridiculous comments. At times it seems that the author has nothing to say and is filling space so he can say he wrote about every song. For example in the Some Girls chapter for Beast of Burden he mentions the story behind the album title and the gives a one sentence description of the song. It seems to me that this information belongs at the beginning of the chapter and not for the details of one particular song on the album. To be fair it might be tough to come up with original material for each song's "story" as the Stones have been prolific and also because there is a lot, or even complete, mystery revolving around some tracks. But if that is so then the premise of writing a book of information with stories behind every song is flawed and should never have been taken any further. This book is not the story behind the writing of every song, the recording of every song, and doesn't even have stories relating to every song.

Additionally there is some confusing and, in my opinion, erroneous commentary regarding tracks. For example the rare-ish track Everything It Turning To Gold is called a ballad. Maybe in lyrical form, but it will not get the lighters out at a concert.

So as another reviewer said, be warned. But if you know a good amount of Stones' mythology this isn't going to satisfy you.

A "must" for all their fans over the last four decades.......2001-05-18

In The Rolling Stones Rip This Joint, Steve Appleford reveals the story behind the songs, recording sessions, and performances of the Rolling Stones in their long and successful career. An informative text is enhanced with more than 130 full color photographs and a profusion of black-and-white photography, a song-by-song description of the groups total output, a chronology of Rolling Stones highlights, a discography of singles, EPs, albums, and miscellaneous releases (including selected solo releases); original interviews with those close to the band (including Mariann Faithfull) and collaborators like Bobby Keys, Jim Price, and the Dust Brothers. The Rolling Stones Rip This Joint is a "must" for all their fans over the last four decades.

Utterly essential!.......2001-04-05

A great book on the Rolling Stones, following their complete story song-by-song chronologically over each album to date. The information (often quite fascinating and new even to longtime Stones fans) has been provided by first-hand participants : musicians, producers, engineers, and the Stones themselves. Great photos (mostly color) complete the package. Songs not on original LPs are presented in chronological order in the last section. A terrific browser or read-through. The best Stones-related book in a long, long time and absolutely essential!

Book Description

This book explores Satyajit Ray's films, and The Chess Players in particular, in the context of discourses of labor in colonial and postcolonial conditions. Starting from Daniel Defoe and moving through history, short story and film to the present, Dube widens her analysis with comparisons in which Indian films are situated alongside Hollywood and other films, and interweaves historical and cultural debates within film theory.

Book Description

If you're vexed and perplexed by PowerPoint, pick up a copy of Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances. This funny, and often opinionated, guide is chock full of tools and techniques for eliminating all the problems that drive audiences and presenters crazy.

There's nothing more discouraging than an unresponsive audience--or worse, one that snickers at your slides. And there's nothing more maddening than technical glitches that turn your carefully planned slide show into a car wreck. Envious when you see other presenters effectively use nifty features that you've never been able to get to work right? Suffer no more! Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances by Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Echo Swinford rides to the rescue.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software on the planet, with an estimated 30 million presentations given each day. So no matter how frustrated you get, you're not about to chuck the program in the Recycle Bin. Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances, presents smart solutions to a variety of all-too-familiar, real-world annoyances.

The book is divided into big categories, with annoyances grouped by topic. You can read it cover to cover or simply jump to the chapter or section most relevant to you. Inside its pages you'll learn how to create your own templates, work with multiple masters and slide layouts, and take advantage of various alignment and formatting tools. You'll also learn how to import Excel data; insert graphics, PDF, and Word content; create, edit, and format organization charts and diagrams; use action settings and hyperlinks to jump to other slides; and add sound, video, and other types of multimedia to spark up your presentations.

Entertaining and informative, Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances is filled with humorous illustrations and packed with sidebars, tips, and tricks, as well as links to cool resources on the Web.

Customer Reviews:

A Nice Attempt.......2006-05-13

Don't let the title of my review mislead you. This is a great reference book to keep on your shelf and look up when you run into a problem. In fact, you'll find many of the same answers in this book if you search for them on Google Groups, not surprising since Swinford is a regular there. What lets the book down is that it provides a scant three pages on problems arising from using PowerPoint with other applications like Word, PDF and Flash. And in my years of using PowerPoint in a real world situation, these annoyances come up more than anything else. I thought I'll be able to work around these issues when I bought this book, but was disappointed. However, maybe your requirements are different, so to be fair enough, this is just my opinion. Overall, this boom is a nice attempt.

Think of solutions rather than focusing on the product and the value of this book increases.......2006-05-02

Two disclosures: (1) I have known the author for several years, both as a colleague and a friend; (2) I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher, O'Reilly.

One of the first things that strikes the eye on cracking open the book is the grey border that occupies the outside third of each page. If you are unfortunate and like me pick a few pages each with an empty border it seems a strange -- even annoying -- design choice. But, flip a few more pages and it quickly becomes apparent that the book uses the border creatively to (1) hold the reader's interest by breaking the monotony of the typical linear flow, and (2) impart interesting tidbits. Several minutes into the book I caught myself, upon turning over a page, checking the borders first!

Swinford also makes interesting use of the archetypical savior of many a computer geek -- the paper clip. Scattered through the book are curious contortions of the paper clip. She also lets the reader know she shares their frustrations with PowerPoint with the judicious use of sketches of a pencil snapped in several pieces.

Lest one think these are but gimmicks to cover a lack of substance, nothing could be further from the truth.

Content wise, I would have expected nothing less from the author and she delivers. The book is well organized with sections dealing with broad roles starting with "Presenting Your Presentation," going through every (well, the vast majority in any case) possible uses one might conceive for PowerPoint and ending with "Printing and Distribution." One could nitpick on whether some of the topics addressed might belong in another section, but it is doubtful that any categorization would satisfy every reader.

Browsing through the book, I found myself nodding to myself at the various "annoyances" she has addressed. Having used PowerPoint from when it was first released by Microsoft, and as one who regularly tests its limits -- I have had my share of...let's call them experiences...with the product. The author succinctly identifies each problem and offers a solution be it using PowerPoint or in conjunction with another program. Swinford's expertise and knowledge of not only the program but more importantly of how to use it productively are apparent in the many solutions she presents.

Something new (and impressive I might add) that I learned about her from the book was her knowledge of how other programs can improve one's productivity with PowerPoint. For example, she notes two programs that can assist one "reapply animations." While other programs do cost money, it is a trade-off all of us make routinely: time vs. money.

She is also not afraid to write "No, it cannot be done in PowerPoint." And, she is right. No program can be everything to everyone. And, to that end, she has done her research. Instead of simply stating "use another program," she suggests one. In fact, on page 179, she lists 15(!) programs under the category of "Other Charting Options" -- together with each program's web site and cost.

Clearly, this is not a book from one learns PowerPoint. It is more like a reference book, one that both the beginner and the experienced are likely to turn to when they encounter problems. The author's writing style makes for easy reading and it would not hurt one to read it page by page. For instance, if one hasn't worked with a particular PowerPoint capability it would be a good idea to go through the related section and educate oneself on what to expect. Essentially, this book is best used as a reference.

And, that leads to the biggest "problem," if we can call it that, with this book. Though, to be fair, it is a problem with all such books. A printed book can never do justice to a reference work. A very useful companion would have been an electronic version of the book, something one can search as needed. Take it a step further, and maybe the author and the publisher will consider a purchaser-only companion website for the book. Take the next logical step, and they can charge a fee for new content added to the website.

Be that as it may, all in all, this is a book that PowerPoint users should have within easy reach.

Required Reading for Students!!.......2006-04-03

This time of year, students all over the United States are working on their final projects. Around here, that means senior presentations, which means PowerPoint.

I'm not at that school full-time any more, but in years past I've seen just about every problem that could crop up related to PowerPoint. I really could have used Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances - especially when I taught PowerPoint, and had students come to me in a panic when the program told them the file on their floppy disk was corrupt. (Page 43 deals with this problem. Wish I had known the solution two years ago!).

PowerPoint has become as important to businesses today as any other program. Presentations are used to pitch new products, ad campaigns, even benefit packages. When it doesn't work right, it can cause serious problems. But with Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances in hand, those problems are no longer fatal.

The book is very well organized; it starts off with problems related to the actual presentation, even possible problems with displays and projectors are discussed. Problems that crop up during the presentation (don't you HATE it when your slides suddenly stop moving forward, or when a graphic that was supposed to show up suddenly doesn't?) are solved right up front, so that you don't have to go digging through the book - a great idea when the CEO is sitting there waiting for you to get on with it.

Many problems that people run into are caused by default settings in PowerPoint. (Maybe that's why they call the "default" - de fault is theirs!). Section 2 covers exactly which default settings you need to change, and why. Section 3 covers editing problems, including complaints about some things that Microsoft needs to add to the program. There are also links to some files from some Microsoft PowerPoint MVPs that are very helpful (including some templates).

Organizational charts can be a pain in PowerPoint, especially if you're trying to add positions. Tips and tricks for doing that, and other things you may need to do to an org chart, are listed in section 5. Importing sound and video is in section 6; I hate it when my sound effects don't play right, and aren't timed right. Unfortunately, synching sound is NOT something the book can help with - "PowerPoint is simply not designed to perfectly synchronize slides and sound."

And that's one thing I love about this book: they aren't afraid to tell you when something just can't be done. Whether it's a feature that Microsoft doesn't have, or something that you just might not WANT to do, you'll find out. And maybe you'll even feel motivated to let the folks out in Redmond know what you wish their product would do for you. Hey, it couldn't hurt!

I'm going to be loaning Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances to the senior project advisor at the school where I used to teach. It will save her a LOT of headaches in the weeks to come. But I want it back after the projects are done, because I can see it saving ME some headaches as well. She can buy her own copy.

The "Real" Help.......2006-03-21

Do you get frustrated working with Microsoft's presentation program, and can't find the answers anywhere? Then you'll love this book. You can't buy this book and expect to learn how to create PowerPoints - this one is to keep on your bookshelf and refer to when you hit a roadblock. And of course, it's so much fun to read even when you are just creating nice presentations - at least you'll know exactly what to do when disaster strikes - and you might be even able to do something about it - after all, prevention is better than cure. Yes, this is first aid for PowerPoint - keep it handy!

Geetesh Bajaj/Indezine.com

So I *don't* have to live with that behavior?.......2006-03-18

I'm spending more time these days giving presentations, and PowerPoint has become a required piece of software. But that doesn't mean life with PowerPoint is smooth. This is a book I plan on putting to really good use... Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances by Echo Swinford. Right in time for a presentation coming up in June!

Contents: Presenting Your Presentation; Dumb Defaults; Formatting and Editing; Importing; Organization Charts, Diagrams, and Drawing Tools; Charts and Graphs; Animations, Action Settings, and Hyperlinks; Sound and Video; Printing and Distribution; Index

As I was going through this book, I kept repeating certain phrases in my mind. One was "so there *is* a way around that?" and the other was "I didn't know you could do that!". Some of the annoyances in this book hadn't yet become that to me because I didn't know it was possible in the first place. Since she covers versions 2000, 2002, and 2003, there's a really good chance that much of this book will apply to you regardless of whether you've upgraded or not (I'm in the 2000 - NOT category). I also realized some of the faux pas I was committing that caused "less than desirable" results. For instance, I can bring down the resolution of my graphics to 72 dpi because projection doesn't gain anything by being higher. No more multi-meg presentations with graphics now... Or how come my text shrinks in the text boxes as I type more and more? I thought it just worked like that. Wrong! It's things like these (and many more) that will make my next presentation preparation go much better than it has in the past.

This is another one of those books that I'd recommend to anyone who has to work with PowerPoint on a regular basis. Life's too short to put up with many of these annoyances, and Swinford can reduce your frustration level by orders of magnitude.

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