Underneath New York

Book Description

Everyone wonders what goes on down a manhole. This book explores the mysteries beneath New York City's streets, telling the story of hidden pipes and cables and how they are kept in order. It might be called a Sidewalk Superintendent's Guide, but it is much more than that. It is a vivid account of a city in action. The author received the generous cooperation of the engineering personnel of the public utilities and the municipal departments of the city. The text is enhanced by numerous photographs, maps, and diagrams. Harry Granick's Underneath New York was the first book to describe the anatomy of a modern city.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty dated, but still interesting........2005-03-04

I think there is an opportunity for someone to write a modern account of what you would find underground in New York City and how and when it got there. The concept itself is fascinating that there is a whole separate city below the city that most of us will never see.

That said, Granick's account of the world beneath New York is definitely interesting, but it could go deeper (pun intended) into detail and is really in dire need of an update.

If the idea of learning about the literal underworld of New York City is interesting to you, this is the best book I've come across.

A probably still current view of what's below ground in NYC........1999-03-05

My late father, Philip W. May, did the illustrations in this book app. 1946-47. Having worked in New York City for 20 years, more recently, and viewed how little the city puts into its infrastructure, I would imagine the book is probably still a very accurate view of the complicated web of wires, pipes, subways, etc. that weave below the streets. The book was contemporary when it came out, and more than likely still is to a great extent. It is also good history of how it all was done.

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Underneath New York.
Harry. Granick
Manufacturer: Rinehart & Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPPG8S

Book Description

Botanical prints are one of the most popular elements in home décor. This book teaches readers how to achieve the unique look of these paintings, using easy-to-find acrylic paints that can be thinned with water to give a layered, translucent watercolor effect.

The simple painting techniques are carefully explained, including how to prepare the surface and transfer the pattern. Temares then leads into eight step-by-step projects with a variety of floral subjects, including wildflowers, flowering herbs, bulb flowers, garden flowers and other favorite botanical subjects. Readers will also learn how to accurately render flowers, leaves and stems; paint borders and add an antiqued look; and mat and frame finished artwork. Materials lists, color charts and patterns accompany every project.

* Includes detailed patterns to copy
* Clear, colorful step-by-steps show readers how to complete 8 projects with over 28 different flowers and herbs

Customer Reviews:

Crafty painting.......2007-04-11

I should have read the fine print about this book instead of taking it for face (title) value. It is a good book for acrylic painting of flowers, and someone looking for that type of instruction would be lucky to have it, but it certainly is NOT an illustration book. I will pass it along to someone else who does more generic painting with no emphasis on detail and accuracy.

Highly recommended.......2001-08-04

An engaging book well worth your investment with great projects for all levels of artists. Vivid colour schemes and beautiful styles that I'm keen to try myself. I enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it!

Book Description

A holistic approach to harnessing a company's processes to achieve true customer satisfaction
Every move that a corporation makes is a mixture of input, action, and output-in short, a process. To keep customers, employees, and shareholders happy, corporate management must juggle conflicting priorities. These competing priorities result in conflicting processes. To help achieve true customer satisfaction, manage-ment needs tools that allow for a holistic approach to analyzing these processes. This book provides that tool. It shows corporations how to analyze and enhance their critical processes in order to deliver the highest level of service to their internal and external customers. Providing a clear understanding of what process mapping can do for a company as well as practical applications for each step in process mapping, this useful guide outlines a proven method for assuring better processes and building a more customer-focused company.

Customer Reviews:

Precise Methods for Gathering Process Data.......2006-02-17

I'm an educator in a midwest insurance company so I related easily to the author's examples which are based on Farmer's Insurance. It is easy to recognize the author's auditing background because their methods are precise and complete. I will use their written experience to conduct classes of my own. I have two observations from the book: 1. Entity types are identified as Process, Unit, Task, and Action. These correspond to Process, Subprocess, Activity, and Step which are somewhat better known; 2. The examples and case study of insurance applications will appeal to those in an identical or similar industry.

CAUTION: SERIOUS FLAWS IN THIS APPROACH TO PROCESS MAPPING.......2002-08-29

I have never written a review in my life, but for this book, I will make an exception.

I am a consultant. Most of my firm's (SAI Consulting, LLC) work is focused on the design, documentation, and management of processes, as they relate to improving our clients' operating and financial performance. We are experts at process mapping and the proper use of process mapping in a broad range of strategic and improvement initiatives.

In fairness, there are some good points to this book, but there are also some serious flaws in the approach to process mapping it recommends:

1. The use of individual, isolated interviews to develop an understanding of the current state of the process is a very bad idea, particularly on large, cross-functional processes. The interviewer will chase his tail listening to different versions of the same process. The best approach is a cross-functional team. We have found that teams do a much better job of exposing the real process, and they produce much greater insight and reality into the process.

2. Likewise, the use of the interviewer to analyze the current state of the process and either redesign the process or design a new process is a very bad idea. People will not settle for a method that limits their input to the current state - they want to have a say in the redesign or new design. The authors say the experts 'are the people who perform the work', but they don't let those experts provide the solution?

3. The vertical design of the process maps is not as useful or practical as a horizontal cross-functional flowchart. There are plenty of reasons to choose horizontal over vertical, but - if for no other reason - processes need to be depicted horizontally in order to break away from the functional mindset of most organizations.

3. The treatment of operating measures is almost useless.

4. The book explains the use of 'drill down' maps to expose increasing levels of process detail. These are very difficult to create and maintain without software specifically designed to automate the drill-down structure. Yet, there is no mention of the use of IDEF0 software that would make the production and maintenance of these process models a snap.

My recommendation: Buy the book if you don't know much about process mapping, but don't stop there. If anyone reading this review has questions, I would be glad to discuss them.

Fletcher L. Groves, III
Vice President
SAI Consulting, LLC

PO Box 1755
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
32004-1755

(904) 273-9840

E-mail: flgroves@saiconsulting.com

Provides step by step guidance.......2002-01-04

I have been looking for an effective analytical tool that would help me make get a good understanding of my company's business processes. This book hit the mark by providing me with step by step guidance. Especially helpful was the expense payment process example as well as the hints it provides on what to avoid while performing a process mapping. Overall it was worth the money.

Business Process Mapping: Improving Customer Satisfaction

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Business Process Mapping: Improving Customer Satisfaction
J. Mike Jacka; Paulette J. Keller
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYFJXI

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Walking into the Morning: A Journey to the Other Side of Grief
Margaret Walpole
Manufacturer: C R Gibson Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0837850932

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Set my career path...

Pulling the curtain back just a little...

Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War

An Extraordinary Tale of a Legendary CIA Duo

GOOD read

Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War
Antonio Mendez , Jonna Mendez , and Bruce Henderson
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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Master of Disguise, The

Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer

The Spycraft Manual: The Insider's Guide to Espionage Techniques

The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB

Espionage: The Greatest Spy Operations of the Twentieth Century

ASIN: 0743428536

Book Description

Moscow, 1988. It is the twilight of the Cold War, and the KGB is at its most ruthless. In the last three years, ten CIA operatives have been executed or neutralized. Langley has no idea how the KGB seems to be able to predict the CIA's every move, but some believe they are using an invisible electromagnetic powder that allows them to keep tabs on anyone who touches it: spy dust.

Enter CIA officers Tony Mendez and Jonna Goeser, who come together to head up a team of technical wizards and operational specialists, determined to solve the mystery that threatens to bring down the curtain on the Cold War's final act.

Beginning in Indochina and culminating in a breathtakingly daring operation in the heart of the Kremlin itself, Spy Dust reveals more about U.S. intelligence techniques abroad than any previously published work of nonfiction, and is a riveting account of spycraft, courage, loyalty, and love.

Download Description

Reviewed and released by the CIA, opening a window on the true-life world of espionage -- the elusive identities, the sophisticated gadgetry, the triple-think strategies -- Spy Dust reveals more about U.S. intelligence techniques abroad than any other published work of nonfiction. Moscow, 1988. The twilight of the Cold War. The KGB is at its most ruthless, and has now indisputably gained the upper hand over the CIA in the intelligence war. But no one knows how. Ten CIA agents and double-agents have gone missing in the last three years. They have either been executed or they are unaccounted for. At Langley, several theories circulate as to how the KGB seems suddenly to have become telepathic, predicting the CIA's every move. Some blame the defection of Edward Lee Howard three years before, and suspect that more high-placed moles will be unearthed. Others speculate that the KGB's surveillance successes have been heightened by the invention of an invisible electromagnetic powder that allows them to keep tabs on anyone who touches it: spy dust. CIA officers Tony Mendez and Jonna Goeser come together to head up a team of technical wizards and operational specialists, determined to solve the mystery that threatens to overshadow the Cold War's final act. Working against known and unknown hostile forces, as well as some unfriendly elements within the CIA, they devise controversial new operational methods and techniques to foil the KGB, and show the extraordinary lengths to which U.S. intelligence is willing to go to protect a source, then rescue him when his world starts to collapse. At the same time, Tony and Jonna find themselves falling deeply in love.

Customer Reviews:

Set my career path..........2007-02-21

I love this book! When I was a sophomore in college I took a class called Strategic Intelligence in American Democracy. I found it so fascinating that I asked my teacher to suggest some outside reading I could do, and the first book he mentioned was this one. After reading the whole book in less than a week I realized that this was definately something I would like to study further and perhaps even be a part of some day. I'm now about to finish my masters in National Security and Intelligence -- something I very well may not have done if my teacher hadn't suggested this book to me!

Pulling the curtain back just a little..........2006-03-29

This book, by Antonio Mendez and his wife Jonna, is an intriguing memoir of two CIA employees at work during the closing years of the Cold War. Like most Cold War memoirs and histories, Spy Dust offers an insight into a small portion of the overall struggle between the USA and the USSR. As loyal CIA retirees, they don't really allow us to see all that much, but by pulling the curtain back just a little, the insight is fascinating.

The book reads more like a spy novel than a non fiction book, and the parallels made me wonder how much in current spy fiction is actually fact. I have heard others say that the truth would actually be stranger than fiction, and this book makes me believe that that statement is actually true.

One statement that I found particularly telling was at a conference after the end of the Cold War where the current and past CIA Directors shared the podium with the former KGB Director of Foreign Counterintelligence, General Oleg Kalugin. In scoring the success of American vs. Soviet Human Intelligence efforts, he rated the U.S. successes as five times that of the Soviets, an amazing admission from a former enemy.

I think any reader will find this book very interesting and easy to follow and enjoy.

Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War.......2005-07-20

I have always been interested and very intrigued with our CIA and really learned a lot about the Agency by reading this book. Tony really has a gift of putting words together to really make you keep reading. I found both their lives very interesting and wish I could have did what they did. It certainly takes a lot of courage. And of course the job of a CIA agent is also very exciting. The bottom line being, keeping our country safe and free. God bless all the men and women risking their lives for our blessed country. And God bless America

An Extraordinary Tale of a Legendary CIA Duo.......2005-05-18

While reality is sometimes said to be stranger than fiction, leave it to CIA veterans Tony and Jonna Mendez to create a memoir of their overseas adventures that truly boggles the mind. Whether breaking into a Soviet installation to steal a code machine, exfiltrating a pair of agents out of Moscow with the help of a CIA "ninja," or inventing new methods of throwing off KGB surveillance, this dynamic duo still found time for love while performing their duties in a demanding career that leaves little personal time. It couldn't have happened to two better people.

With so many autobiographies out there by ex-CIA operations officers, "Spy Dust" offers a distinct perspective on Cold War espionage history in that it was written by a husband-and-wife team of disguise artists, thus giving it that playful, creative flavor that makes this book all the more appealing. Even the title of the book is a play on words, if you think about it.

GOOD read.......2005-01-22

I totally enjoyed this book. If you like stories about clandestine operations, you will love this one. Just enough background description, a small amount of romance and good descriptions of undercover ops.

I only wish they would have been able to tell some of the things that are still classified. Sometimes I had to 'read between the lines' in order to figure out what was REALLY going on.

Read it. You will like it!

Book Description

The first High Technology Small Firms Conference was held at Manchester Business School in July 1993. In order to gain a wider audience for the work presented at this annual conference, a series of edited books was initiated and the first volume entitled New Technology-Based Firms in the 1990s was published in 1994. As a continuation of this series, the chapters included in Volume Two comprise the best papers to be presented at the second High Technology Small Firms Conference, again held at Manchester Business School in September 1994. Together with collections of edited papers to follow in future years, the two existing volumes represent a record of an evolving research agenda on high-technology small firms, survival and growth.

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New Technology-Based Firms in the 1990s (New Technology-Based Firms)
R. Oakey
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUBDM2

Book Description

This fully revised edition of the pocket book includes everyday information which the architect/designer normally has to find from a wide variety of sources and which is not always easily to hand. The book is of use to the student as well as the experienced practitioner. There is no similar compendium currently available.

The book includes data about planning, structure, services, building elements, materials and addresses, and is intended to be used both at the drawing board and on site.

The selection of the material by the author is based on many years' experience of architectural practice in both public and private offices.

Now fully updated to take into account the new 2002 editions to the Building Regulations documents H, J, L1 and L2.

Charlotte Baden-Powell was trained at the Architectural Association in London and has practised as an architect for 38 years. She began by working for British Rail and later for Sir Denys Lasdun. Since then she has run her own practice in London and Bath, dealing with new works as well as the restoration and extension of old buildings. She has written and lectured about the design of kitchens and bathrooms and is the author of Fireplace Design and Construction.

* Saves you time by gathering together essential, useful and practical information for both the student and practising architect
* Invaluable to students whose theoretical courses do not prepare them for the practicalities of professional practice
* Keeps you up to date by including 36 pages of new information looking at a broad range of current issues from bicycle parking spaces to types of paint

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Stained Glass Clock Gallery: Full Size Patterns for 18 Clocks
Randy A. Wardell , and Judy Wardell
Manufacturer: Wardell Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0919985165

Amazon.com

This book is an odd combination of history, sociology, and memoir. Author Eric Nelson recounts his vertigo at the opening of Mall of America, the greatest tourist attraction in the United States, and uses this as an opportunity to create a dialogue with all things American. Stories from Indian casino workers, Jerry Siegel's recollections of creating Superman, the odd goings-on at a wedding that took place inside the mall, and more come together to create a truly unusual literary venture. Nelson uses the mall as a geographical and economic locus to tell the story of how the U.S. came to be the consumer-friendly pseudo-world that it is today. --James DiGiovanna

Product Description

The Mall of America annually draws more visitors than Disney World, Graceland, and the Grand Canyon combined. It is itself a comment on the culture that created it. St. Olaf College professor Eric Nelson explores the attraction of this glitzy city-within-a-city with a wry humor, holding it up as a mirror that reflects American morals and cultural values.

Customer Reviews:

Pop Culture Cliches and Age Old Truisms.......1999-07-15

This was an attempt at being clever. It provided many colorful examples of the things most urban dwellers come to realize by age 10. Packed full of common sense observations that could enlighten only the typical unaware suburban consumer.

I believe this book was an effort by the author (likely a typical suburban consumer) to share a recent personal discovery, US Econimic Policy = Careless Consumerism.

Though I am certain that the author was entertained, as clever as this book was written; with its lack meaningful insight, it makes better fiction that anything.

An entertaining, analytical look at the Mega-mall.......1999-06-15

It's not often that a piece of nonfiction sets me to pondering at the same time it entertains and instructs, but that's the nature of this wondrous book on Minnesota's mall of malls. Eric Nelson is a magician here, conjuring up surprises -- sparkling background tidbits connected tightly or loosely to this giant shopping community -- before our very eyes. Carefully researched, thoughtfully linked to issues important to our consumerist culture, sprinkled with astute sketches of people who spend or make their money at the mall, this book helps make sense of why this overwhelming midwestern biosphere became an overwhelming success.

An engaging cultural guide to the Mall of America.......1999-06-12

This book is more than a description of the Mall of America, more than an analysis of economics or a sociological treatise. It's all of these, with excursions into history, philosophy, and theology; interviews with people both "normal" and quirky; and amusing nuggets of observation about things as diverse as superheroes and buying clothing for your wife.

For example, one chapter, "The Whirlwind," begins with quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Book of Job. It moves through our attempts to control the weather (knots tied by Shetland Island fishermen, the Weather Modification Advisory Board), and touches on both George Washington and the Donner Party, arriving finally at Minnesota weather and the reason for Malls. The chapter ends with the story of the eccentric entrepreneur behind the Rainforest Cafe: "For the time being, Steve Schussler, who studied Darwin in the school of hard knocks, has found a niche in its neon jungle."

On a trip to the Mall with Eric Nelson be prepared for unexpected encounters and surprising insights. You'll return home entertained and satisfied.

A delightful read - as entertaining as it is informative........1999-05-29

This book uses the Mall of America (located in Minnesota, it is our nation's largest) as a cultural thermometre. Now as academic as that sounds, Eric Nelson manages to give the book a delightful (and disarming) sense of humor.

What you never thought a mall would offer - wisdom!.......1998-04-29

We're all part of one big happy consumer family - but as with most families, it's usually hard to figure out what's going on. This savvy book about the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., the biggest of 'em all, takes a sharp look at how consumerism on a grand scale functions, and how we are all sucked into it one way or another. Whether he's casting a whimsical look at an icon like Snoopy, observing a day in a mall-style classroom, joining in a therapeutic shopping trip with a group of suburban women, or wittily cataloging the sensory overload of it all, Eric Nelson is a great consumer family counselor. You'll never go to a mall again without noticing new details of the strange and wonderful shopping binge we are all on. It's a fun read, and a wise one.

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Skills for Survival: How Families Can Prepare
Esther Dickey
Manufacturer: Horizon Publishers & Distributors
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0882900935

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Skills for Survival: How Families Can Prepare
Esther Dickey
Manufacturer: Horizon Pub & Dist Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VFWQH4

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Skills for Survival : How Families Can Prepare
Esther Dickey
Manufacturer: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HLPSL8

Book Description

This heavily illustrated book examines the twenty-year period that saw the U.S. fleet shrink under the pressure of arms limitation treaties and government economy and then grow again to a world-class force. The authors trace the Navy's evolution from a fleet centered around slow battleships to one that deployed most of the warship types that proved so essential in World War II, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, battleships, and submarines. Both the older battleships and these newer ships are captured in stunning period photographs that have never before been published. An authoritative yet lively text explains how and why the newer ships and aircraft came to be.

Thomas Hone and Trent Hone describe how a Navy desperately short of funds and men nevertheless pioneered carrier aviation, shipboard electronics, code-breaking, and (with the Marines) amphibious warfare-elements that made America's later victory in the Pacific possible. Based on years of study of official Navy department records, their book presents a comprehensive view of the foundations of a navy that would become the world's largest and most formidable. At the same time, the heart of the book draws on memoirs, novels, and oral histories to reveal the work and the skills of sailors and officers that contributed to successes in World War II. From their service on such battleships as West Virginia to their efforts ashore to develop and procure the most effective aircraft, electronics, and ships, from their adventures on Yangtze River gunboats to carrier landings on the converted battle cruisers Saratoga and Lexington, the men are profiled along with their ships. This combination of popular history with archival history will appeal to a general audience of naval enthusiasts.

Customer Reviews:

A solid and worthy read.......2006-11-04

Thomas and Trent Hone, the father and son authors of Battle Line: The United States Navy 1919-1939 tackled a very crucial period in USN history and did it very concisely and well. The between wars period is often overlooked or misunderstood. Literally there was a revolution taking place within the Navy that was driven by technology (the aircraft, carrier & submarine) as well as new missions (amphibious assualt). As with any change forced upon an institution, there is always reluctance and nay-sayers. The innovators that brought about reliable submarines, carrier task forces and aviation development in this pre-war period are the un-sung heroes that deserve recognition and our gratitude. Battle Line examines these trends and the people that took the lead in developing these capabilities that still serve us today in our modern Navy. I would recommend this book to all who are interested in 20th century history as well the arm chair military history buffs. My hat is off to these authors - BZ!

Splendid Book on a Little Known Era.......2006-06-23

Note that this book covers the years between the end of World War I and beginning the buildup to World War II. Just to use aircraft as an example, the Navy ended WW I with fabric covered biplanes. And in 1938 the Navy issued a requirement to Vought for the F4U Corsair. In ships the changes were no less dramatic. The Plunger class submarines of World War I (Would you want to go to see in a boat with that name?) gave way to the Gato class which was first laid down in 1940.

Another phase during these years was the result of the Naval treaties that specified the number and tonnage of ships that could be built. This incidentally caused two battlecruisers under construction to be finished as the aircraft carriers Lexington and Saratoga which were not limited by the treaty.

This is a fascinating book about a time when budgets were minimal, technology was rapidly changing, and although they didn't know it, the Navy was getting ready for World War II.

BATTLE LINE: THE UNITED STATES NAVY 1919 - 1939.

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BATTLE LINE: THE UNITED STATES NAVY 1919 - 1939.
Thomas C. and Trent Hone. Hone
Manufacturer: Annapolis, Naval Institute, 2006. [16], 244 pp., illus. First edition, in fine condition, in dust jacket. As new.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDXGGM

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Total History: History of the World, Countries of the World, Us History
Bureau Development
Manufacturer: Bureau of Electronic Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 187880524X

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