Spag : An American Business Legend

Book Description

Way before Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and Sam's Club, there was Spags, the original discount store and hub-of-the-universe to frugal-minded New England Yankees looking for a bargain.

Customer Reviews:

Spag.......2006-08-07

I worked at Spag's for 3 good years and then 5 not so good years before it was finally bought by building 19 and became Spag's 19. There are many times during this book that I was brought to tears thinking about how the store used to be and how Spag loved his customers and employees. This is a personal look on how wonderful this man was and how wonderful the store was.

Great way to remember the out-of-business store!.......2005-11-03

When I first discovered Spag's, I thought it was a BBQ & grill restaurant, then I realized it was a department store. My sister gave me this book for Christmas because I liked to joke about Spag's. The book gives facts about the store and tells people that before the large department store chains, there was Spag's, and tells about the store's existence. And now that the store is out of business, that's all the more reasons for this book to be in print!

A good human interest story.......2000-03-19

For those of us who grew up visiting Spag's - listening the the loudspeakers blare "Vinnie Mastro on green" and waiting for the arrival of new baseball gloves and 69 cent baseballs every spring - this book is a wonderful reminder of our youth. The author, Spag's sister, provides a wonderful portrait of her brother's early life and his entrepreneurial exploits at a young age. . . If you are looking for a business book about how to become a millionaire quickly, this book is NOT for you. If you want inspiration about how a person of modest means can become a multimillionaire by serving the common man and then can become the best nieghbor in town to those in need, then this book is for you. . . Spag left his mark on all who have met him. Everyone in Central Massachusetts has a special "Spag" story about his kindness, generosity and service to the community. This book puts many of those stories together to share them with a wider audience. It definitely is a good read. If Frank Capra had used a retail store as a backdrop in his classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," George Bailey's name would have been Spag, and this book would have been the basis of his script.

A CLASS ACT!.......2000-03-16

This is a superb well written book about a remarkable business man who became a legend in New England.He was a man of integrity who loved serving people above all else.Quite refreshing, considering the money before all else society we live in now.

Book Description

Runner-up in the 1993 American League batting race, 37-year-old Paul Molitor became the oldest player in major league history to drive in 100 runs for the first time in his career. Signed as a free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, "The Ignitor" became a crucial factor in the Jays' second consecutive World Series Championship. Author Stuart Broomer chronicles Molitor's upbringing in St. Paul, Minnesota. Broomer also looks at Molitor's successful battle with cocaine addition in the early 1980s, his tireless community work, and his emergence as a team leader and a fan favorite in Toronto.

Customer Reviews:

Encyclopedic outlook with several interesting facts.......1999-06-04

It isn't often that I here a fact or a story about Paul Molitor that I don't already know. He was my hero when I first saw him play on my 7th birthday, and as I graduate with a Master's degree 20 years later, he is still every bit the hero I remember. That is why it was such a nice surprise to find several tidbits brought to light by Broomer that I had never been aware of. There is no question that Molitor is the last of a dying breed of players who play the game the way it is meant to be played, and a review of his career from American Legion to his World Series MVP performance would be interesting for any baseball fan. Broomer's writing however, lacks imagination. The text of the book reads like a laundry list of where Molitor played ball during his life, and is all too briefly interupted by short quotes from the people who knew Molitor at various times during his life. I believer Broomer expended very little energy writing this book. However, any baseball fan would be excited to review the evidence of Molly's dedication to baseball, and his class on and off of the field. For the true Molitor fan, there are several outstanding photos of Molitor in his Golden Gophers uniform and throughout his professional career.

Book Description

As rock critics have noted in the past, Bruce Springsteen's songs exist in a world of their own--they have their own settings, characters, words, and images. It is a world that even those who know only a handful of Springsteen's lyrics can instantly recognize, a world of highways and factories, loners and underdogs, hot rods and patrol cars. And it is a world that stretches far beyond the New Jersey state line. Indeed, Springsteen's attention to the ideals and struggles of ordinary Americans has significantly influenced American popular culture and public debate. As a rock-and-roll troubadour, "the Boss" speaks not only for his many fans but to them, and often with a directness or sincerity that no other performer can match. But what can be said of the fans themselves? Why and how do they relate to Springsteen's words and music? Based on three years of ethnographic research amid Springsteen's fans, and informed by the author's own experiences and impressions as a fan, Daniel Cavicchi's Tramps Like Us is an interdisciplinary study of the ways in which ordinary people form special, sustained attachments to a particular singer/songwriter and his songs, and of how these attachments function in people's lives. An "insider's narrative" about Springsteen fans--who they are, what they do, and why they do it--this book also investigates the phenomenon of fandom in general. The text oscillates between fans' stories and ideas and Cavicchi's own anecdotes, commentary, and analysis. It challenges the stereotypes of fans as obsessive, delusional, and even mentally ill, and explores fandom as a normal socio-cultural activity. Ultimately, this book argues that music fandom is a useful and meaningful behavior that enables us to shape identities, create communities, and make sense of the world--both Bruce's and our own.

Customer Reviews:

They All Listen To The Same Boss.......2004-03-31

If you judge the book by its cover, it looks like a Bruce book. This isn't a book about Bruce Springsteen, nor is it about specific Bruce fans MORE than it is an academic study of people who all like the same artist. It's technical, scientific, and just happens to use specifically-Springsteen fans as the control group.

I believe Bruce was used because his following happens to be notoriously massive, including several generations. This is probably because his music often centers around middle class life.

Several issues:

+ Conversion of a fan - when a person has not always been fond of an artist but turns into a fan. Religious comparisons included.

+ The live experience - what kinds of physical things typically happen, and interviews of psyched concert-goers

+ Community - friendships formed based on fandom, internet communication, etc

+ Participation - things fans outwardly do/behavior study

Now, it's all based on fans of the same subject, so there is a constant reference to Bruce. The people are talking about Bruce - but THEY are the subject of the book.

Know that, before you decide whether or not you want it. I adore these kinds of studies and happen to love Bruce, too - so naturally, I dug this book. But if you're looking for Bruce-specific information, grab something like his Rolling Stone interviews collection.

"In the end, while fans' feelings may fluctuate, connecting with Springsteen means that he becomes a part of each fan, a continuing presence to which they may turn again and again. On the whole, fandom is not some particular thing one has or does. Fandom is a process of being; it is the way one is." --Daniel Cavicchi, the author

Quite a bore.......1999-09-01

This book put me to sleep. Normally I love reading books about rock stars, etc. However, I did not find this "thesis" on Bruce fans entertaining. Rock and roll is not science and in this book the author relies on quotes from psychologists and sociologists to back up facts that we already instinctively know--Bruce fans are passionate about their "BOSS."

If you are curious about this book, check it out of the library or find a used copy. Don't waste 18.95 on it.

I no longer have to write an autobiograpy.......1999-02-03

The book arrived from amazon yesterday and I never put it down. Having been a Bruce Springsteen fan for the last 15 years it was uncanny reading. I could relate to almost every aspect of this work as if the author was describing me. The experiance of being a Bruce Springsteen fan has never been easy to relate to people, I no longer have to, I will just lend them the book. Being a New Zealander it has been a mammoth excercise keeping up with Bruce Springsteen, seeing shows, waiting for albums and the like, we are just so far away, but this book showed me that the experiance of being a fan is the same world-wide. Imagine a book which describes you and your experiances and passions so well that you begin to wonder if someone has been following you for the last two decades taking notes...freaky.

Like TRACKS, this is one for the real fans........1998-12-20

This book came to me as a gift from a friend who knew of my fanaticism for the Boss's music. It is part scholarship and part testimonial, written in the style of the best New Yorker journalism: not quite high brow but a cut above ROLLING STONE et al. It's just great to know that there are deep and abiding tramps like us who can publish a book that talks the talk of ones who have walked the walk, from Asbury Park to L.A. . . . and back again. And now that Bruce & the Band are going to hit the road again, this is JUST the book to prepare for a summer of staying in line for tickets . . . as long as it takes. If you love the Boss and you love good writing, you'll love this book. Thanks Bunny! m.d.

Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans

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Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans
Daniel Cavicchi
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK4JAS

Average customer rating:

Tramps Like Us : Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans
Daniel Cavicchi
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKGBMW

Book Description

Build scenarios and campaigns that are uniquely yours
Construct both single- and multiplayer maps
Use StarEdit's trigger system to spontaneously generate new units
Try capture-the-flag, maze, death match, or even RPG scenarios!
Learn how to replace game sounds with any sound you want

Customer Reviews:

This book isn't worth $80.......2006-02-12

This book covers the very basics of Starcraft that everyone probably knows. It also covers making maps in great detail which is good. Creating custom troops and vehicles gets kind of tricky. Then there are the LOGIC COMMANDS that you have to create to make things work, if you like to write computer languages you will like this part, otherwise god help you because you won't be able to make your creation work at all. This book has lots and lots of SPACE and is worth $30 MAX

Great Book.......2003-04-09

Great book I love it it helped me with the game a lot.

IF I HAD THE BOOK.......2002-05-31

ello this book will probaly tell you evey thing you need to know on how to create the best maps for the PC video game STAR CRAFT

Ive made a new game for starcraft with this book!.......2000-07-14

Ive made 10 mission for each species with the help of this book. Before I got this book everyone that played my maps on the internet hated them, now because of that book I dont have a minute to wait . The slots fill so fast. This book is the best!

This book is awesome! PPL who don't like it just know a lot.......2000-04-03

This Book is awesome! I suggest if u don't know much about campaign editing and Use Map setting Triggers THEN BUY THIS BOOK! But if u are someone who can just go into campaign editor and know what you are doing DON'T GET IT b/c u know to much.

Book Description

Windows XP Home Edition offers dozens of new features for consumers: an elegant user interface, drag-and-drop CD burning, and powerful ways to view and manage digital photos and music, among other features. With the release of Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows XP now provides better protection against viruses, worms, and malicious hackers. But it still comes without a single page of printed instructions. Fortunately, the new edition of Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual fills the void. With its wealth of tips, instructions, and expert advice, this comprehensive resource is your ticket to making your time at the computer safer, easier, and more fun. And best of all, it's been updated to include detailed coverage of Service Pack 2. Written in easy-to-follow, jargon-free language, Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual, Second Edition is perfectly suited for both first-time PC fans and budding power users. And like the rest of the Missing Manual series, it also relies on technical insight, crystal-clear objectivity, and a sense of humor--meaning no one will be left behind. The book begins with a tour of the Desktop and instructions for customizing the Taskbar and toolbars. It also includes a primer on how to organize files, folders, and windows for maximum efficiency. More advanced chapters explore control panels and built-in applications; walk through configurations like how to set up a PC for Internet use; and address the standard Windows rituals of troubleshooting, installation, and upgrading. For the height of manageability and control, the book also conveys all the need-to-know information about the security technologies featured in Windows XP SP2, so you can better defend yourself against viruses, worms, and hackers. Readers even receive guidelines and instructions for installing SP2 on their PC, or across a network of computers. Co-authored by David Pogue, New York Times computer columnist and Missing Manuals creator, this updated guide is the friendly, authoritative book that should have been in the box. It's sure to become your preferred guide whenever you sit down to Windows XP.

Customer Reviews:

Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual (2nd Edition).......2007-03-21

Great reference. It truly live up to it's name.

A verry usefull book!.......2006-11-10

This book is full of verry good information!

Excellent manual.......2006-11-05

This is the best book I have purchased for helping me use my windows XP.

Still Missing.......2006-11-03

The first 5 operations I tried to find were missing. The info may be in there but I could not find them by the index or other methods.

Windows XP Home Edition : The Missing Manual (Missing Manual).......2005-10-11

I found this book to be an excellent resource. It explains everything in simple, easy terms with plenty of illustrations. I found it to be a mostinvaluable resource that I refer to all the time.

Windows Xp Home Edition - Missing Manual

Average customer rating:

Windows Xp Home Edition - Missing Manual
David Pogue
Manufacturer: Pogue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UOLUW8

Book Description

Encyclopedic in scope, this single-volume reference is devoted to the one hundred battleships that served or were under construction in World War II. The handsome work details and illustrates the design and construction of each class of battleship with complete histories for each ship.

Customer Reviews:

Very good look of all the world's battleships in WWII.......2006-08-08

This book gives two tales that justify some of the stars. First, you can use this book for proof of when the USA goes up to Chile and asks to purchase their only battleship, the "Almirante Latorre", to make good the losses of Pear Harbor after December 7, 1941. That's sort of weird because that battleship is not really much better than a "Texas" class ship. Second, Germany sinks the last battleship of WWII. The Russians were given an Italian battleship, the "Guido Cesare", as part of the war prizes given out after WWII. In 1955 the ex-Italian Soviet battleship, now called "Novorossik" sets off a German mine from WWII, started taking a list, the Soviets send in new sailors to hand pump out the ship, it rolls over, and was loss with a fantastic amount of life. Over 500 Soviet sailors died when the Novorossik sank in October of 1955.

Yes, the book has simple drawings of the battleships. But, it does a fairly good job of showing the simple lines of the ships. I scaled some of the drawings, the Graf Spee is about 1/1150 scale. The larger battleships scale out even smaller. You will have to use other books, like the Osprey book on Pocket battleships, if you want specific and detailed information on a particular ship.

Neither the German or Greek pre-dreadnoughts of WWII are in this book. The author gives a good reason why with an explanation of the USS Arkansas battleship. The Wyoming is a sistership of Arkansas. However, Wyoming was removed as a battleship in compliance with the Washington treaty of 1933. So she was not a battleship and her service life was of no matter in this book. The German and Greek pre-dreadnoughts were either training ships or fire support ships, not true battleships. Thus they are not a subject of this book.

However, I liked this book. It gives a good break down of the size of the ships, their tonnages, and the arms. Also, as in the case of the extensively rebuilt American ships, it gives rebuilt figures for tonnages, speed, range, and arms. One of the more interesting tales was a Soviet battleship was rebuilt to burn wood. Yes, while British and American ships burned oil in WWII a Soviet ship was modified to burn wood because all the Soviet coal was needed for their war effort. In addition, this book gives the reasons for the ships losses or their fates. The USS Texas and some other American ships are turned into war memorials. Last, it gives the fate of all the ships. The vast majority are scrapped from about 1947 until 1959. Since the book was written in '97 the USS Missouri and USS New Jersey have become war memorials. Iowa and Wisconsin will become museums but just where has not quite been decided as of the date of this review.

M. J. Whitley does a wonderful job following the American battleship development of pre-1935. The Pennsylvania to the New Mexico class are all very close in lines. Whitley does a masterful job showing how these ships are all evolved from one another. Indeed, the true ships that are the genesis of all American battleships are the Nevada class.

Whitley also shows the aborted German "H" class battleship, kind of like a super Bismarck class ship with 16" guns. This is done with both the British and the Soviets. However, since the American Montana class is never laid down it's not the subject of analysis of this book.

I use this book as a general reference tool. It has a nice and compact write up of all the world's battleships in world war two. It has the service records of the ships, modifications made in their use, and general write up of their designs.

This book is worth it's four stars if you can find it on discount or at your local used book store. I didn't pay much for the book and it now is a useful part of my library. A useful reference book is what we collectors want.

Whitley being Whitley.......2001-11-11

I love the way Whitley compresses it all into one volume that won't chew a hole in your wallet. This is not the last word in battleship references, but it's among the best first words you can find. The one weakness is in its illustrations. Modelers can pass this one by. The line drawings look like the author did them himself, out of necessity--which is actually the case. And there are no armor schematics. However, Whitley goes beyond where other references (like Conway's) grind to a halt, and he goes to the trouble of describing the armor layout rather than simply slapping statistics onto the page. What it lacks in detail, it makes up for with its handiness and broad scope. I'm aware of its limitations, especially where the author was trying to pry information out of Russian and Japanese sources, but I find myself getting plenty of use out of it.

Best book on Battleships.......2000-08-25

This is clearly the best book I have seen on battleships. The content level compared to cost was good enough that I ordered the authors books on cruisers and destroyers without seeing them.

Awfully brief for an Encylcopedia.......2000-07-20

M. J. Whitley does his best to describe the world's capital ships of the WWII era but just does not devote enough material to adequately cover the rebuilt ships from the WWI era, the new designs laid down and completed in the 1930's and 1940's, and the designs planned but not laid down or completed. As with his book on Aircraft Carrier Development, the line drawings are crude and not particuarly accurate. Mr. Whitley includes descriptions of the Soviet dreadnoughts laid down in 1938-39-40 (Sovietskii Soyuz class) but indicates nothing about the U. S. Montana class, which were the first US design to be wider than the locks of the Panama Canal. Overall, the material contained here can be found to much better effect in other references.

A Pretty Good Effort.......1999-12-26

Battleships of World War Two : An International Encyclopedia by Whitley is actually pretty good, especially compared to some of his other efforts. There seem to be fewer editorial errors compared to his book on cruisers and all in all the historical information is useful. Modelers should note that the drawings are pretty useless, which is consistent with the books in this series.

Fortunately, this book seems to be complete, especially if you have Whitley's cruiser book, which is missing the combat history of the British cruiser HMS Bermuda (and not HMS Jamaica, as was mentioned in my Amazon review of Cruisers of World War Two). A pretty good effort, but if you want completeness and better illustrations, go for the Garzke and Dulin series on battleships.

Average customer rating:
Medieval Europe and the World: From Late Antiquity to Modernity, 400-1500
Robin W. Winks , and Teofilo F. Ruiz
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0195156943

Book Description

Medieval Europe and the World: From Late Antiquity to Modernity, 400-1500 examines the development of western European social, political, economic, and cultural institutions during one of the most complex and creative periods the world has ever known. The book looks at the history of Medieval Europe in relation to its links with the rest of the world, exploring the interaction of western Europe with Islam, the Far East, Africa, and such outlying areas as Scandinavia, Iberia, and Eastern Europe. It considers the genesis and shaping of distinct western ideals, social affairs, economic patterns, and new cultural forms in relation to Islam and Byzantium--two other great civilizations that deeply influenced the growth of western Europe's unique history. Placing emphasis on medieval Europe's social and economic transformations and the diversity of social orders, the book analyzes the ways in which these elements interconnected during the formation of medieval society. It also gives special consideration to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, an era that serves as a bridge between the cultural developments of the early and central Middle Ages and the emergence of new patterns of thought and social organization in the late medieval period. Featuring nine maps, numerous illustrations, a chronological table, and a detailed list of suggested further readings, this brief but comprehensive narrative is an ideal text for undergraduate courses in medieval history.

MEDIEVAL EUROPE & THE WORLD:FROM LATE ANTIQUITY TO MODERNITY 400-1500

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MEDIEVAL EUROPE & THE WORLD:FROM LATE ANTIQUITY TO MODERNITY 400-1500
WINKS/RUIZ
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKVIJS

Book Description

Entertaining, nontechnical introduction covers basic concepts of linear programming and its relationship to operations research; geometric interpretation and problem solving, solution techniques, network problems, much more. Appendix offers precise statements of definitions, theorems, and techniques, additional computational procedures. Only high-school algebra needed. Bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

An Illustrated Guide to Linear Programming.......2005-09-04

The book is very good for introducction to the applications of Linear Programming. It will be useful for first time students of Operations Research.The explaination is very simple and innovative. The later part of the book introduces matrix algebra which is the gist of Linear Programming at the advanced stage.

An effective introduction to Linear Programming.......2003-10-06

For someone with an interest in learning LP but not the best mathematical foundation for learning it, this book worked for me. I think the author is an experienced teacher of people with math skills such as mine and knew how present the material and explain it in familiar terms.
The book does not have all the material I need but did get me going in a confident manner so I could handle the other books I bought before I bought this one.

Great intro to Linear Programming.......2001-12-06

This book is a great non-technical introduction to a very technical subject: linear programming. If you are interested in linear programming but you don't want to all of the mathematical details, then buy this book. Hey, you can't beat the price.

By the way, how can anyone expect a book like this to tell someone how to apply linear programming. Doing that requires a lot more technical training and there are other more detailed and more expensive books that explain how to apply linear programming. This book is a great introduction a complicated subject. You will enjoy this book if your expectations are reasonable.

Good, but a reprint from 1970.......2001-08-03

This book presents a good conceptual overview of linear programming, geared for the non-mathmatical person. However, it is a reprint of a 1970 title, so there isn't much on the use of computers to solve this type of problem.

An Illustrated Guide to Linear Programming.......2000-04-22

This book is an excellent treatment of linear programming for non-technical people. It describes a number of basic business-world applications that can be readily solved using standard linear programming methods. I recommend it highly because it presents the complex principles of this important methodology in an easy-to-read manner.

Average customer rating:

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO LINEAR PROGRAMMING
SAUL I. GASS
Manufacturer: MCGRAW-HILL BOOK CO.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OCQX82

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