Opening

This great book it full of rich history. Much will be learned of early baseball history such as rules and the evolution of the uniform. More than the game details, the author details the social and political drama of the day. The reader becomes part of the history. A must read for all baseball fans.

Sports' most storied franchise walks us through baseball history. If you are an avid baseball fan, or even a casual one, this book belongs in your collection.

Whether you love the Yankees or hate them, you'll enjoy this team history that is woven into the fabric of americana. This is much more than another good baseball book. You'll feel as if you actually lived through the decades (1903-1996) and were fortunate enough to attend, listen to, or at least read the next day's newspaper describing each of the New York opening-day contests

Reviewed by: Tyrone Banks of Betsie's Literary Page
Highly Recommended
5 out of 5 points

A fictitious account of one man's attempt to create a Utopia in a country where bureaucracy has created the need for a revolution. Absolutely breathtaking from the beginning to the end!

I received Mr. Cummings' Media Kit almost 2 weeks ago and the level of perfection portrayed by the documents enclosed has also been applied to his novel. Mr. Cummings has done an excellent job in the development of the plot and the characters that are bound to the pages of Opening Bell. You can see a sense of purpose similar to that of John Grisham, where current events take on a life of their own.

Marc Reid is an intelligent, calculating, wealthy and able man - with a vision of perfecting welfare, eliminating affirmative action and downsizing the corrupt government. These are a few of the motivations that have inspired Marc Reid to plot a takeover of that government, a plan that took over 20 years to reach fruition. He has recruited a team of "visionaries" with similar goals and on May 10, 2010 at 8:30 A.M. they take over the financial functions regulated by computer and effectively take over the United States of America.

Marc has his own personal motivations for this coup d'etat (The sudden overthrow of a government by a usually small group of persons in or previously in positions of authority.) In his late teenage years he felt that he was the victim of government policy as he witnessed the demise of his small but affluent family. His father's fortune was "stolen" by the family's attorney and his mother was reduced from a proud matron of the household to a prisoner of a reality that she created to deal with the tragedies that poured into her life.

Marc was powerless to make any effective change to his life during that time. Therefore, as an adult, he created and executed this plan to effectively change everyone's life and exact vengeance at the same time. Somewhere between Marc's vision of a better society where welfare and the IRS no longer existed and the stifling bureaucracy was downsized, Marc's vengeful goals were accomplished. His own personal agenda became the country's agenda. He had attained a level of power that one could even consider a dictatorship. Even his fellow revolutionaries could see that their goal was over exceeded and Marc's will controlled everything.

This is a true journey through the harsh cycle of power and helplessness. A lot of issues inspired by nonfiction are included and developed by this piece of fiction. Opening Bell is a beautiful book for your library as well as an excellent and well-planned novel.

Opening Bell is Keith D. Cummings very fascinating first novel about Marc Reid, an idealistic bond trader who plots a takeover of the U.S. Government. The flow of the story has a very Pulp Fiction like quality as it jumps between different points in Marc Reid's life, which serves to give some insight into his future actions. Cummings develops his protagonist in a manner that leads the reader to empathize with Marc Reid and believe in his cause, even though it becomes apparent that Reid's ultimate goal is autocracy. It seems as though, from this reader's viewpoint at least, that Opening Bell is not so much a statement about how the U.S. Government is corrupt and oppressing, as it is about the importance of examining the feasibility of the alternatives.

There are certain parts of this book that try to take the reader to a point beyond what is reasonable. For instance, despite all of the planning involved in the coup, the relative ease at which Marc Reid assumes power over the government is a bit mind-boggling. Additionally, Cummings leaves a small hole in the character development of Marc Reid in that he does not really explain why Reid's ideology changes so dramatically once he assumes power. This does not however detract from the overall excellence of this novel. The plot is simply brilliant and the ending of course was unexpected. Overall, this is an excellent novel and one that I highly recommend!

hope you get this Keith. I am a good friend of Corrine and Ted's here in Richmond. Ted brought your book over to my house and he asked me to read. Given my conservative slant I loved this book. For your first effort, it is one to be proud of. Ted's copy is making it's way around the Midwest now and has received resounding positive feedback. I have recommended your book to my fellow conservative friends. Kudos to you. I look forward to reading your next book. I know your family is proud. Your Mother is smiling down on you!!!!

Opening Day At Great American Ball Park by Cincinnati Reds baseball enthusiast Dann Stupp is an exciting celebration of Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park openeing day. Dazzling colorful photography and a sprinkling insightful asides fill the pages of this visual celebration of the grand sport of baseball, as well as the athletes who strive to excel, and the fans who love the thrill of watching teams compete to be the very best they can. Opening Day At Great American Ball Park is very highly recommended for baseball buffs in general, and Cincinnati Reds fans in particular!

I first heard about this book during an in game advertisment in the ballpark late in the season. Like so many others, I paid an arm and a leg for my tickets for Opening Day at on an online auction site. And like so many others, I thought it was totally worth the cost. Although the Reds had a terrible season because of injuries and an embarrassing ownership group, the team did "go all out" for the Opening Day festivities.

For those of you expecting a detailed history of the tax increase, the ballpark construction and the companies involved -- this isn't exactly that type of book. Although it has a chapter on the buildingof the ballpark, most of it's devoted just to Opening Day.

I really wish this book had some sample pages on amazon so that other people could see the type of photography in this book. There are some great shots of Barry Larkin, former President Bush, Marty and Joe, panoramic shots of the ballpark, etc.

I attended opening day this season in the Reds new ballpark. It was a great event and a big celebration for the city. This book has a ton of great photos that span from the Findley Market parade to the closing of the ballpark after the game. The photos are fantastic, and the captions provide plenty of information about some of the cool features in the ballpark like the Pepsi Power Stacks, the Big Red Machine Bar and a lot of the history elements found throughout the ballpark.

I plan to give a copy to all my friends who are Reds fans for the holidays.

I'm an emotional intelligence coach with an international clientele, not a realtor, but this book helped me tremendously. I would recommend it to anyone with a multicultural clientele or consumer-base. Concisely, and with great empathy, Mr. Lee describes cultures in a way that saves you reading tons of others books to get the same information. It saved me a lot of grief as I coached my first Pakistani client to know the difference between Pakistani and Indian, and explained to me why clients from certain cultures never seem to quit negotiating. Since emotional intelligence involves social skills, relating and empathy, it's crucial that I have a working-knowledge of how other cultures differ. One culture's "love of negotiating" is another culture's "pushy." One culture's "affiliative" is another culture's "not-sticking-to-business." And now I know not to cross my legs with a Middle-Eastern client. It's broadly applicable. If you have an international clientele, or do business on the Internet, you can't afford not to read this book. Really outstanding.

This is an incredible book to read, well worth your time and money.

The author goes into detail of what makes the various ethnic groups unique and how you can apply this knowledge to being able to deal with your clients and customers most effectively.

I would highly recommend this to anyone that would like to be more knowledgable about other cultures and their ways of life.

This is a well-researched and insightful book for anyone in real estate, related fields or home sellers who find themselves doing business with buyers from outside the American culture. This book helps you understand people from other cultures and their beliefs as they relate to real estate. The author not only explains what multicultural people do differently but also the reasons behind their unique practices and superstitions.

I found the sections on beliefs and negotiation to be particularly valuable. I always wondered why some groups continued to negotiate after a purchase contract had been signed or which were lucky addresses -- now I know.

Also, the background information on people from Asia, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe was extremely enlightening. Get this book if you have any contact with people from other cultures - it will save you not only time but frustration as well. It could also be useful reading for people in industries outside real estate which do business with other cultures.

An excellent cross-discipline book that brings the reader into a much bigger phenomenon that crop circles themselves. Dr. Hein explores realities that may help make a better world, by understanding that there are no simplistic answers to any of life's mysteries. A good read and a must for any student of the strange and wonderful.

Finally, the most informative book about crop circles. Fascinating reading. The reader will learn about topics such as remote viewing, quantum physics, and other "paranormal" topics. It is obvious that Dr. Hein has thoroughly researched these subjects. Not to be missed!

I have been researching the crop circles in England for a decade, and I know Dr. Hein personally (I hope that doesn't disqualify me!).

What I want to say is that my own findings, that the crop circles are made by spiritually inspired humans, coincide strongly with Dr. Hein's -- and indeed that his ideas have greatly extended my own thinking.

The fact is that what is flattening the crops is NOT where the mystery lies. There are SO many other unanswered questions, from the balls of light that have been seen by hundreds of people in the vicinity of crop circles (and close up by people making crop circles!), to what I call the "telepathic connection," as well as many other bewildering things which are covered in Opening Minds.

I recommend the book as by far the most realistic AND enlightening on the subject of the circles I have ever seen. Dr. Hein's discussion of UFOs and remote viewing, etc., are equally insightful.

--Peter Sorensen

Three Books by Kosho Uchiyama, February 21, 2000 Reviewer: Eric Arbiter from Houston, TX
"The Wholehearted Way", "Opening the Hand of Thought" and From "Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment"

I have re-read these books so many times that I think of them as different components of the same work, since the subjects
interweave to produce a wonderful fabric of integrated Zen practice viewed from different perspectives. At first
glance all of these books might seem "lightweight". I thought so at first because of their covers. Especially
"Opening the Hand of Thought- Approach to Zen". It suggests a new-age type of quick fix book about Zen.
Nothing could be further from the truth. This was just the book I needed, though I didn't yet know it. Having come
to Zen meditation 2 years before reading this book, I was still unclear about meditation (zazen). Many of us reach
the point where we realize that we need and want to practice meditation. Then we get to the same point of the
monk in Master Dogen's (1200-1250) quote in Fukan Zazen-gi:

"When Yakusan was sitting [in meditation], a monk asked him 'What do you think when you sit?' The master said,
'I think of not thinking.' The monk inquired further, 'How do you think of not thinking?' Yakusan replied, '[by sitting]
beyond thinking".

What is beyond thinking? This is where Uchiyama makes his point of departure, walking us through just this
juncture. He describes the movement of the mind and what need be done or not done about it. He even includes
a diagram of the action of the mind getting caught up in thoughts and alternatively falling asleep. He speaks of
zazen as neither developing thoughts, nor hating them, but releasing them (hence the title Opening the Hand of
Thought). Zazen is opening the hand of thought (not grasping thought) and returning to seeing the wall millions
of times.

"Opening the Hand of Thought" addresses the vast world of seated meditation and the religious and personal
underpinnings behind it. It is as though Uchiyama Roshi is your own grandfather, telling you about his life, and
your life, too. It is about living the "most refined way". This is not a detached dry retelling of ancient stories about
someone else, but the vital story of ourselves living the life of ourselves (which he says is the very life of the
buddhas, patriarchs and matriarchs). It is the way of "not being dragged around by our thoughts" and living our
lives based on this even-mindedness. We take this into our daily lives in every encounter.

"From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment- Refining Your Life" at first appears to be a popular cookbook appending
Zen to the title for more interest. Again, not so. This is Uchiyama Roshi's commentary on another of Master
Dogen's texts: Tenzo Kyokun (Instructions to the Zen Cook) which was part of Dogen's manual for his monks.
Translator and practitioner Thomas Wright says in the introduction: "Now, what possible connection could a text
written for a group of male monks some 750 years ago have for present-day Europeans and Americans, neither
living in a monastery nor particularly familiar with the society or way of looking at life which differs totally from our
modern Western societies? That is the question to which Kosho Uchiyama Roshi addresses himself when he
began writing the commentary that accompanies Dogen's text". I would say that the emphasis of this book is on
Master Dogen's "three minds": magnanimous mind, joyful mind and parental mind. Through meditation (zazen) we come
to the place where we see that the world is none other than the self and that we take care of others because they
are really ourselves. Everything which arises in your life IS your life.

"The Wholehearted Way" is Uchiyama Roshi's commentaries on Master Dogen's Bendowa, his early manifesto
about the practice of zazen. It is followed by questions and answers (probably asked by his chief disciple, Ejo)
directed at various misunderstandings of what Dogen felt to be the true significance of zazen.

"Sitting is itself the practice of the buddha. Sitting itself is nondoing. It is nothing but the true form of the self. Apart
from sitting there is nothing to seek as the buddha-dharma".
(from Eihei Dogen's, Shobogenzo-Zuimonki)

Uchiyama Roshi's commentaries are in the same vein as the other books, bringing these ancient teachings to us
in a fresh and vital way so that they function in our daily lives. The translations and introductions are done by
three of Uchiyama Roshi's close disciples and long-time practitioners, Tom Wright, Daniel Taigen Leighton and Shohaku
Okumura. Their comments in themselves are worthy of our study.

There is for me tremendous appeal in the great scope and depth of Uchiyama Roshi's teachings expressed in his
straightforward and engaging way. Although carefully thought out, I get the feeling, (as I expressed earlier) of
being spoken to directly. He takes great pains to really look into and study certain Buddhist terms that can cause
confusion if we are unclear about them. For example, he devotes several pages to the term "buddha-dharma".

I consider these three books to be essential in the deepening of my practice of Zen and meditation.

Here are Uchiyama's closing words in his foreword to "Opening the Hand of Thought":

"Above all, I hope that when you read this book, (Opening the Hand of Thought) you will forget your sentiments
about exotic foreign lands and read with a completely fresh mind. I hope that, as you read, you will look at your
own life and apply what I have written to your everyday life. That is the only place where the real world of Zen is".

Successfully defends zazen against Krishnamurti's unfair characterization of the practice as "crude & unnecessary". Clearly and rationally presented in simple language, this book is for non-academic english-speaking lay-folk.

Excellent depth. Uchiyama analyzes the content of Zen, the actual internal experience when doing zazen. Even Dogen, the founder of the meditation practice of zazen, can be accused of not clearly explaining the internal content of zazen. (See Bielefeldt, "Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation") But with a diagram, Uchiyama illustrates how to aim at the target of letting go or "opening the hand of thought." He further explains that although we aim at the target of "not aiming" (my term), we can never really hit this target. But, not being able to stay on target is also part of the "reality of life," the total content of zazen. So, does Uchiyama provide the definitive explanation of the "what" or "how" (Dogen's terms) of the content of zazen? Hardly. Unfortunately, the internal content of zazen cannot be explained through books or over the Internet. Theory only complements practice. "How" we aim, the very power to "aim," remains a mystery. It remains something strange (myoho, the wondrous dharma), something we cannot grasp with our intellection. (See Shohaku Okumura's introduction to Uchiyama's newest translation of and commentaries on Dogen's "Bendowa.") If we could explain it, it would no longer be "wondrous." However, Uchiyama's book does provide a signficant clue about what happens when you sit in zazen as instructed by Dogen.

Beyond a doubt, this is one of the best ideas ever conceived. A University hosts a contest where the contestants try and come up with the most intentionally stupid opening lines for a novel. Needless to say, some of the results are downright hilarious. I spent a good part of a day pouring over the pages of this book. There are categories for science ficton novels, romance novels, plain-jane fiction, detective stories, "It was a dark and stormy night" stories, you name it, it's probably in here in some shape or form. Because the entrys are short, this is one book that can very easily be finished in one sitting, whether you're riding in the car, or flying your hang-glider. The artwork that goes along with the book is nice, too. If I were you, I'd hunt down these books with the same enthusiasm that a headhunter would go after Mr. Potatohead.

"Son of 'It was A Dark And Stormy Night' " is the second of, to the best of my knowledge, five collections of entries in the annual "Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest". (The others being "It Was A Dark And Stormy Night", "Dark And Stormy Rides Again", "It Was A Dark And Stormy Night: The Final Conflict", and, I think, "Bride Of Dark And Stormy", if I'm not mistaken.) The Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest is a contest , named for Sir Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, whose "Paul Clifford" (1830) opens with the immortal line "It was a dark and stormy night...", which is run by Scott Rice and sponsored by San Jose State University, in which contestants vie to write the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels. Generally, the trick is to make the sentences as complex syntactically as it is possible to imagine, while violating as many rules of creative consistency as possible, and to be certain that no noun is without more than its share of purple-prose adjectives.

This is not for everyone, but if this sounds like fun to you, it probably is. This is the third of the collections that I've read; I thought that "The Final Conflict" was better than the original; this is even better than that one.

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction competitions are simply great for light reading. Highly suggested. Great Gifts, too.

This is my favorite book by Mednis, and I have several of them. If you play 1. d4, this is, in my opinion, an essential book. Mednis carefully explains the strategic underpinnings of all the major d4 openings. He deliberately does not go overboard on tactically heavy openings, because he did not wish this to be a book on tactics. For instance, there is only one game on the Benoni. But you know the irony of that? His one game makes the Benoni understandable, as does his one game in the Benko Gambit (many other games in the annotations). Many other books have purported to explain the "ideas" and "strategy" behind the openings, but I have never seen a book do this so effectively. This book far exceeds works in its genre. For instance, it must be compared to such works as: Chernev's "Logical Chess" and "Most Instructive Games," and John Nunn's recent "Understanding Chess, Move by Move." For my money (literally and figuratively), "Strategic Chess, Mastering the Closed Game," far exceeds those other works, for several reasons. Regarding "Logical Chess," most chess players consider that book an incredible learning tool for newer players. It brings chess to life for many people. However, it has several major limitations: it does not deal with modern openings; it wastes many pages worth of material reiterating the same exact thoughts; its explanations are often quite superficial; and it frustrates in its failure to really explain the more complex moves. Mednis' work shines brilliantly on all these points: it handles all major modern closed openings; it never wastes ink on redundancy; its explanations are concise, poignant, and always illuminating; and it does not shy away from tactical complexity, althought that is not the focus of the book. Regarding Chernev's "Masterpieces" and Nunn's "Understanding," I do not wish to point out flaws in either of those books (Because they are both five star books to me), but in one very crucial way, the present book by Mednis is far more important to me than those books: namely, it is focused on the closed (d4) games, so it is a singular treatise on them. In that sense, it provides a comprehensive course on the d4 openings, in a way that completely prepares you to understand and play both sides of d4 openings (there is coverage of the English, Dutch, and Torre as well. Of course, this book is not an opening treatise on any particular d4 opening, so it is not a substitute for books on one specific opening. For instance, if you are going to play the Queen's Gambit Declined, you still will want to have Marovic's "Play the Queen's Gambit" or Sadler's "Queen's Gambit Declined".) By contrast, the Chernev and Nunn books are all over the map in terms of openings. The Nunn and Chernev books contain beautifully annotated games, but the games do not go together as a cohesive whole, as they do in this Mednis book. This point significantly diminishes the value of those books to me. Those books contain snapshots of beautiful chess, and they are great books as far as they go; but this Mednis book is a living instructional course on queen pawn openings, and for that it is unique and essential. Also, the games that he has chosen to illustrate his strategic themes are very beautiful games. At under ten bucks, this Dover book is one of the best values in the whole literature of chess.

This is a must have book for queen pawn players. Mednis gives good understandable annotations that are very accessable to average player. If positional chess baffles you or if you believe that tempos do not matter in closed games this book will cure both conditions. I recommend this book for any and all tournament players and I hope that you will enjoy this book as I have.

Plenty of words and no excess of variantions! A rare book that teaches how to handle openings (in this case games starting with d4). Not an opening manual, a book on ideas and plannings.

When I began reading the book, I thought "not another book on prayer." But Mr. Butterworth addresses this attitude early in the book and then takes you on a journey that allows you to erase old traditional thinking about prayer as begging God to do things to prayer as empowering communion and oneness with God. I highly recommend it to those who are seeking fresh insight into prayer and oneness.

Eric Butterworth,s Univers is calling has mad a great impact in my life. After reading this book I fell one with God and has given me great strenght to be who I am by accepting myself and do the best of not juging the others. For peopel who are seaking peace in their lives they should read this book .

Eric Butterworth brings the depth of universal spiritual wisdom to you in this book. It is a very practical and clearly written guide to aligning ourselves with God. I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it. A must read

This is probably the best book on the Najdorf. While the theory isn't current, the author explains all the positions very well and gives you a feel for certain strategies. All the games were carefully chosen and illustrate recurring themes that can be helpful to Sicilian players. If you want "hot theory," there are are other books you can get, but they don't explain the positions like this book does. Daniel King makes the Najdorf seem easy to play and the games are fun to play through. Highly recommended.

A little background. I have played the Najdorf for years, loved analyzing it, but never felt I really understood it. My tornament score with this opening was around 50%, not good for the time devoted to it. I purchased this book, and proceeded to win the US Amatuer Championship twice, with the Najdorf winning key games. Too often books give reams of analysis or moves, ending with unclear evaluations after 25 moves. This book has tons of verbal comments. The chapter on 6.Be2 is the most important, as the author explains all the ideas and plans and the purpose behind black's 6...e5. In short, you must have this book if you play the najdorf! By the way, a sideline he recommends vs 6 Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qa5 has scored very well for me. He also covers the main lines with 8...Qc7

This must be one of the more enjoyable Nadjorf Opening works to read & understand. No labyrinth of variations to get lost in .....

Anyone who reads through this particular work on Nadjorf will have a better appreciation of the opening.

Daniel King has been able to translate his knowledge on this subject to a readable & easily digestible form.

A refreshing Chess book from the English chess continent. Personally this ranks alongside my favourite Simple Chess, written by Michael Stean -an English chessplayer who wrote books that were easy to follow & guaranteed to improve one's understanding of the game.