A Performer Prepares: A Guide to Song Preparation for Actors, Singers and Dancers (Applause Acting Series)

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A Performer Prepares: A Guide to Song Preparation for Actors, Singers and Dancers (Applause Acting Series)
David Craig
Manufacturer: Applause Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1557833958

Book Description

A Performer Prepares is a 13-part master class on how to perform on any stage from bleak rehearsal room to the Palace Theatre. The class covers the basic Broadway song numbers, from show ballad to showstopper. With precise, logical steps and dynamic and entertaining dialogues between himself and his students, David Craig takes anyone with the desire to shine from an audition to final curtain call. These lessons on the pages recreate as closely as possible the unique interpersonal dyamic of Craig's legendary coaching encounters in New York, Los Angeles and across the country.

A Performer Prepares: A Guide to Song Preparation for Actors, Singers and Dancers

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A Performer Prepares: A Guide to Song Preparation for Actors, Singers and Dancers
David Craig
Manufacturer: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBULHO

Book Description

This lively and stimulating book looks at some of the myths and realities surrounding Britain's legendary enthusiasm for sport; and aims to chronicle how sporting traditions were shaped and how they, in turn, contributed to the shaping of British social conventions and attitudes.

Falcons and Foxes in the U.K: The Making of a Hunter

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High Flying Adventure
Falconry Brought to Life
Informative for novices - necessary for the more experienced

Falcons and Foxes in the U.K: The Making of a Hunter
A. Lee Chichester , and Lee Chichester
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Hunting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Shooting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1401092454

Book Description

A "once-in-a-lifetime" experience chronicled with humor and passion, this memoir details the life-altering 1995 summer during which a nature-lover becomes a hunter. Once of those rare quantities, a woman falconer, Chichester discovered that her outlook on the world, nature, and herself changed radically during her pursuit of the ancient art in a foreign country. Training captive-bred, hybrid falcons; riding horseback to the flight of a falcon in pursuit of a crow, belting across the fells and pastures of the UK; the author deals with fears, preconceptions, and a very steep learning curve, after which she is changed forever.

Customer Reviews:

High Flying Adventure.......2004-04-20

Something is missing from American falconry, something old.

As you hunt the doomed woodlot behind Wal-Mart, imagine this: You're on a horse, on a windy crest of high pasture bordered by a stone wall two thousand years old. Your great grandfather was born three miles from this spot in a farmhouse that still bears his name. Tiny white flecks of sheep graze in the valley below. Above them, a mixed flock of jackdaws and crows forms a tight whirling spiral evading the efforts of a young falcon, moments ago released from your glove.

In Northumberland, the far border of England and Scotland, this could be any day in the last eight hundred years. It could be yesterday. For all our modern improvements and vast open spaces, American falconry has nothing like it.

For Virginia writer Lee Chichester, the lure to see and take part in such ancient sport was irresistible. In the Spring of 1995, she saw a notice in the Hawk Chalk calling "junior falconers" to intern at the National Avian Research Center, a falcon breeding operation run by Dr. Nick Fox in Carmarthen, United Kingdom. Applicants would assist in all facets of falcon rearing and training. The latter half of this five-month engagement would be spent hawking crows in the rolling border country far to the north. Chichester had at that time flown three passage red-tails, mostly at squirrels and mostly alone, so counted herself a junior falconer and applied.

Falcons and Foxes in the UK: The Making of Hunter is the story of this "one time only" falconry experience. As a freelance journalist twenty years in practice, Chichester weaves an engaging, full-length narrative around what for lesser writers would be another essay on "How I spent my summer vacation." Chichester skillfully supplies her story with moments of suspense and with well-drawn characters, of which she herself proves complex, sympathetic and believable: a falconer young in the sport though older than her fellow interns; far separated from her husband and close friends; a reluctant ambassador of America and American falconry; a woman seeking experience and respect in a sometimes condescending masculine culture.

For the student of falconry, there is plenty of detail in Chichester's vivid accounts of the perils of wild hack, the meticulous job of captive propagation and the raw thrills of the haute volerie, the high flight of the falcon as seen from the back of a galloping horse.

If you share even a twinge of Lee Chichester's spirit of adventure or her fascination with this beautiful and ancient branch of our sport, let her lead you through the pasture gate and on to the chase.

Falconry Brought to Life.......2004-04-13

This captivating book weaves the technical details of modern falconry with historic lore and the author's personal journey into the world of hunting with raptors. Chichester brings falconry alive. An informative read for birders or anyone interested in the fascinating world of falconry.

Informative for novices - necessary for the more experienced.......2004-04-09

Being in the novice category, I applaud Chichester's ability to capture my attention and hold my interest. I found the story-like quality quite appealing and informative facts offered in managable doses. The characters have charm and create connections that leave the reader wanting more. I would imagine more experienced falconers could find common story themes in Chicester's work. A good read aloud for the younger set when offered in segments. Where is the next adventure?

Average customer rating:

Making the Running
Ian Balding
Manufacturer: Headline Book Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The image of the Derby winner with his leg in plaster was broadcast around the world. Alongside Mill Reef stood a baby-faced man who had won the Arc, the King George, the Eclipse, and now the Derby. He trained for the Queen and Queen Mother; and Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, and Frankie Dettori all rode for him—but where had he come from and how had he got there? Ian Balding's story is one of heartbreaking loss and outrageous good luck. He left Cambridge without a degree but with a rugby blue, and became one of the outstanding amateur sportsmen of his generation. Balding's burgeoning talent was quickly noticed and he was soon running Peter Hastings-Bass' stables at Kingsclere. Ian had no money and no experience of running a business, but he learned fast. In Making the Running, Ian Balding reveals the pressure of maintaining the pace, and shares the highs and lows of the sport of kings.

Sport for all in converted buildings, making the most of what exists: Railway stations, drill halls, transport sheds, corn exchanges, gaols, food stores, factories, warehouses, hangars

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Sport for all in converted buildings, making the most of what exists: Railway stations, drill halls, transport sheds, corn exchanges, gaols, food stores, factories, warehouses, hangars
Sports Council (Great Britain)
Manufacturer: The Council
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0900979216

Sport in Britain, 1945-2000 (Making Contemporary Britain)

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Sport in Britain, 1945-2000 (Making Contemporary Britain)
Richard Holt , and Tony Mason
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0631171541

Book Description

This book provides a lively and authoritative history of British sport in an era of dramatic changes for both players and fans. Beginning at a time when sport was still largely a male preserve and professional footballers were paid as manual workers, the authors trace developments to the present day through the decline of amateurism, the rise of a celebrity sporting culture, the increasing intervention of government and the role of sport, especially football, as an expression of civic and national identity. The book examines a wide range of major sports and includes discussion of the contribution of women and ethnic minorities to sport in Britain. A central theme is the role of the media in shaping British sport in the second half of the twentieth century. This book offers new perspectives on a major aspect of British social life, setting the great performances and personalities of post-war sport in the context of the changing social history of the nation.

Sport in the Making of Celtic Cultures (Sport and Nation)

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Sport in the Making of Celtic Cultures (Sport and Nation)

Manufacturer: Leicester University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Scotland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Reference | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

History of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0718501292

Making decisions: The response of young people in the Medway towns to the "Ever thought of sport?" campaign

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Making decisions: The response of young people in the Medway towns to the "Ever thought of sport?" campaign
Anita White
Manufacturer: Sports Council
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007BHKNM

Amazon.com

For those fans who think they know everything about The X-Files, The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes may hold some surprises. From equipment flubs and plot oversights to changed premises and fun facts, author Phil Farrand covers the first four seasons with full reviews of every episode. Why is it that the character T.A. Berube has a six-digit zip code? How could Samantha Mulder, agent Mulder's missing sister, have two birthdays? And how about the VCR in the "Wetwired" episode that continues to play a videotape after the video has been ejected. Compiled with the Nitpicker's Prime Directive in mind, "All nits picked shall derive from sources the creaters consider canonical," as well as the Secondary Directive, "all nitpickers shall perform their duties with lightheartedness and good cheer." The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes is a thorough, dense read for the dedicated X-Files fan looking for a little fun and a lot of facts.

Book Description

The truth is, the nits are out there....

What's weird about Samantha T. Mulder's birthday?

(She has two of them: January 22 and November 21.)

What's amazing about Mulder's cell phone?

(It operates inside a metal boxcar, buried in a canyon, out in the deserts of New Mexico: anywhere!)

Scully and Mulder, you have reason to be paranoid. Armed with keen detective sense, attention to detail, and a VCR, author Phil Farrand has done some forensic work of his ownííand dissected every technical foul-up, plot oversight, and alien intrusion on the X-Files(r). Paranormal he's not, but he'd like to know why T.A. Berube has a six-digit zip code or how the VCRs at the 2400 Court motel in Braddock Heights, Maryland, can play a tape after it's been ejected. Nitpicking? You bet. So join his conspiracy to have hours of mental stimulation and fun with:

Equipment flubs

Changed premises

Plot oversights

Fun facts

Trivia questions

Reviews of every show for all four seasons

And more

Download Description

The latest volume in this unauthorized, trivia-packed, super-successful line zeroes in on the hottest show on television: The X-Files. Just in time for the show's fifth season and the start of syndication in the fall of 1997 comes a book that will feed even the most obsessive fan's hunger for information about the conspiracy theories and haunting questions which have arisen during the course of the show.

Customer Reviews:

Ultimate gift to the x-files fan.......2006-01-07

I love the X-files; it is one of my favorite all-time TV shows. As such, I was quite pleased to receive this book as a birthday gift from a friend of mine. Covering the first 4 episodes of the X-files, it devotes one section to each episode, explaining the plot, the setting, the characters, the morals (if any), the place of this episode within the overall story-arc of the series, any important facts revealed by this episode, and of course, any miscues, sidesteps, goofs, and other foul-ups in the show itself. And like any good book for fans, each section provides a little trivia on that episode, along with some background info on the actors involved. Overalll, a great book for any X-files fan, or for someone who has to live with an X-files fan...

more annoying than fun..........2005-05-01

This book definitely has its good points. The extra features (trivia, quotes, tote boards, etc.) are very enjoyable and should suit any X-phile's tastes. The overall purpose of the book, however, is really quite bothersome. I frankly don't want to know every single place where the creators or actors screwed up. I think it's kind of fun to see an oddity while watching the show and poke a little fun, but that's as far as I'm willing to go. The author also seems to a bit wacky and, as others have said, puts too much of his own opinion into the book. If you're a perfectionist or you're willing to buy the book just for the extras, go ahead and get it. Otherwise, it's not worth it.

Thoroughly Entertaining.......2004-11-29

as a bonafide x-phile, and fellow nitpicker, i couldnt resist grabbing this one. it's was an entertaining read. the author did add some comments, that he probably could have dont without adding, but i could see past that. this was a fun read. i only wish he'd put one out for seasons 5-9.

Too much opinion?.......2004-06-04

This book is a really cool thing to have around when watching an episode because you can follow along as you go. One thing I don't like is that he so easily dismisses the fourh season episode Home as bad. That was a very controversial episode but he shouldn't let his opinion could his writing. Throughout the entire part for Home his opinion got in the way and he kept saying things like "it doesn't really matter" or "I don't really care" because it was Home. Other than that it is a good book that has quizzes and cool things like that. There are tote boards with cool facts about the series. I hope there is a guide for the rest of the seasons in the future.

A Must Have For Any X-Files Fan ............2002-12-02

This was one of the first X-Files related books I got and I LOVED it. A great read and fun to have around while watching the eps.

Average customer rating:

The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes
Phil Ferrand
Manufacturer: Guildamerica Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1568655037

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CAPTAIN'S SECURITY LOG: STARDATE: NOW

Bordering on useless, hard to follow, no structure

Plenty of potential, but falls short

Security Log Management: Identifying Patterns in the Chaos
Jacob Babbin , Dave Kleiman , Everett F. Carter Jr. , Jeremy Faircloth , Mark Burnett , and Esteban Gutierrez
Manufacturer: Syngress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Encryption | Security & Encryption | Web Development | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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Network Security | Networking | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1597490423

Book Description

This book teaches IT professionals how to analyze, manage, and automate their security log files to generate useful, repeatable information that can be use to make their networks more efficient and secure using primarily open source tools. The book begins by discussing the Top 10 security logs that every IT professional should be regularly analyzing. These 10 logs cover everything from the top workstations sending/receiving data through a firewall to the top targets of IDS alerts. The book then goes on to discuss the relevancy of all of this information. Next, the book describes how to script open source reporting tools like Tcpdstats to automatically correlate log files from the various network devices to the Top 10 list. By doing so, the IT professional is instantly made aware of any critical vulnerabilities or serious degradation of network performance. All of the scripts presented within the book will be available for download from the Syngress Solutions Web site.

Almost every operating system, firewall, router, switch, intrusion detection system, mail server, Web server, and database produces some type of log file. This is true of both open source tools and commercial software and hardware from every IT manufacturer. Each of these logs is reviewed and analyzed by a system administrator or security professional responsible for that particular piece of hardware or software. As a result, almost everyone involved in the IT industry works with log files in some capacity.

* Provides turn-key, inexpensive, open source solutions for system administrators to analyze and evaluate the overall performance and security of their network
* Dozens of working scripts and tools presented throughout the book are available for download from Syngress Solutions Web site.
* Will save system administrators countless hours by scripting and automating the most common to the most complex log analysis tasks

Customer Reviews:

CAPTAIN'S SECURITY LOG: STARDATE: NOW.......2007-04-08

Do you know how to manage your security log? If you don't, then this book is for you. Authors Jacob Babbin, Dave Kleiman, Everett F. Carter Jr., Jeremy Faircloth, Mark Burnett and Esteban Gutierrez, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you how to exactly solve the various problems pertinent to log generation, storage, processing, and reporting.

Babbin, Kleiman, Carter Jr., Faircloth, Burnett and Gutierrez, begin by covering how to get more information out of your passive detection systems. Then, the authors explore how to find key events in the log files of your Web servers and their host systems, and correlating data to give you useful reports. Next, they illustrate the depth and breadth your security logs can cover. They continue by exploring what ESM is, how it works, and when and where it should be used. In addition, the authors go over each of the primary areas of focus, and show you some techniques you can use to best manage your log files. Finally, they show you how to build a toolbox of queries that you will have ready to use if needed.

The ideas and tools shown in this most excellent book will help your organization in several ways. Perhaps more importantly, if you keep all of the solutions shown in this book in mind, your organization should have a flexible, scalable, remotely accessible security reporting infrastructure that can bend to the needs of an organization.

Bordering on useless, hard to follow, no structure.......2006-04-18

It is not often that I review a genuinely bad book, but this is one such rare occasion. It so happens that log analysis has been my primary area of focus for the last several years and thus I could not have missed a book titled "Security Log Management."

Yuck! The book starts from a hodge-podge of examples, which, if entertaining at times, doesn't lead to any meaningful lessons and thus doesn't deliver the value it could have produced. The same applies to material selection for the book, which, as a result, suffers from a compete lack of logical structure. Even the Ch 1 "Log Analysis: Overall Issues" barely touched on analyzing logs and clearly didn't cover any "overall issues." Also, authors have undoubtedly trademarked the concept of a random irrelevant picture or graph...

In addition, the book reveals many areas where authors are deeply befuddled. ESM chapter (`Enterprise Security Management') is one such example, where such confusion reigns supreme. They can talk about `ESM process' and claim that `ESM is not a tool' in one sentence and then describe `ESM tools' in the next one. On top of that, if you are looking for some arcane security humor, try understanding their ROI calculation in the chapter (`Cost of problem' + `Cost of solution' ...)

One would think that they can get something as (relatively) simple as firewall reporting right (chapter 3). One would think that - and one would be wrong... The reader is still left with no answers to questions such as `what summaries, statistics and reports he/she should collect and how to do it'

As far as style is concerned, the book carries unfortunate signs of being written by a group of authors who didn't talk to each other much. Furthermore, what adds insult to injury is truly excessive amount of quoted source code, which plainly doesn't belong in the book, but on the website, CD, etc (were editors asleep at the wheel?)

To conclude, the book does have some relationship to patterns and chaos: the patterns in your brain will immediately turn into chaos after you are done reading it, provided you would even finish it. My suggestion is to avoid this largely useless title and save the money for better books (such as Bejtlich's or countless others).

Dr Anton Chuvakin, GCIA, GCIH, GCFA (http://www.chuvakin.org) is a
recognized security expert and book author. A frequent conference speaker, he also represents the company at various security meetings and standard organizations. He is an author of a book "Security Warrior" and a contributor to "Know Your Enemy II", "Information Security Management Handbook" and the upcoming "Hacker's Challenge 3". Anton also published numerous papers on a broad range of security subjects, such as incident response, intrusion detection, honeypots and log analysis. In his spare time he maintains his security portal http://www.info-secure.org and two blogs.

Plenty of potential, but falls short.......2006-03-13

When I received a review copy of Security Log Management (SLM) last month, I was eager to read it. I saw two very powerful but seldom discussed tools -- Argus and Bro -- mentioned in the table of contents. This indicated some original thinking, which I appreciate. Unfortunately, SLM did not live up to my expectations. When you strip out the pages of scripts and code and the three reprinted chapters, you're left with a series of examples of output from the author's deployment of several tools. Aside from a few examples mentioned in this review, I don't think readers will learn much from SLM.

The first problem with SLM is a lack of competent editing. Prior to publication, someone should have read the book from the reader's perspective, asking "what is the reader expected to learn from this section/chapter/book?" In other words, the editor should have asked "how is the reader supposed to implement these recommendations?" For example, Ch 2 mentions using the Bro IDS. Nothing about setting up Bro is included, which would be acceptable if a reference to an online guide or another book was given. That is not the case; the author just assumes readers know about Bro and have it running. The number of Bro users is probably less than 100. If you're one of them, you don't need to read this book!

Bro's DNS and SMTP logging modules are casually demonstrated with no regard for showing the reader how to deploy them. The Web module at least shows a sample mt.bro file, if the reader can figure out what that is or how it fits into the picture. The situation gets worse on p 101 when the author says "the SMTP module can be very powerful in helping to identify several of the 'Marcus Ranum' top mail-related statistics (Chapter 1)." Marcus Ranum is not mentioned at all in Ch 1.

SLM demonstrates two other features that are becoming increasingly common and frustrating in Syngress books, for which I detracted stars from the review. First, the editing is rough. I am perplexed by the inability to standardize on references to tools; e.g., is it bro, Bro, or BRO? Second, and far more worrisome, the last three chapters (7, 8, and 9) of SLM are reprints of chapters 6, 7, and 5 from the Feb 2005 Syngress book Microsoft Log Parser Toolkit. On the positive side, SLM did not have as many fuzzy screen shots as sometimes appear in recent Syngress books. The unexplained small, fuzzy, NetForensics screen shot on p 31 is one unwelcome exception.

In terms of stating a clear purpose and delivering material in a coherent manner, the best chapter in SLM is Ch 6 -- Scalable Enterprise Solutions. I thought the author of this chapter stated his purpose, and then delivered material that readers could use. My only problem with the chapter was reading the definition of ESM 5 times -- on pp 195, 196, 205, 237, and 238!

My favorite part of SLM was the material showing how to put Argus records into a MySQL database. This is not that common, so I was glad to see how the author implements that function.

I'm sorry I can't recommend reading SLM in its current form. Three stars means there is some value, but you could get what you need browsing in the book store. I would like to see a second edition of SLM cut out the reprinted chapters. That cuts the book down to 241 pages. If the 70 or so pages of code are moved online, that reduces the book to 171 pages. That leaves plenty of room to add material that meets readers' needs. An example of a very strong Syngress book on a related (host-based) topic is Host Integrity Monitoring Using Osiris and Samhain by Brian Wotring.

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