Best Selling Books by Kevin Allen

The most celebrated of all sports trophies has held everything from beer to infants and has been carted from Moscow''s Red Square to Bob''s Big Boy. Readers can follow the true exploits of the prestigious trophy beyond the champagne toasts and all-star embraces by reading the surprising and often touching accounts presented here.

A key member of the NHL Dallas Stars tells his own story and shares his troubles and triumphs. Photos.

USA. Textbook on management in the manufacturing industry. Skills needed, recruitment and management development. Supervisory duties of manufacturing managers. Labour relations. Short term and long term policies and planning. Use of EDP systems. Budgeting and financial aspects management. Controlling investments. Factory organization. Reliability and quality control. Equipment maintenance. Storage and marketing of products. Industrial research.

When most people envision success they think about other people and how they see it. You''re about to see another version of success. A personal version that is definable only by you. It is a definition that will lead you to achieving the kind of success that you''ve always wanted. The ability to have what you want when you want. All without really doing much more than you have been doing. Welcome to your new life of success and happiness.

This screenplay contains the original manuscript including many hilarious scenes which never made it to the screen. Kevin Allen is an award-winning director of documentaries revolving around football. This is his first screenplay, and he is currently working in the United States. The book includes over 25 photographs taken on set, many previously unseen.

Six people on different continents are haunted by a woman, kidnapped, and wake up in a desolate courtyard beneath an old Castle. Tyus Clark from America, Trisha Ulundi an African studying medicine in England, Jack Stewart an English born treasure hunter, Arianna Cruz a Mexican field hand, Minh Su Han a Chinese farmer, and Jason Nelson a business man who unwittingly gets thrown into the mix as punishment for refusing the woman. Now wide-awake; they find themselves immersed in a battle for survival against creatures of mythical proportions. They realize quickly that their lives will e forever transformed But that''s just the beginning of their woes. They begin to realize what they''re up against when they receive their first visitor after waking; a winged Gargoyle-like creature named Romi, that Tyus, seems to know but is keeping a tight lip about. Using wits and each other, they converse with the beast while keeping it at arms length. Only to be pointed into a journey of constant danger and constant battles. They are unsure of anything, as all reality seems to have been replaced by Mythological creatures and happenings. One thing is for sure however, they are not dreaming. They must make their way across a land filled with beings that are hostile to them. Each time they lay down someone must stay awake to keep watch. What''s worse, there does not seem to be any human beings as far as the eye can see. The only thing certain is that they must fight to survive and find a way home to confront the redheaded woman that has entrapped them. As strange as things seem; it all gets stranger still when they finally learn the secrets of the place they are sent. It gets even deeper when they learn that their being there is no accident but a design of fate. They begin to unlock secrets about themselves and each other, each having a past that is directly connected to what they are doing. They learn slowly, their whole lives have been a preparation for what is about to happen. They come to the conclusion that decisions will need to be made before going home; if in fact they can. Finally they learn the secrets of the universe and their true purpose within the world they are now traveling in. They are given an ageless secret, the secret of the Universe itself; a secret that will determine the fate of the Earth and all life within her. They must fight their way home, each doing their part to make sure they reach home. Finally making a choice to do what is necessary in order to preserve the people of Earth. What starts out, as a kidnapping will end in an all out war to determine the fate of the Earth.

It was just the beginning when Stephen Jones lost Jasmine, her body rotting in a forest, in a hollow near a stream in Shadybrook, he recalls. And when detective Mark Morison and his partner were introduced to a case that saw his wife kidnapped by his murderous father. Even when they learned that everything they have ever heard from anything closely related to them, was a lie. But sometimes learning that everything you have ever known is a lie is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Sometimes going home is worse... especially when going home brings a freefall of events and memories that tell you every horrible thing you have just been through was only the beginning, with the worst yet to come. A battle to save the city of Boston will yield memories of a family and a monster on the wake. And this is where the straight road begins to skew.

Steve Wilkes'' life as a well-trained Freelancer had been well structured, organized, luxurious, and all he knew since being unwittingly recruited by a man named David, as a teenager. All he knew since the night David took him was the work he had been groomed to do. That is to kill, protect, chaos, or bringing order - whatever his job called for he did it, and he had built quite a reputation while doing it. Then he went missing. Two years. That''s how long he lived a peaceful life. A fun filled life. Full of lust and love, life and struggle, the things life should be made of. This life made possible by Jasmine, a woman he met while on a mission in Spain. A woman he''s grown to love. The woman he broke David''s rules for. And two years is all he''ll have if David gets his way. First, a woman named Alyssa shows up in Shadybrook. Steve is suspicious of her injuries even though he helps her. He knows he has to get close to her to learn about her. Alyssa decides she wants to be as close to him as possible, so she seduces him, or so she thinks. Then they come. The Agency. And they''ll take everything, including his life if he doesn''t do what they want him to do. And that''s just the beginning.

Mark Morrison''s past seems like it began in an orphanage, with a blanket with strange words. He had no name until the Morrisons adopted him in his adolescent days. His best friend Marian has known him since his adoption. Twenty-eight years of life has landed him in a struggling marriage, no kids, holding a steady job as a homicide detective in Boston with Marian still by his side, now as his partner. When Mark and Marian inherit a string of Serial killings their lives begin to unravel. First, mark''s marriage suffers because he''s never home. Then on the case, the feelings Marian and he never paid attention to turns into a night of passionate lust, thanks to a failed date she has. They begin to realize, that the sudden night of lust is as connected to the murders in ways they would never willingly admit. As the case unravels it opens a very personal connection to Mark, and to Marian. With his marriage hanging on the line and their friendship severely tested amid the chilling case, can they stop the killer before he kills again - Or will the demon of a lost past tear their whole world apart.

Edison Benjamin killed his son''s wife. He tried to blow up the city his son is sworn to protect and serve as a detective. And he has no qualms admitting he tried to rape his son''s partner and childhood friend, Marian Chambers. Oh, Edison has three sons - Mark Morrison is a detective for the city of Boston, struggling to balance mourning his wife''s murder, work, and his new-found feelings for his partner. Stephen Jones is an ex assassin, providing assistance to the CIA in exchange for his freedom. Akambe Thompson is a specter. And Edison swears he created all three of them, using raw material he turned into DNA. The frightening part of Edison''s claim for his sons, is when memories they never knew existed, begin to surface. Even more chilling, is what he says might happen to them. But in between, the ex CIA scientist turned operative will slowly spell it out. At least, everyone listening thinks he is. The only thing clear to the feds and the detectives is that they need to decrypt, Edison Benjamin.

The compelling true story of one of the NHL’s all-time greatest players Feared on the ice for his toughness and his skill with the puck, Chris Chelios was one of the finest defensemen of his era. A stalwart blueliner with the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers, Chelios roamed the ice with a rare confidence that earned him the respect of his teammates and opponents alike. He carried his high level of competitiveness out of the dressing room and wore it like a badge of honour. By the time his twenty-six-season professional career was over, Chris Chelios had served as captain for two Original Six teams, claimed three Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman, represented his country in international competition 11 times, been selected to 11 All-Star Games and hoisted three Stanley Cups. Overtime pulls no punches in this rollicking story of friends and foes, triumph and tragedy, and, above all else, love for the game of hockey. From his wild days as a young player in Moose Jaw to his Hockey Hall of Fame party attended by guests ranging from Michael Jordan to Kid Rock, Chelios gives fans a guided tour through his incredible and improbable career. Along the way he sheds light on his tumultuous time in Montreal, the trade that returned him to his hometown, and the difficult decision that led him to Detroit, as well as the personal tragedies endured by him and his family. He also reflects on his friendships with A-list celebrities and his relationships with famous teammates, opponents and coaches, including Jeremy Roenick, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Keenan and Scotty Bowman. An honest, enlightening and often hilarious memoir, Overtime is a must-read for every hockey fan. With a foreword by Wayne Gretzky.

A theatrical designer must address two questions when designing a production: What is the play about and what is the play like? To find the metaphor within a play is to unlock inspired and unique design concepts. Theatrical Design: An Introduction is about how to find the design idea for a production and what to do with that idea once identified. This book emphasizes script analysis and interpretation specifically for designers: how to release meaning and design inspiration from lines and characterization in a script. It then explains the artistic elements and principles of design--the skills necessary to create the design visualized. Concepts are illustrated with examples from theatre, film, art, architecture, and fashion that explore professional and historic use of conceptualization and metaphor. Theatrical Design: An Introduction imparts the tools designers need to innovate off the page.

A massive drought from 2002 to 2003 depleted the water supply in the city of Aurora, Colorado, USA, to an all-time low, falling to just 26 percent of its total capacity; the city was left with a nine-month supply of water for its citizens. This article examines the efforts of the Aurora City Council to launch the Prairie Waters project, an effort that received the PMI 2011 Project of the Year award, which called for construction of nearly 34 miles (55 kilometers) of 60-inch (1.5 meter) pipeline, four pump stations, a natural purification area, and one of the world''s most technically advanced water-treatment facilities, handling 50 million gallons (189 million liters) per day. It details how Aurora dealt with the city''s bureaucracy because the project required more than 400 permits and 149 parcels of land or easements to be acquired. Furthermore, the article discusses the project''s budget, which was estimated at US$854 million, and how the project team shaved US$100 million off the original budget by instituting a value engineering philosophy. During construction, contractors were encouraged to offer suggestions for ways to save money, and an example of how one contractor saved US$57,000 is highlighted. The article also describes how the project team worked to create a culture of "what''s right instead of who''s right" and explains how the project team participated in a formal partner process before construction. In October 2010, the team delivered the largest water-related project in the state of Colorado in more than 35 years, despite a tight timeline and some 300,000 stakeholders. By minimizing red tape and leveraging value engineering techniques, the team delivered the project US$201 million under the original estimated budget. Accompanying the article is a sidebar on Prairie.net, a proprietary cloud computing system designed for the project.

"Autobiography of hockey announcer Mike "Doc" Emrick"--

At a time when the biodiversity on Earth is being rapidly lost, new technologies and methods in genomic analysis are fortunately allowing scientists to catalog and explore the diversity that remains more efficiently and precisely. The studies in this dissertation investigate genomic diversity within the milkweed genus, Asclepias, at multiple scales, including diversity found within a single individual, diversity within and among populations in a species, and diversity across the entire genus. These investigations contribute to our understanding of the genomic content and architecture within Asclepias and the Gentianales, patterns of population diversification in the western United States, and the evolutionary history of select loci within Asclepias, with implications across flowering plants. Chapter 2 investigates patterns of polymorphisms among paralogous copies of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) within individual genomes, and presents a bioinformatic pipeline for characterizing polymorphisms among copies of a high-copy locus. Results are presented for intragenomic nrDNA polymorphisms across Asclepias. The 18S-26S portion of the nrDNA cistron of Asclepias syriaca served as a reference for assembly of the region from 124 samples representing 90 species of Asclepias. Reads were mapped back to each individual’s consensus and at each position reads differing from the consensus were tallied using a custom Perl script. Low frequency polymorphisms existed in all individuals (mean = 5.8%). Most nrDNA positions (91%) were polymorphic in at least one individual, with polymorphic sites being less frequent in subunit regions and loops. Highly polymorphic sites existed in each individual, with highest abundance in the "noncoding" ITS regions. Phylogenetic signal was present in the distribution of intragenomic polymorphisms across the genus. Intragenomic polymorphisms in nrDNA are common in Asclepias, being found at higher frequency than any other study to date. The high and variable frequency of polymorphisms across species highlights concerns that phylogenetic applications of nrDNA may be error-prone. The new analytical approach provided in this chapter is applicable to other taxa and other high-copy regions characterized by low coverage genome sequencing (genome skimming). Chapter 3 presents Hyb-Seq, a new method combining target enrichment and genome skimming to allow simultaneous data collection for low-copy nuclear genes and high-copy genomic targets for plant systematics and evolution studies. A program is presented that takes genome and transcriptome assemblies and locates loci likely to be low copy and phylogenetically informative, to be used for probe development and enrichment in sequence libraries. A workflow is presented for processing data, from raw sequence reads to assembled exons and reconstructed trees. Genome and transcriptome assemblies for Asclepias syriaca were used to design enrichment probes for 3385 exons from 768 genes (u003e1.6 Mbp) followed by Illumina sequencing of enriched libraries. Hyb-Seq of 12 individuals (10 Asclepias species and two related genera) resulted in at least partial assembly of 92.6% of exons and 99.7% of genes and an average assembly length u003e2 Mbp. Importantly, complete plastomes and nrDNA cistrons were assembled using off-target reads. Phylogenomic analyses demonstrated signal conflict between genomes. The Hyb-Seq approach enables targeted sequencing of thousands of low-copy nuclear exons and flanking regions, as well as genome skimming of high-copy repeats and organellar genomes, to efficiently produce genome-scale data sets for phylogenomics. Chapter 4 presents an assembly of the genome of the common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. It uses principles from Chapter 3 to target SNPs and reconstruct linkage groups, enabling an analysis of chromosomal evolution within Gentianales, the order containing Asclepias. Asclepias syriaca is the first species in Apocynaceae with reconstructions of the nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genomes, and the first to have linkage group information incorporated into the nuclear assembly. The final assembly of Asclepias syriaca contains 54,266 scaffolds [greater or equal to]1 kbp, with N50 = 3415 bp, representing 37% (156.6 Mbp) of the estimated 420 Mbp genome. Scaffolds [greater or equal to] 200 bp sum to 229.7 Mbp, with N50 = 1904 bp. A total of 14,474 protein coding genes were identified based on transcript evidence, closely related proteins, and ab initio models, and 95% of genes were annotated based on genes from Coffea canephora and Catharanthus rosea. A large proportion of gene space is represented in the assembly, with 96.7% of Asclepias transcripts, 88.4% of transcripts from the related genus Calotropis, and 90.6% of proteins from Coffea mapping to the assembly. Analyses were performed for three gene families, involved in rubber production, light sensing, and cardenolide production, with the finding that the cardenolide related progesterone 5[beta]-reductase gene family is likely reduced in Asclepias relative to other Apocynaceae. Scaffolds covering 75 Mbp of the Asclepias assembly were grouped into eleven linkage groups. Comparisons of these groups with pseudochromosomes in Coffea found that six chromosome show consistent stability in gene content, while one may have a long history of fragmentation and rearrangement. Finally, in Chapter 5, diversity within a species across its entire range is investigated with a phylogeographic study of the jewel milkweed, Asclepias cryptoceras. This study applies the SNP targets developed from Chapter 4 to populations of A. cryptoceras, asking whether two recognized subspecies are genetically distinct, and searching for the origin of populations that are morphologically intermediate between the two. A total of 54,673 SNPs were found on 7372 contigs, across 96 individuals from ten populations. Principal component analysis and measures of allelic differentiation indicate a clear disjunction between subspecies cryptoceras and davisii (F[subscript ST] = 0.092 between geographic regions). For intermediate populations, estimates of hybrid index below 0.25 and measures of allelic diversity and private alleles, argue against a hybrid origin due to secondary contact, and instead support their origin as stepping stone populations during expansion along a southern corridor from east to west.