New Releases by Kevin Allen

A collection of poetry from love to life.

Jeremy Roenick, one of the premier hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story in this frank and unflinching autobiography. After making his debut as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, Roenick thrilled fans with his flashy style, take-no-prisoners approach, and jaw-dropping skills. A native of Boston, Roenickwent on to play for four more franchises including the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings during his incredible 18-season career. By the time he was through, Roenick had racked up 513 goals the second most of any American-born player and 703 assists. Now a tells-it-like-it-is commentator for NBC and the NHL, Roenick takes readers on a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all tour through his illustrious career, both on and off the ice."

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.

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 They are unsure of anything, as all reality seems to have been replaced by Mythological creatures and happenings.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.

In Star-Spangled Hockey, legendary hockey writer Kevin Allen takes readers on a journey from the earliest days of USA Hockey to celebrate the organization''s 75th anniversary. From the beginning, when the organization was started literally out of a shoebox in Tom Lockhart''s New York City apartment, to the excitement generated by the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, this book covers the fascinating history of amateur hockey in America.

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.

Accepting a new job can be an exciting moment in anyone's career. However, what happens if the new job does not work out? This article explores when a project professional realizes that a new position is a bad fit and recommends resolutions. According to a career consultant, due diligence should be performed before accepting a position. Furthermore, discuss the project particulars after an offer but before a formal agreement is reached. Even if a project manager has a bad experience in a position, it still qualifies as experience. Sometimes it is best to stay in a position long enough to get experience and then leave the position. On the other hand, there may be a time when it is best to move on as quickly as possible. If project managers find themselves in over their heads in a new position, then they should initiate a conversation with the project sponsor to voice their concerns. Project managers should remember that they always have options. A sidebar discussing mis-hires accompanies this article.

Three megaprojects are finalists in the running for the 2011 PMI Project of the Year. This article previews these three projects: Oak Grove Steam Electric Station (Franklin, TX, USA), EMAL Smelter Complex (Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), and Prairie Waters Project (Aurora, CO, USA). In doing so, it explains each project's unique challenges and features. Each initiative survived a historically brutal global economy and stringent deadlines to meet the triple constraints. One project took advantage of cloud technology to manage a large, dispersed team, another was forced to accommodate equipment that sat in storage for three decades, and the third project spanned six local government jurisdictions.

Written for every sports fan who follows the NHL and the Stanley Cup, this account goes behind the scenes to peek into the private world of the players, coaches, and decision makers—all while eavesdropping on their personal conversations. From the locker room to the ice, the book includes stories about Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, among others, allowing readers to relive the highlights and the celebrations.

It is widely recognized that many aspects of plant form and function are coupled to variation in water availability. This is because plant persistence is ultimately dependent upon the process of carbon fixation and it is physically impossible for a plant to transport CO2 to the sites of photosynthetic metabolism inside the leaf without, at the same time, loosing water to the surrounding atmosphere. How the efficiency of water use changes as leaves differ in size and longevity, and where leaves acquire their water from, are often times not well defined. In general, the water lost to the atmosphere by leaves is thought to originate from the soil via uptake by roots. However, previous research has shown that water deposited on leaf surfaces is often available for use via direct foliar uptake. Using field observations and a greenhouse experiment I show that leaf water interception can represent an overlooked water source for leaves that temporarily, but significantly, decouples leaf-level water and carbon relations from variation in soil water availability (Chapter 1). Additionally, within a particular environment water loss per unit leaf area is expected to increase with leaf size. Recent research suggests the construction cost of a leaf also increases with size and/or longevity. If leaves have maximized the ability to transport water to surfaces for energy and gas exchange in order to maximize CO2 uptake from the atmosphere, then vascular network efficiency (Leaf hydraulic conductance) should be size invariant. Using a survey of 60 angiosperm species I show that leaf hydraulic conductance is maximized for a given surface area (Chapter 2). By extension, if the lifetime return (carbon gain) on dry-mass invested in leaf area (construction cost plus maintenance respiration per unit leaf area) is maximized, then leaf hydraulic conductance per unit leaf dry mass should scale isometrically with leaf lifespan. Using plants from a common garden and previously published values of leaf lifespan and leaf hydraulic conductance for species inhabiting a broad range of vegetation types and climate, I explored the relationship between leaf longevity and leaf hydraulic conductance per unit leaf mass. I observed a negative correlation between leaf hydraulic conductance per unit leaf mass and leaf lifespan. Further, the slope of the relationship describing the covariation between leaf hydraulic conductance per unit mass and leaf lifespan is not significantly different from one. Isometric scaling (slope = 1) provides strong support for a constant net carbon gain per leaf despite significant variation in leaf size, longevity and environment. Therefore, variation in gross primary productivity is a function of the number of leaves a plant maintains over a given unit of time (Chapter 3).

This dissertation describes research on chromium complexes with formally neutral, chelating ligands. The goal of this research is the fundamental study of organochromium chemistry with the hope of preparing Cr(II) complexes that are active for the polymerization or oligomerization of ethylene. This would provide evidence for Cr(II) to be active for these processes. Chapter 1 of this dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of a series of chromium complexes supported by a chelating N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. The second chapter details the preparation and structural characterization of several complexes of chromium supported by several diimine ligands. The third chapter examines the organochromium chemistry derived from the complexes described in chapter 2. The final chapter entails the synthesis of the shortest metal-metal distance ever reported.

The definitive history of the Lunar Phase Theory and Method. It covers the controversies surrounding the theory and its development as a contraception method in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s, the science behind it, and the traditional role of the moon in fertility and obstetrics.

As Kevin Allen sat and watched TV one cold wet evening, he had no idea his life was about to change forever! Six days later he was standing in Africa desperately searching for a young Zulu boy to save his life. Join him on his incredible two-year journey as he becomes a reluctant hero to a forgotten Zulu community and an accidental father to a thousand desperate children.

A close look at how World War II changed America''s attitudes toward racial identity.

This volume boasts a sampling of storied Michigan players who contribute their dreams, thoughts, and memories from that most memorable of times--when they were Wolverines.

This volume boasts a sampling of storied Michigan players who contribute their dreams, thoughts, and memories from that most memorable of times--when they were Wolverines.

Who are the greatest hockey goalies of all time? This book attempts to settle that debate with an all-star lineup of experts just as impressive as the 50 men they select as the best goalies of the 20th century. Over 100 photos.