Following the humbling of the 'dot.coms' it is well implemented corporate portals that are ushering in a new and prosperous era of e-business. Corporate Portals Empowered with XML and Web Services provides decision makers with a clear and concise explanation of what portals are all about, why you really need a portal strategy, how you go about implementing one, and the issues you have to encounter and surmount. Guruge shows how you can successfully use XML and web services to empower your portals for collaboration, knowledge management, CRM, ERP and supply chain management.
.Extensive examples of corporate portals illustrate the viability of the technology
.Architectural and network diagrams show detailed portal implementations
.Comprehensive references to guides, solutions, products and terminology leverage living outside resources

A children's book to help kids understand and appreciate that a pup is a living thing, a baby -- and is not a toy.

The 2011 version of Anura Guruge's well received 'The Next Pope' book that was initially published in early 2010. This updated and expanded version, 29 pages longer, is meant to be the definitive, no stones left unturned handbook for the next papal election, post 2011, following the reign of the current pope, Benedict XVI. The Catholic News Agency (CNA) in its review of the 2010 book, by Brother Benet S. Exton, on June 4, 2010, said: 'This book will be of interest to scholar and general reader and it is a must for those interested in anything about the Papacy.' 'The Next Pope 2011, ' deals, in detail, with the traditions, the norms, the papabili, the rituals, the dynamics, the politics, the mechanics, the laws, the precedents, and the pertinent history of papal elections -- along with an in-depth description of the 2005 papal vacancy following the death of the bestriding John Paul II. This handbook for papal elections will stoke and satisfy the reader's fascination as to how the next pope will come to be elected and provide the historical context for all of the norms that will be followed. With this book at hand the reader can be an expert when the next papal transition comes along. Rather than having to rely on the media for insights and intrigues, the reader can now be a cognoscenti with an insightful appreciation of what has to happen in Rome -- and with step-by-step details of all the protocols that have to be followed. This is a book for anybody that is interested in the popes, papacy, papabili, the College of Cardinals, conclaves and Catholicism. It is a large book is full of insights, analysis, opinions, statistics, pictures, diagrams, tables and trivia. A 'Top 1000 Reviewer' at Amazon, who gave the 2010 book 5 stars had this to say: 'No one who is intrigued by papal history (as I am) should be without this book. While it is not footnoted and its bibliography is slim, it bears evidence of careful and exhaustive and unusual research.' A companion Web site, www.popes-and-papacy.com, with an active, widely followed blog, ensures that the reader will always be kept up to date on all relevant developments. Anura Guruge is also the author of 'Popes and the Tale of Their Names' -- a book applauded for its unique look at papal history through the prism of papal names. Anura Guruge is also the author of a number of other books on non-papal topics.

A look at popes and the papacy through the prism of the names associated with the popes -- whether they be birth, priestly, or assumed names. It is the first in-depth exploration of papal names and their meanings with a revised history of papal name changes, a complete account of the rationales for the 125 known instances of assumed names, and a slew of new 'factoids.' The first documented instance of papal name change was when Mercurius, in 533 A.D., opted not to introduce the name of a pagan god into the papal rolls. Marcellus II, in 1555, was the last pope, to date, to have retained his prior name, thereby breaking a 494 year tradition . 'Marcellus', however, is a name derived from 'Mars' - the Roman god of war The history of papal name changes contains many such intriguing twists and turns, in particular Anacletus, Sixtus I, Zephryrinus and Julis II. This book sets out to highlight them all and thereby plug a hitherto little explored aspect of papal history. Despite the interest in papal names, there has been very little dedicated analysis pertaining to their evolution. Consequently, there are many inaccuracies and omissions. Papal name change could be a much older practice than originally believed. This book is an attempt to rectify the lack of attention hitherto afforded to the story and the glory of papal names. It is a by-product of a computer-aided papal history project undertaken by the author. Web site. This book is not meant to be controversial. The subject matter, though often beguiling, still does not, however, provide sufficient scope to incite bona fide dissension. This book is meant to enlighten, and hopefully entertain. With it, the author hopes to put a stake in the ground vis-a-vis our understanding of papal names.

This is a soup-to-nuts reference guide on all aspects of Web Services - where Web Services is a fast emerging set of Internet-specific middleware technology to further promote the growth of all aspects of e-business via standardization, collaboration and "franchising." This book is best characterized as an executive brief for IT and senior management rather than a nuts-and-bolts technical guide for portal implementers. Think of it as the "Cliffs Notes on Web Services." Given this audience, the book consistently focuses on business needs, value propositions, ROI, proven solutions and actual examples of current implementations. Each chapter also ends with a 10-item "Q&A" section that consolidates and summarizes the information discussed in the chapter. The book is illustrated with detailed technical diagrams, includes lots of arresting subtitles and contains many bullet lists and tables to facilitate (and encourage) productive skimming.
Decision makers - the intended readership for this book - gain increasing comfort and confidence as they get into the book that they are getting to see all facets of the issues, on a consistent basis, and that they will not be blind-sided at meetings by people asking 'difficult' questions. At the end of each chapter, Guruge summarizes and reinforces key points, allowing the reader to skim through the topics for crucial information. The book also leverages living outside resources and ensures that the readership always has ready and consistent access to any and all terms, definitions and concepts they might not be familiar with.
"Debate style" presentation, focusing repeatedly on pros-and-cons, e.g., .NET vs. Java, open vs. proprietary and buy vs. build
Author's trademark detailed architectural and network diagrams of portal implementations
Q&A section at end of each chapter