Tim Brennan

From Gangsta rap to gang wars and everything in between.... Former Compton police officers Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd have seen it all..... And now, they're telling all..... For twenty years, gang unit detectives Tim Brennan and Robert Ladd patrolled the streets of Compton. They witnessed the birth and rise of gangsta rap with acts they knew personally, such as N. W. A and D. J. Quik; dealt firsthand with the chaos of the L. A. riots, its aftermath, and the gang truce that followed; were involved in the investigations of the murders of hip-hop stars Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B. I. G., and were major players in an all-out tug-of-war with City Hall that ultimately resulted in the permanent shut-down of the Compton Police Department. Through it all, they developed an intricate knowledge of gangs and the streets and a methodology that has been implemented by local law enforcement agencies across the country. Their compassionate and fair approach to community policing earned them the respect of citizens and gangbangers alike. This story - told with bestselling author Lolita Files, whose research with Brennan and Ladd has spanned over four years - is a firsthand glimpse into a world during an era many have heard about in song and legend, but have rarely had the opportunity to witness at ground level, from the inside out, through the eyes of two men who witnessed and experienced it all.

Everyone knows that the way to improve at chess is to solve tactics puzzles. But why do tactics books make amateurs study grandmaster or master games? How useful is it to analyze games that are unreal for everyday chess players? In the real world of beginning and casual players openings are dubious, positions are messy, material is uneven, and cheap traps and oversights are occurring constantly. Most amateur games are won by rather primitive means, compared to the cool and fancy moves that masters need in order to gain victory. This book only takes positions from amateur games and puts them out there, warts and all. Tim Brennan and Andrea Carson have assembled thousands of games by everyday players, and selected the most instructive tactical examples. If you have limited time and energy to devote to chess, you want to study positions that are happening in games you yourself might have played ,