State Policy Formation and the Origins of the Poll Tax

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The further adventures of Santini and his band, setting out to prevent problems with both band and incompetent superhumans. One interesting point is that he becomes more and more reliant on superhuman help himself, with a shapeshifter, for one, and even one of his own team, Jukko, is revealed to also be posthuman. It does not end there.

Good writing, good art...a good read........2004-05-27

This isn't the typical comic book from when I was a kid. Stories that are actually interesting to grown-ups! The idea behind Stormwatch is that "normal" humans have developed a team to kill rogue super-powered beings that use their powers for evil. Stormwatch is the team of humans that hunt the baddies.

A good idea, that's been well executed.

Intelligent Comics.......2004-04-16

Collecting Stormwatch: Team Achilles issues #7-#11 along with a bonus story.
This title is one of the best out there. A combination of all out action and strong characterization makes Stormwatch stand out from the rest of the herd. Highlights include issue #8 titled "The Winter War" and issue #10 titled "Run". They are polar opposites with "The Winter War" as a frightening cautionary tale of history repeating itself while "Run" is a laugh out loud parody of the JLA and the Avengers.

Well worth it........2004-02-17

This volume does not contain a single story arc but is rather a compilation of stand alone stories, each focusing on a specific team member. Each story is interesting but the one that stands out is the one centered on Jukko's. Despite being a member that's tasked to hunt down rogue "post-humans", he himself has some superhuman traits. Micah Wright has intriguingly teased the readers that Jukko can have a stand alone comic of his own, since we see him doing bits of crime fighting in a big city like New York. The only complaint with this compilation, unlike Volume 1, is it ended with a cliffhanger, a blatant sales ploy so readers will be forced to buy Volume 3. Well, I'm not complaining about buying another Team Achilles compilation but they should do it real SOON!

Customer Reviews:

An absolute MUST for new parents!!!.......2004-01-02

This book is one of the funniest that I have ever come across! It is not just for Mommies - the concepts are applicable to Daddies, as well. Makes an excellent gift for new parents - all the friends I have given it to love it. This book provides plenty of laughs!

Hilarious!.......2002-05-08

This book is pleasantly insightful! If your baby hasn't already "done it", the time will soon come!! It's a definite reminder of how fun motherhood truly is! You realize that the your baby's actions are very normal and actually pretty funny! If you happen to be having a bad day, this is the book to pick up!

Book Description

Meatloaf, fried chicken, Jell-O, cake--because foods are so very common, we rarely think about them much in depth. The authors of Cooking Lessons however, believe that food is deserving of our critical scrutiny and that such analysis yields many important lessons about American society and its values. This book explores the relationship between food and gender. Contributors draw from diverse sources, both contemporary and historical, and look at women from various cultural backgrounds, including Hispanic, traditional southern White, and African American. Each chapter focuses on a certain food, teasing out its cultural meanings and showing its effect on women's identity and lives. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Customer Reviews:

Double Three Notrump! .......2005-10-02

You know, there are only about twenty permissible words in bridge bidding: the name and number of the suit, "Pass," "Double," and "Redouble." Yet from that comes one of the most fascinating games the world has ever known and Grant is on top of it all.

BETTER BRIDGE: Bidding is an excellent book. In fact, the best beginner's book (and series) I have encountered for the now-dominant "Five Card Major" bidding system now "de rigeur" in most of the USA and Canada. (If you don't know what "four card" or "five card" systems mean, hold off on buying this volume and go for Audrey's "Basics" volume instead.)

Ms. Grant goes patiently through the rules of bidding, when to bend or break them, and when they can save your life! As in most books, she starts with simple opening bids and the "point count" system (where an Ace is worth 4 points, a King 3, Queen 2 and Jack one point). She concentrates on the all-important fit between you and your partner, sometimes called "an opening hand facing an opening hand equals game" and that strategy is where the game is right now, so to speak. She deals with the additive logic of the point count in finding the Three Notrump game bid, which is relatively easy, often much easier than the novice thinks it is.

But where Grant really shines is the emphasis on contracting for game with a total of eight cards in your and your partner's chosen major suit (hearts or spades), either five on one side of the table and three on the other, or four apiece (and all this from bridge's tiny bidding vocab). Going further, she deals with what to do when your opponents are messing up "your" system by intefering bidding. Along with Grant's simple, even charming teaching styles, two other interlocked benefits stand out: she teaches us to think for ourself BUT offers evidence to show how violating bidding conventions gets you into bad contracts where you go set (lose points to your opponents). In other words, she does a good deal of imparting wisdom, more so than most bridge books allow that the very novice is capable of.

So read "Basics," "Bidding" and then move on to the other books in this series. You'll not only get smarter, you'll have fun and as long as there are three other people, a pencil, a deck of cards and a pad of paper around, you will never run out of something to do!

(By the way, if you want to learn the kind of bridge in which any FOUR-card major can open bidding, you might enjoy Alfred Sheinwold's FIVE WEEKS TO WINNING BRIDGE, which takes you from the basics, the bidding, and even the play at a fairly advanced level. Quite a lot for a one-volume work.)

Audrey Grant's Better Bridge Improving Your Judgement Opening the Bidding (Improving Your Judgement, Opening the Bidding)

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Audrey Grant's Better Bridge Improving Your Judgement Opening the Bidding (Improving Your Judgement, Opening the Bidding)

Manufacturer: Better Bridge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0968654703

The Bridge Players Video Library : Better Bidding (Volume 2)

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The Bridge Players Video Library : Better Bidding (Volume 2)
Audrey Grant
Manufacturer: Ardent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000MF6GHY

Product Description

VHS Tape

Book Description

Pinnacle Studio 10 is the latest version of the industry leading home video editing tool aimed at the Windows consumer market. In Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide, veteran journalist and teacher Jan Ozer tackles Pinnacle Studio version 10 in classic and popular QuickStart style--with step-by-step instructions, plenty of illustrations, and straightforward language. Jan provides the skinny on all popular Studio 10 features like built-in DVD authoring with motion menus and custom navigation; Pan and Zoom, enabling users to quickly create engaging video slideshows from digital photos; SmartMovie II, a tool that let's you create home movies in minutes; dual monitor display; key framing special effects in real-time; and the Instant DVD Recorder. He also covers key Pinnacle Studio Plus 10 features including picture in picture (PIP); Chroma Key effects (green screen); and full HD editing, particularly creating HD slide shows from digital photos.

Customer Reviews:

Product just as promised.......2007-05-13

This book has, and is, a tremendous help for me. I am a true novice when it comes to the Studio 10 product and it's nice to have this author hold my hand through it all!

Technical made easy!.......2007-03-27

Jan Ozer has done a superb job of explaining pinnacle in a way that is clear, simple and very easy to understand. With much appreciated visuals he manages to make Pinnacle Studio fun and worth the time. This book is absolutely a must if you are learning Pinnacle.

Good book about unbelievable piece of junk software.......2006-08-24

The book is good. The software is plain horrible. It sounds a strange combination but how you could qualify a memory hog which eventually shuts down my pretty good home computer with 2 GB of memory, with horrible boot time, and random crashes or hangs and features I would not care for in ages, like ability to keep my media on INet.

Very Pleased.......2006-03-25

I started with Jan's book on Studio 9 and was hooked. When I upgraded to Studio 10 I went at once to Amazon and ordered his book on Studio 10. If you want to really learn Studio 10 then this book will make you a happy camper.

An Essential book for Studio 10 users.......2006-02-14

Once again Jan Ozer has produced a most valuable book for Studio users. My suggestion would be to retire the Studio 10 Manual to the back of the bookcase, Jans book has all the answers in clear and easy to follow instructions, with plenty of illustrations. It's the only book you will need to get the most out of Studio 10.

Average customer rating:
Rand McNally Atlas of American History 99
Rand McNally and Company
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Discovering the American Past: Since 1865

A People and a Nation: A History of the United States (Volume 1, To 1877)

Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence Volume 1

A People and a Nation: A History of the United States

A People And a Nation, Vol. 2 Brief

ASIN: 0395949017

Customer Reviews:

Genocide and violence.......2002-07-21

This book adds significantly to the far too small literature attempting to explain today's worldwide epidemic of genocide and ethnic violence. My generation believed we had ended all that by defeating the Nazis. Not so; there have been a couple of dozen major genocides since, and countless minor massacres. The book at hand is a collection of chapters by psychologists (and a few other social scientists). Most of the explanatory material is taken from the area of psychology best developed in this regard: the research on categorization, stereotyping, and stigmatizing. Among the best chapters is one by Erwin Staub, who has done some of the very finest research on genocide.
An important part of this book is a series of studies of situations that did NOT turn into genocide, in spite of having the potential to do so: South Africa, the southern US.... Now ironic is the inclusion of Israel; this book was written before the recent horrors. However, the chapter is valuable; it attributes the success of Israel to precisely those features that Sharon abolished. Sure enough--Sharon abolished them, and ethnic violence blew up...
The book under review emphasizes solutions. Notable among these is the absolute, desperate need for the world community of nations to intervene! ...
In any case, anyone concerned with genocide and ethnic war should read this book. It is thought-provoking and important.

Book Description

This volume contains the proceedings of a two-day multidisciplinary conference on the ethical implications of brain research organized by Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco. Leaders in neuroscience, journalism, law, and philosophy, among other fields, engaged in a freewheeling debate on the social and individual effects of the research. Steven Marcus has edited their formal and informal deliberations to present a compelling first-hand account of the proceedings, providing a highly readable front-row seat about the first-ever symposium on neuroethics.

Customer Reviews:

Introduction to the ethics of the twenty-first century.......2006-01-17

Does current research in neuroscience negate the concept of free will? If it does, can we hold criminals liable for their actions? Would it be proper to give our children drugs that enhance their cognitive abilities, in order that they become better performers in school? Should those who do not have visual or auditory impairments use devices designed to assist the blind or the deaf in order to enhance their visual and auditory capabilities? Should the brain be altered using either pharmacological drugs or artificial devices in order to increase its capabilities?

These questions, and many more, are addressed in this book by some well-known researchers in neuroscience, neurophilosophy, and cognitive neuroscience. Readers who are interested in these issues can gain a lot from the book, even though the discussions are at times somewhat hurried and the presentation informal. The book consists of conference proceedings consisting of lectures with Q&A that was sponsored by the Dana Foundation and chaired by William Safire, a former Op-Ed columnist of the New York Times.

Neuroethics, at least as it is viewed in this book, addresses the legalities and ethics of brain modification or enhancement. It attempts to answer whether scientists or society as a whole, should allow these modifications and enhancements. It assumes, usually implicitly, that there are meaningful and objective ethical criteria for assessing these questions. The technological capabilities at the present time for brain enhancement are miniscule compared to what will be available in the coming decades. Therefore it seems appropriate to get a head start on the complex legal and moral issues that are involved. All of the speakers who are represented in this book give interesting insights on these issues, and when reading the words of some of them one can clearly see a sense of foreboding.

But there is a different concept of neuroethics that is inspired to some extent by the content of this book (and others like it) but not always explicitly recognized. This conceptualization of neuroethics makes note of the experimental techniques now available to study the processes in the brain, and recognizes that much can be said about the brain that could not be said twenty years ago. Many new insights into the functioning of the brain have given cognitive neuroscientists the ability to study human decision-making and planning in ways that shed considerable light on human behavior. And from these studies, it is readily apparent that any viable system of ethics must conform to what the brain can actually do. It does not make sense to require a certain type of conduct if the systems in the brain are not compatible with this conduct. Neuroscience will thus offer constraints on any code of ethics. Neuroethics then is a scientific approach to ethics, that places emphasis on how the brain makes decisions and what kinds of behavior are compatible with brain functioning.

Historically, ethical thought has been the sole province of philosophers and religionists, who with gusto have put forward systems of ethics and morality that are frequently very speculative and do not address practical issues in everyday living. And no cognizance has been given in these systems to the actual abilities of humans to carry out their commandments, advisories, or dictates. A successful system of ethics must be compatible not only with the actual needs of human beings, but also with the capabilities of the brain. Experimental research into the brain has not revealed the presence of a soul or some other extra-material entity. Systems of ethics that depend on these notions thus are not realistic from a scientific and practical point of view.

A successful neuroethics will, because it is scientific and thus realistic, be able to settle the questions that are addressed in this book. It will be able to grant insight into just how much, if any, of the brain needs enhancement and if we should perform this enhancement. It will help us to decide whether brain implants or other technological devices should be used to assist brain function or enhance it. It will also tell us when we should engineer the brain so as to suppress undesired or unhealthy brain processes. It will no doubt offer a new conception of what it means to be human, and one that the world's religions may find repugnant. The latter though is responsible for most of the world's pain, and only some of its good. Neuroethics will hopefully give an ethical conception that maximizes human comfort and capabilities and instill deep respect for all life forms, human or not.

Book Description

This report is part of the OECD Environmental Performance Review Programme which conducts peer reviews of environmental conditions and progress in each Member country. It scrutinises efforts to meet both domestic objectives and international commitments. Evaluating progress in reducing the pollution burden, improving natural resource management, integrating environmental and economic policies, and strengthening international co-operation is also central to these reviews. The analyses presented are supported by a broad range of economic and environmental data. Environmental performance reviews of Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States have already been published.

Oecd Environmental Performance Reviews: Belgium

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Oecd Environmental Performance Reviews: Belgium

Manufacturer: Organization for Economic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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