Corporate and Individual Taxes 2004-2005 Worldwide Summaries (Worldwide Summaries 2 Volume Set)

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Get up to speed on the latest urban water management tools and techniques

Here's the only resource you need to master the latest water forecasting, evaluation and planning methods; take advantage of state-of-the-art forecast software applications; understand price and rate structures; plus quickly and easily implement new water demand management techniques; determine rates of urban water demand and use; forecast urban water demands; integrate water supply and water demand management planning activities; master leading-edge drought response planning and management methods; discover why demand-side planning management should be included in an urban water supply planning framework; and much more.

Hdbk Selected Court Cases F/ American Go
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Hdbk Selected Court Cases F/ American Go
Schmidt , and Shelley
Manufacturer: International Thomson Publishing Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books
General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0314054715

Book Description

The first edition of this revolutionary look at the scientific discoveries that changed our perception of the world, by the renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking, sold over 65,000 copies. Now it's available in a gift-worthy special edition with color photographs and illustrations depicting theoretical models of the planets and their orbits--making Hawking's brilliant insights all the more accessible. This original compilation is based on seven classic works of physics and astronomy which, read in chronological order, trace the evolution of modern science. THE ILLUSTRATED ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS includes selections from On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Harmony of the World by Johannes Kepler. It also includes five important critical essays and an original biography of each physicist, written by Hawking himself.

Customer Reviews:

Deeply disappointed........2007-09-03

In Brief -- This is an illustrated version of "On the Shoulders of Giants". This book is not, however, "On the Shoulders of Giants" with some additional illustrations. There are pretty illustrations, which are largely irrelevant, but they replace more than 80% of the text and most of the useful illustrations that are contained in the original book. Whereas the original contains complete versions of works such as Galileo's Dialogs and Newton's Principia, this book contains only excerpts from these works, augmented with largely useless illustrations, but missing the useful diagrams from the original book.

In more detail -- This book consists of five sections, covering the lives and some of the science of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Einstein. Each section begins with a brief (10-12 page) discussion of the scientist's life and an outline of his work and its importance. It is followed by a 35-40-page section that contains one or more excerpts from their scientific works. Each chapter is illustrated with paintings or drawings that illustrate the life and times and other general aspects of their work. All well and good, but I was disappointed with this book for several reasons, namely:

1) While Stephen Hawkins name is prominently displayed, it is clear that he had relatively little to do with this book. It is misleading to highlight his name in large type on the spine of the book and only state on the dust jacket that he was an editor and provided commentary. Other editors are mentioned, but not named. Undoubtedly, there were many who purchased the book because of his association with it, not realizing that his actual contributions were limited
2) While there are illustrations, they in no way support the text. This is especially true for the sections that came from Newton's Principia. The Principia is based completely on complex geometric proofs. The ABCs of the text are included, but not the copious diagrams of the original, making these sections virtually useless for someone who wishes to follow Newton's line of reasoning. The same is true for the other sections of the book. Instead of useful diagrams the editors have included things like: photographs of the University of Padua, murky drawings from period books that do not illustrate any of the text, paintings of the Hubble space telescope and the Mariner 10 spacecraft and paintings (photographs in the case of Einstein) of the scientists (which are at least relevant to the historical portions of the text). It is clear that these illustrations were chosen for their artistic appeal and were included to make an illustrated book. It would have been much better if these illustrations actually helped to explain the text. Better still would have been the inclusion of the original diagrams from the books and papers being abstracted.
3) The original, non-illustrated, version of this book is five times longer than this version. It is much longer because contains the complete translations of several of the most critical scientific works ever written. (Because of the numerous illustrations, many of which are half or full page, the text is actually considerably less than 1/5 that of the original version of the book.) Since the illustrations included in this version do nothing to support the clarity of the text, they are a poor tradeoff for the complete works that are provided in the original, non-illustrated, version of this book.
4) Because of the pictures, which are interspersed throughout the book, it was necessary to utilize high gloss paper throughout. This made it difficult for me to read. Since the illustrations are not supportive of the text, their inclusion and the resulting use of high gloss paper made the illustrations, in my opinion, somewhat of a detriment.
5) The original scientific texts are useful for someone who wants to get a flavor of the original, but it is not as illuminating as a good physics text, especially since the diagrams of the original publications are missing.

This book is best suited for someone who wants a coffee table book (albeit a thin one), with some pretty pictures, about 50 pages of historical information and a flavor of what the original texts contained. I am giving the book three stars because of its appeal to this audience. The texts of the excerpts from the original publications are useful, although its usefulness is diminished by lack of the diagrams that were in the original publications. The texts of the scientific works were not, however, completely useless. For instance, I did get a better appreciation of Copernicus's work from this book. He did more than just make a correct guess about the organization of the solar system. The excerpts from his book show that he was a great physicist for his time, and was fully cognizant of the reasons why it was previously assumed that the sun and other planets revolved around a stationary earth, and he made an attempt to logically refute this belief. Also, the complete works in question are very difficult to follow; so brief excerpts are all that many readers would want. This version is thus better suited for them than the much larger, but much more complex, original version of "On the Shoulders of Giants".

Scientists and those interested in the history of science will probably be disappointed because they have read this history in more detail elsewhere and they will find the lack of diagrams a severe deficiency. There are much better histories of science available (for instance, Gribbin's, The Scientists). Those who want the complete versions of the famous books that are included in the original version will also be disappointed in this version. Thus, if you want more of the original science, check out the original version of this book before you buy this one. You will probably find that it is better suited to your needs.

Physics! History! Math!.......2006-12-15

It does not get any better than this. Plus the images are stunning.

LOVELY PICTURES.......2005-01-20

As the historical development of gravitational theory is of interest to me, I bought this book impulsively from Barnes & Noble, while getting a cup of coffee. "Illustrated" it is, and beautifully so, and the concept is interesting. For five brilliant scientists each of whom has contributed to our understanding of celestial dynamics, Hawking provides a brief introduction before presenting translations of representative portions of their work. Although many of the illustrations are works of art, some are not very informative, chosen perhaps for visual appeal rather than pedagogical utility. Specific comments are as follows. Copernicus: excellent short bio and explanation of his contributions. Galileo, ditto. Kepler, ditto. Newton, ditto. Einstein: strangely, the biographical sketch here is thin, many of the figures seem irrelevant, and the technical translation is marred by typographical errors. This is strange, because much effort went into the production of this book, so it would seem appropriate to have had someone with scientific knowledge look over the proofs and mark obvious errors. It is also irritating that many different type styles are used for the equations, giving the impression that the production editor sloppily copied directly from the original papers.

Although I enjoyed reading this book and learned from it, the publishers should clean it up for a second printing.

Alwyn Scott
http://personal.riverusers.com/~rover/

On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy

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A Great Summary of Natural Philosophy
Impressive but not what was promoted
Put your wallet back in your pocket, unless...
Five "Giants" who Altered Our View of the Heavens Forever
The Necessary Anthology

On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy

Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History
Illustrated on the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics And Astronomy
The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
A Brief History of Time
The Universe in a Nutshell

ASIN: 076241698X
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Book Description

World-renowned physicist and author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of five classic works of physics and astronomy. His choice of landmark writings by some of the world's greatest thinkers traces the brilliant evolution of modern science and shows how each figure built upon the work of his predecessors. On the Shoulders of Giants includes On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Harmony of the World by Johannes Kepler. It also includes a biography of each featured physicist that explains the significance of his work.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Summary of Natural Philosophy.......2004-09-22

Hawking's summary of some of the greatest works in Physics and Astronomy speaks to more than an audience of physicists and astronomers. Students of History, Mathematics, and other science buffs will benefit from and enjoy this writing. The Principia, for example, is tough reading; and it's especially so for younger audiences. This book highlights important historical facts and principles in enough depth to be beneficial but not too detailed ot be mundane.

Impressive but not what was promoted.......2004-08-14

This book contains writings of five of the greatest scientists who have ever lived. They changed the way we thought about nature and in so doing changed the way we thought about ourselves. Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the notion of a heliocentric universe. Galileo Galilei reiterated that with the added evidence of moons of other worlds. He introduced the discipline of physics into the discussion. Johannes Kepler used this new science to measure the orbits of the planets and discover HOW they spun in their orbits (he gave us the three planetary laws).

Newton used that information to explain the underlying reasons for motion, gravity, acceleration. He also built on Kepler's work in optics. Albert Einstien used the Newtonian universe as the starting point for introducing us to the relativistic nature of existence.

This is NOT a book for beginners - it contains some heavy mathematics, theorem, and the writing is at times, turgid. What I found lacking was the "commentary" by Stephen Hawking. I, like others, had presumed that it was going to be give and take...he would introduce the scientist, let us see some of their work, then offer commentary. Instead what we got were LONG tomes that, while being the essense of the genius, are hardly digestable as public reading. It is an impressive work but is not easily accessible by the layman.

Put your wallet back in your pocket, unless..........2004-06-24

Fortunately, my public library has this book and I was able to check it out before laying out my dough.
As others have said, the only Stephen Hawking material in this book is the short intro. I would much rather consult the individual works as I see the need rather than relying on Hawking (or most likely--the publisher/editor) to provide me a pricey package which has little apparent added value. Its sort of like an Oprah Book Club selection--Steve Hawking says its good, so I guess I'll buy it. For the general public (dumb guys like me) who love astronomy and astrophysics, Timothy Ferris' books are a lot more fun and approachable.

Five "Giants" who Altered Our View of the Heavens Forever.......2004-06-13

+++++

The brilliant idea behind this book is the inclusion of selected, original, translated "Great Works of Physics and Astronomy" (which is the book's subtitle). These works were written by five intellectual "giants" (all men whose portraits are shown on the book's cover). This book's title "On the Shoulders of Giants" was a phrase used in a letter by one of these men and the meaning of it is the theme of this book. Its meaning, as Dr. Stephen Hawking states, is "how science...is a series of incremental advances each building on what went before." This book uses these five men's great works "to trace the evolution of our picture of the heavens."

This book was edited and has "commentary" by Hawking. The reader is not told exactly what Hawking's commentary is but I assume it is the short but excellent introduction to the book, the brief but informative biographies or "Life and Work" of each man, and the helpful footnotes included with each great work. All these as a whole comprise less than 2% of this nearly 1300 page book.

I found in the page entitled "A Note on the Texts" the following: "The texts [or great works] in this book are based on translations of the original, printed editions [or papers]. [There has been] no attempt to modernize [or correct] the author's own distinct usage, spelling, or punctuation, or to make the texts consistent with each other in this regard." I assume this also applies to errors in grammar and errors to equations (such as omissions). That is, any errors in the original, translated papers are not corrected.

Who were these giants and what great work (that's included in this book) did they produce? The answer is as follows:

1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 to 1543). The work included is entitled "On the Revolutions of [the] Heavenly Spheres" (1543). This work was the beginning of the Sun-centered "Copernican revolution." It has an introduction and six parts or "books." This work comprises about 30% of this book.

2. Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642). Work included: "Dialogues [or Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations] Concerning Two [New] Sciences" (1638). This work "is widely held to be the cornerstone of modern physics." It has four parts or "days." It comprises about 18% of the book.

3. Johannes Kepler (1571 to 1630). Work included: Book Five of "Harmonies of the World" (1618). With this book and his other four, "Kepler discovered how planets orbited." It has an introduction and ten chapters. Comprises 7% of this book.

4. Sir Isaac Newton (1642 to 1727). Work included: "The Mathematical Priciples of Natural Philosophy" (1687). Better known as "The Principia." This work includes Newton's three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. It has an introduction and three parts or "books." Comprises 34% of this book.

5. Albert Einstein (1879 to 1955). Work (which was co-authored) includes: Seven selections from "The Principles of Relativity: A Collection of Original Papers on the Special Theory of Relativity" (1922). In these works, read how Einstein altered our perception of space and time. Comprises 8% of this book.

To read the works of Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, it would be helpful to know some geometry, trigonometry, and algebra. The same goes for the work of Newton but knowing some calculus would also be helpful. For the works of Einstein, knowing some advanced mathematics (such as advanced calculus) would be helpful.

I found, for myself, that in all of the above great works, the person's thought processes could be easily followed (even if the mathematics was unclear). This even applied to the works of Einstein. I recommend reading each of these works slowly and taking frequent breaks since the reading can become tedious at times.

There were three problems I found with this book:

First, the table of contents. For the major works, it just states their title and page number of where they begin. For example, the work of Einstein begins on page 1167 and that's all we're told!! Why not list the seven selections that are included? Thus, state in the table of contents that one selection has the title "On the Influence of Gravitation on the Propagation of Light" and that it begins on page 1193. Or consider the work of Copernicus. Why not state that part four of his work starts on page 197? Since this book is so large (and probably intimitating to some), I feel that a good, detailed table of contents is imperative.

Second, I found small errors in that 1% of the book that does not include the great works and Life & Work sections. (Fortunately, these errors are corrected in these sections of the book.) For example, in the "A Note on the Texts" page, we are told that "Kepler completed [his] work on May...1816." But he died in 1630! Or the table of contents states that Newton's birth year was 1643. I don't normally nit-pick like this, but since there were only five men, I feel that little errors like this should not be made.

Third, the "Life and Work" sections are not referenced. Where was this detailed information obtained?

Finally, a few equations in the Einstein papers have errors (like omissions, etc.) As explained above, these were probably in the original, printed work and thus were not corrected. In most cases, I found I could correct the error myself. I did find three equations where some variables were cut-off. I found I could easily deduce what the variables should be. Even with these minor errors, the Einstein section is still very informative and usable.

In conclusion, these five intellectual giants revolutionized the course of science. Be sure to get this first-ever compilation of their great works!!

+++++

The Necessary Anthology.......2004-05-16

I can't say enough about how much this compilation of revolutionary works should be on any true human's shelf. It outlines the way in which our world has mathematically and scientifically evolved in the way that no other anthology can.

Book Description

Presents recent techniques for the manufacture, as well as research on the behaviour, of high-performance flexible ceramic fibres used to develop structural materials for applications up to very high temperatures, allowing the optimization of ceramic composites in jet engine components, heat exchangers, refractory insulators and other components. The text explores complex ceramic microstructures down to the atomic level.

Book Description

Hadron colliders probe physics at new energy frontiers and search for new particles and forces. In addition, hadron colliders now provide also an environment for precision physics. The present volume collects the results from recently completed runs at major colliders as well as new ideas about collider physics and techniques. It will serve as the main source of reference in the field for many years to come.

Customer Reviews:

A true wit and hillariousness of our gov. & pol.correctness.......1998-09-22

This was brilliantly written in the truest sense of the wit & wisdom, Poking fun at our humaness, and seeing just how funny we are. You want to say,"this is ridiculous", and as you read on, you say,"this is true!" Very clever, extremely well written, a must read for the funny bone, and the cover design! WOW! Great going Lucian!

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......2005-09-28

Compare NSC68 with something like PNAC and what you come to understand is America is always looking for a way to use its awesome power to achieve its own ends. And why not? Makes sense if you think about it. This book is a great first step to understanding global politics--both pre and post cold war. Read it if you don't know what the letters and number NSC68 stand for, and if your professor makes you buy it, good for him or her.

Great Interpretation.......2001-02-14

I read this book for my 1945-present class and it opened my eyes to the hysteria which plagued this country about the Cold War. This document was new to me before reading this book. It made me realize how serious people thought the threat of Russia really was. The beginning talks about how the document came to be, the middle of the book is the actual document its self, then the end has many comentaries from respected scholars and government officals. Great book for anyone interested in the Cold War and many different points of view of the Cold War.

Informative on NSC 68.......2001-02-09

It was very helpful during my research on Cold War foreign policy and I enjoyed it very much. I would definately reccomend this book to anyone interested in the Cold War, a must have!

American Cold War Strategy: Interpreting Nsc 68

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American Cold War Strategy: Interpreting Nsc 68
Ernest R. May
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT4SQ4

Book Description

TWO OF AMERICAN HISTORY'S MOST BRILLIANT WARRIORS-AND FIERCEST ENEMIES-COME ALIVE

"An invaluable addition to western history."-Evan Connell, author of Son of the Morning Star

"Written like fine historical fiction, but substantial, substantive, enlightening."-Kirkus Reviews

This captivating dual biography chronicles the lives and battles of two of America's most famous warriors, the legendary Apache shaman, Geronimo, and the nation's most successful Indian fighter, General George Crook. Artfully constructed from their own words, as well as newspaper accounts and the firsthand recollections of those who fought with-and against-them, here is a compelling and uniquely evenhanded account of the intriguing men at the center of one of American history's most definitive, longest-running struggles-the infamous Apache Wars. Born to defend their respective cultures-and destined to destroy each other in the process-the vengeful, spiritually powerful Indian warrior and the remorseless, consummate professional officer are inextricably bound to each other in the fabric of our country, and in the hearts of their peoples.

Customer Reviews:

I Loved It!.......2002-01-13

I am a Phoenix, Arizona native and I Loved This Book! I bought 3 copies to share with family and friends for Christmas.

Although I have lived in Phoenix and the White Mountains of Arizona all of my life and have known of the diverse Native American nations sharing our community, I had never heard the fascinating histories told with such depth and detail. I enjoyed the dual biography format of the book which allowed the reader to see General Crook and Geronimo side by side as men in opposing political environments.

The descriptive, creative language Aleshire uses makes the scenes come to life as if I were there. His story makes the history of the White Mountains, Chirichauas, San Carlos areas rich, deep and vivid with history.

Many thanks to Peter Aleshire from an Arizona native.

Junk.......2000-07-31

What a sorry mess of a book. This a shallowly researched retelling of the lives of these fighters, based on outdated secondary sources. In fact, it reads like apologia for Crook. It is well known today that only 500-750 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors faced Crook (and his 1300 men) and beat him at the Rosebud, yet Aleshire tries to claim that the two sides were of equal strength. And later, the role of Crook in conspiring with Red Cloud to remove Crazy Horse as a potential rival to Red Cloud (who had no civil authority with the Oglala except that handed to him by Americans) is not even mentioned. Instead, Crook is portrayed as innocent of having anything to do with the death of Crazy Horse. I freely admit to knowing much more about the Lakota than about the Apaches. But if Aleshire can not get these details right, why should I trust anything he has to say about the Apache aspects? Again, this seems like a book designed to gloss over Crook's moral lapses, perhaps as a counter to recent books that expose these sad events.

The Fox and the Whirlwind: General George Crook and Geronimo, A Paired Biography

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The Fox and the Whirlwind: General George Crook and Geronimo, A Paired Biography
Peter Aleshire
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MU2X5S

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The Fox and the Whirlwind; General George Crook and Geronimo A Paired Biography
Peter Aleshire
Manufacturer: New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OMOYFQ

Book Description

This biography probes the unusual mind, the dramatic life, and the outstanding scientific work of Danish-born immunologist Niels Jerne (1911-1994). Jerne's Nobel Prize-winning achievements in the field of immunology place him in the pantheon of great twentieth-century biomedical theorists, yet his life is perhaps even more interesting than his science. Science as Autobiography tells Jerne's story, weaving together a narrative of his life experiences, emotional life, and extraordinarily creative scientific work. A legendary figure who preferred an afternoon of conversation in a Paris wine bar to work in the laboratory, Jerne was renowned for his unparalleled powers of concentration and analytical keenness as well as his dissonant personal life. The book explores Jerne the man and scientist, making the fascinating argument that his life experience and view of himself became a metaphorical resource for the construction of his theories. The book also probes the moral issues that surrounded Jerne's choice to sacrifice his family in favor of scientific goals and the pursuit of excellence.

Science as Autobiography : The Troubled Life of Niels Jern

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Science as Autobiography : The Troubled Life of Niels Jern
Thomas Soderqvist
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS4WWU

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