Every person born is a highly probabilistic creature, having been randomly put together by a chance selection from twenty-three chromosomes from each parent. The combinatorial variation is remarkable even in extremely homogeneous populations, and even more so in multicultural populations where there are great disparities in the average abilities of different groups. Blacks excel in sports of speed leading to their total dominance in professional sports. Jews excel in verbal intelligence leading to their remarkable dominance in law, academics, politics, and the media. And other groups fall in between these group-based genetic differences. However, it is evident throughout this book that these issues will not be dealt with honestly and directly. They will be tip-toed around, especially intelligence.

This book ignores the more communitarian morality of Asian countries and/or western particularistic moral theories. They do take it up in Appendix II, "Methodology." There they state simply that a communitarian moral theory only exists as a condemnation of liberalism -- it does not attempt to put forth its own communitarian moral theory as rigorously as has been put forth by liberalism or a Rawlsian theory. Notice the irony here, that the same charge can be made against those (Gould, Lewontin, Rose, Kamin, et al.) who claim that there is no difference in the average intelligence of races or that genes do not matter. They also, like the communitarian moralists, have only attacked empiricists who have developed sociobiology and intelligence as genetically based. So now we have the kettle calling the stove black.

These authors are concerned that society will become more stratified with regards to genetic capital by various groups. That is, the well-to-do will be able to use genetic engineering to eliminate unwanted genes as well as enhance their children's potential by inserting new "improved" genes into their genetic code -- including altering the germ line genes that will be carried on to successive generations. Is this a fair criticism? Not really, because this is how evolution progresses and it has already occurred as I stated above. Groups, because of breeding are not the same. Again, using the example of Ashkenazi Jews or east Asians who dominate the economies of south Asian countries, multiculturalist societies are already made up of groups who are not equal. Ashkenazi Jews have and average IQ of 117 and live among populations with an average IQ of 100. Malaysians have an average IQ of 90 with a troublesome east Asian minority, that will not assimilate, and has an average IQ of about 106 that dominates the economy. Australians have a troublesome minority of aborigines with a low IQ. These and many other examples show that there is nothing new about some groups eugenically rising above other groups, in terms of intelligence at least. But now that we have new tools at our disposal, those of us who would like to acquire the high intelligence of Ashkenazi Jews for example are told that it is somehow unjust!

This book addresses all of the neccessary details of the social ramafications involved with our knowledge of the human genome. In this book, the heart wrenching accounts of America's eugenic movement are powerful enough to move anyone to become actively involved in the issues at hand. A real eye opener, one which makes it painstakingly clear that we are not prepared to deal with the information that we have aquired about ourselves and eachother.

I would like to suggest that this book is a landmark in the intellectual history of the human race on a par with Rousseau's Social Contract and Darwin's Origin of the Species. This book is a great achievement for the authors (a "dream team" of practicing bioethicists). I had just enough training in ethics (B.A. Michigan 1982) to understand the book and I enjoyed it immensely.

I wonder, however, whether this book would probably be inaccessible to many readers who should read it. I expect we will need a really thorough set of "Cliff Notes" (or "Genomic Ethics for Dummies"), since this book seems designed to be read by the modern ethical philosopher, moreso than the educated members of the public. Perhaps the reviewers on Amazon.com could provide such a service for the world. I was fortunate to have an advance peek at the book through a conference held in San Diego in January, so I have had some time to reflect on the book's implications.

This book made me intrigued about the prospect for some people using the genome to have better babies (see the book on Designer Babies by Dr. Gosden for the "how to" on in vitro fertilization). Under secular ethical principles, as outlined in this book, do parents have an ethical obligation to use genomic information to have a "healthier" child? If so, what are the ethical boundaries of that obligation? NPR had a report some time ago about some achondroplastic dwarf parents who wanted to choose a child with their genetic "defect" --- is that sometime ethically prohibited by the principles in this book? The parental choice issues raised by this book strike me as the issue ripe for controversy. These are the fundamental questions that this book raises for every member of the human race who plans to procreate (or already has procreated).

My kids will be entering the first generation where prospects for improving admission to the aristocracy (e.g. to an Ivy League school) arguably could begin at the moment of conception (if in vitro, aided by genomic data to screen embryoes). I find that interesting and a little bit alarming.

Chance to Choice also addresses myriad ethical issues (those relating to "distributive justice" in the mode of John Rawls' Theory of Justice) that will spin off from the genome project. They suggest that genetic discrimination (the "genetic ghetto") may arise if we are not careful about how this information is used.

For anyone planning to make a living from the genome, some understanding of this book is essential to their success in business (I am an attorney involved in biotech issues and I think that this book point to (but does not map out) the boundaries of what companies can do with the genome).

My EMail is tredick@chapinlaw.com if anyone interested in discussing this book's implications further. I think that people will be talking about this one until the talking, bipedal genetically enhanced, vegetarian activist cows come home sometime in the next hundred years (just kidding... ;).

I plan to buy some extra copies on Amazon.com to give away or mark up with highlighters (those parts I need to read many times to really understand). It really is a great and timely book.

Tom

This book is expensive but worth every penny. A product of meticulous research, its wealth of detail and easy-to-read format place it among the very best of its kind. A must buy for True Crime readers and those interested in capital punishment.

This is an amazing book, beautifully and thouroughly done. I wish all books of this sort could be so exact.

PROS: Information Technology Control and Audit is a great book. If you are interested in the profession of IT auditing, then this book is for you. This book covers everything you need to know about the field of IT auditing. Topics covered in this book include: CAATs , IT auditing standards and guidelines, audit planning, internal controls, auditing of operation systems , auditing of applications, auditing of the software development process, auditing of CIS operation and network security. In addition, This book is a very good research tool. Its appendices have lots of information about IT professional organizations. Students and IT professionals who want more detail information about a particular topic covered in this book can visit these organizations' web site for more information. To help people without technical IT skill, this book has a glossary that explains complex IT terms in plain English.

CONS: I found some minor spelling errors. Also, this book does not have any colorful charts and graphs. This makes it look really boring.

I personally love this book because of the following reasons: 1. This book is very easy to read- compared to the other books I have read, this book presents the contents in a very clear and concise way. 2. A very through book- the book provides people with detailed information about IS auditing. It covers most areas in which an IS auditor will utilize in his/her practice. 3. An informative book- the book provides people with different valuable tools, techniques as well as guidelines in addressing the audit, control and security problems. In addition, the book provides numerous research resources and case studies.

However, the format of the book may be improved by the following suggestion: the book should use different font size to distinguish different level headings.

I found this book extremely helpful for beginners to build understandings of what IT control is and how IT auditing is performed. This book tries to present a general but complete picture of IT control and auditing, and guides readers step by step to understand IT auditing processes and methodologies from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. The major contents covered in this book include IT auditability and controls, system development controls and auditing processes, CIS application controls and audits, IT operational controls and audits, and legal issues involving IT auditing. The concepts and practices introduced under these topics are of particular value for IT auditing beginners. This is also a well-structured book. Followed the major texts are appendixes of practical audit cases, bibliography of publications, professional standards, glossary, and sample audit programs, all of which provide both IT auditing beginners and professionals with valuable references for further research and study of IT auditing.

I did find some spelling errors and structure confusion in a few chapters that affect readability and understanding of the texts. But they don't affect the overall content quality of the book. This is still a good book to have for learning and referencing.

This is the best Check Point book there is. I've used it to help me with using the product on my network and also to study (and pass!) the ccsa exam. I think it's the most complete of all the books, and it presents everything in a very logical, step by step fashion that makes it very easy to learn all of the features and how to use them. I thought the spooifing appendix at the end was really interesting. It says right on the cover of the book that this is kind of a free-bonus chapter, so I'm not sure why one of the reviews would complain about it. It's probably the best explanation on spoofing that I've ever read, and if someone wants to give it to me for free, hey I'll take it.

This book is very thorough and helpful for anyone who wants to use the Check Point product line. I recommend this book as it is detailed and info packed. The appendix written by Dan Kaminski who is world renowned in his security work is also a great read. This book is also a great prep for the CCSA NG exam 156-210. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn how to configure and use Check Point as well as to get more information on security in general. Good Stuff!

I bought this to use as a reference and to supplement my training for the NG exam- I just returned from taking my exam and although this book is not a study guide by name, it does cover the majority of information you need to know for the CCSA and CCSE NG exams, and it covers the information really well. I personally tend to throw away my study guides when I'm done with them as they tend to cover the material needed to pass the exam and no more- this book is a reference book, and covers the material needed for the exam and more. A keeper!

A Horror readers treat, I loved this tale of quenching horror. A terrific nonstop, diary of a city filled with thirsty vampires, and a woman accepting her own mutation. The writing is tight and satisfying, and definitely worth another read.

The story is as compelling as any 'Anne Rice' novel, and should not be missed. Cause: unexpected violence that encases these pages, and strobes the mind with lightning, it blinds the reader's thoughts. Effect: another page turner. A great success for a first attempt in battling the pro-writing world.

Rutherford & Sanders put a new twist on the conventional view of vampires. With a surprise at every paragraph, Relative Blood is sure to spark the imagination of its readers. With its use of sophisticated language and passionately detailed and defined images, Rutherford & Sanders MUST be put among the ranks of Anne Rice and Bram Stoker. With each storyline flowing into the next, it's hard to consider that it was co-written. The graphic images throughout the novel illustrate the story, while still letting the reader imagine their own idea of what the city and people appear to be like. The book ends, but not the story, which leads me to wonder when the sequel will be coming out.

Most people will know of the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth as a couple of old cruise liners -- many may have stayed at the Hotel Queen Mary in the ship's now permanent home in the waters of California. For a brief time, these ships were converted to military use in World War II to transport troops. On one occasion, the Queen Mary hit the British light cruiser HMS Curacoa, causing the ship to sink with the loss of hundreds of allied soldiers.

Daniel Butler is a great historian and storyteller and he makes the wartime history of these two ships come alive. He doesn't start with the day the decision was made to use these cruise ships for military use. He sets the stage and gives the readers an understanding of the years leading to World War II -- not only giving a political and military background, but also telling us what was happening in the shipping industry that led to the construction of these two ships.

To me the two most interesting parts of the book came when Butler tells about the most significant event of the Queen Mary's tour of duty (when the Curacoa was cut in two by her), and the most mundane (what it was like for a soldier to be transported on one of the Queens). If there is a weakness, it was here. I wish he could have had more first hand accounts from the surviving veterans who had crossed the ocean on their way to war. But of course, there are fewer and fewer such survivors still with us. Butler wrote this book just in time.

I liked the way Butler filled in the history of the Queen Mary and
Queen Elizabeth.He also told a very good clear picture of life
we lived aboard ship. On page 92 second phargaph tells of a March
1945 crossing . I was on that passage and well remember hearing
the depth charges explodimg.I still have my white tag and cabin
with number on D deck.To verify my memory I checked my discharge and called our coplit yes he remembered hearing the depth charges.
This tolded of the vital roll these two great ships played in
winning of the war.Many of these things where new to me and I was there.

My attention was returned to this book by Amazon's "Buried Treasure" link. I tend to treasure it as such and strongly recommend it remain buried. If you would enjoy succumbing to the rantings of a decrepid, self-bombed, relentless little thief, then this book may be for you.

Wild amazing mind of Harry Smith, poet, archivalist, anthropogist, shaman, revealed in sudden bursts of illuminating starfall. Read these interviews and dance with a firebreath world. Planets spin and we spin with them. Great.

A note to readers -- the first half of this book is more of a chronicle of WW I than an account of the Lusitania. If you're just a disaster buff, you'll probably like the Titanic stories better than this. The author explains in his final note that he deliberately focused on the historical context and meaning of this event rather than the minutia of the sinking itself (as he does in his Titanic book). I personally enjoyed the WWI refresher. There are still many unanswered questions about the ship's death -- did Churchill deliberately let it be struck to draw the US into battle? We may never know. The author does a nice job of putting this event in context. The sinking chapters are shorter than you'd think (heck, the ship went down in 18 minutes) but there is a lot of juicy background stuff here.

"Unsinkable" (The Full Story of the RMS Titanic) by David Allen Butler is enjoyable enough, particularly for those who have never read any other accounts. There are much worse versions out there (Pellegrino) but, unfortunately for this volume, there are much better. Walter Lord's two books set the standard and Wynn Craig Wade nicely follows it. There will be nothing new in this volume, other than the author's political conservatism seeping into the account. Much like the recent spate of books concerning the disaster at the Antartic with the expedition of Robert F. Scott, this book tries to preserve the image of the heroic British empire and see these man-made failures as triumphs of the character of the upper class British (and by inference, American) male. The beating of this particular drum can get a little repetitious. The Titanic, though, is always a fascinating and tragic story and the author keeps the narrative moving along nicely.

Review written by Donald Hyslop, co-author of TITANIC VOICES. The story of the supposedly unsinkable TITANIC has been told many times and from many perspectives since her tragic sinking 85 years ago. But as many children will testify, a good story well told can be recounted many times without ever tiring of hearing it. Daniel Butler has retold the story of the TITANIC in the finest tradition.

Extensively researched, well written and eminently readable, "UNSINKABLE" tells the story of the TITANIC from the money men who concieved her through to the money men who today try to raise her from the seabed. As well as attention to detail Butler attempts to analyze situations and actions from the social of the time rather than with hindsight. This leads to some interesting perspectives on, among other subjects, the Third Class passengers and the often overlooked crew. He also brings some modern investigative methods to explore issues--for instance--enlisting the help of a clinical psychologist to analyse Captain Smith's possible unravelling as the drama unfolded.

Butler has strong, sometimes passionate, views on many issues relating to the TITANIC and pulls no punches in putting these forward, his championing of Senator Smith and contempt for Captain Lord of the CALIFORNIAN, for instance, will be questioned by some. However, teh arguements he puts forward are well constructed and researched, yielding an approach much preferable to a dry facts and figures account. The chapter "Requiem," based on Butler's visits to victims' graveyards in Halifax is particularly moving, bringing home all too clearly the human tragedy of the disaster. Just as TITANIC slwoly deteriorates and disappears on the seabed, the harsh climate on the Canadian coast is also taking its toll on the gravestones of the victims.

No doubt the new Hollywood blockbuster film "TITANIC" will introduce a whole new generation to the story. When they come to seek more information on the subject I am sure that "UNSINKABLE" will become one of the texts they will turn to.

As a self-certified Titanic buff, I found this book a very compelling account on the worst maritime diaster in history. I was especially intrigued by the role of the mystery ship Californian, "the ship that stood still". It really brought home the human tragedy of the event, something that may have been glossed over in Cameron's film. This book actually made me feel for the victims in a way I didn't think I could. A must read!