I have been on a big fantasy kick lately and I remember my friend was reading these years ago so I went to pick them up. They are out of print but if you can find the means to get them do it. They are not traditional and are quite interesting. Based on the great comic they tell the tale of Gath of Baal and how he is tricked into becomming a prisoner of the Lord of Darkness. The story introduces you to all the characters and we learn that Gath is one mean mother. He is a loner and does not take to well to visitors but with the offer of more power Gath gets tricked into accepting a helmet which should make him the fiercest fighter in the land. But the helmet does not have an immediate effect on Gath and he fights the evil temptations and uses the helmet to make himself better. Through the quest Gath meets a young girl Robin and she becomes the focal point of the story and Gath's mission. I won't get into much more detail and the story is quite good. The books are short so not a lot of explanation is done it is just good story telling. Most of the characters are good and the fighting is done well. They are not traditional and many surpirses are offered.

The Vietnam War was a product of the Cold War, that great conflict between titan powers that was spawned by the nuclear age and that dominated foreign diplomacy for decades. It was capitalism versus communism and democracy versus autocracy. The conflict raged not only in the battlefields of Vietnam, but also in the homeland, where the war took the center stage of a cultural and social revolution. In all of the commotion and of all the debate, the war, at the field level, became a product of the political chaos that characterized America during that period. Washington, who scrambled for a policy that worked, that appeased the nation, that placated the growing upheaval, in the end never found it. Its failure to do so produced the only solution that was politically viable albeit immoral: get out anyway you can, but by golly DO GET OUT! This is what Decent Interval is about.

Decent Interval is Frank Snepp's first hand account of the immoral exit the United States made from Vietnam in 1975. Aside from the issues concerning the righteousness of the war, of lost American lives, of a nation grown weary, and of the social/cultural revolution it became a part of, the fact is, that nevertheless, we were there, and we made commitments. And although making the exit may very well have been the right thing to do, the way we left violated the principles that make up the character of our nation. We failed to live up to the very values that we usually identify as American, or at least those values that we like to believe we possess. We value human life. We value freedom. We value honesty. And most of all we value being recognized as champions of all of that. We love that image of America. In Decent Interval we learn that America's darkest hour in Vietnam did not occur during the war. Instead, our worst folly came in the end. We bungled everything from leaving behind a huge arsenal for the enemy, to turning our backs on thousands of people who were loyal to America, who trusted us, who knew our values, and never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that their service to us would be repaid with deception and abandonment.

Decent Interval is not a partisan view in the traditional Pro-war/Anti-war sense. Rather it's a factual account of events as seen through Snepp's eyes. Snepp was a CIA analyst in Saigon, and some have labeled Decent Interval as a whistle blow, but in actuality, the fact that our involvement in Vietnam was full of bureaucratic incompetence and ineptitude, was no secret. Snepp simply gave us the details. .

Decent Interval is an excellent read. It epitomizes everything that went wrong in Vietnam. It illustrates the limits of our political power in the face of an increasingly anxious electorate, and how political survivability took precedence over what would otherwise have been considered the "right thing to do."

(Summary from the book jacket) Decision making is a crucial element in the field of medicine. The physician has to determine what is wrong with the patient and recommend treatment, while the patient has to decide whether or not to seek medical care and whether to go along with the treatment recommended by the physician. Health policy makers and health insurers have to decide what to promote, what to discourage, and what to pay for. Together, these decisions determine the quality of health care that is provided. "Decision Making in Health Care" is an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the field of medical decision making - a rapidly expanding field that includes quantitative theoretical tools for modeling decisions, psychological research on how decisions are actually made, and applied research on how physicians and patient decision making can be improved.

List of Chapter Titles and Authors

INTRODUCTION AND THEORY

1.Introduction Gretchen B. Chapman, Ph.D., Rutgers University, Frank Sonnenberg, M.D., UMDNJ-RWJMS,

2.Decision modeling techniques Mark S. Roberts, MD, MPP, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Frank Sonnenberg, MD, UMDNJ-RWJMS

3.Utility assessment under expected utility and rank dependent utility assumptions John Miyamoto, PhD, University of Washington

4.Evidence-based medicine John P.A. Ioannidis MD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Joseph Lau. MD, New England Medical Center

HEALTH POLICY AND ECONOMICS

5.Linking health policy modeling with health policy formation and implementation David B. Matchar, MD and Greg P. Samsa, PhD, Duke University

6.Cost-effectiveness analysis Louise B. Russell, PhD, Rutgers University

PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDICAL DECISION MAKING

7.Cognitive processes and biases in medical decision making Gretchen B. Chapman, PhD, Rutgers University Arthur S. Elstein, PhD, University of Illinois of Chicago

8.Physician judgments of uncertainty Neal V. Dawson, MD, Case Western Reserve University

9.Bioethics and medical decision making: What can they learn from each other? Joshua Cohen, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs, Philadelphia Medical Center David Asch, MD, University of Pennsylvania Peter Ubel, MD, University of Pennsylvania

10.Team medical decision making Caryn Christensen, PhD & Ann S. Abbott, University of Hartford

APPLICATIONS

11.Assessing patients' preferences Anne M. Stiggelbout, PhD, Leiden University

12.Applying utility assessment at the "bedside" Mary K. Goldstein, MD, Palo Alto Health Care System Joel Tsevat, MD, University of Cincinnati Medical Center

13.Advances in Presenting Health Information to Patients Holly Brügge Jimison, PhD & Paul Phillip Sher, MD, Oregon Health Sciences University

14.Computer-assisted clinical decision support Antoine Geissbuhler, MD & Randolph A. Miller, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

15.Opportunities for applying psychological theory to improve medical decision making: Two case histories. Robert M. Hamm, PhD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Dewey C. Scheid, MD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Wally R. Smith, MD, Medical College of Virginia Thomas G. Tape, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center

DECORATIONS, MEDALS, RIBBONS, BADGES AND INSIGNIA OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS: World War II to Present. By James G. Thompson with Foreword by General Walter E. Boomer. USMC, Retired. Published by Medals of America Press. 123 pages. 16 color plates. Bibliog. Index. Available in both hard and soft cover. This new book is a complete visual history of the Marine Corps as told by its insignia, military medals, ribbons and badges. This is a complete easy to use guide on the subject and covers the period from World War II to the present. It features all the Marine decorations and service medals along with their history and award criteria. Each medal and ribbon is shown in full color and is identified and displayed in correct order with all attachments and devices. Included are special sections on badges as well as how to wear medals, ribbons and insignia; how to claim medals; how to display awards and detailed information on marksmanship and trophy badges. There is also information on the Young Marines of the Marine Corps League. This concise book puts it all together for you and is a must for all Marines, veterans and collectors. Jim Thompson has written a book that is destined to become an instant collector's item. James G. "Jim" Thompson served as a regular officer in the United States Marine Corps in the early 1960's. His service included time as a Platoon Commander and Assistant S-4 in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, as well as Assistant S-4 for Embarkation on the staff of the 2nd Marines. He also served on sea duty as the Executive Officer of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Randolph (CVS-15). He is a retired Sales Manager formerly with Procter & Gamble and lives in Dunwoody, Georgia.

This presentation was the first to focus on Wright's decorative art, rather than his usual architectural achievements, and was originally published as a catalog to accompany a major exhibition. Over 200 drawings and photos provide a fine survey of Wright's decorative designs, while chapters discuss his work in various mediums. Recommended for collection which already have books on Wright's architectural works, but who seek a well-rounded portrait of the artist.

I recently had the honor of meeting the 80 year-old Hone at a poetry reading in Christchurch (New Zealand). To me, a New Zealander, Hone Tuwhare I regard as a living prophet. Open any New Zealand book of verse and Hone will fill a good twenty pages. It is impossible for me to say how important this man is to our country. His poetry is mystical, political, romantic - he captures the landscape and its people like no-one else ever has. You don't have to be a New Zealander to enjoy these either - they will be, I assure you, the most beautiful, energetic, natural, informed poems you will ever have the pleasure of reading. and in no way am I going to be able to put across the sheer wisdom that is "Deep river talk" with a list of adjectives. Its like cummings got lost in wilderness with Thomas Wolfe and built a monastery and they all came out drinking and laughing and singing Maori spirituals. Hell - just read it for yourself.

A concise yet thorough collection of over 6,000 terms related to the area of digital printing and publishing. The author explains complex technical concepts with clarity, providing an insider's explanation of industry-accepted jargon. The book is an essential part of every digital publisher's library.

An inspirational book that is soothing to the soul. Dr. Deming, along with Juran and Crosby, were the trilogy of the Total Quality movement in the 1980s and 1990s. What has evolved has at its roots the 14 points, System of Profound Knowledge, and Seven Deadly Diseases--all of which are dealt with admirably in this wonderful concise book. It is a must for all followers of Deming and for those who want to learn more about quality improvement.

Frank Pool's handsome new collection of poetry offers such diverse fare as "Stubbs Barbecue", "The Day After Tupac Shakur Died" and "Home and the Trail", each a gem of wit-driven writing. It's thin enough to carry in a backpack or a briefcase and equally at home in both. Pulled out on a gray or wearing day, it will provide as much energy as a cup of trail mix with a gallon of mental stimulation on the side. Altogether very tasty indeed.

Martin M is a strange, sublime work of art that is almost impossible to describe. The language dazzles.....it is part Nabokov, part Joyce .....as much poetry as prose. There is an entrancing, musical quality to the work -- it begs to be read aloud, starting with those astonishing opening paragraphs. Martin M has the quality of myth -- seasoned with what can best be described as an exuberant wackiness.

Wholly original....a virtuosic performance that must be experienced.