This was a great book. The photos of shipwrecks from the Coast Guard archives were awesome. There are also some cool lighthouse shots. Tons of useful information.

This has to be the most eye appealing book for anyone who loves cats, especially if the cat lover is also into antiques. The antique "scrap" images are so numerous and varied that everytime you look at this book you find things you missed the time before. The design is very decorative and colorful and is a beautiful coffee table book. I recommend it highly!

In detailing the largest and most significant research study of its type (i.e. The MacArthur Study of Mental Disorder and Violence), Rethinking Risk Assessment describes what is surely to become the seminal work in the area violence and mental illness. The authors point to the methodological flaws in many earlier studies that failed to establish clear links between mental illness and violence. It moves beyond previous studies to point to a clear link between serious mental illness and an increased risk of violence.

Although based upon a North American population (i.e. with its higher societal rates of violence generally) the size of the study, and the relationships it demonstrates suggest that this work has significant implications for other jurisdictions. The book illustrates tools clinicians can use to assist with identification of those with higher for risk of violence.

Although actuarial methods do not offer a panacea for problems associated with risk prediction, they nevertheless provide pointers for increasing the precision with which such assessments can be made. Monahan et. al. acknowledge the limitations of such methods, and point to the complexity of clinical risk assessment for violence potential. The authors also point to the broader contextual, and problematic issues associated with false positives and negatives, in terms of prediction.

Armed with the information contained within this text, clinical staff will have a thorough grounding in the most up to date evidence in the field. This should provide a solid foundation from which staff can approach the complex issue of considering risk assessment generally.

healthy food for all catagories people from CNI

I enjoyed reading this well researched biography of Sir John George Bourinot. I have used, on occasion, Bourinot's Rules of Order in meetings and this book brought to life for me the historical character behind the original rule book. The biography is well written, with extensive notes, and covers mainly the Victorian age. It was interesting to find he wrote some fiction and had a life outside of his duties as clerk of the House of Commons as a founder and long time secretary to the Royal Society of Canada.

The author is well versed in the various constitutional, historical and developmental aspects of Canada as a nation during the 19th century and wove these into the biography. She provided details on some of the constitutional problems that Bourinot was asked to solve and how he took an interest in procedure in other type meetings outside of parliament. Overall, a very satisfying and educational read.

Jim Lochrie

This book helped me a lot, I didn't always understand the lessons but with this book my problems were solved, I had more practice and if i did not get the answer it showed me how and why. I recommend it.

I've been looking for a book that deals with risk management at all levels...from the beginner to the expert level

And I finally found it...a great reference for ideas that work!

This is an incredible story about the rise and fall of John Law and the incredible economic boom and bust he created in France. His economic system was innovative and certainly helped modernize the economy of France, but his greed and that of the rest of the country led to the downfall of the system. The story of France's economy itself was an interesting story, but the story of Law's life is equally interesting. His rise into the upper echelons of society, his troubled times in jail, and life as a gambler is exciting, dashing, and extremely amusing. Janet Gleeson ha sdone incredible research to piece John Law's life together and writes clearly and with vigor so the economic theories and 17th century are understandable and come to life. It is a great book for history or ecnomic buffs and is engaging enough to hold the interest of people who are not particularly interested in the topic before starting the book.

This really is the most amazing story. Janet Gleeson's Book Millionaire has peiced together the story of John Law's life and legacy in the most most amazingly readable book. It really brings to life France in the early eighteenth century, as well as easily explaining the quite complex financial situation that he established

John Law as born into a respectable Scottish family in the late 17th century but soon showed a turn for being able to calculate odds mathematically and so turned to an easy life of gambling in London. As a result he ended up killing another man in a duel. It meant he could never return to England and he escaped to the continent where he pursued a rather dissolute life ending up in France where most of this story takes place.

His mind was always calculating the odds and so he was able to turn himself easily to the world of finance. He realised that the paper money which had always been a problem could be given credibility if backed by gold. To this end he convinced the King of France and his Bank was born - despite opposition from the French nobles who tried numerous times to undermime him. Law then managed to introduce the first 'stock exchange' with the introduction of the "Mississippi scheme," a innovative and somewhat risky business of share offers based on a wild and unstable scheme of settling America. This spawned the greatest bull market in history and its drastic crash.

I cannot emphasise enough how amazing this book is, Gleeson writes her story with ease and charm. The characters are not dry and remote, she has clearly researched her subject well and is able to shed light on actions and reactions - even down to small details such as the backlash against Law by the French public and how this affected various people in the street as well as Law and his family. She really brings her subject to life.

Another thing I love about Gleeson is that she is not a 'tabloid' style historical writer who looks to exploit her readers with cheap thrills. She lets her subjects show themselves. I think the closest writer to her today might be Giles Milton (Big Cheif Elizabeth). Milton tends to inject a lot more humour in his books whereas Gleeson doesn't play for laughs.

Gleeson has managed to make an incredible story come to life - well worth reading - highly recommended!

Janet Gleason has delivered a sensual book about money. And what better mix is there than that? I'll buy a block of Yahoo on a dip and dip into a private office for some fun. Seriously, "Millionaire: The Philanderer, Gambler, and Duelist Who Invented Modern Finance" is a suberb glimpse into the life of John Law. A man from the 17th Century with a head for math, cards, women, and danger.

This is an entertaining read of a usually dry topic. I had never heard of the infamous "Mississippi Bubble". A land investment scheme regarding development for the French territories. Making the run of the Bulls in Pamplona a snap compared to the Bull Market & crash Law helped create.

A fun business book--Gordon Grecko would be proud.

Thanks for your interest & comments--CDS

The author is very good in leading the reader through how money and its avaliability play an important role in determining the economy of any country.
The banking industry and its role are covered as well - starting from a historical perspective to the present day. Our class was doing a chapter on the various reforms in the banking industry when the Enron-Anderson scandal happened. We had some very though-provoking discussions in the class based on the material in the text.
While I am not a complete stranger to economics, I took home a lot of valuable information by the time I was done with this course and this text book. I only wish the publishers had included a CD ROM of real-world exercises / problems that stimulate thought on issues to consider when determining monetary policy.

Highly recommended for both dummies and people familiar with economics. The author presents an unbiased, unpartisan, clear introduction to numerous aspects of monetary policy, financial institutions, and financial markets. Along with factual material the author presents important and profound generalizations and principles.

For once, there is an economist with a passion to teach and communicate well. Although it is supposed to be an introductory text in monetary economics, I return to it again and again to check my basic understanding of this subject.

Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks' new novel about famed abolitionist John Brown, as narrated by his third son, Owen, presents vividly the increasing frustration and desperation of the grassroots anti-slavery movement of the era; while giving a beautifully bittersweet portrait of American domestic life in the early-to-mid part of the 19th century. Brown is alternately the stern, domineering Old Testament authoritarian and the nurturing family patriarch. He is chronically torn between the financial demands of raising his ever growing flock of children, and his devotion to the heroic principle of eradicating the scourge of slavery through any means possible-as soon as possible.

After working variously as a tanner of animal hides, then in land speculation, and as a purveyor in the wool trade, Brown's internal conflict between his desire to succeed in business and his commitment to social activism eventually comes to a head with his failure to realize a much anticipated great profit from the sale of American wool while on an overseas journey to England with son Owen. This trip also takes them to the Continent, to Waterloo, accompanied by an interesting analysis by Brown of Napoleon's strategic mistakes and legendarily humiliating defeat-obviously not something Brown ever expected for himself. On the home front, Brown's life is both blessed by his many children and cursed by the sorrowfully premature deaths of some--no doubt a common occurrence in 19th century rural life. Through all of this however, Brown maintains his absolute faith in the God, while Owen, though denying this faith in his own life, nevertheless becomes his father's greatest family ally in the fight to free the slaves.

Banks authoritatively makes key historic figures in the anti-slavery movement come to life, from the sublime philosophizing of Ralph Waldo Emerson to the formidable leadership of Frederick Douglass (according to Banks, Douglass was a close friend and confidante to Brown, "abandoning" him just weeks p! rior to the Harpers Ferry debacle, judging his proposed insurrection to be the unworkable scheme it turned out to be). Along the way, he courts the wealthy Beacon Hill dilettantes, accepting their sizable donations while denouncing their lip service, though sincere, to the cause.

This book, criticized as a little overly long (not entirely unfairly), is best appreciated for the attention given to the small details: the day-to-day existence among homesteaders on the American frontier-both whites and freed slaves; the heated passions of abolitionists and pro-slavers alike; and the treacherous paths of those escaping slavery to Canada; and how the forces of nature, both brutal and serene-shaped their various journeys by land and by sea.

Russell Banks' Cloudsplitter is an important and engaging work of historical fiction, bringing John Brown and his family to life and exploring a period in American history in which the fate of the young nation truly hung in the balance. Many novels have been written of the Civil War years, by writers such as Jeffrey and Michael Shaara, as well as Charles Frazier. Banks instead brings the turbulent 1850's to life, complete with New England abolitionists, the Underground Railroad, and the political struggles culminating in some dubious "compromises" as more states entered the sharply-divided Union.

The structure of the book is unique, as the novel is comprised of a long narrative by surviving son Owen Brown, his father's right hand man during the years leading up to the deadly raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Owen is supposedly gathering his papers and setting forth his story to a fictional "Miss Mayo", who, along with her boss, is working on a definitive biography of John Brown several decades after his death. Owen feels that his father has traditionally been misunderstood, branded an insane terrorist by some and a holy martyr by others, while Owen attempts to humanize him and the rest of the family.

Russell Banks apparently spent years in painstaking research on this book, and you wonder how much of the story is pure fiction, and how much of Owen's narrative is based on historical fact. Of course Banks would likely tell you that such inquiries are besides the point, although I will wonder whether John Brown really did write a Horatio Alger-like pamphlet for African Americans titled "Sambo's Mistakes". I absolutely loved the scene in which John Brown realizes his son Owen has stolen something, and rather than whip the boy the elder Brown makes Owen whip him, as punishment for John Brown's failings as a father which would lead his son to commit such an offense. Heavy stuff indeed.

Many reviewers have commented upon the length of the book, and while the language was never too difficult or tedious to get through, I must admit the Banks takes his time setting up the story, as the pace does not really pick up considerably until about page 400. There are meaningful episodes earlier, including John Brown's efforts to escort espaped slaves to Canada on the Underground Railroad, his family tragedies, and his land speculations and failures. We also see glimpses of other historical figures including Frederick Douglass and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who probably did interact with Brown in some fashion in real life.

Banks moves skillfully toward the climax of the book, throwing in references to future events in "Bloody Kansas" or Harpers Ferry to give the whole book a sense of foreboding. However the ultimate payoff was a little light to me, which is my reservation about giving the book 5 stars. By making surviving son Owen Brown his narrator, and by telling us that Owen's job is not to chronicle historical events (about which much has supposedly been written) but instead to concentrate on personal reminisces, Banks limits himself a bit. By the end, at Harpers Ferry, the reader (at least this reader) wants a little more historical detail than Owen can provide, due to his location and status during the culminating raid. Everybody knows John Brown's fate, but after 740 pages leading up to the great showdown, I wanted a little more than I got, (maybe words to his captors or specific details as to the fates of other members of the party). Ultimately what made the novel effective for the first 7/8ths of the book was the thing that brought the ending down a peg in my estimation.

Anyway, for those like myself who enjoy historical novels and who want to learn more about one of the most notorious and fascinating figures in American history, this is a monumental work. In reading Cloudsplitter, you understand the family dynamics which led Brown's sons to follow him into a maelstrom, you get a glimpse into the belief system of John Brown and his atheist son, and you wait with him for the great slave uprising which he thought would accompany his raid on the federal weapons arsenal at Harpers Ferry, as part of his campaign to rid the nation of the scourge of slavery. I am glad I read Cloudsplitter, but unlike some of my co-reviewers here I sure don't plan on doing it again.

A thoroughly meticulously and hugely ambitious telling of John Brown's life, culminating in the bloody rebellion at Harper's Ferry.

Russell Banks strays from his normal storytelling formula in Cloudsplitter; this novel reads like a well researched piece of historical fiction. Banks concentrates not only on capturing the characters with accuracy and depth (which he accomplishes here as in his other novels) but also on painting the mood and character of the time itself. This is the story not only of Owen and John Brown, but of pre-Civil War America itself.

At 758 pages it isn't a quick read, and the characters develop more slowly than they do in his other novels, but I never found the book to be needlessly verbose. We get a picture of John Brown that is comprehensive and complete, warts and all. And we also get an interesting look at the institution of chattel slavery in the United States, its crushing effectiveness, and the racial norms of the time.

Brown is painted as a man of principle, but a fanatic nonetheless. His power over his small band of followers is based largely on his overwhelming charisma, not on his vision or his doomed mission. The novel is based on actual events and therefore the reader knows how the action will end before it even begins, but Banks manages to keep the suspense building.

Banks employs some strange tactics in this novel, including a risky "out of body" experience that mixes an element of fantastic into his otherwise literal and meticulous storytelling (you might think you've wandered into a Rushdie or Gabrial Marquez novel). But somehow it all works. In summary: an interesting and challenging novel.