Este libro es excelente, especialmente, cuando trae a la luz publica la historia de los marginaldos de la Isla. El ensayo de Felix Matos es excelente por ayuda conocer mejor sobre la aportación de la mujer negra en nuestra historia. El ensayo sobre la prostitución es novel. Todos ensayos presentan la lucha de la mujer por la alcanzar su igualdad en una sociedad patriacal que existe en Latino America. Pienso que todo que se considere la historia un asunto serio debe lee este libro.

A must book for all radiology resident

This book follows up and greatly extends the work of the topologist Dennis Sullivan on the rationalization of topological spaces and continuous maps between these rationalizations. For n greater than or equal to 2, both the nth-homotopy group the nth homology group are abelian, and this lead Sullivan to introduce the concept of a "rationalized space". For such a space, one studies its nth homology group over the rational numbers, and the nth homotopy group of a rationalized space is the tensor product of the nth homotopy group with the rational numbers. Information of course is lost in such an approach, but it has the advantage of being amenable to calculation. The authors give a detailed overview of just what can be done for rationalized spaces and they do an excellent job of presenting it to those who are not experts in the theory. The book can definitely be read by graduate students who have finished courses in algebraic and geometric topology, and professional mathematicians who have some background in topology and who are curious about the subject.

As the authors explain eloquently, the (computational) power of rational homotopy theory comes from its algebraic formulation, which was first discussed by Sullivan and the mathematician Daniel Quillen, and involves the use of graded objects with both an algebraic structure and a "differential". What is fascinating about the role of the differential is its connection with homotopy theory, and not just in homology and cohomology theory as encountered in first-year graduate courses in algebraic topology. The authors deal with three different graded categories with a differential in the book, namely modules over a differential graded algebra (R, d), commutative cochain algebras, and differential graded Lie algebras. In analogy to the free resolution of an arbitrary module over a ring, associated with these three cases is a modeling construction that in the first case is a semi-free resolution of a module over (R, d), in the second case a "Sullivan model" which is a commutative cochain algebra which is free as a commutative graded algebra, and in the third case a free Lie model, which is free as a graded Lie algebra.

The first case arises topologically when considering continuous maps between spaces and the singular cochain algebras via the induced cochain map. When the map is a fibration, the authors compute the cohomology of the fiber using a semifree resolution. The first case also arises in considering the action of a topological monoid over a space and the singular chains. When the action is a principal G-fibration X-> Y, the authors compute the homology of Y using semifree resolutions. The authors then give a proof of the Whitehead-Serre theorem using this result. The proof of this follows their plan to avoid diagram-chasing techniques as much as possible: they do not use spectral sequences.

The second case involves a generalization of the classical commutative cochain algebra of smooth differential forms on a manifold. The authors construct a "Sullivan functor" from topological spaces to commutative cochain algebras, the Sullivan model, and the Sullivan "realization functor", the latter of which converts a Sullivan algebra into a rational topological space. The rational homotopy types of a space are then in bijective correspondence to isomorphism classes of "minimal" Sullivan algebras, and the homotopy classes of maps between rational spaces are in bijective correspondence to homotopy classes of maps between minimal Sullivan algebras. The characterization of a Sullivan algebra as being "minimal" comes from the fact that for such algebras there is a natural isomorphism between the vector space on which the Sullivan algebra is modeled and integral homomorphisms of the homotopy group to the ground field.

The third case involves the use of differential graded Lie algebras. The authors construct the "homotopy Lie algebra" of a simply connected topological space, which is the homotopy group of the loop space tensored with the ground field, and the homotopy Lie algebra of a minimal Sullivan algebra. The latter is interesting in that it involves using the quadratic part of the differential in order to obtain the Lie bracket. These two constructions of homotopy Lie algebras are the same for the Sullivan algebra over the space. In this context, the authors consider "free Lie models" for differential graded Lie algebras, which can be thought of as an assignment of generators to each single n-cells of a CW complex. The authors give many helpful examples of free Lie models that illustrate this, such as for the sphere, adjunction spaces, projective spaces, and homotopy fibers.

Since rational and ordinary homotopy are different in terms of their information content, it is perhaps not surprising that the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category makes its appearance in this book. The rational LS category is the LS category of a rational CW complex in the rational homotopy type of the space, and the authors calculate it in terms of Sullivan models, verifying that the rational case is much easier to compute than the general case. As further verification, the authors show that the Postnikov fibers in a Postnikov decomposition of a simply connected finite CW complex all have finite rational LS category, which is not true in the integral case. Even further, they show that the rational LS category of a product is the sum of the products, contrary to the ordinary LS category which is not well-behaved for products and fibrations.

The authors also discuss various applications at the end of the book, involving how to break up n-dimensional simply connected finite CW complexes into two groups: those whose rational homotopy groups vanish in degrees greater than or equal to 2n, and those where they grow exponentially. The former are called "rationally elliptic" and the latter "rationally hyperbolic". This classification can be determined, as they show, from a calculation of the "Betti numbers" of the loop group of the space over the rationals. A collection of unsolved problems for the ambitious reader ends the book.

Man I thought I was secure online before. This book has proved me wrong and showed me how to become secure. If you think installing "Zone Alarm" is enough to be safe online, you are wrong.
It is well written and reads within a weekend. Well worth the time and money.

"Established in a wilderness environment in order to convert and acculturate Texas Indians to a Hispanic way of life, the missions served the goals of church and state by safeguarding remote regions in the Borderlands." This statement about the Spanish missions has another side to the story. It is comprised of the following questions. How did the missionaries and the Indians survive in those remote regions of Spain's colonial frontier? Did the colonial authorities periodically supply them with necessary provisions? Dr. Felix D. Almaraz, Jr. in his book The San Antonio Missions And Their System of Land Tenure argued that the main aspect of economic survival of the Franciscan religious establishments in Texas, particularly in the San Antonio area, was the Spanish mission system of land tenure. He further stated that the land not only served as the basis for economic self-sufficiency, but also for the purpose of the Spanish Crown. That is, the mission land tenure in general obliged the subjects of Spain to transform the wilderness into productive farmlands-one of the main elemets necessary to settle Spain's frontier. Dr. Almaraz defined and explored not only judicial grounds of Spain to establish the missions, but he also provided details on their political standing within the broader context of Spain's imperial politics, emphasizing that success of the mission expansion relayed upon Spain's "fortunes in global politics," against other emerging European powers. For better understanding, the author identified two periods in the Spanish colonial history (1793-1794 and 1823-1824) during which the process of secularization took place. A large part of the author's research is attributed to the analysis of this process and its consequences which subsequently altered the purpose of the Franciscan religious establishments in the San Antonio area. Dr. Almaraz stated that the missions experienced considerable decline in their independent standing within the frontier society by being transferred from Church control to the local civil authorities. This change of hands contributed to the encroachment of the civilian as well as ecclesiastical authorities on the farmlands and pastures under mission control. Dr. Almaraz concluded his book by discussing the San Antonio mission existence during the Texas Republic (1836-1845) and the following decades. That time proved to be the most devastating to the mission buildings. As the author's research showed, it was partially due to the secular authorities' land reduction efforts around the missions, permission to use stones from the buildings as construction material elsewhere, and it was due to the city's expansion itself that pushed the missions into a further state of neglect. The signing into existence of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 1978 has raised the importance of these Spanish edifices as the subject of research and preservation for new academic endevors. The author has added a flavor to his book by providing the reader with the actual excerpts from the Franciscan friars' inventory documents about the physical descriptions of the San Antonio missions, conditions of their adjacent pueblos, conventos, and farmlands. Along with the first hand sources, Dr. Almaraz provided his own commentary thus making it easier to understand the character of Spain's christianization efforts in the New World. In addition, the maps of Spain's Texas and San Antonio along with the tables of statistics ranging from the registries of land grants to the summaries of purchases,and most importantly, Dr. Almaraz eloquent language give the book a particular dynamism and harmony. The author's research radiates a unique insider's look at one aspect of Spain's colonialism - the Spanish friars' practices to establish a material basis (building missions and using surrounding land) in order to propagate religion and the Spanish lifestyle among the Indians in the ever-changing frontier environment.

I've read a number of histories of the American Merchant Marine in World War Two, and most of them focus largely (some almost exclusively) on the stories of individual men and ships on the battle line. Important and inspiring and worthy of respect as those stories are, they can tend to get somewhat monotonous, and so a few of those histories include special sections on Liberty ships or the convoy system.

I found 'Sea War' much more interesting than most of those other histories, because it's one of the very few histories I've seen so far that look at the Merchant Marine as an institution as well as a collection of individuals and ships. Riesenberg begins his look at America's merchant sailors and fleet well before the war, and continues it into the 1950s, showing how the peculiar culture of the Merchant Service affected how the war was waged and then, in turn, how the war affected the industry. Not just a history of logistics and battles, it is also a revealing sociological study, showing how many misunderstandings and tensions arose because of the Merchant Marine's unique culture and way of doing business -- especially between civilian Merchant Mariners and their uniformed counterparts in the Navy.

If you're interested in this still relatively neglected area of the history of World War Two, I encourage you to track down a copy of this old but useful title.

The Seminole Indians are famous for many things. Some of their valuable contributions to American History & our contemporary world are covered in this book with respect & admiration. Find out where the Seminole live & how they thrive & who they are - in this book.

Felix Rodriguez, a Cuban-born CIA Agent better known to many by his nom de guerre, Max Gomez, relates how the brutality and oppression of Castro's communist regime led his family to emigrate to the US and him to become one of the youngest participants in the Bay of Pigs landing. After successfully evading capture, he made his way back to the US where he became a US Army Officer and later a CIA Agent. In Bolivia, he trained the forces which captured Che Guevarra. As one of his last acts before the Bolivians executed him, Che gave his wristwatch to Rodriguez who wore it constantly thereafter. Despite their adherance to different systems, each recognized the other as a fellow warrior. He also writes of his years in Vietnam where he worked with William Buckley, the Agent who was later taken hostage in Lebanon and ultimately tortured to death. Finally, he relates his involvement in extending US support to Nicaraguan freedom fighters seeking to liberate their own country from the secret police and political prisons which proliferated under the Sandinista government. The book is very inspirational and should, if they would read it, open the eyes of those who live in a fool's paradise regarding the fate which awaits them should America ever lose its strength and resolve. It is also a tribute to the contribution, to that strength and resolve, made by those Cubans who came to our country and proved to be better Americans than many who were born here. Felix Rodriguez is an American hero, and this is his story. Read it.

This book covers the basics of skeletal radiology in a clear, concise way. A great book for reviewing for the Boards or use as a reference during a skeletal radiology rotation, residency, or fellowship.

Comments of a Software Development/Project Manager

Felix Redmill's book is very pragmatic and will benefit all software managers and developers immensely. It provides practical guidance from one who has definitely been there. Has been very helpful to me in my job as a development/project manager for a financial software. It keeps a good balance between the evolutionary and big-bang, waterfall approaches. And shows you how to manage the quality assurance, team-building, configuration management, planning and scheduling, testing, change control, software maintenance, etc. aspects of s/w development. It is obvious from the text that the author has lots of experience and he shares this with you, teaching you in a balanced way how to practice evolutionary or incremental development without getting religious about it. It is well-written, concise (255 pages) and easy to read.

The evolutionary approach touted by Gilb and others is accepted by most as the best approach to software development on projects of all sizes. This is the book that teaches you how to use the evo approach effectively. A bit pricey, but certainly worth it.