The most commonly used illicit drug is marijuana. Probably it is the most controversial of all recreational drugs, as there are few people actively organizing for the reform of cocaine or heroin laws, but many would like to see marijuana laws changed. The debate on just how the laws should change and how marijuana ought to fit within American society has been plagued with misinformation long before the substance was made illegal by the federal government in 1937. The history, myths, and facts about the drug are set out anew in _Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence_ (Oxford University Press) by Mitch Earleywine. The book is extremely useful as a summary of the research that has been done on marijuana; there are twenty-five pages of references at the end to guide anyone who needs further information. Only a specialist will need the references. _Understanding Marijuana_ is a broad and fair summary.

There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the drug, and while those that favor use and legalization may have spread their share of misinformation, the history of marijuana in the twentieth century and entering this one is a history of one scare tactic after another wielded by government agencies and individuals who wish to suppress marijuana use. Earleywine's book spends one chapter after another summarizing the experiments and statistics to debunk the most common scare stories. Cannabis intoxication does not lead to hostility, violence, or a climbing murder rate. Marijuana is not a gateway drug. There is no amotivational syndrome from marijuana use. College students who use marijuana get the same sorts of grades as students who do not. Earleywine was taught in junior high that marijuana smokers would have Cyclops-like children, but the drug has not been linked to birth defects, nor to a definitive decrease in reproductive function. In fact, marijuana might help the relatively common problem of hypoactive sexual desire disorder, but as Earleywine wryly notes, "Despite this potential promise, studies of cannabis's impact on sexual drives have not been a high priority of most research funding agencies." The claim current in "public service" ads is that using marijuana somehow funds terrorists; this was perhaps too recent to be included here, or else simply too stupid.

This is a sensible book to show that "marijuana is neither completely harmless or tragically toxic," but that it has minimal detrimental effects especially compared to drugs that are currently legal. Not only has Earleywine summarized a lot of data here, he writes clearly and entertainingly, often with a sly joke as a gift to a reader swimming in a sea of data. For instance, he writes about interesting studies that show that marijuana users learn to smoke efficiently, gauging their lung capacity and the amount that can be held without coughing, so that they get more out of a joint than new users. "Many eventually learn to inhale and report more impact from the drug. Some never learn to inhale and subsequently run for public office."

Mitch Earleywine does an amazing job with this book : he stays objective. The topic of marijuana is so controversial these days that it's hard to find information that is not completely skewed in either pro or anti-marijuana use. Usually "facts" are used only to promote one side of the other and other facts are conveniently omitted. Earleywine takes on the subject with objectivity, intelligence, and a very fine wit. The book is excellently written, with enough facts and science for any hardened scientist and enough clarity for the layperson. I fully recommend it to anyone interested in this subject, and even those who are not! The book is very clever and would be interesting for almost anybody.

Understanding Marijuana: A New Look At The Scientific Evidence by Mitch Earleywine (Associate Professor of Clinical Science and director of Clinical Training in Psychology, University of Southern California) is a scholarly and painstakingly objective analysis of the highly controversial and largely illegal and pharmaceutically controlled substance known as cannabis, marijuana, ganja, as well as a host of other street names. Carefully scrutinizing the results of numerous studies of the drug, as well as taking special note of the importance not to confuse causality, Understanding Marijuana does its best to answer issues such as: Is marijuana really a gateway to "hard" drugs such as cocaine or heroin? Does it truly impair driving ability or cause auto accidents? What are its effects upon motivation, schoolwork, or job productivity? The evidence is often conflicting, but sometimes it points to answers which may be surprising. Understanding Marijuana is as free of bias as a book on a hot-button social/political/legal/medical issue can possibly be, and is especially recommended for its repeated cautions against the very common fallacies of assuming causation. Just because one thing (i.e. marijuana use) precedes another thing or coexists with another thing (such as lack of motivation) does not necessarily mean that the first item caused the second! But neither does it rule causation out, hence the need for careful, meticulous research of this highly complex issue.

Ann Granger's novels involving Chief Inspector Alan Markby and his on-and-off paramour, Meredith Mitchell, take the classic British countryside cozy and update it in ways that turn it into an end-of-the-millennium contemporary. The inhabitants of a duplex in Oxfordshire symbolize this clash between the old and new. The ancient building with large back lot, once used to house farm families, is now split between Bodicote, the elderly village eccentric who keeps goats and has a wandering eye, and Liam and Sally Caswell, a professional couple who moved from London to the peaceful countryside so that Liam, a scientist whose research involved beagles, can write a book based on his work.

Trouble shows up swiftly. Liam's a dragon whose short fuse and total lack of manners has enraged nearly everyone he's met. Bodicote and he have already clashed over the goats getting into his garden, and Boticote's habit of barging into their house led to numerous unpleasant scenes. Bodicote's also angry at Sally when she fed his goats turnips and unknowingly spoilt their milk for awhile.

Then a letter bomb goes off, nearly killing Sally. A local animal rights group is suspected, but Markby's not sure.

The more popular Brit mysteries these days, and here I'm thinking of the ones on PBS and A&E featuring Inspector Morse, Jane Tennison and Dr. Edward Fitzgerald (of "Cracker"), feature the walking wounded as heroes. In general, they're unpleasant to be around, and saved only from total ostracism by the brilliance of their work. Granger's Mitchell and Markby are good people in the tradition of the classic characters, and she leaves the bad attitudes, shaky morals and addictive habits to her villains, such as the wonky thirtysomething son of the lady of the manor, who share the same manorial home and lead the local animal rights group.

"A Touch of Mortality" is full of twists and turns in the second half that led this reader to continue turning pages long after bedtime, and ends with a satisfactory climax in which justice triumphs and the guilty get punished, sometimes in ways that have nothing to do with the legal system. Granger scatters her clues fairly, lays down red herrings with consummate ease, and leads readers repeatedly, and fairly, down the garden path. As an excellent example of classic mystery storytelling, "A Touch of Mortality" is the best I've read this year.

Ann Granger has done it again. Mitchell and Markby are quite a pair. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a quiet read by the fire (or during the present heatwave the airconditioner). Granger conjures up good images of the characters and the English countryside. I enjoy the little tidbits of life in the pubs, the cottages, the towns and the interplay amongst the characters. My only regret is that since they start in England it takes a long time to get the next volume in the United States.

Liam and Sally Caswell leave London for the quiet rural community of Oxfordshire so that Liam, an animal research scientist, can write a book on his findings. However, instead of finding the countryside quiet and serene, the Caswells are immediately drawn into a squabble with their elderly neighbor Bodicote over the senior citizen's wandering goats. Liam also manages to alienate just everyone else in the neighborhood with his boorish behavior. ..... Everything abruptly changes for the worse when Sally nearly dies from a letter bomb. Assigned to investigate the case is Chief Inspector Alan Markby, who thinks that blaming animal rights groups for a terrorist act may be premature. As he digs deeper, with the help of his sometimes girl friend, Meredith Mitchell, Alan realizes that Liam has many enemies in London and here in Oxfordshire, including Bodicote. Danger mounts and Alan knows that he must solve the case soon before murder occurs. ...... A TOUCH OF MORTALITY is a great mystery based on the concept of a classic English cozy in modern times. The story line is superb as it is loaded with numerous false starts and reasonably distributed clues. Alan and Meredith are great lead protagonists, making Ann Granger's novel one of the best mystery stories of the year. This reviewer strongly recommends the previous Inspector Markby novels as well. .....Harriet Klausner

I bought three in these series of test books for my children. The tests can be divisible into short segments so are not overwhelming to the child (and are easier for a parent to encourage a child to do!) What I have found the most helpful so far is that the tests have identified a few areas in which my children could use some review. This is very helpful to a parent who wants to be thoroughly familiar with his/her child's skill levels. The other key advantage is that doing these tests periodically make the real test less strange and scary.

It is very good book for younger child to get a felling what is the test looks like. It is step by step guide book to teach children how to take the test, also it is a fun book to read.

Why have I never heard of this author before; she's as good as P.D. James or Deborah Crombie in this genre! Just lucked onto this at the library and loved it; good characters and interesting plot. Have two more of hers on hold. If you enjoy James or Crombie you will like this.

This is a well woven story of a murder and the tangled web the main characters Meredith Mitchell and Chief Inspector Alan Markby must untangle to find the killer ... or killers.

The story opens with a young Ursula Gretin, an archeologist on a dig with a former married lover, Dan Woollard. Ursula broke off the affair with Dan who refuses to give up on her. He's married to a romance novelist Natalie Woollard. During the opening of the story, Dan calls Ursula to come to his home to see him on an urgent matter. Urgent to him that is. Once there, Ursula realizes that his main motive is to try to rekindle their relationship. She flatly refuses, insisting that their relationship is over. While there Dan tells her that his wife has gone off to visit her mother ... yet, Ursula spots her pocketbook, complete with wallet and car keys and begins to suspect the worst. What woman in their right mind would leave home without her purse, wallet or keys. Ursula suspects the obvious, that Dan has done away with his wife so he can spend his life with her .... or did he? Ursula confides to her friend Meredith her suspicions that Dan has done something to his wife, who then confides to her friend and police detective Alan. Together the two sleuths unravel a few mysteries -- not only the present one of Natalie Woollard's disappearance, but also a murder that is some 25 years old.

This is a well written, well told, spellbinding tail of love, betrayal, murder, guilt and innocence. Find this book and find out the conclusions. You'll hang on each and ever page until you come to the amazing conclusion. This is a great read!

Joni Mitchell, feminine/insightful social voice and poet extrodinaire.

This book is yet another example of her gift for words, through simple yet deeply profound lyric she says more, expresses more, shows more than others who toil for months even years to write a Children's book and still don't measure up to her talent. (When you got it you got it)

The illustrations depicting a caterpillar's metamorphosis is appropriate with it's metaphysical imagery. Illustrator Allan Baker captures the magic of these classic lyrics beautifully.

Why not for children? Life & Love & all of the above, as a critic I argue that children are multi-dimentional and capable of appreciating the spontaneity & playful rhymes that make this book a welcome addition to any child's (or adult for that matter) home library.

"Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air and feathered canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way."

This book is a visual treat and a treasure for any fan of Ms. Mitchell. If you haven't come to appreciate her songs/writing, get this book and see why her style has been refered to as "A Lyrical Miracle!" Finally a kid's title with substance.

Todd-Michael Phillips

Creative directoer CyPress Green Publishing

"A kaleidoscope of the mind"

This was my first (but definitely not my last) experience with Meredith and Markby. I completely enjoyed this story, and my only complaint was that the style was so easy to read I was through the book long before I was ready for it to end. I felt like a child following a trail of jelly beans as the clues and red herrings turned up. Just an awfully lot of fun with a couple of sharp plot turns in the end that sends you into worlds of thought and conjecture when you lay the book down finished. I highly recommend it.

Ann Granger is one of the few authors around today who still knows how to write an authentic British mystery. She is one of the best.

This is an excellent book, which my sister used, and has greatly enjoyed. My mother also found it extremly easy to teach her with. JUST EXCELLENT!

I used to love this series, but lately I find Meredith Mitchell, our commitment-phobic heroine, a little annoying. She calls herself independent, of course, and I'm all for the hard-to-get routine, but in her case it's getting a bit tedious. Alan Markby should really find someone else, or he'll turn into a complete wimp in the relationship area, always defensive and wondering. For quite some time now, I've wished for some serious competition for her, but in that I've been disappointed. OK, so now at long last she has agreed to marry him - in fact, she suggested it herself at the end of the last book - but somehow the fireworks are missing.
I realise this is not a romance story in the first place, but the Mitchell-Markby relationship does play an important part on the whole.
Also, in the first book - "Say it with poison" - which appeared in 1991 (I think), Meredith's age is given as 35, and now, in book 12, she is still only about 37 in the year 2000. Poetic licence? I checked all the books, and taking into account the seasons and other bits of information, she must be at least 39.
By the way: On page 10 of the paperback edition, it says: "... he heard a rumble of thunder. As he'd done when a child, Guy began to count in his head. One - two - three - four - The lightning burst across the sky ...". Perhaps it's different in Britain, but here on the Continent it's light before sound. :-)
On page 125 (still the paperback edition), an overbite is described as the lower jaw protruding further than the upper one - the exact opposite to what I thought from my experience and found in the Oxford dictionary. The author thanks some dentist for his help at the beginning of the book, which makes me wonder.
There are also quite a few spelling mistakes in this edition, which together with the inconsistencies mentioned above seem to indicate some rather negligent editing. Too bad!
Having said all this, I can still recommend this series to anyone who is interested in rural England and characters one can easily relate to. I'll certainly give the next volume a chance.

Dr. Guy Morgan calls the Bamford police station to report he found human bones in the Cotswold Lower Stovey Woods. When Detective Superintendent Alan Markby on a house-hunting trip with his beloved Meredith Mitchell learns of the human remains, he thinks back to a haunting failure. As a rookie over two decades ago, he never caught The Potato Man, a serial rapist, who vanished, after his third rape.

Alan hopes that even after all this time has passed, a break has finally occurred. However, a new concern surfaces when another dead body is found, but this one is a recent corpse. As he digs deeper accompanied by his lover, the locals refuse to cooperate making their investigation that much harder and leaving the dedicated cop feeling déjà vu as he wonders if he will fail again.

The latest Mitchell and Markby novel is a delightful village mystery. The story line contains a strong who-done-it and an insightful look at a decaying hamlet especially the surly townsfolk and their detest of the new money brought in by outsiders. The two wonderful heroes augment the enjoyable plot, especially Alan's memories of that case that still disturbs him. Ann Granger provides her usual, a wonderful village cozy that is a treat for sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

This is, I think, one of the better Alan Markby & Meredith Mitchell murder mysteries.

Detective Superintendent Alan Markby and his fiancee, Meredith Mitchell, are house hunting at Lower Stovey, when news of a grisly discovery at Stovey Woods filters through. Apparently a hiker had stumbled over some human bones. For Alan Markby however, the find and the woods bring to mind a case that he considers one of his more spectacular failures -- the case of a serial rapist, known as the Potato Man, who operated at Stovey Woods about 20 years ago, and who was never caught. Could the bones be the remains of the Potato Man? And was the reason why he suddenly stopped assaulting women be because he was killed all those years ago? These are the questions Markby that haunt Markby as he begins the investigation into discovering whose bones these could be. And then a church warden is found murdered in the church at Lower Stovey. And even as Markby initiates the investigation into this murder, he cannot help but wander if this new murder is connected in any way to the rapes at Stovey Woods all those years ago? Or if the two cases are totally unconnected? Unfortunately for Markby and his team, the villagers have their own fair share of secrets that they'd rather never saw the light of day, and they soon close ranks against the police. But Markby is determined that this time around (at least) he will get a result at Lower Stovey.

The previous reviewer hit nail on the head. This mystery novel was a completely enjoyable and engrossing read. And "A Restless Evil" turned out to be one of the best cozy/police procedurals that I've read all year. Ann Granger does a wonderfully job of skillfully guiding the reader through each new development, and each new development added a new dimension to this richly nuanced mystery novel, thus making this mystery in particular a truly brilliant read. The mystery unfolded smoothly and seamlessly, and Granger did a magnificent job of maintaining the level of tension throughout the book.

With the cooler and greyer weather, and shorter daylight hours, "A Restless Evil" is just the thing to curl up with one of these winter nights. Definitely a worthwhile read.

This book lays the foundation for people new to the operational side of a business. The book demonstrates and demystfies some of the myths surround e-commerce. There's good insight from prominent folks in the hi-tech industry who truly understand how to leverage the Internet.

E-Volve-or-die.com is loaded with tons of ideas to help you build your e-business and information on how to create strategies that are the most critical for e-volving towards the future. He is very connected to e-commerce management and you can tell in his writings in this book. This book goes into all different aspects of ECM in detail and is a great book for a complete overview of where e-commerce management is now and where we are heading. Recommended to all interested in e-business or just curious about the Internet Age.

This book tought me how my E-commerce comprehension was restricted, and let my eye open to fundamental idea of e-business. Mitchel Levy has global idea of business strategy and management in Internet age, and he was building a key to success in this uncertain period. I could gain very practical metrics to solve my business problems in very simple but well refined words.
Recommended to all people living in e-business age, from beginner to advanced,in any nationality and any generation.