Dr. Stuart Wright brings together experts in sociology, psychology, criminal justice, constitutional law, and the media to analyze data collected, witness testimony, and survivor accounts of a tragedy in Texas. For anyone wanting the truth of what really happened in Waco, this is a good start. The authors present a sociologically sound study of many of the dynamics affecting the events in Waco. The Branch Davidian's orgin and what ultimately happened in Waco are also clearly detailed.

Having grown up in a separatist, non-denominational, apocalyptic, congregation, I knew I would not be an unbiased reader of this collection of essays. What I was not prepared for was the shattering of almost all I had thought to be true, all I had learned through television and newspaper reports and commentaries on the Waco siege. In this media age we are bombarded with so much information, our senses constantly stimulated- It is difficult to step back from any situation and see it for what it is. This exhaustively researched collection is profound, moving, and thought-provoking. It places the Waco tragedy in a larger context, one we as a society have, for the most part, failed to recognize. The collection explores the roots of this conflict- the way in which marginalized religious groups are woven into the fabric of the identity of our nation. It then expands to explore the psychology of those involved, breathing the life back into those names and faces that had been pressed and packaged into stereotypes by less precise reports. The collection also addresses the specific legal and constitutional issues. Waco was a tragedy for us all, this collection gives us the ability to begin to understand it, and all the forces that lay the groundwork for it's escalation, from our own prejustcies, to the media's distortions, to the governments role in balancing religious freedom with societal order. My interest, as I said in the beginning, was personal, but I finished this book understanding the events in a universal context. I would highly recommend it to anyone concerned with broadening their perspective.

When the ancient Israelites wandered through the desert, their sustenance was from a food called Manna. In Hebrew, the word Manna comes from the root of two words that mean What is It?

When it comes to the Internet, many legalists look at this system of interconnected networks and ask, What is it? This topic is the theme of Stuart Biegel's timely and well-written book, Beyond Our Control? Biegel writes from real-world experience; he is an attorney and teaches cyber law at UCLA. While the lawyers and legal scholars consult case law and their legalistic tomes, Beyond Our Control provides non-lawyers with tremendous background on the issues now surrounding our legal systems and the Internet.

One of the questions the book tackles is whether the Internet and cyberspace is a revolutionary new medium requiring its own set of legal policies, or if it is simply an evolutionary technology that can exist under current legal regulations. The question is significant, as such differences can determine whether or not a song downloaded from the Internet is a criminal offense, who has jurisdiction when a threatening email is transmitted, and the legal nature of a distributed denial of service attack.

There is a common perception that the Internet is a like the uncontrolled wastelands of the Wild West, and Biegel uses the Wild West analogy to compare the Internet to movies such as Shane, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Cimarron. It is important to note that Biegel astutely asserts that it is generally agreed that the Wild West imagery of popular culture comes not from the history books, but from the western films. Beigel quotes historian Jim Kites, who describes the excitement that many find in the Wild West (and equally with the Internet) by saying, it is placed at exactly that moment when options are still open, the dream of primitivistic individualism, the ambivalence of at once beneficent and threatening horizons, are still open... For many involved in cyberspace (especially in the open source movement), they see the Internet as a place where such options are still open.

Yet, the romantic notion of the Internet has often run head long into the law. A main theme of the book centers on how to deal with P2P file sharing, such as MP3 files through Napster and Gnutella. For users, such a practice was considered an extension of their own music libraries; for the RIAA, it was outright thievery. This ease of use in downloading music caused an uproar among music executives and the ultimate demise of Napster as a corporate entity.

Yet while many perceive cyberspace as unregulated, Biegel shows that although there are not as many laws for cyberspace as there are for aviation, for example, cyberspace is nonetheless significantly regulated. Biegel shows how the Federal Trade Commission has transformed itself from a sleepy back-office establishment in Washington, DC, to a protector of consumers on the Internet. The book describes the success of the FTC in fighting cyber crime, which flies in the face of the non-regulated cyberspace myth. Biegel shows how cyberspace has been regulated in a very stringent fashion by the FTC and how consumer protection laws are working there. Biegel also notes that there are more U.S. laws governing copying in the online world than most people even realize.

The book takes a look at how the Internet can and should be regulated. The question of International law also comes up, and Beigel notes that some people believe the Internet isn't truly a global medium at all, but simply an extension of the United States. With that, the question of International law regulating an entity that is controlled by the United States becomes interesting.

My only personal criticism of the book is Biegel's use of the term Netizens to describe users of the Internet. Personally, I don't think cyberspace users should have their own taxonomy any more than those who use cell phones.

Although some readers of may opine that they have little value in reading about the current state of cyber law, I strongly recommend reading Beyond Our Control. Most of us may not be lawyers, but the topics in the book -- cyber-security, consumer fraud, free speech rights, intellectual property rights, file-sharing programs, and more -- affect us all.

Great Book. This book touches many of the issues that are pertinent for analysis of the law and cyberspace. It seems that the law is nowhere in cyberspace to most people, but this book helps explain how the law works within these confines.

I really like the examples and novel ideas for how to combat problems with lawlessness in cyberspace.

Anyone interested in the law or interested in cyberspace should get this book in order to see how some of the current issues are addressed and also to give a heads up on many of the issues that may or may not be troubling. I would recommend this to everyone, from the curious beginning user to the advanced internet user.

I did not have this book as a graduate class text, but I used it extensively while studying for my candidacy exam. This book was invaluable for that purpose. It contains great insight and intuition for many of the physical phenomena described. Its theoretical description of neutron stars was better than any other I had seen. I highly recommend this book.

To the publisher I would appreciate it if the publisher could produce an audio adaptation of this book. I would love to listen to this while I drive to work and to let my 16 month old son listen to it as a bedtime story. Arnold D Veness

This book saved me inordinate amounts of time in researching HRM topics. I could not have survived without it. I particularly liked the concise and relevant summaries of international developments in HRM.

The editors fully succeeded in their goals of creating a comprehensive, credible, and user-friendly dictionary of nearly 600 terms, grounded in basic and applied research. This reference presents the input of over 225 contributors with terms ranging from 360 degree appraisals and at-risk pay to learning organization, KSAOs, and workplace violence. The definitions are truly encyclopedic in nature, with much detail and each carries a bibliography. Nations, laws and associations are also included. A wealth of information, strongly recommended!

"the book of masks" is a fascinating, engrossing read from the first page on. gourmont offers poignant commentary on the worth of each individual writer, although more often than not he lets his personal view distort the actual facts of the various writers' lives. the only writer i didn't like in this collection was andre gide, an eye watering bore who shouldn't really be categorized as a 'decadent', i don't think. and the story by moreas about the mother coming onto her son was a bit nasty. but all of these stories have beautiful touches of mystical, otherworldly, occult and sometimes perverse elements to them. a must

Erza Pound once wrote, "Gourmont prepared our era." He was one of the most original writers and thinkers of symbolism in its early days. His characters seem to exist in a bizarre dream-world ; where limits and rules seem arbitrary, ready to change and erupt violently at anytime. A precarious dark fantacy of mystical desire, perverse sexuality, gender confusion, and other 'depraved' issues decadent literature was then concerned with. These stories seek to explain and understand the repressed, often depraved, desires each of us have hidden deep down in the blackest regions of our soul. The theme of female sexuality, with its power to manipulate, over-power, and seduce is also apparent in his many femme fatale characters. Jam-packed with subconsious nightmares, fetishism, deviant behaivor, grotesque, deranged minds, this book is sure to please(and disturb) any fans of Baudelair, Huysmans, or any other decadent/symbolist writers in general.Perhaps even more relevent today...

This book is one of the BEST I've ever read! The writing is simple beautiful and portrays the real life of daytime actress, Mary Stuart. Her Love for her family, friends, co-workers, etc. It is a great indepth look at the world of soap operas, and trying to live a normal life despite all the pressures of being an actress struggling, then finally making her dream come true. The humor in this book is absolutely wonderful! You will laugh, cry, and simply be overwhelmed with the content and beautiful poems and music this wonderful lady of daytime television was so talented in writing. She was truly one of kind, and I highly recommend reading this book, it's one you can read over and over and still come away with something you've learned about life, love, family and responsibilities. This is an absolutely AWESOME piece of work!

Wonderful Mary Stuart, best known from 35 years as JOANNE on the now-defunct SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, has authored a magnificent book which is not only a ocmpelling autobiography, but a fascinating history of broadcast television. Should be required reading for soap opera fans and TV historians, alike. Mary has done what no other living actor has managed to do: play one character for 35 years and keep her vital, interesting and popular. Add this wonderful volume to your collection!

It's fun reading this collection of digressive informal anecdotes about famous (and some obscure) Englishmen. If you enjoyed "An Instance of the Fingerpost" (where some of thc characters appear) you'd like this. As a primary source for information it gets less reliable the further back it goes. Aubrey was born in 1626 so his accounts of Shakespeare and Elizathans are a generation removed, but he had met Harvey and Penn and had been through the Civil War and the rule of Cromwell.

Because its author never completed most of the entries for this biographical work, and never published it, what he did set down about his varied noble and ignoble subjects is uncensored, gossipy, perhaps unsubstantiated, and delightful. If you like browsing in Pepys' diary, or are fascinated by English life in the 17th century, this is the book to leave about for the occasional free moment.

When I saw this book at the local library years ago, the title made me reach out; and I've been glad that I did ever since. Saloon owner 'Mac' McCorkle runs a popular bar in Bonn, Germany. And becomes the cloak and good friend of a very suave, multi lingual, and lethal dagger named Mike Padillo. Late of the OSS, Padillo is the man they send out on the little 'jobs' that never make the papers. His assignment in the 'Swap', is to bring back two defectors from the NSA (No Such Agency, at the time) through Checkpoint Charlie. Unfortunately, anything that could go wrong does, and McCorkle is soon on his way to help Padillo through assorted mayhem, kidnapping, murder, and the odd double and triple cross. The plot is exquisite, the dialogue, believeable, and the travelouge, tension, and sense of surroundings, superb. You may want to look for a character named Cook Baker, who's a dead ringer for Dr. Hunter Thompson. And probably the finest description of a favorite watering hole, bar, or saloon, in print: Comprising only three sentences! Ross Thomas had a splendid talent for words. With Hammett's brief, juicy, four course descriptions and Chandler's eye for noir and mysterious mood and humor. 'The Cold War Swap' was his first offing into literatue, and very likely his best. If you see a title from Ross Thomas, pick it up. I guarentee you won't be sorry. But don't blame me if you begin to seek high and low for his 24 later novels. Four of them under the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck.

McCorkle, Bonn Saloon-keeper, meets the mysterious Padilla, and becomes a reluctant spy. Chase back and forth across the Berlin Wall. Good guys win. One of the first Ross Thomas novels. Sets the standard. Fast paced. Witty dialog.

I have long wanted to read a general history of Austrailia, and when I read. on April 3, 1988, The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes, I said to myself, in my post-reading note: "I am glad I read this book, but maybe I'd've done better to read a plain history of Australia than this long account of this aspect of its beginning." I am shamed to say that it has taken over 12 years to do what I thought I should have done back then. This book goes up to 1999, and portrays very well the current dilemmas facing Australia. If you enjoy the articles in Current History, as I do, this book reminds me of those articles, except it is less bland and neutral. Ordinarily I avoid histories with designations such as "short" or "concise" figuring that I want a fuller treatment. But when one knows as little of a country as I do of Australia, I thought this a good introduction to its history.

Stuart's work is an excellent overview of Australian history from the dreamtime to the present. He captures the major periods and events that shaped the progress of Australia towards federation and beyond, into the current malaise over national identity and the development of a unique and identifiable cultures.

Modern thought increasingly accepts the indigenous problems that were part of Australian colonisation, and Stuart probes these and other contemporary issues by drawing from both sides of the debate. He illustrates research that examines the language of overland explorers, to determine whether they were 'exploring' or 'conquering', and he comments on modern interpretations of the constitution by the high court. Readers not well versed in Australian issues may pass over these slights of hands without understanding their importance in the nature of forging an Australian history, culture and identity.

I would recommend this book as a necessary overview for any person interested in the history of the country, including potential tourists.

For those who have not seen one of these, it is indeed a wheel. It is turned to give the full conjugations of every type of verb, regular and irregular that I can think of. It also has an index on the back of a great number of other verbs indicating which verb on the wheel serves as a model.
It is an ingenious device which has been around since the 1930's--even before I began studying French :>) It is flat and is about the size of a trade paperback--so it can easily be carried around.

I first purchased a cuthbertson verb wheel in the 1970's, when I was still a high-schooler studying french. I found it invaluable in constructing grammatically correct sentences, and used it consistently through high school and even college. It is comprehensive, concise, easy to sport and thoroughly useful - a must for verb conjugators!