For those who works with termites, this book cames just in time because little was done until now to make a synthesis of the knowledge about termites, with an exception of Grasse book, in French language. Although it comprises only some aspects, I hope that this book make another termitologists write your results and publish them in a compendium like that.

This text reveals detailed anatomy and function of thalamic structure. Interconnection with spine and other brain structures is discussed as well as the extensive intrathalamic interconnections and feedback loops associated with excitation / suppression of neurological projections. I find this to be a very useful research tool.

This is one of those books that falls out of print and causes mass panic in graduate student communities as we find ourselves hunting for copies with on-line rare book search engines with no hope for success. Can't find it used when no one will let go of it. Saints be praised, its back. Kaplan's essays 'demonstratives' and 'afterthoughts' are classics and need to be studied by anyone interested in the golden triangle of philosophy (phil. language, mind, and epistemology). Kit Fine's essay on de re modality is excellent, and with articles by Peacocke, Wettstein, Almog, and a host of other friends of Kaplan, no entry will fail to repay serious attention. Do not miss the opportunity to purchase this book.

Most Black History fans think they have DuBois figured out. You either hate him for his haughtiness and elitism or you love his militant stands. This collection of DuBois' writings shows that the truth was somewhere in between. We see DuBois change his mind on Marcus Garvey and the elitist "Talented Tenth" idea. We see DuBois evolve from Integrationism to Black Nationalism to Communism. We basically see a man who is not afraid to change his ideas and admit his errors, a very human and complex man.

Excellent book, and extremely informative; I just completed the EMT-Basic course and the National Registry exam. The book was a wonderful source of knowledge, and reference. What I would like to see is perhaps a cheaper, paperback version of the book come out; we completed the course and had to return the book, and I just think that if it was more accessible, more students would have purchased it, instead of signing it out.

As a future EMT-B student I wanted to buy some books prior to my course beginning. I bought Mosby's, Aehlert's, and Brady's books. I finally got to this one (being the last I was to read), and have to say this is the best Ive seen so far. With clear concise text, and abundance of knowledge, real life situations, and amazing pictures (which Aehlert's has almost none of), I must say that this book is not only the most informative, but is also the most user friendly. It has a great index, glossary, and the anatomy pictures are cut outs of REAL humans. I mean it just doesn't get any better than this. I just found out a few days ago this is the book my instructor is going to use, and for a good reason!

This EMT Emergency book ROCKS! As an EMT student, I find this book to surpass all other EMT books in print. The whole class loves the book as well. I recommend getting the, self study Workbook that accompanies the textbook. Without a doubt, it wins a Gold Metal and a Five Star Award for outstanding publication and instruction into the field of the EMT - Basic.

I would give this book 4 stars, overall it does exactley what it says it will, "take you into a year in the life of an inner city neighborhood." It does an great job of showing how a street corner works, and how people end up spending there lives on the corner. This book gives faces to people who are often seen as nobody and faceless; drug addicts. David Simon and Edward Burns showed me that drug addiction, violence, and crime affect people, not just numbers. When you read the paper and see that someone was arrested for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute (sell), yeah now your informed but that doesn't tell you the story of who that person is, and why they were selling drugs. This book will show you who these people are, and how good people can do bad things when their backs are against the wall and they can't turn either way. This book will definitely grab your heart and you can't help but feel sympathy for the characters. One complaint about the book is its length. It's a long read that could have been shortened by editing out a few of the authors long spiels against the system that treats drug addicts as criminals and not sick people. Also I felt it started kind of slow and there were a few parts I was wondering if the story would speed up. Its like the authors were repeating themselves saying the same thing just using different wording. Towards the end I liked this book a lot but glad that the end was near. Overall though, this book was great, and would recommend it to anyone who can relate to this lifestyle or topic and anyone who is interested. You definitely have to care though because it can be slow at times.

The Corner is a very telling book. It gives the outsider a close-up view of the life on an inner-city drug corner. These drug corners have one simple overarching rule: You need the blast and nothing else matters. The authors also try to make sense of the whole tradgedy through their own outside comments about the police, the welfare system, and the like. In addition to that, the true story takes on the form a novel, letting you into the daily life of the McCullough family. I couldn't help but feel some type of connection with characters like DeAndre, Fran, and Gary. As I read on, I couldn't help but care for these people, to feel happy when things went right for them and to be a little sad when things went wrong. It was an enjoyable book to read, but a little repetitive. Perhaps that was the authors' plan to drive the idea home, but I think it could have been cut down a little without losing the point. Still, don't let this stop anyone from reading this book.

"The Corner," by David Simon and Edward Burns, is one of the best books I've ever read.

Nothing I've seen or read humanizes inner-city drug fiends, pushers, gang members quite like this does. By gaining the trust of the people of Monroe and Fayette streets in West Baltimore, the authors were able to put the reader in their shoes, capture their thoughts, dreams, and histories.

Rather than glamorize drug use and gang violence as many books and movies do, it plainly shows the heartache experienced and the physical, emotional, and social barriers faced by people living in inner-cities.

So many judge themselves to be morally and intellectually superior to those living in the inner-cities of our country. Simon and Burns do a masterful job demonstrating people of inner-city neighborhoods, for the most part, are victims of circumstance and, given the same upbringing, the same surroundings, the same resistance, those outsiders who judge them harshly would live no differently.

Published in 1997, "The Corner" has received mostly glowing reviews. The few criticisms hurled its way usually center around a lack of solutions offered. Simon and Burns do not have the answers and don't pretend to.

Their book effectively argues society's "war on drugs" has not only failed miserably, but is actually a war on the underclass itself.

If a solution is to be reached in the upcoming century, it will be through a drastic change in attitude of the "haves" towards the "havenots." This book and others like it may go a long way towards changing opinions and ultimately sparking a solution. I challenge the Rush Limbaughheads out there to read "The Corner."

David McCullough's Pulitzer prize winning biography of John Adams is exhaustively researched and authoritatively written. It is certainly worthy of the critical acclaim it has received, if for no other reason than that it focuses a much deserved spotlight on the life and accomplishments of one of America's most important historical figures, who for whatever reason had until now remained in relative obscurity compared to his contemporaries such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. McCullough, who previously won the Pulitzer for his biography of Harry Truman, more than does justice to his subject. In 650 pages, he examines Adams' life from his birth in Massachusetts to a humble farming family through to his death at the age of 89, highlighting not only the major accomplishments of Adams' lengthy and illustrious political career but also his personal and family relationships. This book, in fact, is not only a biography; it is also an excellent historical appraisal of the early years of our newly-founded republic, and will be appreciated by lovers of history as well as avid biography readers.

McCullough draws on the thousands of letters written and received by Adams throughout his life as the basis for much of his research. During his long separations from his wife, Abigail, they wrote each other often and shared extensive political ruminations as well as intimate feelings. Adams also corresponded for much of his life with Jefferson and several other lesser-known political figures. These letters provide a wealth of information about his life and allow McCullough to paint a rich tapestry of Adams' life. We learn of Adams' early life, his education at Harvard, and his initial forays into the world of politics as an ardent support of American independence from Britain, then follow him to Europe where he honed his diplomacy skills while negotiating peace with Britain, and later vital loans for the new republic from the Netherlands. But without doubt the most impressive writing covers his years as vice-president and then president, giving great attention to the political rivalries and intrigues of the day.

Even educated, knowledgeable readers will find this book worthy of close reading. It explores in detail the peaks and valleys of Adams' relationship with Jefferson, a close friend at times but also a political rival. It also gives close study to the behind-the-scenes machinations and back-stabbings of Alexander Hamilton, whom McCullough portrays as a political miscreant and manipulative opportunist. And it more than does justice to the loving, respectful relationship between Adams and his wife and children.

If there is one potential criticism of this book, it is that McCullough may have seen Adams through slightly rose-colored glasses. And how could this not be the case, given that so much of the primary-source material available to researchers consists of Adams' own reflections and ruminations? Perhaps John Adams was as remarkable, respectable, and honorable a man as this book makes him seem, but he was certainly unpopular for much of his career and at times ridiculed by well-admired thinkers and government leaders. Granted, these opposing views are fairly presented, but only after McCullough has portrayed Adams in such a positive light that it is only natural for the reader to view his critics as less impressive players driven by jealousy and ego more than altruistic intentions.

David McCullough has written the Adams biography that finally does our second president justice. Adams' reputation as obnoxious, vain, and disliked by his peers has for many years overshadowed the accomplishments of the man. The truth is, the United States owes a greater debt of gratitude to Adams than most people realize. McCullough chronicles Adams' tireless service to the cause of liberty and his considerable role in structuring a representative republic. Without Adams' hand, the United States as we know it today may be a quite different nation than it is. Such was the influence of Adams, and we can thank McCullough for revealing to us the actual greatness of the man.

The John and Abigail Adams union is perhaps the greatest political love story in US history. McCullough understands and appreciates the role that Abigail played in John Adams' life and career, and he devotes a good portion of the book to Abigail's influence on her husband. Abigail was not a highly educated woman, but her common sense and intelligence, as well as her devotion to her "dearest friend", reveal her to be woman ahead of her time. It is difficult to imagine John Adams without Abigail, especially after reading this book.

McCullough is a responsible historian, and in being so he refuses to whitewash his subjects. He does not deify Adams; he shows us his flaws as well as his attributes. Adams was human, subject to the same imperfections as anyone. This truth, however, allows readers to marvel at Adams' accomplishments even more. After all, that which may be simple for a god to accomplish can require a superhuman effort for a mortal to achieve, and Adams' list of achievements is long and impressive.

McCullough's "John Adams" is a well-researched and thorough biography, yet it is anything but dry. The author has the rare gift of capturing on paper all that is exciting about history, something to which readers of his previous books about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal can attest. McCullough reinforces the notion that the world's greatest stories are the true stories, and that our great historians can be our best storytellers.

An excellent historical biography of a man who played such an important role in the founding of this country. As one whose education and backgroud is in science and technology and who is not well schooled in history I especially appreciated David McCullough's writing style. This book is not a dry, historical chronology but an entertaining and informative accounting of a man's life and the people and events surrounding it. This is about John Adams the man. His accomplishments, his failures, his strengths, his weaknesses and not just what he did but how he thought and felt about people and events. While not a detailed chronicle of the revolutionary war it gave me a new appreciation of what overwhelming odds the fledgling American military faced against Great Britian. It was also interesting to read how congress in the 18th century was just as ineffective, divided along party lines and corrupt as it is today.

The acknowledgements and bibliography sections give one a sense of the extensive research Mr. McCullough put into the writing of this book adding credibility that this is a factual acounting which, for a "technocrat" like me, was another reason I enjoyed the book so much.

Howards End is a realistic picture of Edwardian England, blemishes and all. Forster successfully depicted the environment of his society few authors could. Forster raises moral questions about what the upper class' social and economic responsibilities are to the lower classes. The method of showing opposing viewpoints (help the less fortunate vs. leave them be) between the Schlegel and the Wilcox families works well. He also questions the double standard at that time in England for infidelity. The upper class males were faultless in affairs, while the lower class females were scarred negatively for life. For the males, the affair was the satisfaction of desires and meant parting of some money. For females, the affairs were a way of life, nothing more, and they couldn't even improve their station in society. They were marked as prostitutes, while Mr. Wilcox actually suffered no real personal damage, other than a deservedly begrudging wife for the short term.

I can't help but ask how much has society really changed? The book is still relevant today, not only that, it's a good read. The dialogue is even realistic and touching. Forster's prose flows smoothly, and the reader immediately starts to appreciate it after a few pages. Human nature, snobbery, the struggle of the classes, and family affairs really haven't changed that much since 1910. Forster clearly didn't know what to do about these problems anymore than we do today. Asking his country to face their problems, rather than ignore them, which was what was being done, was a start.

The film is dessert. The novel is a thoroughly satisfying meal. The movie is beautifully photographed, faithfully captures the dialogue, and it even gets the comic moments right. But it can't do more than hint at the pleasures of "the real thing."

Every page of the book offers, not just lush landscapes, but ideas worth arguing about. It reminds us that people's actions are bubbles on the surface, the outward and visible signs of events that take place deep within their interior worlds. What's astonishing about this story is how thoroughly it plumbs those worlds. Like Faulkner and Virginia Woolf, Forster has the power to take us way down into the lives of his main characters. We witness what they are becoming, moment by moment. And brooding over the whole story is the wordless, intuitive influence of Ruth Wilcox (the Vanessa Redgrave character) and the power of her love for family and home.

A hugely enjoyable book that demands to be read again and again.

On reading the book reviews already on-line, I just had to reply. I have recently read Howard's End for the second time and I have watched the film numerously. It is absolutely fabulous! I have read other novels by E.M. Forster but for me Howard's End is simply the best. Forster's characterization is second to none, describing the Schlegels, Wilcoxes and the Basts with such heart-breaking realism and affinity with human nature. The British countryside is described lovingly yet realistically by highlighting the creeping industrialization. I do not think it is 'dull and cold' or that the characters are 'unlikeable and irritating.'In my opinion they are realistic and likeable if you accept them to be human beings, having both their good and bad points, but I would hope that the good points shine through. Yes, Charles Wilcox is incredibly arrogant and irritating, but these characters all combine to make an excellent plot and a heart -renchingly sad but not a 'happy' ending. Ofcourse we all have our favourites and Margaret Schlegel is mine. Rather predictibly so, but I admire her strength, ability to compromise, tenderness, spiritual connectedness, clear sightedness and individuality. Over-all I think Howard's End is a wonderful read every time!

And so "education" should be, one of many great, though by no means unique, insights into the mind of mankind in W.E.B. Dubois's "Souls of Black Folk." I read this book after reading both the "Autobiography of Malcolm X" as well as Foner's "The Black Panther's Speak." Both of these books make allusion to Dubois, and in reading "Souls" I better understand the ideas and programs of Malcolm, Huey and Eldridge, their desire to be granted the same rights and privileges as all American citizens, and, where the white man continued to disallow it, their taking them "by any means necessary."

Admittedly, I have very little experience with African-American culture. "The Souls of Black Folk" I think helps bridge this gap by exploring the history - economic, social and political - and pyschology of the African-American. I came away with a much better understanding of organizations like the Freeman's Relief Association, men like Booker T. Washington, African-American Christianity and, to a small extent, the psyche of the black man in America, at least its historical antecedents, up until the early 1900s.

I have read reviews dismissing Dubois's work as outdated, especially after the '60s and the civil rights movement. Perhaps it is, though, again, I don't feel I know enough about African-American culture in our day to be able to say either way. Having said that, I am much better acquainted with other socially and economically constructed "niggers" of our world, both domestically and internationally, and in that regard I think Dubois's "Souls of Black Folk" is still very much applicable, in fact a complementary resource from which to glean insight into contemporary politics and economics. Perhaps, hopefully, there will one day be no more "niggers" on American soil. But, unfortunately, there will always be "niggers" in this world, and Dubois's lectures on removing "the great problem of the 20th century - the color line" are as important today as they were 100 years ago.

From "Of the Sons of Master and Man":
In any land, in any country under modern free competition, to lay any class of weak and despised people, be they white, black or blue, at the political mercy of their stronger, richer and more resourceful fellows, is a temptation which human nature seldom has withstood and seldom will withstand.

Perhaps basic, perhaps something one has heard numerous times, but the fact that this citation and many, many others like it to be found in "The Souls of Black Folk" were written 100 years before guys like Ralph Nader and Howard Zinn were selling hundreds of thousands of books based on a slightly different spin of the same argument is at least relevant, if not impressive.

Dubois was no racist, as any of the rest of the aforementioned group weren't either. If anything (and perhaps in this time this is a politically incorrect term) he was a classist, and merely argued for the assimilation of the black man into the society that did not understand their mutual dependence. Reading the book did not produce "white guilt" or anything the David Horwitzes of the world would like to convince me is happening to me. It provided me with a greater understanding and respect for people I daily ride the metro with, work with, am an American citizen WITH.

At the end of the century, in a few months there will be much debate about the person of the century, the writer of the century, the actor of the century and so on. This book, this writing should put DuBois at the very least in the top five ranking of the most important writer and thinker of the twentieth century. He is as far as I am concerned the Black Nostradamus. He forsaw what has been happening in recent years with the increase of hate crimes and mass acts of violence and oppression against the colored masses of the United States and the world. DuBois like no other from his time captures the spirit of the America Black and he allows his reader to read and to understand what has caused the Black consciousness to be in the state of disaster that it was in and is in in some aspects. He is a great writer and this book should be required reading in every American Literature and Black Literature class in every high school and college in this country. This is an important work not only for Blacks to read but whites as well. Well written and well received is all that I can say about this book. GREAT!!!!!

The Souls of Black Folks, as other reviewers have pointed out, is a masterpiece of African-American thought. But it is even more than that when we consider the context and time in which the book was written. Most of what DuBois discusses is still relevant today, and this is a tribute to the man, not only as a scholar, but as someone who was continually adapting his views in the best image and interests of black people.

Some reviewers refer to DuBois as "the Black Emerson" and, as a university instructor, I heard similar references made: 'the Black Dewey" or "the Black Park," referring to the Chicago School scholars. Du Bois was brilliant; indeed, these white men should be being called "the white Du Bois"! Du Bois literally created the scientific method of observation and qualitative research. With the junk being put out today in the name of "dissertations," simply re-read Du Bois' work on the Suppression of the African Slave Trade and his work on the Philadelphia Negro and it is clear that he needs not be compared to any white man of his time or any other: he was a renaissance man who cared about his people and, unlike too many of the scholars of day, he didn't just talk the talk or write the trite; he walked the walk and organized the unorganizable.

White racism suffered because Du Bois raised the consciousness of the black masses. But he did more than that; by renouncing his American citizenship and moving to Ghana, he proved that Pan Africanism is not just something to preach or write about (ala Molefi Asante, Tony Martin, Jeffries and other Africanists); it is a way of life, both a means and an end. Du Bois organized the first ever Pan African Congress and, in doing so, set the stage for Afrocentricity, Black Studies and the Bandung Conference which would be held in 1954 in Bandung, Indonesia. Du Bois not only affected people in this country, he was a true internationalist.

Souls of Black Folk is an important narrative that predates critical race theory. It is an important reading, which predates formal Black Studies. The book calls for elevation of black people by empowering black communities -- today's leadership is so starved for acceptance that I believe that Karenga was correct when he says that these kind of people "often doubt their own humanity."

The book should be read by all.

I've enjoyed reading Martin Fowler other books. I've enjoyed this one as well. I did have a hard time reading this book at first because of the organization of the book. The book starts with discussions about patterns and their trade-offs. I was familiar with the architectures presented, but I was not familiar with the pattern nomenclature that was being used. I was easily thrown off track because of that. Luckily, Martin Fowler's web site ... has a nice catalog of the patters with short summaries that helped me understand the definition of the pattern name. After spending 1/2 an hour on his site, that the discussions were easily understandable and enlightening.

With that said, I'm disappointed at the structure of this book. I would expect the definitions of the patterns to appear up front, and the discussions to appear after the pattern definitions.

This book is the masterpiece. As Martin Fowler's Refactorings, this book will be a handbook of many, many developers. It is strange that after reading reviews of this book, I've found that many people do not understand the whole idea behind this book. If you come from the J2EE world you might not agree with some of the patterns presented in this book. But only experience in the field will show how you were wrong. If you have really complex business logic, trying to implement it with entity beans is almost always impossible. If you spent weeks fighting with your appserver environment instead of concentrating on business use cases, you would understand the value of these patterns.

Martin Fowler does it again. He manages to capture complexities of enterprise class application development in a simple, easy to read book.

If you've read any of Fowler's other titles, the structure of this one will come as no surprise. The first have of the book discusses the patterns in "narrative" format, and the second half presents them in reference format. If you are new to this subject, I highly recommend reading through the narrative section to understand how the patterns fit together.

If you've been involved in enterprise application development before, chances are you can simply flip to the second half of the book and start skimming the patterns. Each is only a handful of pages long and is accompanied by a description, use cases and example code.

Like other "patterns" titles, if you've been doing software development for a while you'll read the patterns and think "oh.. of course, I did that in xyz project". The patterns themselves may not be groundbreaking and chances are you've seen them in some form, but having a well documented reference of them nearby will be an asset to any software development effort.