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The four essayists, Brian Griffiths, Robert Sirico, Norman Barry and Frank Field approach the issue from their own philosophical standpoints but in general are in agreement that morality and markets are compatible. Norman Barry's paper for me is the most interesting in that he postulates the development of rules from the emergence of a spontaneous order rather than having a pre-established framework of rules or ethics. While others may argue that markets require a framework of rules to operate in and cite minimal government or an established church, Barry's paper opens up the whole question of what constitutes moral and ethical behaviour to begin with.
It is this particular proposition which holds out particular interest for more lectures like this in the future. Historically there have been thoise in favour of the market who wish to circumscribe it's impact and who cite all sorts of reasons such as the possible collapse of society if free markets are allowed free rein. Ranged against that position are those who despise markets altogether and those who believe that free markets bring true freedom. As someone who believes in the latter, it seems to me that the political changes in the world over the last twenty five years or so have resulted in large gains for those who believe in the controlled markets view at the dtriment of followers of the anti-market view. Organised religion has much to lose by increasing choice for individuals, and much to lose by democracy but that is another story, and has resisted strongly.
This collection of essays seems to be the first shot in a major debate between conservatives and classical liberals which will go to the heart of the arguement about the market.
Why only four stars? Well, I would have liked to have read more papers.
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The second half I found to be a slightly more valuable "system administration" section. Topics like dual booting, editing the registry, and performance tuning were very interesting to me. However, each of these topics could fill its own book so it is understandable that this book can't explain them in full detail. Still, a lot of this was new to me in the Windows world and I found it a worthwhile read. It definitely increased my knowledge of Windows XP. However, if you're a professional Windows System Administrator or Tech Support, I feel this book isn't enough.
Overall, the book seems to be well written and fairly free of grammatical errors and typos. The authors stick in some humor to keep it interesting. I appreciated the number of URL's added by the authors for screensavers, news articles, downloads and what not. While simple, this definitely adds value. Most importantly, the URL's actually worked when I tried them! The author's tips also add a slight amount of value.
I cannot comment on the included video CD-ROM as I do not prefer to learn that way. I learn better from reading and doing, so I skipped this. Based on the CD-ROM's description page, it sounds like a lot of basic topics for people with little experience. So, the value of the CD-ROM will ultimately depend on the reader's level of experience.
In a nutshell, this book did exactly what I purchased it for. It brought me back up to speed with Windows XP. It also markets itself for a user level of "Beginner-Intermediate". That is why I gave it 4 stars. However, it's title of, "The only Windows XP book you'll ever need" is obviously marketing hype, which I have come to expect from most all computer books.
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The two small Boer republics, the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (Transvaal), ultimately failed in their attempts to beat the British invasion but their heroes and heroines are many - including those mentioned in this fine publication.
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While it tells the story of the International Campaign To Ban Landmines who won a Nobel prize for their work, this book also chronicles the stories of other such as the landmines survivors whose needs were almost ignored by those trying to help them.
The other thing about this book that's interesting is that you can see the techniques these people used to pass a humanitarian law on the international level.
All in all a good read.
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This book is designed as a reference not a study guide.This is one of the best Intranetware books I have read to date.