Professor Rosenthal specializes in writing clearly about state legislatures. He understands the dynamics of the system and yet writes with a strong attention to detail. While he communicates the problems he is neither a muckraker nor a shill. One wishes that more academics would take the care he does in writing about their subjects. You should also check out his earlier book on the third house.

This work is one that must be read by all people interested in the reasons behind why our governmental system is in shambles. I live in our nation's capital and I cannot understand how people can take for granted the wonders that the US has to offer. The freedoms that we currnetly enjoy are unparalelled to any other time in History. Despite this, people in our society spit on the bill of rights and say 'that is how it has always been.' It must be warned that when a society of ideal people moves to a society of ignorance (presently ours) our society will not be able to sustain itself. This is the essence of this book. People must learn why our democracy is falling apart if they wish to remedy the situation. This situation is one that certainly must be remedied if we are to contonue into the next millenium.

I find myself wondering how we went from a patriotic society of John Adams, George Washington and others to a society of selfishness. We are presently a society that looks foolish in so many regards. The pamphlet, Common Sense was written to energize people to fight for the basic rights of man. It is a sad day when novels like this must be written. However, note the word must. I hope that this book does not need to be read in the future, but presently it is necessary to remedy the problem. This book illustrates they ways in which our society has gone wrong and with enough hard long thought the answers to fixing those problems can be deduced. NOTE: This is not a civics book, nor does it show how government operates but for higher level thinkers, interested in making America the robust leaaderin liberty that she once was, this book must be read.

I just decided to take a French course in college, but the fun and the easy way to learn French made me decide to finish all the courses to get a certificate. It really gets you in the francophone world of joy.

John Rosenthal's photographs are breathtaking. While the photograph pictured on the cover is incredible, there are countless photos inside featuring people. John has a knack for catching the most extraordinary facial expressions, truly capturing the energy and essence of a moment. I highly reccommend this book for any black and white photography buff.

This book presents a strong defense for representative democracy. It argues that not only is representative democracy the best option available, but that much of the criticisms of the the legislative branch is based on inaccurate perceptions.
The public has become less trustful of government. Polls show about 75% of the public during the 1960s trusted government. In 1973, 42% of those polled had "a great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence in Congress, In mid-2001, 26% stated that had a "great deal" or "quite a bit" of confidence in Congress.
The public distaste for politics along with the mean spiritedness of campaigns discourages many capable people from even entering politics. Further, many who do select public service as a career are finding the burdens of service are causing them to leave public careers prematurely. The loss of dedicated public servants weakens the legislative process as well as reduces the public image of legislatures.
While the public may be disillusioned with representative democracy, and while politicians may similarly have reservations, the alternatives are no better. The authors argue that the option of Executive dominance can lead to concentrated and abused power. The alternative of direct democracy may be cumbersomely unpractical and may be more readily manipulated by powerful interests.
Negative campaign advertising is cited as a major influence in the declining appreciation and respect for politics and for government. Political scientist Richard Fenno has found that negative campaigning is further affecting government, as candidates are elected by claiming their opposition to the institutions to which they seek eleciton and, upon election, their negativity hampers their abilities to serve in office.
The authors note the very nature of legislative politics is bound to create negative public perceptions. Most legislation that is passed reflects compromises and the mere act of compromising often leads proponents and opponents both feeling disappointed. Legislative work thus usually wins few friends, yet it produces important results.
Despite its complexities and nuances, representative democracy does work. The legislative branch does a good job of bridging the gap between the public and policy makers. The alternative of administrative control concentrates power too much and the alternative of direct participation is too cumbersome. Representative democracy may not be perfect, as this book discusses, but it is the best system there is. Readers wishing to explore these discussions will greatly appreciate this book.

This is a wonderful and highly readable book, which does a superb job of opening up a fascinating but hithertofore totally unexplored area of film and television. A must for anyone interested in the relations between fiction, reality, and drama and wants to know how to enter this fast growing script field and how to write punchy and dynamic scenarios. Absolutely five stars.

Even while reading this book I was able to pitch an idea for an event and documentary project, my first, and gain acceptance for the project. The concepts are helpful as well as practical.
I read a lot of books once I am interested in a subject and I would place this one at the top for documentaries.

There is little in written text that summarise the worth of this book. I was so moved by its detailed and incisive content and direction that I sold my kids to afford the time and space, the peace required to absorb the rivetting content.
As I sat at my video production terminal I realised that the nirvana of books on docudrama had been produced. This is the sort of book that makes you go and get the authors name tattooed on your butt.
Buy , buy , buy ..

This book is a masterful resource for any filmmaker regardless of their expertise.

No one has come close in their summation of the documentary process. It is 2001, the book was released in 1996, it is timeless. The best book on the market, a better book could only be devised by the author.

Four years of preperation in one book. Every student, professional filmmaker, enthusiast should have it. I have even allowed persons/subjects whom I was documenting to read this book. It made the process that much easier. They were extremely thankful. PURCHASE THE BOOK.

Currently, an ever- increasing amount of issues challenge State Legislatures. For one, their ethical behavior continues to plague public perception and job approval. Alan Rosenthal's Drawing the Line attempts to confront this augmenting problem. Rosenthal defines the book's intention as "I would like legislators to take ethical considerations into account, be conscious of ethical questions, reason with ethics in mind, and incorporate ethics into their judgments (Rosenthal 20-21)." He attempts to achieve his goal by dissecting through a range of factors. Factors such as; describing the ethics-related dilemmas legislatures confront, exploring the scope of legislative ethics and through reasoning making judgments on proper ethical behavior. After reading the text, I feel that Professor Rosenthal successfully accomplished his original intent. The book thoroughly examined ethical factors that influence components of the policy-making process at the state level. I found it enticing and very educating. I recommend it to anyone stimulated by the State and Local government subdivision of Political Science.

Probably no one has examined state legislatures from an academic perspective more intently than Alan Rosenthal. This Alan Rosenthal book examines legislative ethics. We learn from Mr. Rosenthal's knowledgeable observations that legislators generally are honest and the legislative process is basically ethical. Unfortunately, he warns legislators may not heed warnings that the public is demanding ethical standards higher than the ones they now set for themselves.
The public historically has held skeptical views of politicians. The past generation of political leaders, which includes those involved in Watergate as well as legislative scandals resulting in convictions in several states, has lowered public confidence in politics. An Eagleton Institute survey found over one third of those surveyed assume over half of all legislators receive bribes. While Alan Rosenthal believes there was more corruption amongst legislators in the historic past, increased media scrutiny and criticism of legislators have weakened the legislative image.
Ironically, legislators today, compared to the 1960s, better respond to public demands, are more responsive to overseeing administrative functions and curtailing government abuses, are more independent of powerful political forces, are more competent as they have improved access to staff and information, and are more proportionally representative of the public with more women and racial minorities serving as legislators. Alan Rosenthal argues legislators accomplish more today than in the 1960s. Still, he warns "the instituion fabric of the legislature is unraveling."
When legislative scandals occur, legislative bodies often react by passing increased ethical requirements. Unfortunately, ethics becomes a political weapon. Challengers raise ethics issues in political elections against incumbents. Alan Rosenthal sees these debates creating more tense divisions amongst those legislators who are elected.
The climate of hostility and scrutiny is discouraging people from running for the legislature, Alan Rosenthal warns. He further offers his opinion that some of the better legislators have left legislative careers to escape the increasingly bitter legislative climates.
While Alan Rosenthal does not believe legislators are less ethical than other occupations, there is room for ethical improvements. There have been increased prosecution of legislative improprieties. One result of the Watergate crisis was the creation of a Public Integrity Section within the U.S. Justice Department. Prosecutions of public officials increased ten fold.
Another result of improved legislative abilities and increased legislative attention is more outside concerns are being impacted by legislative actions. The late 1980s saw a 20% increase in the number of lobbyists. Increased lobbying enhances opportunities for more illegal legislative lobbying activities.
Legislators are not blameless for their ethical lapses, Alan Rosenthal scolds. Some legislators have developed an arrogant disregard for the proper use of power. Some less powerful legislators have been convicted for accepting bribes of as small as $400, not because they needed the money yet because they wanted the feel that someone else thought they were powerful and influential. Legislators need to retain their sense of propriety.
Alan Rosenthal believes it is very important that legislators follow ethical standards. He observes that legislators place their own values and their constituents' values before those of contributors. On the other hand, he warns that legislators who argue contributions have no effect on them live in denial. Contributors are apt to receive greater attention.
This is another book of fascinating observations from Alan Rosenthal. The strength of his personal deductions from years of studying legislators is also this book's weakness. Little emprical evidence is presented to back up his claims. Still, as Alan Rosenthal practically is the only political scientist watching legislators, his experiences make him the best qualified field observer of legislators and his field guides to the legislative process are the best available. This book is highly recommended to students of state legislatures.

A nice collection of artists, with some great examples of what they can do. But....
Paper stock is poor and some prints are a bit blurry.

This is a great artbook, featuring many famous furry artists. I love the art, and look at it regularly. If you're a fan of Michele Light, I recommend it.

This book started my physical collection of furry publishings, and still remains the best singal pice I have. Not only is it perfectaly published, but contains excellent examples of anthropomorphic artwork. Its my personal bible.

There's plenty of good information and some nice anecdotes in this history, but it's presented non-chronologically as a loose string of biographies grouped under almost arbitrary chapter headings. The biographies leap into each other abruptly, and after a while it becomes impossible to distinguish individuals among the parade of similar faces. There are some nice analyses of some major albums, though, and it seems like a good starting point for someone trying to determine which recordings might paint the best picture of the hard bop era. Still...there's no long line to follow, and the last quarter feels like a grind.

"Hard Bop" is bop with an edge, bop with an aggressive, blues-based attack. Its archetype practitioner was trumpeter Lee Morgan, killed outside a nightclub in January 1972 by his lover. Influenced by boppers such as Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie, Morgan and other hard boppers developed a style emphasizing minor keys, a "dark" mood, slurs, and half-valve effects. Morgan's most popular number in the idiom was the huge 1964 hard bebop/R&B hit "The Sidewinder."

Hard bop is introduced here through the prism of Lee Morgan: Morgan helped develop the style as an alternative to bop's successor, cool jazz, as developed, in part, by Gerry Mulligan and Miles Davis, and hard bop began to fade with his murder. But the book tackles more than Morgan, and, in fact, more than hard bop: It's a fascinating account of the various musical streams colliding--sometimes melding-- in the 10 years between 1955 and 1965.

Rosenthal traces the evolution of hard bebop as bop declined ("bebop . . . had turned into something of a straitjacket . . . Many of its best practitioners were dead, and others . . . were in decline"). Musicians looked to R & B to revive bop, and a new "more emotionally expressive and more formally flexible style began to emerge." Rosenthal looks at the expressions of hard bop in such diverse artists as Sonny Rollins, the soulful Horace Silver ("The Preacher"), Cannonball Adderley, organist Jimmy Smith ("Midnight Special"), Jackie MacClean, and, to a lesser degree, Art Farmer, Andrew Hill, Mingus, and some of the pre-1965 John Coltrane (e.g., with Miles on "Cookin'"). Rosenthal perceptively notes that hard bebop was a "complicated set . . . of interlocking tendencies," rather than a static, easily defined style.

I enjoy this book because it explores a somewhat brief phenomenon, and shows how it developed, flourished, and then gave way to new elements. The writing is crisp, intelligent, energetic, and full of illustrative anecdotes that illuminate and entertain (not the dry pedantic treatise one might expect on this rather narrow topic). Rosenthal shows the connections between various elements of jazz, and presents it as a living, evolving, powerful force. Eleven chapters following the introduction, no pictures. Very highly recommended to jazz fans of any stripe.

A facsimile of Mozart's thematic catalogue we were waiting for a long time. Hint: between page f.14v and f.23 there are 8 pages ommitted!!