Of all the great Victorian era African explorers, Thomson is probably the least feted considering his immense capacity for travel and endeavour. Paradoxical perhaps, as the gazelle most often predated on in literally thousands of wildlife documentaries featuring the central African plain bears his name. It is however unlikely, as this book readily demonstrates, that fame and fortune formed the basis of his motivations. He had a voracious appetite for the new and appears to have simply enjoyed the company of others and the pure excitement of seeking them out. He is feted in circles that know him as being a compassionate man, and one of the few of the traditional African explorers who actually respected those that he met on his many trips - he never fired a shot in anger, or as more often was the case, in contempt.

Rotberg's book is a meticulously researched biopic. His attention to detail and evident respect for his subject shine through the text and can't fail to infect the reader with an enthusiam for finding out more about this remarkable man.

Very Interesting book for those avid readers interested in the few years before and after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The book shows how England decieved the Arabs by making false promises of independence once the Arabs completed thier revolt against the Ottomans. Arabs ended up with British and French mandates instead. Lawrence was himself betrayed by his own government. The book gives a lot of detail on the daily life of bedouins, so some might find it interesting. The author should have dealt more with Lawrence's view of Zionism and the Balfour declaration and British policies in the region.

This book is a good collection of temerature dependent material data on a number of materials commonly encountered in electronics packaging. It is very useful for those who do structural modeling of microelectronic packages.

A majority of the data is in graphical form, forcing the user to interpolate from the plots to get numerical data. However, each material has numerical data listed for room temperature properties. Mechanical properties tend to be stated in english units. Sources of the data are cited.

Sometimes the worst problems are the ones that are just plain ignored. That is apparently the case with Medicare, possibly the least discussed, but largest crisis facing government today. In Medicare in the Twenty-first Century: Seeking Fair and Efficient Reform, a collection of authors ranging in profession from economic analysis to health insurance professors elaborate on differing solution to this troubled government program.

The compilation of essays begins with an introduction describing just how inefficient the government’s second largest entitlement program has become. According to government actuaries, Medicare’s ability to cover hospital funds will expire in 2015. This expiration has major implications considering that the program covers and estimated 39 million elderly and disabled persons, according to the book. Furthermore, as the baby boom generation ages into its retirement years the number receiving care will grow substantially and that is not taking into account the rising costs of health care. Judging by this information alone, it becomes apparent to the reader that something must be done. Yet what?

In the first essay, Joseph Antos and Linda Bilheimer outline the differing policy changes that could be possible solutions or at least the very least corrections to the program as it works presently. To correct the problem, they explain, either requires reducing the costs or improving efficiency. Efficiency is achieved when the marginal cost of producing an additional unit of care is equal to the additional unit of care that the patient receives. They then group the solution into three categories; ones that reduce costs without improving efficiency, ones that reduce costs and improve efficiency, and ones that simply restructure the way Medicare is financed. After describing all these policy changes the authors note a pathetic truth. None of the policy changes they outlined have even been looked at by congress â€" even after, congress passed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which was intended to address this exact point. By the end of the second chapter it becomes frightening clear to the reader, if it had not already, how bad Medicare is functioning.

The remainder of the essays expand on the ideas put forth by Antos and Bilheimer, but also go further in asserting the idea of fairness. By fairness the authors’ mean the disparities between the rates of return for high-income individuals compared to those with lower incomes. Due to their higher tax rates, the richer see a lesser return in health care from the government. Mark Pauly, a professor in health care systems, says this problem is due to the politics of Medicare. If a courageous politician took a stance and said that those who paid more should receive better benefits, then he or she is vilified as being indifferent to the plight of the needy. Conversely, if a politician declared that the wealthier members of society should pay more money for the care of others, then he or she loses support from those higher income earners.

Medicare in the Twenty-first Century: Seeking Fair and Efficient Reform takes a critical, unbiased look at the situation Medicare is faced with today. The authors seek innovative policy changes to the second largest government entitlement program. But after reading the collection of essays and the mountain of difficulties their policies would have to surpass to be implemented, it seems Medicare is not likely to escape from its current crisis situation.

Every critical care resident wishes to solve clinical problems which do not happen every day. He wishes to solve these problems in a way the patient profits from and in reality he often wishes to have sufficient time to do so. This excellent book indeed has all the stuff to please the residents needs: Fascinating problems, easy to read and helpful advice on improving your clinical skills

The poetry of Jessica Powers (Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit, a Carmelite nun who died in 1988 at the age of 83) is quietly enchanting. The selection in this volume is generous: at least 20 poems, with 10 poems selected for especial scrutiny and delved into by Bishop Robert Morneau, whose love for poetry and whose admiration for Jessica's work, is abundant and evident.

The one disappointment in Morneau's critique is his use of Jessica's poem "Leftovers," about the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, as an excuse to peddle the rationalistic pabulum of miracle-debunking. The twelve baskets are "merely symbols of God's extravagance and bounty." Or perhaps the miracle is that Jesus encouraged otherwise uncharitable people to turn over a new leaf and start sharing their goodies. Presumably, the Galilean crowd was "hiding fish sandwiches up their sleeves" (in Benedict Groeschel's tart phrase)!

But our disappointment in Bishop Morneau for his Jesus-as-Bob-Geldof take on the gospel is momentary; we soon redirect our attention to the charm of Jessica's poetry -- holy without being pietistic, formal without being stiff, lyrical without being sappy. It is fresh and alive. And to be fair to His Excellency the bishop, his love of poetry is contagious, and his comments for the most part apposite.

We cannot neglect to mention the splendid artistry in the collages and other pictures of Joseph Karlik, nicely enhancing the poetry of this book without overwhelming it. At times, Karlik's artistry is more inspiring than the bishop's exegesis.

I have to say, this is an amazing book. It is coherant, fluent, and above all, easy to read.
The infomation given is presentd well, especially for students (such as myself) studying McCarthy and the Red Scare. Neverthelss, you won't find yourself bogged down in a tide of historical phrases that leave you confused.
If there is one bad thing about this book, it would be that it is too easy to get into, and incredibly hard to put down again.

This "pint sized" book is a wonderful aide in helping those of us who are poor spellers. It is difficult to look up the correct spelling of a word, when you don't know how to spell it correctly, or even close to correctly, to begin with. This book is the answer to that problem.

I only wish it contained more words.

Karl is an important Conradian scholar, yet there are points at which he makes claims that are almost indefensible. For example, in this treatise, he claims that there is no "cosmic significance" to The Secret Sharer." "The Surface," he writes, "is in this case the story." The novella is, despite Leggatt's protestations to the contrary, merely "a tale for boys,' devoid of any ulterior meaning. How a respected writer could make such a claim about any Conrad narrative is beyond the pale. The Secret Sharer is amongst Conrad's deepest and most symbolically rich excursions in any genre. It is a veritable cornucopia of symbolism and divergent meanings. To reduce it to a story "about growing up," is to miss the boat entirely.

To give Karl his due, he does allow as how "The Secret Sharer" is "one of Conrad's best." But his criterium misses the mark when it comes to the multi-demensionality of the narrative. He states that as far as its "suggestiveness, it is paradoxically, one of the most straightforward and obvious works. Its narrative is a model of clarity, like those uncomplicated narratives "Youth," and "The Shadow Line." In other words, if one accepts Karl's reading, "The Secret Sharer" is the kind of "traditional" text that Roland Barthes calls "sterile," since it becomes "wholly predictable and obviously intelligible" - a sophomoric tall tale easily digested and expunged in countless high school English classes from now 'till doomsday.

I could also expound from now 'till doomsday why this is justifiably not the case and that "The Secret Sharer," like its counterpart "Heart of Darkness," are in fact fraught with meaning and enigmatic depths. Both offer rich lodes of symbolism and psychological investigation, just as Conrad's other meaningful creations invite. To dismiss "The Secret Sharer" as a book for boys undermines and in fact almost torpedos an otherwise valuable treatise.

RELATIVES RAISING CHILDREN: AN OVERVIEW OF KINSHIP CARE provides the reader with excellent descriptions of the many issues found in the growing phenomena of family members raising their grandchildren or other relative children. Although written for the professional, the format is easy to follow and very thorough. The authors present the many possible prespectives of the child, the relative caregiver and the parent in this difficult situation. They also provide intervention techniques for the professional.

As a child care specialist, I have been approached by people looking for help and information as they deal with relative care. Since I am not a therapist, this book provides a base of knowledge and has given me some insight on what referrals might be helpful for these individuals. Additionally, I will be recommending it to families interested in further in-depth information.