GBS wrote play with "approaching audiences as citizens capable of thought and prompting them to think imaginatively to some purpose" in mind, as Margery Morgan says. And there are plenty for one to think seriously about in Major Barbara.

The most interesting is his conviction that no money is untainted. That's interesting because it means the donations and public fundings the environmentalists take in come from no less than the evil polluters themselves, perhaps feeling, which GBS rightly agreed, as the Salvation Army would that they "...will take money from the Devil himself sooner than abandon the work of Salvation." But GBS also wrote in the preface that while he is okay to accept tainted money, "He must either share the world's guilt or go to another planet." From what I can gather from the preface and play, GBS believed money is the key to solve all the problems we have, hence his mentioning of Samuel Butler and his "constant sense of the importance of money," and his low opinion of Ruskin and Kroptokin, for whom, "law is consequence of the tendency of human beings to oppress fellow humans; it is reinforced by violence." Kropotkin also "provides evidence from the animal kingdom to prove that species which practices mutual aid multiply faster than others. Opposing all State power, he advocates the abolition of states, and of private property, and the transforming of humankind into a federation of mutual aid communities. According to him, capitalism cannot achieve full productivity, for it amis at maximum profits instead of production for human needs. All persons, including intellectuals, should practice manual labor. Goods should be distributed according to individual needs." (Guy de Mallac, The Widsom of Humankind by Leo Tolstoy.)

If GBS wasn't joking, then the following should be one of the most controversial ideas he raised in the preface to the play. I quote: "It would be far more sensible to put up with their vices...until they give more trouble than they are worth, at which point we should, with many apologies and expressions of sympathy and some generosity in complying with their last wishes, place them in the lethal chamber and get rid of them." Did he really mean that if you are a rapist once, you can be free and "put up with," but if you keep getting drunk (a vice), or slightly more seriously, stealing, you should be beheaded?

Shaw can be absolutely captivating even when he is being an evangelist for political philosophies that the twentieth century has proven to be nothing but vehicles for repression and mass murder (Communism - Shaw approved of Lenin even when the evidence showed him to be pure evil). This play-among his best (if you can see the movie with Rex Harrison, do not miss it)- has such brilliant dialogue and sparkling humor that it is easy to forget that one is being preached to. Shaw thinks human evil is due to socially deprived environments. Ergo, pour money into poor neighborhoods and social evils will vanish. Unfortunately for Shaw's argument, poverty and human evil are two different things entirely and only intersect occasionally and coincidently. The poor can be poor due to lack of opportunity or due to a culture of self-destructiveness (illegitmacy, drug/alcohol use, disdain for values that lead to achievement, disdain for skills that lead to steady employability). It is difficult to sustain an argument that the poor in the USA are so due to a lack of opportunity when recent immigrants have pretty much taken the available opportunities and ran with them, rapidly entering the middle classes within a generation of arriving here. Shaw simply cannot believe that anyone would choose to remain poor. Well, they can and do, when getting ahead means putting in 40+ hours a week, and not loafing all day on a street corner in an inebriated/stoned condition. Accepting that fact would have saved millions of lives that were sacrificed in the last century in the attempt to build a perfect "worker's paradise".
Leaving the silly premise behind the play aside, Shaw has crafted a startling piece of theatre and uses his magisterial command of the English language to amuse, provoke, and amaze the audience.

The playwright uncovers the debate about war and pacifism. Shaw also illuminates the poverty industry, and shows that all money is tainted. The play is a vehicle for a debate on philosophies, the burning issues of the day. Shaw shows that the audience can laugh and think, in the same play. Probably Britain's best known playwright, after Shakespeare, Shaw shines in Major Barbara

A Midsummer Night's Dream was my first real adventure into Shakespeare and his plays. I had read many of his sonnets and enjoyed them. But reading this play open the door to a whole world of literature that I had been waiting to read for a very long time. This play has three parts that all intertwine to a very entertaining conclusion. I, unlike some of my friends, find Shakespeare's use of 'flowery' language boring. I find his use of the English language to be the tie that holds this work together and without it junior and high schools students, like myself, would not be required to read it every year. This is the kind of Shakespeare play where there's something for everyone. There's fights and leud remarks for the boys and fairies and love for the girls (Sorry for the sterotype but these are what boys and girls usually connect with while reading A Midsummer Night's Dream). Overall I found this book to be a great introduction into Shakespeare's comedies and since I finished it I have read Twelth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet but the comedies still hold a lot over the tradgedies.

This book is the first book that turned me on to Shakespeare. Everytime I read this book, I can't put it down. I must read it over and over again!

I must say that this is my favorite of Shakespeare's works. I was drawn to the love story contained wherein. It has a touch of romance, mystery, and comedy! It is appropriate for anyone looking for a good book! It get's the Big-D seal of approval.

This book is rather strong on data analysis. (linear regression, scattergram, etc.) It also explains various methods (both 2D and 3D) to graphically present such analyses. (e.g. fourier filtering, graphs with lots of interesting diagrams, etc.) I am sure social science people will enjoy this book. Plenty of examples to let you get on track quickly. However, rather weak on explaining theoretical bits (which makes it leave out certain important options and so on.)

N.B. For Mathematica 2.1 or lower.

I've been using this book since 1995. I use version 4.2 of Mathematica now and the fact that Shaw and Tigg wrote it for 2.2 doesn't matter. It teaches ways of thinking about problems in Mathematica that most other books don't even try. I use Mathematica almost daily in my professional life. If I run into a problem with applying Mathematica I invariably end up using Shaw and Tigg(I have 6 or 7 other references) rather than any others. I highly recommend this book. My only regret is that they haven't written a book in applying Mathematica to Boundary Value Problems in Physics. As they are both theoretical physicists I'm sure they would do a great job.

Utilitarianism -- the ethical theory that the moral action is the one that results in the most happiness or utility -- has been subjected to the same objections over and over again since its introduction by Bentham and Mill -- utilitarianism is wrong, because it condones the killing of innocents, it fails to respect human rights, it fails to condemn lying, etc. William Shaw gives an easily-understood but nuanced defense of utilitarian ethics, giving it a credibility that many people fail to recognize after a short consideration. By considering the difference between an institution and an individual, the difference between what is right and what is admirable, and the implications of human limitations, Shaw gives a version of utilitarianism that is very simple to state, but surprisingly nuanced and complex to apply.
This text is ideal for an introdutory ethics or consequentialism class that intends to consider utilitarianism seriously.

Shaw's book provides an excellent introduction to utilitarian ethics. Shaw covers not only the basics, which would be of interest mostly to those unfamiliar with the topic, but also goes into enough detail to stimulate thinking for those who already have a solid grasp of utilitarianism. He covers all the bases. Although he himself espouses utilitarianism as the preferred ethical philosophy, he gives a fair presentation of opposing views. Thus, he is not merely selling an agenda but exposes the reader to views that differ from his. Shaw's book provides many good references that ethical scholars can use to further their own research. But the book is not intended merely for scholars. It would also serve as an excellent text for a course on ethics.

I have to read She Stoops to Conquer for school and it is absolutly terrible. For a play that is supposed to be funny and one of the most comical plays of its time, I find it completly boring. I am not discriminating against the "classics", as I have read many which I have highly enjoyed, but reading this play is a waste of time.

This play is a rollicking satire on the British caste system of that era, seen through the mischief, mayhem, and mistaken identities of this work. Almost a must-read!

This play is a delightful satire about mischief, mishaps, and mistaken identities that throws a quirky but revealing light upon the British caste system of that era. This is a great work, and almost a must-read.

This book is about one of the more interesting groups from WWII. And it does a very good job of describing living in that group and some of the actions they partook in.
But it doesn't provide much context for what they did. Very little about how their actions worked with what was happening between the armies in North Africa and why what they did helped so much.
So if you want to know what life was like in the LRDG, this book is good (not great). If you want to know why what they did mattered - there's not much here.

This is as candid and forthright an account of life in the LRDG as you will ever find. Kennedy Shaw wrote this book in 1943 as the exploits of the LRDG in North Africa were coming to a close and the story flows with a freshness that time has not diminished.

Great book written by someone who was there. Many of the logistics taken for granted by todays special operations groups were thought up by these guys. Interestingly most of the force was made of of individuals from the Commonwealth and not England. For more detailed information go to Long Range Desert Preservation Group on internet.

What would you do if you fell in love with the wrong person? Well Romeo and Juliet are in this same situation. The scene is set in Verona where two household families share the same social status. From the birth of these two enemies come Romeo and Juliet....P>This book was amazing. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. I felt as if I wanted to get in the story and try to fix all their problems. Shakespeare is a creative writer. He put in true life problems that teenagers deal with today. Shakespeare taught me never to give up and to accomplish my goals. In this book, Romeo and Juliet are not allowed to fall in love. Their parents band them from seeing each other and they wouldn't allow them to following their hearts. But they did it anyway. This book taught me to follow what I believe in and to think for myself, not to listen to what other people want me to do. If I did, then my life would have been miserable. The only thing I didn't like with this book was that it was so hard to understand because it was written in Old English.

I recommend the book, Romeo and Juliet, to anyone who loves to read tragic love stories, who is interested in reading Shakespeare's writings, or who is interested in reading an outstanding book.

Romeo and Juliet are the two most known lovers created by William Shakespeare. Their love story is one to be cried for, and it really shows the true meaning of what love is. Many people have claimed and agreed it is the most sad but romantic play ever written, and it really is.
They're a pair of star crossed lovers, who fall in love at first site. Their hopless love is denied from the very beginning: their families have an awful hatred towards each other which has been everlasting. They go through many tests for them to prove they really love each other: Romeo's best friend dying; Romeo's exile after murdering Mercutio, Juliet's cousin; and finally Romeo learning his dear lover's "death".
Although it has a tragic ending, many people say this story is actually happy, for they both die at the same time, and their love is kept together, for eternity.

Romeo and Juliet is a great tragic romance. The story is full of love, violence, passion and hate. It's an excellent epic poem in which Shakespeare tells this tragic story using a beautiful language, very poetic and lyrical. Try it, you'll never forget it.
This story is about a pair of two star-crossed lovers, which take their life in Verona. For years, the feuding of the Montagues and the Capulets has disturbed the peace of Verona.
It all began in a party in the Capulet's house in which Romeo and Juliet made their love vows, and Romeo proposed marriage to Juliet. After this marriage, everything was tragic.
Deaths and fights were constantly a problem in the two houses. So Romeo and Juliet would leave Verona to stop the quarrels, but this plan failed when Lord Capulet told Juliet to marry Paris.
Friar Laurence would make a new plan, to skip this ceremony. Juliet would pretend to be dead and afterwards, when wake up, leave Verona with her love.
This plan also failed because Romeo didn't get to know about this and killed himself when he saw Juliet lying on her grave. Juliet did the same when she saw Romeo lying beside her.
After these deaths, both families realised that hate between them caused lots of deaths. Capulet and Montague made up their quarrel. They promised not to fight again and make a golden statue about the two beautiful star-crossed lovers.

Do you find yourself wondering if someone came in the middle of the night, stole your beautiful child or family member, and left a distant stranger seemingly lost in a nightmarish prison of sensory defensiveness and walled-in isolation in their place? Are you tired of the never-ending battle to stay ahead of screams, mind blindness, and over or under stimulation using medications designed to mask and sedate rather than treat and heal? Well if you want to really begin to understand what is going on, if you want to take charge of your loved one's life and put them on a path to better health and a more promising future, then read this book.

I'm not the publisher, I'm a parent advocate who has spent the better part of the last 8 years living and dealing with Autism and lobbying for awareness and a cure. I'm not the author, but I have met and heard him and an innumerable number of his counterparts speak, and I want to tell you this book is not just enlightening, it's liberating. If you are in anyway involved with someone on the Autistic Spectrum, this book is an absolute "must read".

Dr. Shaw takes the complicated and often convoluted theory, and discoveries of some of the most brilliant researchers, physicians, scientists, and other experts in their fields, and explains, dissects, and relates their research and findings in a way that just about anyone can understand regardless of education or background. His book will help you discover how researchers are finally beginning to unravel the mystery and biological origins of a disorder that as recently as the 1970's was considered a psychological malady often attributed to cold and unfeeling "refrigerator mothers"

Using easy to follow examples and his unique way of relating complex concepts, Dr. Shaw thoughtfully examines the ground breaking medical research, case studies, and clinical trials behind some of the newest treatments and many more looming on the horizon. As you progress through chapters on various topics such as yeast proliferation, allergies, and fungus, you will begin understand the correlation between the gut and the brain, how the various systems of the body interact, and how and why a breakdown in one system directly and indirectly affects the others. Before you know it the dynamics and theory behind such controversial interventions as Secretin and Anti-fungal therapy begin to make sense, and the veil of mystery surrounding Autism seems to lift ten fold.

Although several cases of recovery are presented in the book it should be noted that there is still a long way to go. A lot more research needs to be done, and many more questions need to be answered. After reading this book however, I think you will find many exciting treatment options and a lot of viable alternatives to more conventional medications that merely eclipse symptoms and further submerge personality. More importantly, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness will diminish as your understanding increases and the very real prospects for recovery and eventual cure of this wide-ranging disorder are presented.

This is one of the most comprehensive, up-to-date research available to parents/guardians of autistic individuals. This book gives critical information on treatments that ARE effective in helping individuals diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. Also, parents of children diagnosed with ADD ADHD and learning disabilities will benefit. THERE ARE TREATMENTS FOR AUTISM. Wonderful book which includes parent testimonials.

I have read the reviews of readers of this book (parents?)who have given it less then five stars and I can only assume that they have neither absorbed the implications of this book or more importantly implemented the treatments it recommends. They are doing a real disservice to their children and to readers/parents who consider buying this book. I was a mother with the time and the financial means to try everything and educate myself in every theory and practice under the sun. There are a few things that every child with autism/PDD probably has: an inability to digest the proteins in casein/gluten which cause undigested (food) peptides to both enter the blood stream and feed a yeast/candida problem that pockets the intestinal lining causing a leaky gut. There is also the issue of thimerisol (mercury) in the vaccinations, mercury is a serious neurotoxin. However, The real culprit in this story are the oral antibiotics that are dispensed to our children and destroy the natural flora and good bacteria that maintains our immune system, health and well being. If a child must be on antibiotics Dr. Shaw recommends how to keep this potential problem in check. Bettleheim called these children "the Empty Fortress" they are infact the toxic fortress. A program for health is outlined in this book with the recommendation to first clear up the yeast and after 60 days implement a casein/gluten free diet which by the way sounds much harder then it is. There are loads of recipes and food companies which deliver on the web. It is the beginning of wellness. For me the proof of this books worth has been my child who speaks two languages fluently, plays appropriately and is a joy to behold. The only two serious deletions in this book is the role of mercury (heavy metal and/or chemical detoxification protocols) and the role of essential fatty acids (esp. omega 3) in lessening hyperactivity and easing the ADD issues.For that you should look to other books and the web.

I bought this book with Intermediate Flash skills and intermediate ActionScript skills. This book is far beyond me. That's good and bad. Every chapter can stand alone and the source files are included, but this book won't get me to the next level by itself.

If you are very well versed in ActionScript and the topics interest you as explained in the Editor's review, then this would be a good book for you. If you are an intermediate ActionScripter without the chance to look at this in the bookstore, be cautious, especially if you never return books.

The book does tailor to advanced users, it's just that I bit of more than I could chew. Good luck.

These days there aren't many books out that deal exclusively with ActionScript. There's one from Colin Mook which I like, and the couple others that are out there aren't that impressive. This one isn't worth it's weight in gold but I still find it quite valuable because each chapter is written by a different author, and each of them really seems to know what they're talking about. Assuming that you know your way around Flash, this one won't waste your time going over the usual basics. At times it's a bit difficult to find your way around the sample files, but I'm learning so much just from dissecting them, and the chapters in the book explain reasonably well what's going on. Book looks a bit cheap, but then again, it's not like I'm gonna be using it much once the next version of Flash hits the shelves...

After going through the chapters, I must say there are a few things that disappoint me about this book. The book's layout and design are poor. The information is not well laid out and even though the authors are very well versed, I believe some editorial help on their writing style would have improved the books content dramatically. Understanding that each chapter is written by a different developer, the reader will see that the quality of the explanations varies.

The book has some very interesting concepts and given time and effort an intermediate/advanced flash AS programmer will understand the concepts and theory behind some of the more interesting flash movies on the net.

The authors are true samurai, so if you want to join their clan you're going to need to understand the concepts in this book. If you have your advanced math books from school, you'll want to take them out so you can review some trig and calculus theories, your going to need them.

Novice Flash developers better wait to get this book, trust in my words, you will minimally understand the theories. But if you are adventures, and think you have what it takes. Go for it.

Romeo and Juliet is a great book. It's an interesting book to read. It is about tragic love during Shakespeare's time. Their love was impossible because their families, Montagues and Capulets, hated each other. The book shows how a couple fights against everything for their love. It has a tragic end in which both, Romeo and Juliet die, because nobody accepted their love.
You must have a very good English, to understand it. Because it is written in old English, what, in some parts may confuse the reader.
Though for some moments it may be boring, because it gives too many details, we enjoyed the story, and we recommend it.
It's definitely one of the best books written by Shakespeare.

I think that this is a great book because it tells you how much two people can really love each other and they gave up their lifes for their love.
I have seen the movie version about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and still love the book every time I revisit the story. Every word fascinates the reader into truly feeling the passion and tragedy of these two lovers. Even a character such as Tybalt Capulet won me over as far as description goes. Shakespearean writing is very much complex and confusing but it has a touch romance and anger which adds to the emotion of the story.
Is an excellent story for teenagers, read this classic book of love, hate and tragedy!

Romeo and Juliet is an amazing book, about two starcross lovers have never read a book like this one. What attracted me about the story was that they both killed themselves because of the strong love they had.
Kids from the age of 10 to 13 will understand it without any difficulty. The adult's will like this book but not as kids will do. This book has a lot of emotions from the beginning to the end. I think that Shakespeare was inspired when he wrote this book. He would have been inspired with one of his loves or in England's daily life. I think he is the most important English author of time.
I think it's a great book and I recommend it to anyone that likes tragedy books and like's Shakespeare books.