Highly interesting and useful book with a simple but effective history: put the whole history of civil rights struggle in one line, since the Revolutionary war. The result shows immediately the tiding of the struggle for racial equality, and the correlation of eras of advance with the periods of major war, the Revolutionary, Civil, and Second World Wars to be exact. Too often we see the efforts of abolitionists in the generation before the Civil War without seeing the similar history during the Revolutionary period, and then the falling away of advance into retrogression in the early nineteenth century. And then again after Reconstruction. The rise of the Civil Rights movement after the Second World War, next also to the need to repair the image of the American system in the Cold War, falls into place therefore as the next incremental advance in an undertow of resistance, backsliding and the Jim Crow curse. We seem to be, or have entered, another of the doldrum eras, and the prospect seems alarming, although each period of advance maintains some portion of its gains. At a period of neo-liberal machinations made in Texas we need hardly bother to wonder why affirmative action is under attack, etc...
One has to wonder, finally, at the botched legacy of the Constitutional era. It seems less than fully convincing all at once that the founders were unable to resist compromise. The results have been a horrendous series of obstructions.
As the dot.gov goes into action in Iraq, it is worth wondering if they are qualified. American history shows one way to blow it. Vigilance.

When I read this book, I was surprised to find a almost completely accurate depiction of the African-American experience and race relations. Klikner and Smith validate the claim of Black separatist groups such as the Nation of Islam that the Black man is considered a citizen during wartime and tax time. Their analyzing of race relations during The American Revolution, The Civil War, World War II, and The Cold War show that the status of African-Americans was changed by each war. However the nation took 2 steps back when the attitudes of the White majority changed during hard economic times and developed a reluctance to expand the social revolution that was spurred by the war. The book offers a challenge to all who desire racial and economic equality to continue a unfinished social revolution.

Civil Rights leaders supposedly described their achievements in these terms and thus give the authors the title for their book. Such footwork can only be described as THE UNSTEADY MARCH. Klinker and Smith highlight the periods of progress and retreat through a broad sweep of US history. Beginning with the era of slavery (1619-1860), chapter 1 titled "Bolted with the Lock of a Hundred Keys" obviously describes a period of zero progress. According to the authors there have only been three periods of progress and each can be identified by the presence of specific factors. The thrust of their argument throughout this book is that the special circumstances and the effort, energy, and enthusiasm associated with these factors has both a beneficial and deleterious impact on black progress. Beneficially these are not short-run periods of gain. Indeed the third era of progress beginning with WWII and covering the Cold War (inclusive of Vietnam) from 1941 to 1968 "framed an extraordinarily prolonged period" of gains.

It's not coincidental that this period included WWII, the Cold War, and Vietnam because progress has come only "in the wake of a large-scale war requiring extensive economic and military mobilization of African-Americans for success." This statement by the authors made me think about the message of AMERICAN PATRIOTS: "The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm". If gains by blacks is conditional on wars the treatment of blacks in those wars is a high cost to pay for progress as Gail Lumet Buckley shows in her book. Gaining support for these wars usually means invoking our inclusiveness, egalitarianism, and democratic ideals; elements which the authors identify as another precondition for progress. The third critical factor is that a political protest movement must emerge and be "willing and able to bring pressure upon national leaders to live up to that justificatory rhetoric by instituting domestic reforms."

Progress has been a continual dance of advances and retreats but in their penultimate chapter "Benign Neglect?" the authors express concern over the current climate of complacency. Rather than a threat from any direct action or program of retrenchment, acceptance of present trends is a far greater impediment to continued progress. Through a series of parallels with periods of increased segregation they make a compelling case for overturning the historical pattern and replacing it with a movement towards sustained economic justice and racial equality.

At the moment, educated consensus generally holds that a line of poetry seldom has one meaning. Denniston and Page's text plus commentary of Agamemnon apparently was written before this consensus formed. Denniston and Page are feisty, dogmatic, and insistent that they are right, and are largely reacting to Fraenkel's massive text plus commentary to the same play. They take issue with Fraenkel on a number of points while acknowledging his immense erudition. I have no reservations, however, recommending this edition. It was very useful and well-thought out. I give it a high rating.

There is a particular scene in "Agamemnon" that I always want to point to in order to show students the genius of Aeschylus as a tragic playwright. To really appreciate any of these ancient plays you really have to have an understanding the peculiar structure of the classic Greek drama. The better understanding you have of this structure, as well as the key elements of tragedy as delineated by Aristotle in his "Poetica," the more you can appreciate any of these plays, but "Agamemnon" in particular.

The play is the first drama of the Orestia trilogy, the only extant trilogy to survive from that period; of course, since Aeschylus was the only one of the three great tragic poets whose trilogies told basically a story in three-parts. Sophocles and Euripides would tell three different but thematically related stories in their own trilogies (the Theban trilogy of Sophocles is an artificial construct). In "Agamemnon" it has been ten years since he sailed away to Troy, having sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to get fair winds (the tale is best told by Euripides in "Iphigenia at Aulis"). For ten years Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra, the half-sister of Helen, has been waiting for his return so she can kill him. In the interim she has taken Agamemnon's cousin Aegithus as a lover.

This brings into play the curse on the house of Atreus, which actually goes back to the horrid crime of Tantalus and the sins of Niobe as well. Atreus was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, who a generation earlier had contended with his own brother Thyestes for the throne of Argos. Thyestes seduced his brother's wife and was driven out of Argos by Atreus, who then became king. Thyestes eventually returned to ask forgiveness, but Atreus, recalling the crime of Tantalus, got his revenge by killing the two sons of Thyestes and feeding them to their father at a banquet. That was when Thyestes cursed Atreus and all of his descendants and fled Argos with his remaining son, the infant Aegithus.

This becomes important because Aeschylus has two people in the palace at Argos, each of whom has a legitimate reason to take the life of Agamemnon. But in this version Aeschylus lays the crime at Clytemnestra's feet. When Agamemnon returns with his concubine Cassandra, daughter of Troy's King Priam, the insane prophetess symbolizes all sorts of reasons for Cassandra to renew her desire for vengeance. However, it is also important that Agamemnon reaffirm his guilt, and this he does by his act of hubris, walking on the scarlet carpet.

Now, one of the key conventions of Greek tragedy was that acts of violence happened off stage, in the skene, which in "Agamemnon" serves as the place at Argos. Consequently, the Athenian audience not only knows that Agamemnon is going to be murdered, they know that once he goes into the "palace" he is not coming out alive and at some point a tableau of his murder will be wheeled out of the skene. However, despite this absolute knowledge Aeschylus manages to surprise his audience with the murder. This is because of the formal structure of a Greek tragedy.

Basically the tragedy alternates between dramatic episodes, in which actors (up to two for Aeschylus, three for Sophocles and Euripides) interact with each other and/or the chorus, and choral odes called stasimons. These odes are divided into match pairs of strophes and antistrophes, reflecting the audience moving across the stage right to left and left to right respectively.

After Agamemnon goes into the palace and the chorus does an ode, the next episode has Clytemnestra coaxing the doomed Cassandra into the palace as well. With both of the intended victims inside, the chorus begins the next ode. Once the first strophe is finished the corresponding antistrophe is required, but it is at that point, while the audience is anticipating the formal completion of the first pair, that Agamemnon's cry is heard from within the palace. The antistrophe is the disjointed cries of the individual members of the chorus, in contrast to the choral unity of the strophe.

This is how Aeschylus surprises his audience with the murder of Agamemnon, but using the psychology of the play's structure to his advantage. Because we do not have any examples of tragedy that predate Aeschylus, it may well be more difficult to really appreciate his innovation as a playwright. But while the Orestia as a whole is clearly his greatest accomplishment, it is perhaps this one scene that best illustrates his genius. While the fatal confrontation between Clytemnestra and Orestes in "Choeophori" has the most pathos of any of his scenes, there is nothing in either it or "Eumenides" that is as brilliantly conceived and executed as the murder of Agamemnon.

Literary criticism, especially Classical, may someday get better than this, but it has not happened yet. This work and the accompanying volumes provide us with a model of literary criticism without equal.

Oh, let's not forget the play iteslf. This is Aeschylus' finest surviving work, and is excelled only by Sophocles Theban trilogy. The translation, should you need it, is first rate. I especially love the opening scene describing the network of lights across the Aegean announcing the fall of Tray, and setting into motion the mechanisms of destruction for the house of Atreides.

The interpretations and graphics on these cards make them a real delight to use. I am actually playing tarot. I have used many different decks but this is by far the clearest for me. This is a great way to introduce sports minded men to this wonderful practice.

I just purchased this set as a his/her wedding shower gift and everybody just loved them. They were passed around from person to person, the ladies and the gents each finding something of value from them. The art work is beautiful, the book very complete, and the card discriptions are really very insightful. They explain things in an easy to understand, applicable to today way. They were a hit. I have about 4 more people I'm going to buy decks for including myself. I doubt anyone would be dissapointed in this set. Certainly unique for a collector of either Tarot cards, or baseball paraphernalia. Thanks :-)

The Baseball Tarot made the tarot understandable and enjoyable for my boyfriend. It is written in terms that are meaningful to him. We really enjoy our Tarot readings with these cards.

This has to be the most memorable kids book in the world. After having read its Amazon reviews, I now know I wasn't the only little kid that HAD to have it read to them all the time! The illustrations are so memorable and the moral is priceless. At 23, I still remember the line "I love my house, I love my nest, in all the world my nest is best." The book resides at Grammas house and will continue to be read to generations to come.

THIS BOOK WAS BOUGHT FOR ME WHEN I WAS A CHILD. IT IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR CHILDREN AND I CAN REMEMBER TO THIS DAY THE VERSE THAT IS REPEATED IN THE BEST NEST ON MOST OF THE PAGES. "I LOVE MY HOUSE ,I LOVE MY NEST IN ALL THE WORLD MY NEST IS BEST. I AM NOW 35 AND I AM SO PLEASED I HAVE FOUND THIS BOOK TO BUY ONLINE AS I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT EVERYWHERE SO THAT I CAN READ IT TOO MY KIDS AND I HOPE THEY LIKE IT AS MUCH AS I DID. ANYONE WITH SMALL CHILDREN SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK.

By far, The Best Nest was my FAVORITE book growing up. My mother would read it to me every night before bed, singing Mr. Bird's songs. Quite enjoyable.

Good work and a must have for people dealing with networks daily.

I totally agree with the other reviewers. Reading this book is an enjoyment.

Better yet, this book has both to-the-point explaination _and_ example on all topics.

I would say, if you wanted to learn tricks to doing things, this is for you. Don't forget this book concludes with full examples/templates showing how people configure their ISP core and edge routers/switches.

Written especially for network engineers by Cisco experts Barry Raveendran Greene and Philip Smith, Cisco ISP Essentials is a 428-page, matter-of-fact, "access friendly" guide to the many versions of Cisco IOS Software, and cogently explains how to ensure the best configurations that provide Internet access, as well as having a reasonable expectation of security. Offering a wealth of detailed technical information at the expert level, configuration diagrams, examples, and much, much, more, Cisco ISP Essentials is an indispensable and recommended guide, serving the Cisco using community as a much-needed supplement to the often confusing documentation of the Cisco IOS Software itself.

This I am serious. This is just about the first Lovecraft book I ever got. If I were to go broke or die I will certainly not get rid of this one. In this book are all of Lovecrafts finest works. Though I must say to read them at first you will not understand quite fully,especially if for the first time reading Lovecraft. I recommend reading: The Loved Dead, The Hound, The Rats in the Walls and, Nyarlathotep.

An excellent compilations of many of the short stories that did not make it into many of the mass market anthologies of recent years. Though yes, it also has a few of the old standbys like the Call of Cthulhu and At The Mountains of Madness. The small font and two-column layout means that there is a good deal more material in this book than the page count might tend to imply.

This is the definitive collection of Lovecraft; if you've never read his work, but want to check him out, this is the place to start.

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read the Windows 2000 Security Handbook (W2KSH) to learn how to advise clients on improving the survivability of their Windows 2000 platforms. Like its predecessor, Tom Sheldon's excellent "Windows NT Security Handbook," W2KSH delivers practical content in a digestable format. I recommend Windows 2000 system administrators read and heed this book.

Good operating system security books are thorough, educational, and honest; W2KSH is all three. The authors are not mindless Microsoft prophets -- consider this sample from page 501: "It seems that Microsoft just does not get it when it comes to the need for robust auditing/logging of services... the logging configurations are totally inadequate." To deal with these and other deficiencies, W2KSH provides installation, configuration, and deployment recommendations. This advice, on topics like Active Directory, user and group management, and file systems, equips system administrators to survive hostile network environments.

As an intrusion detector, I was most happy to read how the Microsoft security model operates, and what components present the greatest vulnerabilities. I appreciated explanations of system and discretionary access control lists, and how to effectively employ them. I learned Microsoft includes Web, FTP, SMTP, and NNTP features in Internet Information Service (IIS). I also became aware of best practices for secure deployment of a Microsoft infrastructure.

W2KSH has a few problems. Like Microsoft products, its "backwards compatibility" revealed weaknesses. For example, some text was lifted directly from Shelton's earlier book, but necessary background material was omitted (see pages 86, 88-90, 148). This issue was awkward but minor. I also did not leave the book with a strong understanding of the different types of groups in Windows 2000. Such complexity is not the authors' fault. They show that the OS' dozens of options leaves plenty of room for misconfiguration, leading to compromise.

If you're familiar with general security practices, skip Part I (TCP/IP, threats, countermeasures, and policies). I recommend the authors mention these topics briefly in the introduction and move the bulk to appendices. Start with Part II, and keep your highlighter handy. W2KSH gives balanced insight into the workings of Windows 2000, and helps system administrators and security personnel better understand the opportunities and liabilities of running this operating system.

Can you imagine a book on Operating System Security actually being a good read? This one is just that!
As a SQL Database guy finishing up my MCSE 2000 with the "Win2K Security Design - 70-220" exam, I sought, and found, a resource to solidify and integrate all of the Win2K security concepts covered in earlier exams. I sought a book that was very readable, and I was willing to allow that, by itself, it need not be completely exhaustive as a MCSE exam #70-220 study guide.
Bottom Line: This book was a home run for me. My comfort level with concepts of IPSec, PKI, EFS, threat types, auditing and firewalls has risen remarkably. On the down side, the book is relatively basic and the fairly lengthy coverage of Active Directory, group policies, etc., may be overly ambitious for this book, and is probably better learned elsewhere in a dedicated AD book. In a larger sense, however, this book really delivered the goods, as specified above.

Now I need to identify another resource with which to complete my Security Design studies.
As a sidebar, I have found the first 75 pages of Coriolis' "Exam Cram: Win2K Security Design" to be so full of wordy fluff-speak as to abandon it.

I've read many books on Windows NT and Windows 2000 security. Most did not live up to my expectations. They were difficult to read and you needed a Computer Science/Engineering degree to understand them. In my opinion, this book is THE best book on Windows 2000 Security. Mr Cox and Mr Sheldon wrote a very easy to read, easy to understand, and most importantly, an easy to follow recipe for securing your Win2K systems. This book should be in every adminstrator's library. If you don't have this book, you deserve to be hacked! I teach system security, and this book is a valuable tool and resource, not just for me, but for my students. This is money well spent!...

I purchased this book because in my job I encounter various personalities every day. Some of these personalities are something else and make work difficult for everyone. I wanted some ideas on what to do and how to help everyone involved with these difficult people. This book has offered some good ideas that I am willing to put into practice...who know where it could lead.

Finally! A book that puts managing in perspective. Cudos to Dr. Phillip Hunsaker and Dr. Anthony Alessandra. This book is well written and easy to absorb all the principles and theories. It covers all the bases and is up to date.

I've read at least 7 other books on managing others: the motivating team leader, how to supervise people, the 10 steps to empowerment, team building is not a one-minute ..., but this book is unique in that it doesn't only provide some checklists for how to proceed, but it also covers behavioral, personality, and decision making styles. It helped me identify my styles and preferences, and told me what to watch out for when interacting with others. I spent weeks reading other guides, but this I highly recommend.

Please feel free to email me if you'd like more insight into this book.

An excellent resource for the serious International dancer. It contains great information on body & foot mechanics. Alex Moore may not have been able to dance international, but he certainly can explain it well.

This book presents maneuvers that are very leadable. The lady
can follow the man without knowing in advance what he will do.
The very detailed technique is based on the bio-mechanical
necessities of good dancing. It has been the most respected
book on ballroom dancing worldwide for decades. It is useful
for teaching yourself without a teacher, if you are a serious
student. It covers international style, which has some figures
in common with American style. Where they diverge international
sticks to leadable figures, American to showy figures.

A new version of this book is actually available through the ISTD. It is a very helpful book, with thorough charts for all the standard dances. There is also a comparable book for Latin.

I remember in the 1970's when Alvin Toeffler's "Future Shock" was on the best seller list. I devoured it and made it a central part of my "Weltanschauung". It swept the whole country. When a friend told me about "Bold New World", I read it and felt quite sure it would also make the best seller list and would sweep the country. I was really surprised when it didn't, even though it did go through more than one printing. Some of what Knoke predicted is already a fact of everyday life - five years later. I'm sure a new edition will eventually be printed, but this one is still current.

The book is aptly subtitled: "the essential road map to the twenty-first century". The central theme of the book is that we now live in a "placeless society" - a society that is being restructured in every way. How we communicate, how we learn, how we bank, how we fight wars, how we create wealth, how we govern and are governed are all in flux. The world is being restructured for the 21st century. The 20th century will be thought of as the last century when people do not routinely interact with machines.

"Place no longer matters". We live in the age of "Everything-Everywhere". He examines the environment, migration, telecommunications, ethics, computers, war, money and other topics. Each chapter starts with several vignettes that take place sometime in the future. A few of the vignettes are a little far-fetched, but most are interesting and thought provoking, even five years after they were written. He has thought provoking ideas in many areas about what the world in the next millennium will be like:

Financial Centers are less important. Lenders and borrowers do not have to meet face to face or even be in the same place. Banking can be done across state national boundaries. Paper isn't so important, and neither are middlepersons.

Warfare will be changed, since an enemy could attack your capital without ever setting foot on the border.

Terrorism will replace warfare as the biggest threat to our security.

Government will eventually become a world government. National governments may lose some of its control to multinational corporations.

Economy: The infinite global labor pool will cause the labor unions to lose their grip over industry. Robots will continue to displace humans in increasingly complex tasks. The world will not be "unemployed", but rather "redeployed". In the Stock Market "Merrill Lynch's neural network...immerses itself in historic stock market data and teaches itself to recognize patterns of behavior in pricing. ... The more information such systems digest, the more they develop an uncanny ability to anticipate future events." In capital intensive projects such as aircraft or spacecraft, the best technologies from all over the world will be melded together into one or two designs used worldwide. Multicurrency accounts will enable writing and cashing of checks in any currency.

Large Corporations will fragment.

Telepresence will be developed so sights, sounds and tactile feelings will be transmitted just as words are transmitted over the Internet now. Datasuits will enable people to visit with and touch one another when they are located in different parts of the world. The computer revolution is in its infancy. "The true computer revolution has yet to begin."

Transportation Hypersonic flight, supertrains, and highly specialized fleets of cargo ships will transform our world. the expense of shipping overnight packages across the country is no more than shipping them across the street. Distances will still exist, but they will no longer so powerfully determine how society will be organized.

Demographics People will no longer have to live where they work. They will no longer be place bound. Population centers may shift, and may become less important as some people move away from more populous areas.

Schools and Learning will be uncoupled. Schools no longer need buildings (library, classrooms, auditoriums...). Lifelong learning will be required in lieu of or in place of degrees. Learning will be done in a body suit -- in a simulated environment that responds with artificial intelligence. Education will be redesigned to mimic reality. The student will be free to explore. "Countries that thrive in the twenty-first century will be those adapting their educational systems to the Placeless Society."

Religion is likely to have a resurgence as people strive to cope with rapid change.

Knoke covers a whole series of challenges the world faces that result from the changing foundations of society: Terrorism, xenophobia, detached labor force, pollution, radioactivity, environmental degradation, social class and a host of other problems.

Knoke is an investment banker, business consultant, and futurist. He has written a book that's thought provoking and well worth reading.

I remember in the 1970's when Future Shock was on the best seller list. I devoured it and made it a central part of my Weltanschauung. It swept the whole country. When a friend told me about Bold New World, I read it and felt quite sure it would also make the best seller list and would sweep the country. I was really surprised when it didn't. Some of what Knoke predicted is already a fact of everyday life - five years later.

The book is aptly subtitled: the essential road map to the twenty-first century. The central theme of the book is that we now live in a placeless society - a society that is being restructured in every way. How we communicate, how we learn, how we bank, how we fight wars, how we create wealth, how we govern and are governed are all in flux. The world is being restructured for the 21st century. The 20th century will be thought of as the last century when people do not routinely interact with machines.

Place no longer matters. We live in the age of Everything-Everywhere. He examines the environment, migration, telecommunications, ethics, computers, war, money and other topics. Each chapter starts with several vignettes that take place sometime in the future. A few of the vignettes are a little far-fetched, but most are interesting and thought provoking, even five years after they were written. He has thought provoking ideas in many areas about what the world in the next millennium will be like:

FINANCIAL CENTERS are less important. Lenders and borrowers do not have to meet face to face or even be in the same place. Banking can be done across state national boundaries. Paper isn't so important, and neither are middlepersons.

WARFARE will be changed, since an enemy could attack your capital without ever setting foot on the border.

TERRORISM will replace warfare as the biggest threat to our security. Government will eventually become a world government. National governments may lose some of its control to multinational corporations.

ECONOMY The infinite global labor pool will cause the labor unions to lose their grip over industry. Robots will continue to displace humans in increasingly complex tasks. The world will not be unemployed, but rather redeployed. In the Stock Market "Merrill Lynch's neural network...immerses itself in historic stock market data and teaches itself to recognize patterns of behavior in pricing. ... The more information such systems digest, the more they develop an uncanny ability to anticipate future events." In capital intensive projects such as aircraft or spacecraft, the best technologies from all over the world will be melded together into one or two designs used worldwide. Multicurrency accounts will enable writing and cashing of checks in any currency.

LARGE CORPORATIONS will fragment.

TELEPRESENCE will be developed so sights, sounds and tactile feelings will be transmitted just as words are transmitted over the Internet now. Datasuits will enable people to visit with and touch one another when they are located in different parts of the world. The computer revolution is in its infancy. "The true computer revolution has yet to begin."

TRANSPORTATION Hypersonic flight, supertrains, and highly specialized fleets of cargo ships will transform our world. the expense of shipping overnight packages across the country is no more than shipping them across the street. Distances will still exist, but they will no longer so powerfully determine how society will be organized.

DEMOGRAPHICS People will no longer have to live where they work. They will no longer be place bound. Population centers may shift, and may become less important as some people move away from more populous areas.

SCHOOLS AND LEARNING will be uncoupled. Schools no longer need buildings (library, classrooms,auditoriums...). Lifelong learning will be required in lieu of or in place of degrees. Learning will be done in a body suit -- in a simulated environment that responds with artificial intelligence. Education will be redesigned to mimic reality. The student will be free to explore. "Countries that thrive in the twenty-first century will be those adapting their educational systems to the Placeless Society."

RELIGION is likely to have a resurgence as people strive to cope with rapid change.

Knoke covers a whole series of challenges the world faces that result from the changing foundations of society: Terrorism, xenophobia, detached labor force, pollution, radioactivity, environmental degradation, social class and a host of other problems.

Knoke is an investment banker, business consultant, and futurist. He has written a book that's thought provoking and well worth reading.

Everything causes cancer. Right? Well, this book has thatsentiment beat. According to Knocke's theory, everything in today'ssociety causes people to become "placeless." The author would have you believe that if you aren't connected to a "community" you just might blow up a Federal building, or the World Trade Center, or drop chemical agents in a crowded subway, or believe there is an alien spaceship behind the nearest comet. But, who would do those things? I couldn't put this book down. It was like ripping the ski mask off my neighbor's face and really seeing him for the first time. I kept thinking that the author must be a little off. After all, who is going to believe that Boeing and McDonald Douglas will merge? Yep, he writes about it way before it happened -- AND he tells you why it happened! The placeless society is so unnerving that you shouldn't read it alone. Buy two; give one to a dear friend who likes to talk things over. This book definitely has a "place" on the keeper shelf in my house.