RAND, as usual, produced a first-rate study here. In this text, they looked into commercial SATCOM for Department of Defense use, what roles it should fill, and cost comparison between DoD-owned satellite versus commercial satellites. Many graphs adorn the text, adding useful information to make conclusions clearer and vivid. Anyone interested in commercial satellites and the role they should play for the DoD should buy this book. No hyperbole or propaganda here, RAND's text is useful text and solid conclusions that layperson and communicator alike can understand.

Thomas Sullivan provides a clear, consise, and easy to use reference guide for anyone to use. This book not only contains actual text of some major environmental laws, but it also sites case studies and court decisions, all in an easy to read format. This book is a must for anyone dealing in environmental matters, and is a good source of reference for anyone concerned with the environment and public policy.

By digging up and adding to the 1950 manuscript of writer DeWayne B. Johnson, researcher Kenn Thomas (author of "Popular Alienation," "The Octopus: The Secret Government and Death of Danny Casolaro" and publisher of the Steamshovel Press) has shown in "Flying Saucers Over Los Angeles" that UFOs are as American as unlimited defense spending, and are not the sole obsession of nutjobs. The book chronicles dozens of provocative news accounts from the 1940s onward, including the "Battle of Los Angeles" in February 1942, in which the US military fired over 1,400 rounds of ammunition at a strangely shaped craft, which General George Marshall thought was an enemy spycraft. The book cites umpteen examples of sightings of saucer and cigar-shaped craft in the period after World War II, as seen by credible witnesses, such as police and pilots. Even in the 1950s, before the age of massive distrust in the government, there were just too many sightings to be dismissed as mass hysteria, hallucinations, weather balloons, aerial phenemona, etc. Johnson's work, as relayed and amplified by Thomas, also explores explanations of alien technology, but comes down on the side of UFOs being military-created. Overall, the Johnson/Thomas approach to the material is well-researched, responsible, logical and void of histrionics. There's even a very entertaining appendix of news clippings from the 1940s and 1950s, which not only puts the history of UFO study into perspective, but also provides a window to the social history of the period through the other news stories that shared the newspapers' pages. The language of "journalism" in these mid-century pieces from the LA Daily News, The LA Times, and the Daily Mirror (yes, Angelenos once had a choice of more than one bad paper) is often quaint, hilarious, and creepily contemporary. For instance, one front page story recounts a Kevorkian-style mercy killing trial. Such nuggets are all a bonus for readers interested in getting an introduction to the history of the UFO situation in America, or to bolstering their viewpoints. History is indeed on the side of those who know that strange, top-secret objects flit around the sky on a daily basis, and that they're footing the bill for it all.

This is a supplement for 2nd edition D&D that covers the historical period of the Roman empire and translates roman myths and folklore into D&D terms.

It provides a good timeline for the empire, an okay section on roman adventures and the roman world, but the great section is the 2nd edition class and kit write ups. It provides for political soldiers, gladiators, oratory before the Senate, street thugs in the capitol city, witches, and priests for all the ectsasy cults and Roman gods. It is set in a low magic background as are all the historical settings but the magical details are great including the three witch spells it includes (dream curses, love charms and protective amulets).

I bought this book for a college class. I really like the cover, I don't know why. It has some pretty good facts in it besides the same ol' polysci stuff. If I wanted a text book just to have about the US government, I would probably get this one. It wasn't a bad price either.(I bought it from a dealer).

This book was really helpful in terms of seeing both sides of the hate speech debate.

This book does a nice job of explaining the beginnings of what we now call "international political economy," but it's difficult to follow at times. In order to understand much of the book, you need an understanding of various economic theories, and the book, though it tries to explain some basic concepts, still relies heavily on terms that may not be clear to someone who is not familiar with economics and economic theory. Aside from that, however, the book is pretty clearly written.

The watercolors of JMW Turner have the concise, simplified vision of contemporary art even though they were painted in the mid 1800's. This survey shows the progression of this master of light and delicate color from tightly delineated landscapes to the atmospheric , nearly abstract vistas of his late career. The reproductions are supported by quotes selected from writings contemporary to the paintings. This book provides an inspirational overview of the work of Turner and belongs in the library of the serious watercolor artist.

Just curious if the author would investigate any role Liverpool Mormons might have had in the war between the US Army, Stephen Douglas, and the Democratic Party, vs the Mormons and Indians of Utah, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. I stumbled into this as I investigated the USM Lady Elgin Shipwreck
at http://groups.msn.com/LadyElginShipwreck

This book is a concise and handy refrence for turfgrass professionals. It is organized in three sections covering weeds, insects, and diseases. Unlike many other texts on pests that deal only with identification, Watschke et. al. actually go on to cover the more difficult issue of control strategies. The use of more color plates, and better placement of the color photos throughout the book would be nice. I'd rate it five stars were it not that all of the color plates are consolidated a center photo section. This may reduce costs, but in my opinion detracts greatly from ease of use.