Governments

Pam Fleischaker writes with the savvy of an insider and the compassion of an outsider. Whether she is writing about her own typically tortured adolescence, which included not being asked to the high school prom, the challenge and joys of mothering teenagers, or Oklahoma's conservative political climate, her clarity and sharp wit are cutting-edge. These essays are engaging slices of life, most of which address themes with which we can all identify, naming issues with which many of us struggle. They are fun to read, accessible and touching.

This collection of essays is a thoroughyl engrossing read. MS. Fleischaker's observations of family and raising children are funny and poignant, and you don't have to share the author's decidedly leftist politics to appreciate her insight and passion. This is definitely worth checking out, especially if you live in (or are from) the Southwest.

I am a former Russian journalist and a documentary filmmaker who has also worked at NASA in the US.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" touches on many more subjects then just Russian Defense Industry. This is a very thorough, informative and important work that analyses the history of US and Russian Defense Industries, weapons exports and conversion, and possibilities of transformation from a militarized to a civilian economy in the new millenium.

The book also reflects on the current state of defense industries in the US and Russia, and "brain drain", or loss of intellectual capital in Russia and other countries after the Cold War.

I found reflections in Arkady Yarovsky's chapter "From the Culture of War to the Culture of Peace" very contemporary, especially in the light of recent events in the Middle East:

"Our time is unfortunately still characterized as "the culture of war." The culture of war is evident first and foremost in the hostilities between people and states, between nations and faiths, and in the inability to solve conflicts by peaceful means... Humanity has made it into the third millenium because the lust for power has been restrained by fear of nuclear war, but this restraint is not to be counted on permanently... The danger hidden in the separateness of people of different countries, unfortunately, remains a legacy for the next century... If humanity renounces the legacy of the culture of war, it can start down the road of cooperation, peaceful creation, and enlightenment. This is the only road leading to the culture of peace."

One can imagine that I, as a small child living in San Antonio, Texas, next to three Air Force bases and an Army base, living through the Cuban missile crisis, thought about the threat of the Russian military. I also met my parents' wonderful emigre' friends, and to this day have had warm relations with Russian people.

This book tells of the enormous cost to the Russian people of building and maintaining their war industry for so many years, a militarized economy where people got second best. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, defense industry just about shut down, but civilian industry has not grown great enough to support the population. There are horrendous unemployment, and terrible health and social problems. There is some danger that the path of least resistance for Russia, if we neglect the situation, could be to re-start weapons production, for export at first.

In my opinion, the United States also, to a lesser degree, has neglected the manufacture of quality consumer goods, importing them instead, and has let its physical economy deteriorate, despite much activity in the financial sector. We, too, have been insufficiently careful of the environment. This book provides some idea of what these trends could lead to, if carried to extremes.

Perhaps the involvement of United States companies in Russia, could lead to more of a recognition here, of the importance of the physical economy. Hopefully, both countries could also work to put industry on a healthy environmental footing as well.

There is awareness of the problem of Russian defense conversion, at high levels of our government. I hope this book helps educate people and sustain that interest.

The first time I read this boook was in a college course. It was a good text for a class, being straightforward but also sparking many entertaining and intricate discussions. Now that I am done the class, Divine Love and Wisdom is a wonderful book to pick up and read whenever. It desribes the Sun of heaven and the relationship between this world and the next. For solid and simple to understand ideas about God and His nature and the effects the spiritual world has on the natural and vice versa, this is a versatile and thought-porvoking book that I highly recommend!

These books are a wonderful guide to how this life relates to the next and how God directs all life. They answer questions about why bad things happen, the purpose of life, and order in the universe, in a philosophical way that is practical and easy to understand. If you are looking for something deeper than scientific answers, I highly recommend Divine Love and Wisdom and Divine Providence!

Dr. Michael Kryzanek has a well established scholarly reputation in comparative politics and government, with an emphasis on Latin American area studies. Now it seems that his preparation and intelligence have resulted in a tremendously honest and necessary American Politics text that urges it readers to think carefully and profoundly about the pluralistic elements of every aspect of American politics.

Whether one approaches an understanding from the left or the right Kryzanek gives you the opportunity to educate yourselves ideologically and recognize that many of the facts that are used to justify conflicting political positions are the same even as they disagree. He convincingly involves his readers as one who is attempting to "objectively" explain the attributes and vicissitudes of American politics. And he does a remarkably good job at it!

An easy reference to the major structural issues in US politics. The writing in consise, precise and the information is presented in a very easily digestible style.

This brief, colorful and inexpensive book permits students to achieve a sense of ownership and participation in their government. At a time when young people feel disconnected and overwhelmed by the complexity of government, The Annual Report summarizes just where the federal government's money comes from - percent by source and exactly where it goes cents per dollar. Major government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, Social Security and Welfare are described simply and succinctly. I have used this book for about three semesters and it is wildly popular among students at graduate and undergraduate levels. All aspects of government are made accessible from the deficit to the decisions of the Supreme Court. The demographics chapter is a masterful work of art simplifying who we are and how we are changing as an American family and a population. The lists of elected officials and administration representatives with how to contact each is a valuable reference. The current affairs commentary represents a seamless connection between daily news and history. The numerous charts and graphs communicate a vast web of statistical data in clear simple terms with a context and a trend apparent and memorable. This book has led more than one student to feel more ready to participate in government by voting, writing to elected officials and thinking about how government should respond to sometimes intractable problems. The changes in the military are reported unblinkingly and in detail. For teachers who like data, for students who like short, simple and interesting, this is an excellent companion book to the standard text in a wide variety of content areas from public administration to community organizing, from history to managing a non-profit. I look forward to the next edition and thank the author and publisher for great layout and design and pithy usable content.

Meredith Bagby, again, "boils it down" for us and "gives it to us quick", as she cuts through the bureaucratic techno-speak we call "government" and puts it into understandable English.

I found this to be a very insightful and sensitive look at modern asylum policies in Europe. It is written for a broad audience--from political scientists to students to individuals interested in this very topical and important issue area.

Recommended for a better understanding of the current crisis facing Europe and the United States. I grew interested in the topic because everyday there is news coverage, including much in the New York Times.

I'm a college student and was asked to read this book for one of my classes. Going into reading this book, I knew absolutely nothing about the history of immigration, the details of the legislation, or the problems our nation is facing.

The first thing that makes this book stand out from other similar books I have been reading for this course is that the book is organized. There are 11 articles by various authors and Mills does a great job in splitting these articles up into 5 categories.

Every article was easy to read and understand. There were many times when I would get so into a story that I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. Mills did a great job in selecting articles that didn't just pour facts and statistics at you.

The most important thing I enjoyed about this book is that Mills did not take a side. The book contained articles that were for immigration, against immigration, and some articles that were neutral. I did not feel like I was being pulled in one direction with this book. Through these articles, the reader is left to decide whether he or she believes immigration is a good thing.

Immigration is a very big topic, but Mills did a great job in discussing almost every aspect of immigration in a very unbiased way.

This text is a composition of short essays that lends insight into one of the most controversial issues of today. It provides the framework for a heated debate by arguing various perspectives of immigration. It's a quick read (not dry at all!), informative, interesting and succinct. Highly recommended for those who know very little about the controversy surrounding immigration and would like to catch up.

The well known poem, starting with the line "For the Want of a Shoe, the Horse was Lost,"serves to describe the talents of William R. Nester. In this information packed book we see a wide range of individual and collective actions of Native Americans, Fur Trappers, Explorers and Financiers in the development of the American West. Then Nester carries these inter-related actions to a higher plain to show how they would impact on the larger, international scene down the historical path.

Many of us are all familiar with the Arikara War when there would be armed conflict against elements of Ashley's and Henry's party as they ascended the Missouri River. Nester applies more than enough information to ground his readers in these series of episodes. But he also shows in the larger picture how the Arikara, Hidatsa and Mandan would eventually emerge as middlemen in both commerce and trade over a truly wide geographical range, such as Santa Fe, British operations and St. Louis trade. The Arikara War would become the harbinger of things to unfold in both commercial and political developments and their impact upon America's Western regions.

Some would clamor that such conflicts were evidence that Hudson's Bay Company, British agents and others were out to incite Native Americans against American interests in the middle Missouri trade.. While such charges might have been unfounded, they would be useful in attempts to gain governmental support and motivate public opinion.

An added dimension for this book is Nester's analysis of the evolution and shifts of power among different Native American tribes. A good example of this are the results of the 1837 small pox epidemic that would shift the balance of power on the so-called middle Missouri region. The Lakota Sioux, apparently less severely affected in this epidemic, would emerge as the most powerful tribe. This would be a far more important factor in the decline of Arikara influence than the expedition of General Henry Leavenworth and a military detachment and a group of Sioux Indians against the Arikara nation. A peace without complete victory would cause the Arikara to continue to be potential adversaries. With the shift of power the Sioux Indians would come to the front to be a considerable threat in later years until the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1891 would close that chapter.

A number of us (including me) attribute the loss of the beaver trade primarily to the change in fashion to silk top hats. Nester shows that the beaver supply had begun to run out a considerable time before the last rendezvous held at Green River in 1840. Resulting efforts to find new beaver regions would also have their impact upon both local and international relations. The resulting shift to the buffalo trade would continue until those animals practically disappeared in the 1880s.

It would not be trappers or explorers but the constant avalanche of American settlers who moved into the Northwest regions that sealed the fate of those areas, which British authorities ceded to the United States in 1846. Here we see a wide range of causes and resulting effects on the American West in a finely crafted, well researched book. Rounding out this presentation are the appendices, which include a well done index, chapter end notes and an extensive bibliography of titles for additional research.

The first military encounter between the fledgling United States government and western Indian tribes was the Arikara War. In 1823, at the height of the fur trade, Arikara warriors attacked an American trapping expedition on the Missouri River in what is now South Dakota. 230 solders, 50 aggrieved trappers, and 750 Sioux allies retaliated against the Arikara under the command of Colonel Henry Leavenworth. The result was the defeat of the Arikara and a debate between Americans advocating the firm subjugation of the Native Americans and those who held to more pacific and accommodationist philosophies. The Arikara War: The First Plains Indian War, 1823 offers both white and Indian perspectives as it examines causes and effects of this little, time-lost war. William Nester's informative, engaging text is enhanced for students of Native American history with paintings by Bodmer, Catlin, Miller, and other period artists. The Arikara War is also available in hardcover....

This book has all the gun laws word-for-word and in plain English too.

The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide includes all the state gun laws for having, buying, selling, carrying and using firearms; plus, the use of deadly force and self defense, concealed-carry licenses, special weapons, gun safety, school and kid laws, transportation, federal laws... you get the most complete coverage available for your state's handling of the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Includes more than 150 self-test questions, 22 lethal-encounter scenarios for study and discussion, much more. Used in classes statewide and widely endorsed. Every gun owner needs a gun owner's guide. Why take chances, don't guess, and don't be sorry later.

•Answers your questions about owning, carrying and using guns

•It's like an entire firearms law library at your fingertips

•It doesn't make sense to own a gun and not know the rules

•You sure don't want to be in trouble for a rule you never heard of

•Ignorance is no excuse-it's better to know the rules

•You have a right to know what the laws are

•Cheaper than a lawyer, and better than many!

•It's actually fun to read!

•If you knew all your rights you might demand them

Alan Korwin has done a great job of summarizing the legalese in Arizona laws pertaining to guns and their utilization in this state. In clear and concise English, he explores the ins and outs of gun ownership, legal self-defense with a gun, carry restrictions, concealed-carry licensing, and legal definitions. Illustrated with cartoons to help you remember via visualization. Can you carry a concealed weapon with a license to do so in a restaurant? Check the book, and it tells you under what circumstances it's legal. What are the requirements to be issued a concealed carry license? Check the book. In short, it's an indispensible bible to be sure you walk the line responsibly with a firearm in Arizona. Ignorance of law is no excuse, and although Arizona is one of the most "firearms friendly" states in the union, there are pitfalls for the uninformed. This book covers them well and thoroughly.

Dr. Stuart Wright brings together experts in sociology, psychology, criminal justice, constitutional law, and the media to analyze data collected, witness testimony, and survivor accounts of a tragedy in Texas. For anyone wanting the truth of what really happened in Waco, this is a good start. The authors present a sociologically sound study of many of the dynamics affecting the events in Waco. The Branch Davidian's orgin and what ultimately happened in Waco are also clearly detailed.

Having grown up in a separatist, non-denominational, apocalyptic, congregation, I knew I would not be an unbiased reader of this collection of essays. What I was not prepared for was the shattering of almost all I had thought to be true, all I had learned through television and newspaper reports and commentaries on the Waco siege. In this media age we are bombarded with so much information, our senses constantly stimulated- It is difficult to step back from any situation and see it for what it is. This exhaustively researched collection is profound, moving, and thought-provoking. It places the Waco tragedy in a larger context, one we as a society have, for the most part, failed to recognize. The collection explores the roots of this conflict- the way in which marginalized religious groups are woven into the fabric of the identity of our nation. It then expands to explore the psychology of those involved, breathing the life back into those names and faces that had been pressed and packaged into stereotypes by less precise reports. The collection also addresses the specific legal and constitutional issues. Waco was a tragedy for us all, this collection gives us the ability to begin to understand it, and all the forces that lay the groundwork for it's escalation, from our own prejustcies, to the media's distortions, to the governments role in balancing religious freedom with societal order. My interest, as I said in the beginning, was personal, but I finished this book understanding the events in a universal context. I would highly recommend it to anyone concerned with broadening their perspective.