A while ago I found myself having to purchase my 7th computer in 14 years. An initial casual interest had turned into a daily necessity for personal business, business-business, communication and fun.

The 6th computer had crashed - fine one moment, gone the next (luckily a conversation with a friend had prompted me to buy a zip drive and do a full backup only two weeks before.)

I realized I needed to know much more about the options before I purchased, that my peripheral hardware and software needs were steadily increasing, and there were so many terms I just didn't really understand.

I found the Home Office Handbook - thank goodness. Rapidly the mysteries became comprehendible. The guides helped me immensely to intelligently determine what I did and did not need - even to predict which future additions would be compatible. Quick tips and a dose of humor kept it from being a chore.

I know I saved both time and money (and much frustration.) Thank you, Barbara Butler.

Home Office Handbook is great! It tells you what to do with technology in the home office and not just how to decorate the office. And I needed help. I manage a group of apartment buildings at a univerity town and have an office in one of the buildings and another in my home. This book was a major help in figuring out wht I needed in each office and how to connect the offices. It also helped the technician that was working with me.

Rupert Butler has done a great favour to all those interested in Balkan history but for whom the skein of Balkan history appears at times much too tangled to unravel and certainly much too difficult to tackle in the single slender volume.

Butler's choice of organisation on a chronological and country by county basis follows the gradual growth of the Hitler Jackal Pack in Italy and Central Europe (Vichy France is excluded). This is straightforward enough but he also manages to consistently interweave select reoccuring themes. One of these is the way the general populous regarded Naziism and their country's growing relations with a party formed on racialist lines. It is clear that although there were large parts of the population that supported and aped Naziism in an attempt to ingratiate and carry out their own Nazi revolutions, there were also genuine patriots on the left and right with little time for the foolish pedantry of Nazi racial ideologues.

National parties in Romania and Hungary were at least partially successful in breaking the full force of Nazi attempts to penetrate all aspects of society: King Boris managed to keep Bulgarian troops out of Russia; Admiral Horty managed until 1944 to keep Hungary free from occupation by Germany and, both countries managed to hold off intially the full impact of the main ideological assualt from Naziism against the Jews. In many cases nationalism was the bulkwark against both Naziism and Communism with national parties consolidating power in the early stages of the war at the expense of home grown Nazi parties. In Rumania the forces of the right were actually able to purge and lock up Rumanian Nazis and institute a nationalist/ fascist regime while at the same time currying favour with Hitler.

Hitler's role was at first pragmatic. By using pressure tactics he was able to make a deal with nationalist parties in the Balkans in his persuit for their ultimate paticipation in his War against Russia and, at least tacit compliance in rounding up Jews.

But national parties, with the exception of Bulgaria, at the end of the day were still not able to avoid Hitler's demands of participation in the War against the Allies and specifically sending units to the Russian front. In addition, the progressive elimination of the Jews, so central to Hitler's foreign policy, could not be inevitably put off with scions like Heydrich, Himmler, Frank and Eichmann roaming the Balkans. When nations lost their nerve in the war they were directly occupied by Germany, as Hungary was in 1944, and national nazi-like parties given the riegns of power by their German masters. This allowed the latent Nazi killing machine to directly kick into gear and brought national anti-semites to butcher and kill with impugnity.

In all of the countries with the exception of Croatia (perhaps Hitler's most rabid jackal) the real terror and wholesale killing of political opponents and Jews began after the demise of national parties, such as when King Boris of Bulgaria died and when Admiral Horthy of Hungary was placed under arrest and power given to the Arrow Cross (Hungarian Nazis of a particularly brutal ilk).

Butler also traces the role of these countries as allies of Germany in WWII. Despite stereotypes the soldiers of almost all of the countries, particularly Rumania, fought well in Russia, moreover they produced their fair share of outstanding pilots. Their main downfall was lack of proper equipment and clothing for campaigning in Russia. Each country had no ideological axe to grind with Moscow but all profited in the early Nazi victories by adding significant slices of territory to their national boundaries.

The participation of all countries comes alive in this book and there is plenty to keep one interested. We see individual nations with their own domestic problems and achievements factored into their WWII role. Butler does not mash all countries together to yeild a grand theory. Continuums in fervour for the Nazi cause existed and come out in this book. On one side was the incredibly sadistic rule of Ante Pavelic in Croatia (it would be hard to find a more willing Nazi nation), to the national governments of Horthy (Hungary) and Antonescu (Rumania) struggling to maintain power along national popular fascist lines, while all the time keeping at arms length (and at times suppressing national Nazi movements); to King Boris of Bulgaria covetous of Northern Greece and parts Rumania yet determined to avoid war with Russia.

Despite the occassional stands of national resistence movements in the Jackal nations there is not too much to be proud of here for the respective countries. Although Hitler threatened and inveigled, there we far too many willing adherents to Nazi ideologies in these countries and they showed this in their willingness to profit on the territorial gains given initially by German victory and their zeal to exterminate Jews. Admiral Horthy has recently been ressurected in Hungary as a hero in the struggle against Germany, but it is clear from Butler's book that no amount of national re-examination or attempt to look for heroes in these times can erase the guilt and collective shame for the actions of the "Jackal Pack' in this desperate period.

Rupert Butler has done a great favour to all those interested in Balkan history but for whom the skein of Balkan history appears at times much too tangled to unravel and certainly much too difficult to tackle in the single slender volume.

Butler's choice of organisation on a chronological and country by county basis follows the gradual growth of the Hitler Jackal Pack in Italy and Central Europe (Vichy France is excluded). This is straightforward enough but he also manages to consistently interweave select reoccuring themes. One of these is the way the general populous regarded Naziism and their country's growing relations with a party formed on racialist lines. It is clear that although there were large parts of the population that supported and aped Naziism in an attempt to ingratiate and carry out their own Nazi revolutions, there were also genuine patriots on the left and right with little time for the foolish pedantry of Nazi racial ideologues.

National parties in Romania and Hungary were at least partially successful in breaking the full force of Nazi attempts to penetrate all aspects of society: King Boris managed to keep Bulgarian troops out of Russia; Admiral Horty managed until 1944 to keep Hungary free from occupation by Germany and, both countries managed to hold off intially the full impact of the main ideological assualt from Naziism against the Jews. In many cases nationalism was the bulkwark against both Naziism and Communism with national parties consolidating power in the early stages of the war at the expense of home grown Nazi parties. In Rumania the forces of the right were actually able to purge and lock up Rumanian Nazis and institute a nationalist/ fascist regime while at the same time currying favour with Hitler.

Hitler's role was at first pragmatic. By using pressure tactics he was able to make a deal with nationalist parties in the Balkans in his persuit for their ultimate paticipation in his War against Russia and, at least tacit compliance in rounding up Jews.

But national parties, with the exception of Bulgaria, at the end of the day were still not able to avoid Hitler's demands of participation in the War against the Allies and specifically sending units to the Russian front. In addition, the progressive elimination of the Jews, so central to Hitler's foreign policy, could not be inevitably put off with scions like Heydrich, Himmler, Frank and Eichmann roaming the Balkans. When nations lost their nerve in the war they were directly occupied by Germany, as Hungary was in 1944, and national nazi-like parties given the riegns of power by their German masters. This allowed the latent Nazi killing machine to directly kick into gear and brought national anti-semites to butcher and kill with impugnity.

In all of the countries with the exception of Croatia (perhaps Hitler's most rabid jackal) the real terror and wholesale killing of political opponents and Jews began after the demise of national parties, such as when King Boris of Bulgaria died and when Admiral Horthy of Hungary was placed under arrest and power given to the Arrow Cross (Hungarian Nazis of a particularly brutal ilk).

Butler also traces the role of these countries as allies of Germany in WWII. Despite stereotypes the soldiers of almost all of the countries, particularly Rumania, fought well in Russia, moreover they produced their fair share of outstanding pilots. Their main downfall was lack of proper equipment and clothing for campaigning in Russia. Each country had no ideological axe to grind with Moscow but all profited in the early Nazi victories by adding significant slices of territory to their national boundaries.

The participation of all countries comes alive in this book and there is plenty to keep one interested. We see individual nations with their own domestic problems and achievements factored into their WWII role. Butler does not mash all countries together to yeild a grand theory. Continuums in fervour for the Nazi cause existed and come out in this book. On one side was the incredibly sadistic rule of Ante Pavelic in Croatia (it would be hard to find a more willing Nazi nation), to the national governments of Horthy (Hungary) and Antonescu (Rumania) struggling to maintain power along national popular fascist lines, while all the time keeping at arms length (and at times suppressing national Nazi movements); to King Boris of Bulgaria covetous of Northern Greece and parts Rumania yet determined to avoid war with Russia.

Despite the occassional stands of national resistence movements in the Jackal nations there is not too much to be proud of here for the respective countries. Although Hitler threatened and inveigled, there we far too many willing adherents to Nazi ideologies in these countries and they showed this in their willingness to profit on the territorial gains given initially by German victory and their zeal to exterminate Jews. Admiral Horthy has recently been ressurected in Hungary as a hero in the struggle against Germany, but it is clear from Butler's book that no amount of national re-examination or attempt to look for heroes in these times can erase the guilt and collective shame for the actions of the "Jackal Pack' in this desperate period.

Butler Shaffer's scholarly interpretation of the political attitudes and actions most prevalent among America's business leaders in the two critical decades following World War I is uniquely satisfying. The author, a professor of law, reveals himself to be well grounded also in economics, history, and philosophy, as well as possessed of an insider's feel for the political agnosticism of large corporations and industry associations. Given his talents and his apt approach to the subject, Shaffer has made an important contribution to the literature.

[Shaffer] clearly demonstrates that the postwar period was not, as commonly depicted, the final hurrah of laissez-faire. On the contrary, "with the war concluded, leaders from a number of industries undertook a campaign on behalf of a system of 'cooperation' and 'self-regulation' for American industry" (p. 28). In a virtual summation of his book, he writes, "World War I may not have made the world safe for democracy, but it did give encouragement to some business leaders that a system of 'business cooperation,' subject to legal enforcement by the government, could become a functional reality in order to make competition safe for business" (p. 28).

The 1920s were marked by a political tug-of-war over business policy. On one side were corporate leadersand career politicians, such as Herbert Hooverwho saw in the War Industries Board the precise mechanism they craved to control competition and to force "order" on the economy. On the other side were advocates not of laissez-faire, but of so-called self-regulation. Trade association "codes of ethics," developed by most industries during or after the war, were intended to achieve identical goals through voluntary restraints on competition. The Harding and Coolidge administrations tended to be very receptive to the latter approach. The now-predictable result, of course, was that without enforcement authority, industry leaders spent their energy excoriating the "ten-percenters," who refused to cooperate, or trying to outlaw one example after another of "unfair competition." Almost every imaginable method of competition was attacked during the 1920s.

The election of Herbert Hoover (derisively called "Wonder Boy" by Calvin Coolidge) and the subsequent crash of the stock market provided both a rationale and the support for business to regain the wartime mechanisms for controlling competition. One Hoover administration initiative after another garnered strong support from the business community, but as economic conditions worsened, the demands for intervention grew more radical. Then, with the worsening of the Great Depression and the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the support and the rationale both soared to new heights. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of 1933, far from a program passed over the objections of business, was actually the culmination of fifteen years of special pleading by business leaders. Shaffer's book dispels any remaining doubts about its genesis as a plan endorsed and lobbied for by business. The facts and the quotations are numerous; their impact is overwhelming.

This book is an excellent study of how business collaborated with government during the New Deal era. The origins of the NRA and how it stifled trade and raised prices for consumers is a key part of this book.

Having reread it a third time, notwithstanding anything, this is the greatest book of poetry ever written. Some of these poems, perhaps, need time to work their full effect on the psyche, but one such as "We Children" (below) can be loved, even by a child:

We played checkers
on the banisters
while our sun was bright
and petunias wound their way
upward on a string

By evening we gathered together
on the doorsteps
listening to ghost tales
or watching how stars blinked
and planets stood still

At night we put our board and me away
while flowers closed their blooms
and with phantoms raging in our heads
We shut our eyes
and slept as quiet moons.

Indian Summer Poems by Butler Brewton appeared several years (in 1997). I read it then and loved it and recently, I rediscovered it, read it again, and I find it to be a truly great work. These poems are extremely special. They strike me as classic. My impression upon reacquainting myself with them is that there is something timeless in their beauty. This book is truly a must for every lover of black literature. Mr. Brewton's poems seem drenched with the very essence of life. Here is a writer, who seems to have savored rich experiences, who has known many
facets of life, sadness, love and death. He is familiar with the seasons, with nature, the South, the requirements of survival and the relations between men, women and children. It was with apprehension of something truly brilliant being lost, that I read the comment that this book is almost out of print. I was eager to reread a stanza from a poem ("Cutting Down My First Tree") of his I have always remembered:

It was something like a scream,
The sound that ax made
Striking through the bark
To slice the raw wood beneath;

And when I was able
To wiggle the small blade out,
It was wet with living sap
That let me know that tree was growing,
Would have given fruit to keep the woods
alive;

But once you fell a tree
The next is easier than the first;
And I needed more than one
To quench my youth thirst;

I had not helped the woods
By cutting down that tree;
And I asked for forgiveness
On my guilty knees;

But that tree that took the fury
Of my first and thirsty blade
Left me preoccupied with the sound
That wet flesh made.

If you do not know the Jeeves stories, you are in for a wonderful treat. If you do, your appreciation will grow with the witty reading in this unabridged audio cassette version.

This is a series of short stories that make for nice listening and are just the right length for short car trips. I found myself sitting in front of the store or in my garage several times laughing and smiling as a story wound to a close. I think you will, too.

Bertie Wooster is the narrator, and he is longer on connections and money than brains. Seldom out of bed before late morning, his idea of a busy afternoon is watching the cars go up and down Fifth Avenue from a window in his club. He is English, but is residing in the United States for many of these stories. These stories take place in the early part of the 20th century.

But the hero of every story is Jeeves, his man (valet and butler). Jeeves is one of those brainy chaps who can always find a way. He tries to save Bertie from himself (especially when it comes to unsuitable fiancees and clothes), and always succeeds. Sometimes Bertie feels rebellious and indulges himself anyway in his taste for "far out" clothes or even a mustache. That can put a dent in their relationship, but Bertie always repents and does it Jeeves' way in the end.

Bertie has two redeeming qualities. He loves to help his cronies, who are usually subsisting off some distant aunt or uncle or other. Disaster is always pending should such distant relative stop sending money or write the pal out of the will. In a flap, they come to Bertie for help. He summons Jeeves.

The resulting schemes are always full of hilarious plot complications. Bertie may be off pretending to be someone else while the crony is in jail. Or Bertie may be loaning Jeeves, his apartment, and his clothes to someone else while Bertie unhappily skulks in a hotel room. He does his best to entertain a lot of very conservative people, whom he mostly alienates.

Bertie's other redeeming quality is that he sincerely appreciates Jeeves. To which Jeeves replies, "Thank you, Sir."

This reading beautifully captures the flightiness of Bertie and the subtle nuances in Jeeves. You'll feel like you are in the room as unexpected events intervene, and you can't think of what to do any more than Bertie can. Thank God for Jeeves! The reading also makes wonderful use of the dated language and customs to give the listener a sense of a distance time. They become very charming in this context.

After you finish enjoying these droll tales of witty satire, I suggest you think about all of the places where working together can achieve more. You may not be able to find Jeeves, but you may be able to accomplish more by allying with others whose strengths complement yours and fill in for some of your weaknesses.

Top hole, old chap!

P.S. I was also glad that the recording included a little about P.G. Wodehouse's espousal of the Nazi regime around the time of World War II, for which he became quite unpopular in England. Wodehouse eventually became a naturalized American citizen. The stories do not allude to facist causes or ideas, but even when reading popular fiction it is good to know all about the author's background. Some may wish to boycott the stories on principle, and I can't say I blame anyone who does.

Wodehouse's famous Jeeves and Wooster series comes to life wonderfully in this reading of Jeeves Takes Charge. The reader gives character and adds humour to Bertie and Jeeves that makes an outstanding addition to this fabulous collection of stories. Wodehouse's parody is constantly hilarious and the hijinks and faux pas Bertie find himself in get funnier all the time. Highly recommended for both the J&W expert and novice.

As an expatriate Aussie searching for a guide to everyday Aussie slang to show my Canadian friends, I can say that this is by far the best one I've seen - and essential if you want to order a beer in Oz! Its section on Australian Aboriginal culture and languages is also excellent and informative for non-Aboriginal Australians as well as visitors - it was put together by a group of respected Australian linguists.

I'm an Aussie who was given this book as part of a going away present. I am living in America for a year. The night before I left my sister and I read to each other parts of this book. We were both in stiches, laughing at parts of our culture, colloquial expressions, and Aussie English which we normally don't give a second thought. This Phrasebook really gives a good insight to many of our 'ways' and explains what we are saying half the time. Is it necessary? Well I know if I speak in America the same way I speak at home no one can understand me! So yes, grab this book if you are heading to Australia, or are just interested in our lifestyle. The book also has a large and interesting section on Aboriginal culture and language. This is something many Australians living in the cities do not know much about. Other topics given a go are, food, wine, sports, and lots of other information about Australia and Aussies!

Joy has really put something special together here. Not only is the information explained in easily understood terms using specific (if manufactured) examples, but the readers on the tapes speak well, slowly enough to be clearly understood, and made me feel comfortable listening to them. (I swear that James' voice reminds me of the narrator from that really popular Civil War documentary...) Confused about Copyrights? Don't understand why a Poor Man's Copyright won't hold up in a court of law? Want to know the difference between a mechanical license and a performing rights license? Interested in the legal differences between major record labels and independent labels? Want to know how best to go about retaining a music lawyer, should you need one? There are a whole host of other answers to frequently asked questions on the subject of music law - each one answered succinctly (and without talking down to the audience that would be listening to it, which I feel is very important), then cross-referenced in the small booklet that's included. It's a portable guide that will give you the basics without requiring you to read a huge tome on the subject. This is one of the best references I've seen on this very confusing topic in YEARS. For ...... - less than most printed publications on the subject, I'd say this is a *very* worthy investment.

The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle is head and shoulders above most of the other books on the industry. It cuts right to the chase without getting bogged down in legalese. Not only is the interview format easy for the layman to understand, but the audiobook gives him action items that he can use immediately. I also commend Joy Butler on the accompanying booklet. While other books contain page after page after page of dense text that can be at times hard to follow, the booklet summarizes the most important parts of music law in just 62 pages. It also has one of the easiest to understand breakdowns of how to calculate your record royalties I've ever seen.

My niece has lots of questions about lots of things (3 yrs.old) and it is a continuous challenge to occupy her active mind. This book was a great find for her. She has a new bilinqual friend at pre-school and is excited about learning to talk the way her friend can talk! As these kids have a growing awareness about their bodies and many other things, it is great to find books like this that teach and expand a child's world awareness. Lots of fun and highly recommended.

One of the main reasons I got this book was because of how easy it made the information to learn for kids. This book is filled with fun illustrations labeled in english and spanish. Each page also has two sentences, one in each language, which use the featured part of the body in a sentence. I would definitely recommend it!

If you are going to have one paper resource on your desk it has to be the Nature Yearbook! Whether you are looking for the name of the CEO or the annual company R&D spend this reference book has it all. For speed it even beats the net - rather than spending ages trawling company websites for the right contact, the Yearbook has it all in one place. It also has great essays on this year's biggest stories, an analysis of big international players (Japan v USA v EU) and even favourite Nature columnist 'Daedalus'.

If you need Science info at your finger tips, I highly recommend you buy this!

If you are going to have one paper resource on your desk it has to be the Nature Yearbook! Whether you are looking for the name of the CEO or the annual company R&D spend this reference book has it all. For speed it even beats the net - rather than spending ages trawling company websites for the right contact, the Yearbook has it all in one place. It also has great essays on this year's biggest stories, an analysis of big international players (Japan v USA v EU) and even favourite Nature columnist 'Daedalus'.

If you need Science info at your finger tips, I highly recommend you buy this!

During World War II, James A. Dunn was a signalman on the USS Mason, a destroyer escort and the only ocean-going warship in the American navy to employ African Americans in positions other than cook or messmate. Manned by African American seamen (and commanded by white officers), the USS Mason made ten crossings of the Atlantic from 1944 to 1945, escorting convoys of merchant ships to and from the United Kingdom and North African, and operating in hunter-killer groups searching for German submarines. Dunn kept a day-to-day diary during his spare time on board the Masson. He recorded the daily life aborad the ship, including the duties and pastimes that made shipboard life endurable. The diary also reveals what it meant to be an African American in a white navy within a segregated American society -- including the shipboard tensions, cooperation and sense of unity. On Board The USS Mason is a unique and invaluable contribution to the growing body of World War II literature and eye-witness accounts, and will be of immense interest to students of Black Studies and American military history.

The crew of USS Mason's action in the North Atlantic was a showing of a well disiplined well led brave group of men. Being from Boston, Mass. I am aware of thier heroic actions,the DE Mason was built here at the Charlestown Navy Yard when I was about 6 years old. I personally feel the Captain on down took a real royal screwing.The Captain's log showed reason enough to be reconized but it was ignored by some predjudice Brass higher up the chain of command. The book well presented! A USMarine(caucasion)Korean Vet