The author presents the reader with an inside view of a law enforcement agency that has many unheralded successes and a few well publicized imperfections. The ATF is well respected by members of law enforcement and despised by many anti-gun control advocates and is often the subject of curiosity by those not directly alinged with either position

What has not been known until Vizzard authored this book, even by many of it's own employees is the influences of not only other government agencies but the anti-gun control organizations as well as party politics in the development of polices and missions by the leaders in this Bureau.

I spent nearly a quarter of a century as an agent with ATF and it's predecessor organization. I arrived on the scene (1959) as the heyday of liquor enforcement was fading. I was assigned to Bureau headquarters during the years when the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Explosives Control Act of 1970, were enacted into law. I served in various managment positions in Washington, DC and later spent time on the firing line in two district offices (Detroit and Louisville) as the Assistant and finally as the Special Agent in Charge. My last two years with ATF before my retirement in 1983, were spent working on the streets and I received first hand knowledge of what it meant to be a "street agent" operating under the rules established as the result of the influence of internal and external politics.

The author has managed to capture the nuances of the pressures involved in enforcing laws that are not popular with segments of our society that have political clout. Politics are not limited to outside the agency and Mr. Vizzard has analyzed these as well. This book should be required reading for all special agents now on the job, former agents will be surprised to learn just how little they really knew about what was happening behind the scenes while working for ATF, all persons interested in government operations and even those persons who take umbrage of the law! s enforced by this battered but still proud agency will be impressed with the contents of "In The Cross Fire."

I was an ATF Agent and manager from April 1972 until Jan. 1997. Based upon my knowledge and experience, I am convinced this will be the best book ever written about ATF's history and development thru 1997. It is MUST reading for anyone who has ever been an ATF Agent, or anyone who is seriously interested in understanding ATF and how it got to be the way it is.

Among other things, it provides the most concise, thorough, accurate and comprehensive account of the tragedy at Waco that most readers will ever review. For this alone it is worth reading (and this opinion includes my own study of (1) the Treasury Dept.'s own report on The Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell, AKA David Koresh, which is for sale by the U.S. Gov't Printing Office, and is well worth reading in its own right; and (2) hours before the TV in 1995 watching the House Congressional subcommittee hearing on Waco, which was completely inadequate, confusing, misleading and an absolute failure at discovering the truth - proof once again that politicians fail to get almost anything right). So if you really want to build your understanding of the events at Waco, read this book.

And the book is about much more than just Waco. It tells the real source of ATF's strengths (its agents, not its management), and why, because of these agents, with their "determination to perform in spite of inadequate resources, training, policy, leadership, and political support", ATF has been able (at least in the past, but probably not now or in the near future) to successfully compete with the FBI, an agency that was/is "far larger, better known, more prestigious, and infinitely better funded". And if you read carefully, you might even learn why this superior performance is doomed not to continue.

If you are an ATF Agent, with the typical love/hate relationship that most agents have with ATF, this book will speed you again through all of the conflicting emotions you have felt. And if you are one of ATF's critics, you will learn many things you did not know or even consider knowing before reading this book, and hopefully will begin to understand that in many instances you have criticized things that do not deserve criticism, and have failed to criticize the things that do. If you care at all about ATF, pro or con, READ THIS BOOK!

I was in ATF agent from April 1972 until I retired in January 1997, serving as both a field agent and a manager. Because of this experience and knowledge, I am convinced that this will be the best book ever written about the history of ATF. It is MUST reading for anyone who is or ever has been an ATF agent. It is also must reading for anyone who is seriously interested in understanding why ATF is as it is, and how it got that way. Among other things, it provides the most concise, thorough, accurate, and comprehensive overall account of the tragedy at Waco that I have ever read or heard. For this alone, it is worth reading. And this opinion includes my own complete study of (1) the Treasury Dept.'s own report on Waco, to wit, the Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell, aka David Koresh, which is for sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, and (2) hours before the television listening to the complete live Congressional house subcommittee hearings on Waco (incidentally, completely confusing and misleading, and an absolute failure at discovering facts - proof once again of Congress' repeated failure to get almost anything right). So read the Treasury Dept.'s report if you want (it is actually worthwhile), or waste your time watching Congress, but if you really want to know, read Vizzard's book. But the book is about much more than just Waco. Read it and learn the real source of ATF's strength (it's agents, not its management), and why, because of these agents, with their "determination to perform in spite of inadequate resources, training, policy, leadership, and political support", ATF has been (at least in the past, but probably not now or in the future) been able to successfully compete with the FBI, an agency that was "far larger, better known, more prestigious, and infinitely better funded". And learn (if you read carefully) why this superior performance is doomed not to continue in the future. If you are an ATF Agent, with the traditional love/hate relationship that most agents have with the agency, this book will speed you again through all of the conflicting emotions you have experienced on the job. And even if you are one of ATF's most severe critics, you will learn many things you did not know or even consider knowing before reading this book, and hopefully you will even begin to understand that in many instances you have been criticizing things that do not deserve criticism, and failing to criticize things that do. If you care at all about ATF, pro or con, READ THIS BOOK!

The delivery for this book, seemed to take forever, but it was well worth it! If you have an interest in the complete history of the Iron Cross, then this is a fantastic book with a wealth of research covering the entire life span of this decoration. I know there are a few other publications which also specialise on the Iron Cross, but I have not yet been fortunate to obtain these, so one cannot provide a fair comparison!

However, what makes this book special, for me, is the inclusion of many clear, and detailed, photographs of the rarer awards, such as the Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds, Grand Cross, German Cross in Gold with Diamonds, etc., which are a must for those of us who have never before seen quality photographs of these, let alone viewed them in the flesh.

The reason I could not give the book 5 stars is due to the number of reproductions I spotted. Firstly, let me stress than I am NOT an expert, but a collector and like all good collectors, I research a piece before making a purchase. My research has highlighted many fakes which are currently on the market, and I was disappointed to find some of these in this book. Given that, in some of these cases, the recipients insist these are their original awards, it would be impolite of the author to say otherwise, but I feel that comments should have been included to say these do not confirm to known originals. One has to remember that these books are a constant source of reference to the collector and as such these need to be perfect! In fairness, the perfect reference book has not yet been written which covers these awards, or has it? What if this is as good as it gets?

Personally, I would like to have seen more variations on construction methods on the 1st Class from the 1914/1939 period but one has to respect that this is a research on the history of the Iron Cross and not a catalogue of variations.

In summary, a very fine book, just let down slightly by a few dubious pieces!

An excellent reference source for this well-known award, full of interesting text and wonderful photographs. The photos alone are worth the high-end retail price. This work is not just for the medal collector, but for anyone with an interest in history.

This is the most compete book I ever had about the german Iron cross. It is fully illustrated with a lot of details. It will helps a lot those who begin a medal collection. The other book about the same subject are often uncomplete and poor illustrated. It is a plus for a good military collection.

As an adult who is also cross-eyed (and named Jennifer), I have mixed feelings about this book. I read it myself when I was about five, but didn't remember anything about it except that I thought it was neat that I had the same name as her, and I remember also playing "pirate" like Jennifer Jean did.

I found the book again as a adult, and it upset me mildly. Jennifer Jean wears a patch and glasses for a few months, and then Ta-Da! Her eyes are fixed forever. Excuse me? Maybe this has happened to some people, but it certainly isn't my experience or an experience I've heard of before. I had to wear a patch for over five *years* and had multiple surgeries, and my eyes are still not normal and never will be.

I do remember liking this book when I was little, but as an adult I wonder if this could be very upsetting to a child who goes through a hell of a lot more then Jennifer Jean did and still does not have straight eyes.

I also do not like the public getting the idea that being cross-eyed is something you can just "fix" by wearing something for a few months. It is not.

This book is a wonderful choice for a child suffering from a disability or for those who interact with a child who is different in some way.

My daughter was born with a lazy eye which was fixed with an operation. She also has Tourette's Syndrome which tends to draw negative attention to her.

I thought the author did a wonderful job balancing the acceptance of ones disabilities with the need of fixing or improving probelems when possible. Our different children need to feel loved just the way they are. This book conveys that message but gives encouragement to the child to do the hard things needed to be done to get better.

An excellent book with gorgeous illustrations.

I'm not sure who gave us the book or why, but I do know that to this day it is one of my favorites. It was a great story for everyone. I shared this book with my two older sisters at the time we were of ages 5-8. Then I used some of the teasing phrases to torture my sister Elizabeth Jean but now I just bought a copy to give to her as a present for her first child. I know that she will have the same fond memories of the book as I do. It is just one of those books you NEVER forget and one you always want to have on your shelf.

The King James Version (KJV) is probably the best-known version of the Bible. And it is truly an excellent translation. First off, it follows a "formal equivalence" (word-for-word) translation principle. IMO, this principle is much more accurate than the "dynamic equivalence" (thought for thought) principle that most modern-day versions follow.

In addition, the KJV is based on the "Textus Receptus" (TR). And again, I consider this Greek text to be more reliable than the "Critical Text" (CT) that most modern versions utilize. Although, I actually prefer the "Majority Text" (MT) to the TR, but these two texts are very close, much closer to each other than either is to the CT.

But it must be noted that the KJV is not the only version that follows a formal equivalence principle and is based on the TR. There are several other such versions, such as the New King James Version, Modern King James Version, and the Literal Translation of the Bible, while my own Analytical-Literal Translation is based on the MT.

Moreover, each of these other versions utilize modern-day English and thus are relatively easy to read while the KJV's use of the Elizabethan English can make it very difficult to understand.

Now I know there are many "KJV-onlyists" who consider the KJV to the only true Bible, while all other Bible versions are called "perversions." And their diatribes even attack versions like the ones I list above. But I have taken the time to investigate their arguments and have found them to be faulty.

I present my counter-arguments to the KJV-onlyists' arguments in much detail in the section on "KJV-onlyism" in my book Differences Between Bible Versions, so I won't try to get into that discussion here. I'll simply encourage the reader to consider both sides of this argument before making a decision on it.

All that said, if you can understand the KJV then by all means utilize. But if you find the KJV difficult to read, then before condescending to read a less reliable dynamic equivalence version, or worse, giving up on reading the Bible altogether, I would suggest checking out one of the versions I mention above.

My Bible version book will provide aid in understanding the issues I address above and in choosing a Bible version. Along with looking at the versions mentioned above, my book also reviews over 25 other versions of the Bible.

The Cambridge Concord Bible is an excellent reference Bible. The bold print, India paper and the calfskin leather cover make this another excellent, high quality, King James Bible published by Cambridge University Press.

In addition to the fine quality of workmanship you will also be getting a pure copy of the uncorrupted Word of God (i.e., the Authorized [King James] Version Bible), which is more valuable than gold.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." (Psalm 19:7-11)

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalm 12:6,7)

This Cambridge edition exhibits all the best skills of the Bible maker's craft, from cover and binding to the paper, quality of print and extra content. A beautiful book!

The cover is genuine calfskin leather in burgundy finish that is great to the sight and touch, and very durable. The very fragrence itself betrays the quality each time you remove it from the slip-cover box.

This is a red-letter edition printed on india paper with center column references and dual ribbon markers. The Cambridge Bold-figure Reference System provides for easy cross-references with no distracting letters or numbers in the text itself (A single bold-face number in the center column identifies the verse[s] to which the reference applies).

It includes a well organized presentation and Family Record section in the front, along with guides to pronunciation and notation, explanation of the reference system and the original 'Translators To The Readers' of the 1611 King James Translation.

Other useful features are the Concordance, Bible Dictionary and maps. A Concordance included in a personal Bible format must, of necessity, be abbreviated and of selective content. In my opinion, the editors did a good job of making useful selections and presenting a good depth of content.

The same may be said for the included Bible Dictionary, well selected content and references to usage in scripture. I would add, the Bible Dictionary seems to be complete as regards proper names - although there is no explanation to that effect, I have so far found no notable exceptions.

The fifteen color maps are clear and also very useful, covering the 'The Biblical World of the Patriarchs' to 'Modern Israel'. There is also an index of place names to locations on the various maps, a useful feature missing from most Bibles and a great study aid!

The delicate balance between generous margins and light weight is shifted in favor of light weight in this edition. If you make notes in your Bible's page margins, this one may be a challenge! But it does not tire your wrist as you read.

It comes in a sturdy slip cover case that allows for easy storage on a book shelf and will protect it for years to come.

The tenth commandment is 'Thou shalt not covet...', but I must confess that this Bible belongs to my wife, for the time being...

I have read that book and I found many interesting stories about how culture affect our live which I've never imagine it before and I learn a lot about many different unique cultures around the world and if you want to know more detail about culture differences and compare them, you should read this book.

I just got this book from the publisher and have decided to use it for my cross-cultural development class. No other book that I have found does an even remotely adequate job of combining cross-cultural research and human development. Teaching this class should be a lot easier.

I have used this book as a textbook in a sophmore - junior - senior level university course in cross-cultural psychology. It is so readable, that students report that they read ahead just for fun. Recommended for anyone interested in how culture affects our lives.

While most pre-pregnancy books focus on the medical aspects of pregnancy and childbirth, this wonderful little book looks at the cultural and spiritual aspects of becoming a mother. Full of poems, stories, true anecdotes, humor, and beautiful photos and artwork from around the world, this book gives the reader a more accurate view of pregnancy than any medical text could. This book makes a wonderful gift not only for expectant mothers, but for those who already have children (or grandchildren).

Beautifully adorned with mothers and babes, this collection allows the Western mother and mother-to-be to step out of our comfort zone and let mothers' of the world teach us. Packed full of information in an easy-to-read style. Mamatoto offers what no other prenatal/pregnancy book can... spirit and guidance in what often feels like uncharted territory. Enjoy this book completely until it is in tatters- like mine.

This was a beautiful book full of traditions surrounding birth from around the world. Beautiful photography, poems and art. Definitely a great gift for anyone interested in childbirth.

Reissue of original, which was published in 1955, in the pre-computer age. Solid QM description of vibrating polyatomic molecules, and their interaction with EM radiation. The authors exploit group theory (molecular symmetry) to reduce the calculational work as much as possible. Good introduction to the use of finite groups, e.g. how to exploit the hexagonal symmetry of the benzene molecule.

In this one, Wilson writes definitively, math/scientifically, and with sincerity of purpose. Don't get confused by the word 'theory.' There's as much math in here as Born and Wolf's P of O. The only diffenrence is Wilson's is much more algebra-based. The mathematics (i.e. isomorphs) is 'taught', without breaking the flow, and is not assumed that you know the stuff already--- or can find it somewhere else. This book stands out because there is more science in here than names of scientists, and his references are for real. I would also say it was unique because books with titles like 'Molecular Vibrations' are usually skipped over for titles like 'mechanics' or 'quantum theory.' Spectroscopy was a major advancement in science, and it is good to see it skillfully treated with enlightening clarity.

This is the original work by E.B.Wilson where the G and F matrix formalism is presented. The G matrix, related to kinetic vibrational energy is built uppon the elements of the B matrix defined from "internal coordinates". Many quantum chemistry software packages use this exact methodology to build normal coordinates. For those working on Quantum Chem Molecular Orbital calculations, this book is a must.

The authors of this book genuinely know there stuff but the book seems a bit drawn out. Readers are hit over the head with ideas such as "Japanese like to decide as a group" so often that it feels repetitive. That's not to say their insights are off-base, I worked in Japan for three years and I think they do a good job of covering some of the basic differences of US and Japanese business culture.

I readily admit that most Americans have a glaring lack of knowledge concerning other cultures but the authors of this book write as though Japanese and Arab businessmen have absolutely no knowledge of American culture, either. There is an example of an Egyptian worker in a US company, who has a degree from Stanford no less, being offended by his introduction at a meeting with US businessmen because it wasn't done the Egyptian way. Seems a bit farfetched.

What I've found is, particularly if you're from the US, that you have to be ready for people from the other culture to have some strong assumptions (sometimes incorrectly, such as a Japanese person trying to be so individualistic and direct that he comes off as rude) about your culture and you may find yourself acting more a part of their culture and them acting more like yours. Another example might be you bowing at a Japanese businessman who immediately sticks his hand out for a firm handshake.

I particularly liked the example at the end of the book where the authors described some consulting work they'd done in Indonesia in attempts to reconcile the Indonesians' work culture with that of the American parent company. It really is a good blueprint for how this sort of compromise needs to be done to help make the organization more effective (and it really needs to be done a lot more often).

This book gives real-world examples of how to successfully interact with other cultures. I recommend it to other business persons who, like myself, either travel abroad or work with people from various cultures, especially Asia and the Middle East.

"Filled with new information. Ideal for individuals and organizations seeking high performance in today's and tomorrow's competitive global marketplace."--A. William Wiggenhorn,Corporate Vice President for Training and Education, Motorola Corporation

" A needed work. Contains much valuable information to assist managers and students in understanding the complexities of cultural differences." -- Gary G.Williams, Dean, McClaren School of Business, University of San Francisco

". . .a great deal of research and experience has been drawn on by the authors. . .the book is a mine of detailed knowledge and information. . ." --Business Executive

"Elashmawi and Harris discuss in detail the special skills needed to successfully negotiate and work with people from other cultures." --Business America

"Replete with checklists, charts and case studies. . ."--Seattle Times

". . . a solid primer for business leaders and managers who wish to complete more successfully in the global marketplce."--Minority Business USA

". . .filled with invaluable insights. . . approaches the subject with refreshingly simple and practical angles. . ."--Malaysian Business

" This book provides the key ingredients for cross-cultural compentencies. It is a skills oriented text that is rich in practical examples, mini-case studies, critical incidents, and data tables based on both the knowledge and experiences of the authors."--Managing Diversity

Who would imagine that a marriage of convenience would have such inconvenient results ? Eli thought he was doing his old school friend Norah Brown a favor when he married her to save her house. She really needed someone to look after her, she had been sheltered too long by her grandfather. The silly girl had been ready to propose to a criminal! He didn't think he would suddenly start thinking about how soft and kissabe she was. And then (with his daughter's assistance) Norah started changing on him. She ditched her granny dresses for shorts, and learnt how to drive, and have fun running thru the sprinklers. But she was also seriously rich and had multiple college degrees. Why would she want to be with a garage mechanic ? A funny romance, about the late blooming of a beautiful woman, and the man who makes it possible.

Excellent for a short story [186 pages].
Elijah Wilder made a perfect [though they didn't know it] mate for Norah Jane Brown.
Norah was a perfect mother-to-be for little Chelsea and probably the only one to offer Eli unconditional love.
Such a perfect [grin] blend of circumstance and characters to make up a wonderful love story.
This is one you definitely want to add to your library.
Highly Recommended -- and a keeper for another read.

I think that this book is one of the best I've read. It's funny and the romance couldn't be sweeter! A fantastic read! It's made me a fan of this author, eager to find the story of Melanie and Joe Rawlings, is there such a book? The characters were mentioned in this book, and were integral to its plot.

Thanks to many years of hard work and fighting for the right to study love and sex as a scientific topic, Elaine Hatfield has brought us an objective, cross-cultural look at love and sex. Richard Rapson's contribution is to add balance by providing us with the historical perspective. Together these two authors manage to give us a interdisciplinary perspective on love and sex among various cultures. Any serious student of psychology, history, anthropology, sexuality, and many other areas should add this book to their list of books to read!

I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It tells about love and sex from a cross-cultural perspective. However, it mainly emphasizes the initiation and dissolution of relationships, and does not attempt to dissect what actually goes on during them. It is most certainly NOT a self-help book.

I found the book to be biased somewhat against traditional Christianity. Nevertheless, traditional religion needs to be rethought. Yet it is somewhat unfortunate that those who are so sensitive to other cultures are less sensitive to traditional Western culture.

My comment is more in response to the first persons review of this book. It is called Love and Sex: Cross-cultural perspective for a reason. To learn about the traditions of love and sex from an other cultures perspective. Not just the puritanical ridden minds of some westerners and Christians. When the above reviewer said the author was "somewhat biased against traditional chritstianity" I had to roll my eyes with contempt. Christianity is not the end all tell all for human behavior. I believe that the western culture gives themselves to much credit and likes to pat themselves on the back and sometimes shun other cultures for not living up to their standards of morality. Some may say that the greatest achievement of western culture is Christianity. I disagree, in many ways Christianity has lead to horrific consequences. Murder, war, the opression of women and minorities, and many more to numerous to mention. So, first reviewer of book I hope you keep in mind that there is no right way to live or believe and to open up your mind to different perspectives and to not think with ethnocentrism.