What a wonderful book for anyone interested in forensic pathology, forensic science, criminalistics, or anyone who likes a good mystery.
Wonderfully described characters, whom you empathize with from the start. Detailed plot that makes the reader not want to put the book down.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
This is actually Dr. Dix's sophomore book, not his frosh.

This was a very entertaining read, and a great job a former professor of mine. Dr. Dix teaches in the medical school at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his wry sense of humor and entertaining presentations are reflected in this very enjoyable book. I would recommend it to any lover of mystery and "forensic slueth" type novels - Kay Scarpetta fans must check this one out !!! Good Job Prof., I give you an A+ on this one.

Death Grip is one of the most physical tension books I have ever read in years.This books is about a guy named Shane Lockwood who was a violinist.He played the violin so good that he played concerts all around the United States. Until one night he put his prized possesion in the safe. Around 12:00pm he got a disturbing call from a stranger saying,If you do not do this favor, you'll never see your violin again. I definetely give this book 5 stars.

shane lockwood is a very young, bright, and talented person who plays the violin. After his tour in Venice, he plans to go to college, here he meets a girl that he likes. Her name must be something like, like.... oh yea, laurie

Dr. Jay, I am utterly infatuated with you. I need to bum a copy of this book from you, as well as Doubloon; I can't wait till Doubloon's in print. I want to sit down with you one day and discuss pirates. I want to be with you in a dark place and melt beneath your voice, like liquid silver or butter on hot skin. Why are all the amazing ones married? Dr. Jay, I would never hurt you or your family, but gah, these fantasies are tearing me apart. I am indelibly enamored with you.

We haven't read this book, but can guarantee this book is the best, because Dr. Amberg is our English teacher! This book was written during the prime of his cheerleading career....but he has gotten on with his life to become the greatest English teacher of all time! If you ever read this, Dr. Amberg, we're not fishwives, we just have too much time on our hands. And, if you wish, we will Zach on his conquest to be mute. Rani and Karen

Our office found this to be the best, and most comprehensive reference on the new LRFD Specification available. The design examples set this book apart from other references. They are as complete as any we have found. While our interest sprang from our need to learn the LRFD specification, we found that the book is a valuable tool for bridge engineering in general. Most of the designers in our office at KDOT and many of the consulting firms who work with us have a copy of this book.

This book offers the bridge engineer a complete guide to the new LRFD specs in metric units. It is a great tool for both the new engineer, or the skeptical veteran, leery of LRFD. It offers a brief US bridge history in its introduction, and discusses aesthetics in the beginning: where it belongs. Next the development of LRFD and its advantages over ASD is discussed and should be read (and reread) carefully by the skeptics (excellent chapter). Influence lines follow, then system design, and finally concrete and steel bridge design and examples. This book is well suited to supplement the ASSHTO code or stand alone. Also, it is truly metric, no soft conversion at all. The book is quite long, however; it does command your undivided attention if it to be learned from. I highly recommend this book.

"This book is about designing effective organizations. It emphasizes that design is a key task of the leader. It suggests that effective organizations are necessary for competitiveness and they are a growing source for competitive advantage. The focus of the book is therefore on equipping leaders with the understanding and the tools necessary to create organizations that are superior to those of their competitors."

In this context J. Galbraith :

* examines the forces (buyer power, variety, change, and speed) that are shaping organizations.

* presents the organizational design framework in the form of "the star model". In the star model, design policies fall into five categories :

(1) Strategy,

(2) Structure,

(3) Processes,

(4) Rewards,

(5) People.

* looks at policy areas/dimensions that determine the structure of an organization : specialization, shape, distribution of power, and departmentalization.

* discusses the lateral processes as a multidimentional aspects and the ability to be responsive to products, customers, functions, geographies, and work flow processes.

* focuses on three organizational design models : functional integrators, the distributed organization, and the front/back hybrid structure.

* examines virtual corporation as a network of independent companies.

"In conclusion", J. Galbraith writes, "I wish to emphasize once again the role of leader. I see the leader as a decision shaper rather than a decision maker. The decision-shaping role is achieved through the organizational design. The star model provides the management-controlled policies that will influence how others make decisions."

I highly recommend.

See also :

* J. Galbraith - Designing the Global Corporation (2000)

* E. Lawler - From the Ground Up (2000)

* S. A. Mohrman et al - Tomorrow's Organization (1998)

A "must" reading for all executives managing living organizations and their human assets.

On August 13, 1931, Captain Joseph Medill Patterson of the "New York Daily News" sent a telegram to Chester Gould, the man who created Dick Tracy, that read: YOUR PLAINCLOTHES TRACY HAS POSSIBILITIES STOP. Within the pages of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" you will find the great adventures of the greatest detective in the funny pages, his unforgettable enemies from Flattop to Pruneface, his allies from Pat Patton to Diet Smith, his 2-way radio (late 2-way TV), and Tess Trueheart, his long-suffering sweetheart and eventual mate. Jay Maeder, a top editor at "The New York Daily News" might be providing an official biography, but he is doing so from a pop culture perspective. Consequently, we begin with Dick Tracy, square-jawed and straight-shooting, a creation of the time when crime was rampant in 1931, but trace his entire career, both in comics, radio and the movies. As you would expect, this book is loaded with black & white strips as well as 24 pages in color.

The character that Chester Gould created was absolutely dedicated to getting rid of the crime gangs afflicting the big city. Like the real-life Eliot Ness, Dick Tracy was brave, incorruptible, and sworn to making the world clean again. The catalyst for his career was the murder of Tess Trueheart's father in his deli by a robber. Gould had worked on earlier comic strips, "The Radio Cats" and "The Girl Friends," when he came up with the submission idea for "Plainclothes Tracy." The idea was refined before the first strip appeared on October 12, 1931, with Dick calling on the Truehearts for dinner. But the Big Boy, the first official Tracy villain, sent some boys to rob the Truehearts deli and Emil Trueheart ended up dead with Tracy vowing a blood oath over the body. The rest is the history that Maeder is detailing.

The approach of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" is basically chronological, beginning with the effort to bring Big Boy to justice, which was followed over the years by the Buddy Waldorf kidnapping, working as a G-Man across state lines, and, of course, all those battles with the Grotesques which would end up defining the strip for the world: The Blank, Pruneface, Flattop, Wormy, Flayface, and the rest. Maeder also devotes chapters to not only Tess and Junior, but the atonement of Stooge Viller and Steve the Tramp, which shows there was rehabilitation as well as justice in the Dick Tracy universe. Then there is Sparkle, B.O., and the other Plentys, along with Moon Maid and the whole Space Period of the strip. The result is not a strict chronology, but more of a constant circling forward, which reflect an effort to provide each chapter with thematic unity. Bu the primary goal remains to tell the story of how Chester Gould created a great and enduring American icon.

However, Maeder deals as well with the twilight period of the story of Dick Tracy when the culture turned against the character as he does with the original glory days and the later period of cultural retrieval. The major strength of the book is the way he puts all the pieces together, so that there is a sense of progression and character growth. Maeder is able to not only provide a concise description of Dick Tracy dealing with a terrorist-bomb incident or an adventure with Nilon Hoze, but also takes pain to show what was different or special that time around. I did not exactly work it out, but it sure looks like Maeder literally accounted for every "Dick Tracy" strip ever drawn by Gould. While I was never all that interested in the comic strip I found this to be a fascinating look at the over half-century that Dick Tracy fought his never-ending battles against the most memorable bad guys ever to embody evil. Oh, and do not forget to pay attention to the great tips provided in those Crimestoppers Textbooks!

This overview of the DICK TRACY comic strip coincided with a plethora of books that were part of the hype machine for Disney's movie extravagaza, and it was the best. Written by Jay Maeder, an historian of sorts for New York's Daily News, this "Official Biography" lovingly revisits the plot lines and characters of Chester Gould's 70 year old comic strip and brilliantly summarizes what it has become: an enduring pop cultural epic.

When Gould first created the exploits of his young gangbuster he was merely following the crime filled headlines of the day with crude, childlike artwork and a storytelling style that read like a cornball silent matinee. This, however, was the Depression and readers starving for breathless thrills found themselves hooked. Gould, who himself stated he never knew how the plotlines would evolve, became both a master puppeteer and an enthusiastic front row spectator. Soon, the plots became more intricate, the criminals became uglier, the violence became unflinchingly bloodier (a bold move when you consider today's hightened sensitivity), and the crude artwork became a style onto its own. All the while Dick Tracy, and his immediate family of cops and others became like friends we earnestly knew.

That was the beauty of comic strip storytelling from its golden age in that it was to unfold like a saga and in the case of DICK TRACY it was a saga that spanned the life of the 20th Century. The Depression, World War 2, Eisenhower's 50's, the psychodelic 60's- Tracy rode his police car through all of this and writer Maeder critically keeps his eyes on how the strip stayed the course (or derailed in the 60's...remember the Moon Maid?) and managed to entertain ever changing taste. With plenty of illustrations and a cogent reading style, this out of print book is an underrated gem.

Don't Be Afraid to Dance is an easy to read and pick up guide to making your dating life a whole lot easier. It's great because the author takes his own personal dating experiences and relates them well to the everyday male reader. Every chapter is easily organized with dating tips, and review learning. Whether you are a new or accomplished dater, this book makes it possible for any guy to overcome dating shyness, and is an excellent read. It's like fuel, this book will move you!

Don't Be Afraid To Dance is a slim book wich provides the shy man with a guide to dating and sex, using the author's own experiences as a foundation for showing how to win attention and develop a process for meaningful discovery. Exercises at the end of each chapter encourage self-reflection and knowledge.

One of the only books I have ever read in one sitting and then went back to read again. I have also met Mr Ruybal, who I purchased the book from and he is definately a geniune individuall. I applaude him for telling it the way it was.

Mr. Ruybal's book tells it like it really was!!! I applaud his honesty in writing about his expierence! I know several vets, and all of them are alcohol or drug dependent people, or they are recovering from addiction. Mr. Ruybal was honest in his thoughts and feelings.

This is a fascinating cyberspace adventure, not just for kids. I liked the kids bravely fighting all kinds of worms and viruses and surviving all the dangers, the Wetware Giant and the Firewall. Most of all, I experienced flying through the Coaxial Tunnel myself together with Jay Pegg and the others, great fun, great experience. A senior citizen reader from Germany.

This is a book for our times: Cyberspace. Internet. Search Engines. Virtual Reality Games. Computer Viruses. Artificial Life. Netizens. Firewalls. Wetware Giants. Genetically engineered Flu Viruses. The on- and offline adventures of four friends. A book for kids of all ages!

When twelve-year-old Jay Pegg accidentally steps on a virtual "link rot" inside his virtual reality video game, the suddenly "hyperlinks" into another world. But is the pixel-sized world of Cyberia real or just a figment of his imagination? Is a suspicous game CD to blame or can Spiders talk and Viruses eat entire cities? What does "deletion" really mean?
Jay Pegg, his sister Em and their friends, Gif and Tiff are about to find out as they surf the Sea of Information, travel through the electrifying World Wide Web, fly through a Coaxial Tunnel, overcome the dangers of a raging Firewall and come face to face with an evil Wetware Giant.

I just want to add, Jays analysis of the ISOMORPHISMS process with induction to the lower frontal reverse cyclops is right on. My boyfriend Richard and I both read it even twice during our vacation in Key West. The rest of the night we just could't stop talking about Jay's work.

Fantastic Jay, keep it up...

with love, simply Patrick

Siegel is an Excellent author, I highly recommend this book to anybody interested inthe field of parallel Processing. Way to go, Siegel!