(p)A PRACTICE ALMOST PERFECT; The Early Days at Arnold,Fortas&Porter Reviewed by Gene M. Gressley (P) In those days, "it was always springtime" writes Abe Krash in the foreword to this remarkable history/memoir by Norman Diamond of the early years of that unique law firm, Arnold, Fortas & Porter. And so it was -- a magical time -- a joie d'vivre, with all of the attendant excitement, humor and rambunctiousness which infused the atmosphere and reflected the personalities of the the founding fathers - Thurman Arnold, Abe Fortas and Paul Porter. (p)Arnold, as Robert Jackson so vividly characterized as "a cross between Voltaire and a cowboy" -- was brilliant and vocal, with a mental agility dazzling all who understood him: a mind that leapfrogged the complexities of a problem to uncover a solution, an authentic genius. Fortas was a "meticulous craftsman" whose approach to legal entanglements was much akin to his mastery, via the violin, of a difficult movement of Paganni. Fortas replayed the score again and again until he conquered it. So it was with the law, Fortas wrestled with a challenging legal passage until he arrived at comprehension. Paul Porter's charm and ebullience enchanted clients and colleagues alike. Porter's irrepressible good humor defused many a contentious scene, both within and without the firm. (p) These three legal Musketeers created in 1946/1947 an institution which became the model for twentieth century law firms. How did they build such a legal powerhouse? Norman Diamond scatters the answers throughout the narrative. Probably the most concise and pointed analysis for the eminence of Arnold,Fortas&Porter, Diamond provided in 1968 in a clarion call to the younger partners. Sensing that Arnold&Porter was in danger of resting on its laurels, Diamond, in an extraordinary "Chesterfield-like" memo to the younger partners, at once analyzed the basis for past achievements and chartered the way for the future. Ticking off the essentials for greatness, Diamond's advice ranged from the care and feeding of clients, to the necessity for thorough research and presentation ("Oxygen tent" cases are the normality), to diplomatic behavior when interacting with senior partners, concluding with a reminder that "pure ability is meaningless unless followed by results." Throughout the memo, Diamond stressed that the future of Arnold&Porter resided with the younger partners. (p)Diamond's 1968 counsel reverberates throughout his chapters. With an elan and a style so seductive as to induce envy, Diamond again distinguishes himself from so many of his colleagues in a profession which often permits the expression of the routine to torpedo any eloquence. In sum, Diamond has a story to tell, and he tells it well. (P)Insights abound. As the reader turns the pages, one finds discussions of the insanity of the McCarthy era; the intriguing case of Steve Masters, who originated mass discount retailing; the abuse of regulatory agencies, especially the Federal Trade Commission(a particularly arresting observation refers to the arrogance of Paul R. Dixon, as Chairman of the FTC, "It may be no exaggeration to suggest that his reckless exercise of the authority of his office contributed to the beginning of distrust of government by Congress and the business community." (191);the rise and fall of James J. Ling, and the tragic fall from grace of Diamond's mentor,Abe Fortas. (p)The sensitivity, the charm, and the call to greatness are all deftly captured by Diamond via the spell he casts over those years. Abe Krash was right -- it was Victor Herbert time. About the reviewer -- For three decades, Gene Gressley was the founding Director of the American Heritage Center and Assistant to the President, University of Wyoming. In 1977, Gressley edited the correspondence of Thurman Arnold, entitled Voltaire and the Cowboy(Associated Press of the University of Colorado).

Check this one out if you need a laugh. It's amazing. Even democrats can't help but laugh.

The quality movement in the US in the 1980s and 1990s has led to a great deal of quality efforts that stress statistical measurements of process capability. These indices are intended to answer the question "How often will a manufactured part fall outsided specification limits?" Certain standards and tests based on capability indices have validity when the process variation has a normal distribution.

However, it has been my experience in the medical device industry that many processes are non-normal and that the application of the normal theory in these cases can lead one astray. Others have found this to be the case in the automobile industry as well as in other industries.

Also some people treat these indices as though they are known constants when in practice we almost always use sample estimates of means and standard deviations in our calculation of the index. This means that the "index" is itself an estimate of the capability parameter.

These issues are recognized and emphasized by Kotz and Johnson in this wonderful little monograph. It was the first book to address many of these issues and to summarize what it known based on the scattered literature. They treat all the major indices and present normal theory and bootstrap alternatives among others. It is very authoritative and is an important reference for anyone dealing with these quality control issues.

One of the best books I read. The book deals with troubleshooting of Process Operation but is written like a novel, so the reader follows the author during the book with no effort, but the subject is analyzed in a deep way. You could read the book in the bed! Fantastic!

Valerie Anand takes the reader directly back to 11th & 12th century England. Every day life, customs, legal rights (or lack thereof), even food, clothing and shelter, are portrayed in incredible detail. This is not simply a laundry list of historical facts, though. The relationships among individuals are engaging and the reader always wants to know what happens to the characters next. The plot proceeds from one generation to another and then another. Anand handles these transitions so skillfully that you feel like you're remembering your own family history, not just that of fictional characters.

In it's second edition, the book divides into two essential overviews that are very "user friendly". The first part profiles a general clinical psychopharmacology which provides a well written and comprehensible neuroanatomy review, which is basic to the understanding of how psychotropic drugs work. The mental disorders are discussed which these drugs are used to treat, along with ECT, abuse dynamics and interventions.

The second section provides a complete drug profile for more than 100 psychotropics. Included in each profile are facts that exceed most common nursing medication books. The drug index is all encompassing and has index resource to furthur promote a handy reference source.

In addition to the great images, it has a nice glossary of terms.

This book includes sketches and stories regarding probably one of the most talented courtiers of all times. Hartnell took the Royal family from dowdy to etheral. Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress and the Queen's Coronation dress are two of the most beautiful dresses of all time. Detail close ups of the embroidery and actual sketches of the dress designs fill the pages. Color pictures along with actual photographs of the people in the clothes round out the book. A must for Hartnell lovers!

This devotional book is excellent and is relevant to parents with children of all ages from birth to the soon to be married. It is both informative and encouraging. The book includes excerpts from other parenting books thus providing variety and other sources to develop strong Christian parenting skills. I have enjoyed this book so much that I plan to purchase copies to give to new parents whom I teach in Prepared Parenting Classes.

This is one fine book that deals with all the thoretical,practical and thermal aspects of Highpower Broadband amplifiers using Solidstate devices. Eventhough the examples and discussions are centered mainly around the Motorola RF Transistors,the principles can be extended to semiconductor devices manufactured by any manufacturer.The authors have dealt with the subject matter in a thorough and a very easy to understand manner.I have been reading H.O.Granberg's articles in QST,RF Design and Motorola Application Notes since the early 80s as they were always packed with his tremendous experience in the field of Solidstate RF design. No matter whether you are a professional designer or an advanced radio amateur, you are sure to find it a gem in your collection of technical books.