This is an important topic, but the empirical work in this book is at the level of the average newspaper. The work doesn't even take into account that all counties in California didn't follow the rules. What about simultaneously trying to account for arrest rate and conviction rates or changes in any other factors that affect crime?

I'll be using this analysis for my Public Policy course. Zimring has done a great job, and is again bound to offend the simple & easily offended.

This book describes how one expecially and literally thoughtless program (3 strikes) was made into law, and how a more rational & legally coherent (10-20-life) competing policy was essentially ignored. Combining data, interviews, and relevent social research (i.e. mobilization theory, media effects, pressure groups, legislative lack of backbone by both Repubs & Dems) he shows how not to make public policy.

Hawkins is the first to admit that he is imitating C.S. Lewis' *The Screwtape Letters*. The power of that work has prompted many imitations, none truly successful. In this case, while the dangers Scraptus warns against are valid, there is no sense of seeing the sins from the perspective of the sinner, but only from the perspective of the sinner's victims. In that sense, while we might see *The Screwtape Letters* as an inverted confession, *flambeau@darkcorp.com* reads more like an inverted complaint.

First off, I haven't purchased or read this text, but a thirty-five dollar textbook that introduces ONLY the lebesgue integral, and almost certainly only on the real number line, is not a good investment. You would do much better to stick with the classic, Walter Rudin's "Principles of Mathematical Analysis," where the Lebesgue integral is introduced in a logical manner and in a way that encourages further education.

Rudin has frequently been criticized for being "too dry," but a patient and dedicated student will be capable of steady progress, and as the student is forced for him/herself to decide the worth of the theorems presented, they gain a taste of what theorems really are important (a definite must for any mathematics students contemplating graduate school).

Used copies of Rudin abound, so there is no excuse for purchasing anything but the best.

Rosa is a spirited little dog who looks mostly like an anvil headed English bull terrier. She loves to chew things and will chew and swallow any object left in her path.

Her owner loves her dearly and will move mountains for her. When Rosa swallows one of her rubber squeaky toys, her owner has her admitted to a pet hospital where the dog undergoes surgery to remove the rubber toy.

Hospitals are frightening places for anybody of any age. To her credit, the author helps keep some of that fear at bay by having a dog patient as opposed to a human patient. Using this distancing technique makes it easier to laugh at the notion of a pet hospital (such places do exist) and cheer for the recovery of the avaricious little dog.

This is the history of the Sergeants Major of the Army, as of the 9th SMA, Richard Kidd. It was written by a team at the U.S. Army Center of Military History in 1995 and has been "copied" by the current publisher. A new, updated version of this book is scheduled to be released next year, so wait for it instead.

All freshman non-engineering students of West Virginia University are required to purchase this textbook for their Orientation I class. While I can't say that I'm a big fan of the class, the book is very helpful. It introduces many of the concepts of college life, including how to do well on tests, how to rent an apartment, money management, stress relief techniques, and many other topics.

If you don't live every moment of your life by the Bible, let me save you some time and money. Don Hawkins' asnwer to stress in the workplace is summarized in the title of chapter 10: "Your work and God". His pseudoscientific background research includes references to a Redbook Magazine reasership survey and such. I digested 8 books on stress in the workplace for a project I recently completed. This was the worst

Don Hawkins does an excellent job of applying timeless biblical principles to the problems of today's workplace. His approach to stress is practical and biblical.

The previous reviewer's negative review was obviously affected by his worldview, which is apparently not a biblical one. Don Hawkins uses biblical principles - if this is not your cup of tea, you will not find the book useful. However, if you are a Christian looking for pracitcal help for daily stress, this book is one to buy.

My US-raised Fiance bought this book prior to coming over and living in Ireland and we rediscovered still on his parents' book-shelf on a recent trip over to the States. We'd intended to pass it on to some friends who'll be visiting Ireland for our wedding, but a quick glance through the pages soon convinced us this would be an act of wanton cruelty. A significant proportion of the book's details are out of date, granted sometimes only a couple of years out of date, but Ireland is changing so much that is enough for the info to be seriously misleading. (E.g I found a number of pubs, clubs , restaurants etc listed which no longer exist or have been renamed, renovated and are definitely *not* as described). The section on Northern Ireland is particularly poor, verging on the funny (e.g the ancient sun god Lugh is allegedly a popular political icon) and I genuinely feel sorry for people who're basing their travel plans on this book. On the brighter side though,any hapless visitor trying out the selection of 'useful' Irish phrases listed is certainly going to bring a smile (or indeed tears of semi-hysterical mirth) to Irish eyes...!

I love the Rough Guides, and _The Rough Guide to Ireland_ is a brilliant example of why this series consistently puts out the finest travel guides on the market.

The introductory material is thorough and helpful, giving you an idea of what you can expect in preparing your trip. The profile sections of such topics as politics, music, woman travellers, and such, are thorough, candid, and useful.

The detail given to Ireland as a whole is remarkable. There are reasonable entries for all major cities, towns, and a sizable number of the villages as well. Most points of interest--archaeological, historical, religious--are included throughout, even if it means detouring from the motorway and wandering down a hillside.

I'm impressed by the authors ability to weave travel advice, whimsical savy, and social commentary throughout this work. It's honest, reasonable, and well help direct your actitivities.

Most appreciated by me is the strong material on places, people, monuments. There's loads more they present than the usual 'book of kells/rock of cashel' triviality. There's little nonsense in the authors' microscope of the Irish countryside. They'll tell you where to go, what to avoid, and how to make the most of however you travel. They list all manner of activities to suit whatever your interests fancy.

Criticisms: Maps--they're sparse and without labels, a frequent problem with Rough Guides. The map for Sligo town is particularly lacking and inaccurate. Also, their bus information isn't up to much, and doesn't prepare you for such difficulties as schedules during off-season travel. But then that's what the Bus Eireann web-site is for.

I grew up in Roscommon and moved to the US in my teens. Whenever I make the return journey (once a year) I stick this in my carryall and keep it ever-handy. It's not perfect (and who wants a perfect travel guide?) There's details in here that always keep me discovering, no matter how much I think I've mastered, learned, and found in Ireland. The country's always unfolding new experiences for me, and the Rough Guide is indeed a good guide. First-time travellers will make an excellent start on their trip with this book.

(Lough is a frequent subject of murals in Catholic Falls and Murphs areas, where he is considered a 'patron figure.' All Catholic areas of Belfast have a mythic personage considered as a 'protector' of sorts. This isn't pagan worship, in so much as a method of identifying with what is perceived as an Irish-celtic history, using the tradition of mythology as a means of re-inforcing 'heritage.' Likewise, Protestant areas have their Battle of the Boyne iconography.)

Rough Guide, it'll do you a service.

This book attempts to be an all in one source for your post-partum recovery. While it does cover everything from breastfeeding problems to losing weight to burping your baby, it's not done well. It tries to cover too much information in too short of a book, the result is a lot of subjects, but not a lot of subastance. It's probably better to get a separate book on breastfeeding (Dr. Sear's Breastfeeding book and the Breastfeeding Answer Book by La Leche League are excellent), a separate book on baby care, etc... I even found the post-partum section in "What to Expect the First Year" to be more informative and helpful than in "Bouncing Back After Your Pregnancy". Incidentally, "What to Expect the First Year" is another excellent source for baby care issues, it's far more in-depth than this particular book. I'm so glad I checked this out at the library rather than buying it, the cover of this book has a lot of appeal, it's just too bad the content doesn't match.

This book concisely covers the basics of recovering from childbirth. Chapters include information on everything from taking care of yourself following the birth of your child to nutrition and exercise. This was one of several I kept on hand to reference.

I preordered this book believing the editorial note "Scott Hawkins starts where the documentation leaves.." What a bunch of bs. This book is really bad. I doesn't give anything useful that is not in the excellent WebLogic docs. Don't waste your money in this book. Many issues are cover with WebLogic v6.1. And clearly he used a v7 beta.
I'll stick to the WebLogic docs and forums.

This is a really good book for administrators. It covers all the nitty-gritty in configuring the WLS Server - and all the different options such as clustering, security, failover, etc.

It absolutely does not talk about development. So if you are a pure developer then don't buy the book, because you will not benefit much.

I give it 3 stars only, because I think it is good, but not perfect. There are better ways to explain tough concepts such as clustering.