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This is my first ever James Bond novel, I can't remember if I saw the movie. This is a thinking person's spy story with few gimmicks but great finesse and ingenuity. Fleming fascinated millions with his suave 007 personality and his missions against villains who were larger than life and twice as nasty.
The pace is slow, a good armchair read with a briar pipe in hand. An entire new generation will find the foreshadowing deep and miss the absence of the now classic action adventure. But Fleming's astute writing style will continue to attack new fans who enjoy a good story well told.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

James Bond is still hunting for Blofeld. After a year Bond thinks he is useless, and wants to quit. In Italy he saves a girl who was trying to kill herself. This leads to a relationship, and Bond learns that she is the daughter of a high ranking Italian gangster.

He has info on Blofeld. He is in Switzerland running a finishing school type or organisation, after having undergone plastic surgery. It is really a brainwashing organisation to get women to basically be terrorist weapon carriers.

Bond infiltrates Blofeld's organisation, gets out of there, and here Tracy helps him out.

He asks her to marry him, and she agrees.

Bond, with some of Tracy's dads' men, assaults Blofeld's organisation, but the supervillain gets away again, and has a nasty surprise waiting at Bond's wedding.

This is definitely one of the better Bonds since, like CASINO ROYALE and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the more formulaic elements are so well integrated in the story.

What I loved about FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was that the obligatory romance was the actual scheme of SMERSH to ensnare and kill 007. The characters were well-drawn and Bond doesn't come off as such an indestructible superman. His heart is broken in CASINO ROYALE, confused in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and then shattered in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. (It's also very cool that we learn that Bond annually visits the grave of Vesper Lynd as well as still checks into Casino Royale as well).

We meet Ernst Stavro Blofeld again, not because of some grandiose world-conquering plot, but because he wants the respect and nobility of a title. The College of Arms angle of the story should be the dullest part of the story but Fleming actually makes it interesting by revealing the desire of everyone--except James Bond--to be "somebody."

The biological warfare passages may seem dated but I like revisiting the 007 books while keeping them in context: they must have been fantastic reads in the 1950s and 1960s. These books really anticipated the very modern threat of what Fleming referred to as "the man with the suitcase"...which contains an atomic device. Blofeld's plot in this book to attack England through its livestock with a virus is certainly something to think about in this day of Mad Cow and Bird Flu epidemics.

Although I'm only quibbling, I wished there had been more development between Bond and Tracy, the only woman to ever become Mrs. James Bond. After reading the novel, I felt as if I saw more of her in the movie! (The movie version of OHMSS is also one of the best).

I recently started reading all of the Bond novels and overall have enjoyed them a lot. While Flemings writing style is consistently solid the plots and characters differ greatly. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (number 11 in the series) shares with Casino Royale the title of My Favorite Bond Novel.

The plot is interesting and not *too* far-fetched (for a bond book - some are very cheesy), the characters are very likable and Fleming really nails the mood of "European decadence". This book, like Casino Royale and a few others metes out a healthy serving of bond's classic vices laced with action.

If you like less-than-serious action novels, then I would highly recommend this. Perfect for a long flight or drive

Among the titles of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, I'd have to say that On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my least favorite, with neither the brevity of a Dr. No or Goldfinger nor the plot descriptive nature of The Man with the Golden Gun or From Russia with Love. Even if I dislike the title, however, this is one of Fleming's best Bond books.

The story opens around a year after the events of Thunderball (the intervening book, The Spy Who Loved Me, is not even mentioned). The villain in that book, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the mastermind behind SPECTRE, has been in hiding and James Bond is trying to seek him out. It is a more-or-less futile assignment and Bond is disillusioned enough to consider quitting. Before submitting his resignation letter, however, he takes a break at a casino. During this mini-vacation, he performs a chivalrous act to save a beautiful countess from embarrassment; she in turns, rewards him in her own special way.

This countess, familiarly named Tracy, is also the daughter of a genial but ruthless mob boss who Bond winds up (pardon the pun) bonding with. The boss, Marc-Ange, realizes that his daughter is troubled (in fact, suicidal), but that Bond may be able to help her by marrying her. Bond is not willing to do that, but is willing to see her again after she gets treatment. In the meanwhile, Marc-Ange gives Bond a lead on Blofeld.

Blofeld has holed himself up in the Swiss Alps, where extradition is nearly impossible. Bond goes undercover, hoping to lure Blofeld into Germany where he can be arrested. While there, he stumbles upon a strange plot that seems to involve young women seeking treatment for allergies. What Blofeld's scheme is goes beyond Bond's expertise, but the superspy will have more immediate problems as his cover is threatened.

Eventually, Tracy gets back into the mix, which adds another level to the story. Bond versus Blofeld is good, but at long last, Bond meets a woman who he can truly love. Since the first Bond book, Casino Royale, when Bond found himself betrayed by a lover, he has never been willing to truly risk emotional attachment. This time he does, and this adds an extra depth to this particular novel.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the middle part of what I think of as the Blofeld Trilogy, which started with Thunderball and concludes with You Only Live Twice, so it may not be the best Bond book to start with. For Bond fans, however, this book is a treat and one of the very best that Fleming wrote.

When someone sent me a copy of this book a year ago, I thought it was going to be light reading for a technologist's coffee table. Then I started to read it. This book truly runs the gamut of all the issues that customer service contact centers face today. The book provides a great introduction to contact centers, their technology and both the business and people issues that contact centers face in the 21st century.
People complain with increasing frequency about poor customer service. With great dissatisfaction about call center jobs moving overseas, and service suffering, this book examines all those issues and each chapter gives a list of helpful steps to take to overcome all the obstacles to good customer service.
This is a must read if you need to know about these issues or are working in any part of this exploding industry and need to do your job better.

The Real-Time Contact Center is easy to read, clearly based on real-world experience, and cutting-edge.

My initial intention when purchasing this book was as a reference for my Call Center Management Certification classes, but I found myself turning to it on a regular basis for practical advice on the challenges I face on a day-to-day basis in my Contact Center Operations career.

Donna Fluss has written a book that should be in the Library of every Contact Center. She offers a fun, practical, and leading-edge approach to the dynamic task of capitalizing on the strength of your human resources, operational processes, and targeted technology to achieve uncompromised Customer Service, Customer Loyalty, and Operational Efficiencies.

I consistently refer to her guidance when faced with the inevitable challenge of improving efficiency and productivity, while increasing revenue generating opportunities.

I recommend that you purchase the Real-Time Contact Center if you work at any level of a Contact Center. It will shed bright-light and clarity on the purpose of the Contact Center in the organization as a whole.

Corinne Valcourt
Director, J. Jill Contact Center Operations

This is a superb book offering an overview of how to engage with customers in real-time along with all the ins and outs of the contact center. It's a one-stop resource and I keep it on my desk as a handy reference. Every person involved in the biz needs to have it in their library - makes a great gift for your staff as well.
Debora Glennon, Enterprise Multimedia Applications Marketing

I have been either an executive or consultant in the call center industry for the last 10 years. My area of expertise is increasing sales performance. After reading various books, and periodicals, I unequivocally find this the best resource on the market. Ms. Fluss covers all the bases of how to transform your call center...or dramatically increase its sales and service performance. Her writing style is entertaining, and the checklists at the end of each chapter provide a road map for the transformation. This book should be mandatory reading for all call center executives and managers. I think 10 years from now the term call center will no longer exist, and the term real-time contact center will take its place. If you want to be on that train to the future...this is a must read.

This book clearly outlines the strategy to turn your contact center into a corporate asset. The writing is concise, the illustrations are many and useful. This book is stuffed with ROI models, strategy checklists, vendor lists, cost analysis and information you just can't find anywhere else.

Read it before you competitors do!

Guy Jones
President, Island Data Corp.

The lessons of life are never laid out as if they were in a book. "Santiago's Children: What I Learned About Life at an Orphanage in Chile" is one man's reflection of one of his great times of learning in life. Santiago, Chile was where he went and fought a language barrier armed with only his own good will. He met many children, each different from the next who gave him a crash course in the harsh realities of life. "Santiago's Children" is poignant and inspiring, highly recommended reading.

I just finished Santiago's Children and I just want to go back and read it all again. Steve Reifenberg has written a book that opens the door into a period in a young man's life as he takes risks in discovering his life journey as well into a time in Chile's history in which the country began its new path. And rippling throughout the book are the stories of the children at the orphanage as they make sense of their lives.

What is most remarkable about this book is how it weaves together Reifenberg's self-deprecating humor, the life force and tragedy of the children, the courage of the founder of the orphanage, the quiet fear of the government, and the growing courage of Chileans as they demand greater justice in their lives.

Honestly, I can almost see and hear the laughing yelling of the children as they follow along with Reifenberg on his runs, the beating of pots and pans in the evening sky, and the precious conversations with the children as they open up their lives and hearts.

This is a definite must-read. It is also one of those rare books that would make a great present to just about anyone.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I simply couldn't put this book down! I found myself laughing out loud, tearing up, and refusing to turn the page until I re-read a passage that simply gripped my heart. I loved getting to know each of those children at the Hogar, and then hearing how their lives unfolded after 25 years. I also found the first hand perspective on Chile's political oppression in the 80s fascinating. This is a book I will read again.

After studying about Chile's dictatorship, one learns about the history and the ensuing events, but from afar. Through writing Santiago`s Children, Steve Reifenberg has done a masterful job of bringing Chile`s complicated history to the reader in an accessible and extremely thoughtful way.

As a US citizen living in Chile, I am grateful he was willing to share his insights and experiences with all of us as he not only gives a much fuller context to today`s Chile, but he also reminds us that we can get as much out of any experience as we give!

Reifenberg does a fantastic job with this memoir. The stories of the orphans he works with are engrossing, and his own story is quite interesting to follow as well. He also writes about the brutal dictatorship in Chile which is very much tied to why his orphanage is so important. I would highly recommend this book, especially for people who are interested in international service.

What a find -- everyone needs this book! It's filled with pages and pages of great information that can save you money and aggravation. Many thanks to this author.

So informative. I was unaware of all the ways I could be scamed. I hightly recommend this book, very educational for young and old.

I found the book Scam-Proof Your Life to be very thorough in covering all catagories noted in the Table of Contents.I especially liked the "go-to" sources for filing complaints. I found, however, that the inserted information in each catagory interrupted the flow of the commentary and disturbed my "train of thought". Overall, there is a wealth of useful information in this book.

Scam-Proof Your Life is a really good book with lots of information that will teach you ways to protect yourself against the scams and frauds we face everyday. It seems like we are constantly faced with people trying to cheat us out of our money. This book is both fun to read, and very informative, and will make you aware of some of the scams used by these criminals to steal your money!

This book should be required reading for the entire country. A crisp and invigorating read, 'Scam Proof,' by Sid Kirchheimer, is packed with information on topics ranging from Telephone Service to Identity Theft; chapters 3, 7, and 8 are especially informative. The length to which the credit card companies will go to fleece Americans borders on the criminal. Furthermore, the similarities that exist between the unfair but legal practices of some of America's most powerful institutions and the ambitious professional conmen of the day are unsettling. Get ready to feel paranoid and disappointed, because this book is an eye opener.

If you love cats, and you love the Web, this book is for you! Innovative, creative and funny! Take time to look over all the Web sites in the book -- there's lots of great material (and great cat photos too!).

In a format that reminds me of the old Mad magazines, Jon Mathis and Mary Shomon have compiled a book of web sites for cats called "Scratching the 'Net" that would make a great gift for anyone who loves both computers and cats. My favorite site was for Ross Purr-oh, who is apparently still running for president (backed by United We Purr, of course!). Shaper Claw has several pages of its on-line catalog, featuring items such as the Spray-Away Robot, for those times when the cat just can't be there to protect its territory.

From the web sites to the tool bar (including such buttons as Back to Sleep, Open One Eye, and Find Toys), this book is definitely a cat's eye view of the Internet.

I give it 5 purrs and a good lick!

Best book to receive for Christmas: light, smart and fun to read! Pokes fun at humans without offending cats; G-rated for the whole family and cat-lovers from 2 to 82. I'll never again sit at my computer without wondering what my cat Tiger has been up to overnight.

This may become your favorite "coffee table" book, as it is not one to read once and put away. You'll find yourself coming back again and again to pore through this devilishly delightful spoof of web pages for cats. Just spend a few minutes absorbing "Deepcat Chowdown's 'The Seven Spiritual Laws of Laziness' " and if you aren't chuckling with delight, you have no sense of humor at all. Every page is designed to tickle and titillate, with outstanding success.

I don't like cats. Never did. I'm a dog person, but reading this funny book (someone gave it to me), made me laugh out loud. I hope the authors come up with something as great for dog lovers! It was a perfect break from the ever so serious world of the net.

Are you a coach or lawyer struggling to attract the right clients in these difficult economic times? "Seal the Deal!" by Suzi Pomerantz is a tremendous resource to help you focus all of your networking, marketing and sales initiatives.

I'm a consulting psychologist and executive coach in the San Francisco, California Bay Area specializing in helping companies and law firms assess, select, coach and retain emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers. A lot of my marketing efforts have been more passive (article writing, website, media interviews etc.). "Seal the Deal" got me to change my mindset to spend a lot more effort in these tumultuous times on sales.

I love Suzi's coach approach to relentlessy set up appointments with potential clients. I am also fully supportive of her high level of professionalism regarding having the confidence to be appropriately paid for your consulting and coaching services and not offering free "sample sessions".

I have been recommending "Seal the Deal!" to many of my executive coaching and leadership development clients. My clients also report that Suzi's sage advice is helping them achieve higher levels of success.

"Seal the Deal!" is the perfect antidote to feeling stressed out about the economy and focusing your energy more productively on getting new business. Suzi's voice goes with me now whenever I make a sales call!

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist & Leadership Coach
Trusted Advisor to Law Firm Partners

This book would have been really helpful early on in my career, but it's never too late to change mindsets about growing our businesses. Pomerantz has captured a unique style of conveying this extremely helpful business building advice - through teleclass format and conversation. I felt like I was in the room too, with questions waiting to be answered. What a great study. I highly recommend this as the text book for building business from the ground up. In other words, do it right the first time.
Lee Smith
Seattle, Washington
Co-Author of Legacy Leadership: The Leader's Guide to Lasting Greatness

This book has translated into a complete mindset shift for me!
As soon as I had finished it, I wondered who to call. I picked up the phone to call a lead I thought I had lost 6 months ago. Thirty minutes later I had a deal!!! I would never have thought of calling that person again prior to reading Suzi's book.

What worked very well for me?
It is specific to consultants and coaches (I am a coach).
I can very easily see myself in situation and therefore the format of a teleclass transcript worked very well for me. To give you an example, one morning when reading in the metro I caught myself answering to Jeremy (one of the participants of the teleclass in the book) that Suzi had given him the answer to his question two pages before....
The advices she is giving are very practical and hands on.
France could certainly use a french translation.
Thank you so much Suzi, you made a difference to my business.

This book is written specifically by a coach for life/business coaches and mental health therapists. It is so well written with details and techniques to support the actual sale when seeking new clients. As a coach, I see that Ms Pomerantz knows exactly what I need to have the courage and fortitude to make the calls I need to make to have the meetings I need to have in order to secure the clients I need for my business. I also appreciate the sample scripts and the worksheets provided to support me in designing my own scripts and process for 'sealing the deals'!!

Entrepreneurs looking for a way to differentiate themselves in an overcrowded marketplace have a new handbook, and it's needed by the many service professionals who soon realize that substantial industry expertise and impressive talent are simply not enough.

In Seal the Deal, Suzi Pomerantz takes talented entrepreneurs behind the business-building curtain and gives them a formula for six-figure success. By teaching the reader how to use marketing, sales and networking in strategic concert, and how to weave individual success strategies into a comprehensive, proven success formula, Seal the Deal empowers entrepreneurs with a logical and manageable system for substantial growth.

Jennifer Kalita The Home Office Parent: Raising Kids and Profits Under One Roof

I cried when I first viewed this book in one of my child's doctor's offices and knew I had to own it. Anyone who has an autistic child will understand and those who don't will be able to get a sense of what living in dual worlds is like for both.

Waht insight into the souls of people with Autism--but souls still the same. What imagery! What perspective! I am sharing this book with everyone I know!

I borrowed this book from my sons classroom. He is autistic impaired and his class is made up of 7 children who are autistic impaired. I have read many books on or about autism and none of them have affected me like this book. I saw the story of both my son and my family told through words and pictures.

As a parent of an autistic child you feel alone. No one you know understands what your life is like, no one outside your family understands your child. This book lifts the veil a little bit for those who have not personally experienced living with autism.

This is one of the most beautiful books about autism that I have ever come across. Instead of lamenting over people who have autism and applying the tired Rain Man stereotype, this book encourages people, neurotypical and autistic alike to celebrate in the Autism Experience. The lovely photograhphs help to reinforce this message. Readers look at the people directly involved and see people and not labels. I really like that.

Autism and its related condition, Asperger's Syndrome are neurobiological conditions that affect sensory processing and communication. Autism is as varied as there are individuals and the behavior reflects that individuality. I like the way this book gently illustrates that and invites readers to sing and dance in victory, celebrating the Autism Experience!

Please read this with Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge and share these books with someone. You will want to celebrate!

This book was enchanting! The text contained universal truths that resonate with anyone living with a handicapped child, not just a child with autism. When we look for the godliness in others, we immeasurably enrich our lives. In fact, the truths learned and promoted can be applied to everyone: that each child is imbued with dignity and that each of us reflects God. Bravo!

I was diagnosed a brain tumor 5 years ago, it was removed 15 days later. I was astonished to find so much informations in this book I shoud have known from the very beginning that nobody knew or dare to share with me.
I strongly recommend this book for someone dealing with this problem (family, patients). The message of the book can be summed up as "Grab your illness yourself and fight". It also give hope which is invaluable although many things influence the outcome (each case is different). Nonetheless I was convinced (as a scientist myself) with the pragmatic approach of the author.

My sister was recently diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and I have been trying for more than three weeks to get information on the internet about available treatments. I found out about this book on the Wikipedia page on Glioblastoma. Reading this book has been extremely helpful for me to understand what my sister is dealing with and what I can do to maximize her chances of survival by finding information on the available treatments and their likelihood of sucess. Moreover the survival story of the author is truly inspiring and gives hope to patients and family members that the gloomy statistics of the medical establishment about this monstruous disease may be beaten.

Dr. Ben Williams is an excellent writer who provides a rare opportunity for readers to learn about his "terminal" cancer through a scientist's eyes. In short, he has already survived and thrived over 15 years after he received a diagnosis of a disease that was supposed to lead to a rapid trip to the undertaker. In part one, he shares a very personal view of his own round-trip to Hades. His wry sense of humor makes it enjoyable, even though we share his painful experiences in the hands of some physicians who are not going to win awards for bed side manners. Patients and their loved ones can be torn apart by the healing art of medicine that was meant to cure them, but Dr. Williams kept his dignity and his wits about him, allowing his survival. In part two, Dr. Williams explains why the medical system needs reform. This is an excellent review of some of the basic flaws of scientific medicine. Physicians be warned, Dr. Williams is an iconoclast with a razer sharp mind and first rate scientific credentials, even after being kicked in the head with a near fatal brain tumor. Many physicians who have not had the benefit of an inductive scientific approach may be surprised to learn new ways of examining data. Third, Dr. Williams shares information that your oncologist won't tell you, including alternative medicine, supplements, cutting edge treatments and sources of information. Throughout the book the layman is provided with helpful guidance that will enable the patient and his/her caretakers to make their own choices. The book is also important because Ben was a very patient mentor to me when I was an undergraduate studying experimental psychology at the University of California, San Diego, some 33 years ago. I have the greatest respect for him as a leading scientist and a teacher; and now I have an even more profound respect for him as a tough fighter, and a leader who used his scientific prowess to save his own life, and who then wrote about it to help save others. My bias in favor of Ben aside, this important book will probably change the way cancer is dealt with politically, clinically and scientifically. It is an inspiration to all of us because it shows that what makes the human brain truly amazing is its ability to not only recover function, but to actually improve itself as a result of trauma. They say, "Physician, heal thyself". Dr. Williams not only talks the talk, he walks the walk. Bravo!

The Gold Standard treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) brain tumors is a combination of surgery, radiation and the chemotherapy themozolomide (Temodar / Temodal).

Untreated, GBM uniformly kills its victims within four months.

For 10% of all patients treated with radiation, that survival expectation increases to two years. At four years, 3% of the original group will still be alive.

Add Temodar and surgery to that radiation, and 27% of those treated can expect to survive to two years. At four years, 12% of those treated with the Gold Standard combination will still be alive.

University study press releases cheer the dramatic increase in surivival rates for patients receiving Tamodar along with radiation and surgery. From 10% to 27% for two years and from 3% to 12% for four years are big jumps.

While the numbers do represent a significant increase, the fact remains that at four years, 88% of those receiving the Gold Standard treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme tumors will be dead.

In 1995, before Temodar was anywhere near the marketplace, Dr. Ben Williams discovered that he had a large Glioblastoma Multiforme tumor. Williams looked at the survival rates for those receiving the recommended treatment and did not like the odds.

A research scientist and academic, Williams scoured every resource to create a state-of-the-art Glioblastoma Multiforme protocol. He received all of the standard treatment, which he supplemented with six other anti-cancer, pro-immune agents (and aspirin for the side effects).

Williams combined the prescribed treatment:
* Surgery (which left mass behind)
* Radiation
* BCNU chemotherapy
* PCV chemotherapy

With these addition of these agents:
* Tamoxifen
* Verapamil
* Accutane
* Melatonin
* Mushroom extract
* Gamma Linolenic Acid
* Aspirin

The treatment the oncologist recommended was certain to result in Williams' death. Yet the doctor refused any treatment outside the standard protocol, for fear of doing harm.

Williams believed that nothing was more harmful than death. The oncologist only budged a little. He gave Williams some Tamoxifen. Everything else Williams took to reduce his tumor - including a higher dose of Tamoxifen than the oncologist would prescribe -- he researched and obtained on his own.

A 1995 Gold Standard for GBM tumor treatment did not exist. The oncologist offered surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The difference between 1995 and 2007 is the accuracy of the radiation and the quality of the chemotherapy.

At two years from diagnosis - when 92% of patients receiving standard treatment would be dead - Williams received the first of what is now 12 years of clean MRIs.

Williams regards his low-toxicity drug cocktail as a synergistic weapon against glioblastoma multiforme. He compares the current Gold Standard GBM treatment to the AZT AIDS treatment. Although AZT worked at first, the body developed a resistance to it. No more HIV patients were alive at four years on AZT than off of it.

GBM cancer cells also adapt to chemotherapy. They're not adept at adapting to the low-toxicity cocktail Williams invented. The Accutane prevented the cancer cells from consuming the cells nearby. The Tamoxifen slowed the cancer cells' ability to extrude out the chemotherapy. The Gamma-Linolenic Acid produced free radicals inside the tumor, killing it from the inside out.

As a rule, oncologists do not offer these treatments to brain tumor patients. These treatments are not "proven." If the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not blessed the substance then the doctor will not prescribe it, even if the doctor's treatment itself means almost certain death.

Doctors know, says Williams, that their patients will die. So what is the problem prescribing low-toxicity agents that might cure brain tumors?

Going outside the system can have a dramatically negative affect on a doctor's career. He might be accused of fraud, profiteering or incompetence. In a profession based on the credo "First, do no harm," doctors would first like to do no harm to their own careers.

Doctors find themselves trapped between the FDA and the medical self-policing infra-structure on the one hand, and certain death for their patients on the other.

Doctors won't prescribe the cocktail agents Williams took because they are not "proven" according to FDA standards. The approval process requires billions of dollars. Pharmaceutical companies won't research drugs that will not be economically viable. The drug must be exclusive to the pharmaceutical company. The population requiring the drug must be large enough to expect a return on investment.

Many of the agents Williams used to cure his cancer are not patentable. Competitors would be able to copy and sell the compound. About 12,000 people a year are diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme tumors. The market is not large enough to justify very expensive scientific trials.

Beaten down by disease, radiation and chemotherapy, few GBM patients have the energy to climb the hurdles to promising but not "proven" treatments. Even when the outcome is certain death patients who ask for more will not receive it. Just as AIDS patients created political pressure to get "unproven" treatments for HIV, Williams encourages GBM patients to insist on access to "unproven" treatments for GBM.

Dispensing only "proven" treatment is legal, says Williams. But denying dying patients access to substances that could save their lives is grossly unethical. Already fighting the deadliest of brain tumors, patients should not have to fight for promising but "unproven" cures. Until the political pressure on the FDA reaches a critical mass, he says, the GBM Gold Standard Treatment will still produce a four year death rate of 88%.


[...]

This book was written by Dr. Williams, an eminent and widely published experimental psychologist in the field of learning theory and many other related fields. Dr. Williams was diagnosed in 1995 with a glioblastoma with, for all practical purposes, zero chance of survival. He immediately went on a quest for maximizing his chances of survival by evaluating and combining traditional and nontraditional treatment approaches. Today, in 2007, he is alive and well. This book should be of interest for anyone, even if not affected by cancer personally. I found it a remarkable account of how one can deal with catastrophic diagnoses and seemingly hopeless situations. It also critiques current FDA policies and conventional medical practice by providing a wealth of facts, literature citations, and well-developed logical arguments. There is also a very readable discussion of the statistical approach, written for a lay audience, of experimental design, and of implications for the methods for the social and medical/biological sciences. This book includes a systematic, open, thoughtful, and fair evaluation of so-called alternative treatments. The evaluation of these alternative treatments is so convincing because it was undertaken by someone like Dr. Williams, who knows the scientific approach so well. I call this book "inspirational" for anyone who has to tackle important life-and-death decisions.

It is a great book that is truly pertinent to the topic it relates to and doesn't go off on a tangent. If you are looking for a book that is related to crime scene techniques then this is a book for you.

This is a fine book which will help me in my studies of forensic analysis.

Once again, Mr. Fisher has kept us updated with the ever changing world of forensic science and the techniques of crime scene investigation, in this seventh edition. The book encompasses current information in an intelligent and organized manner with the methodology to address, not only the elements of the investigation but also the interaction of the personnel involved.
This in depth text should be on every forensic investigator's bookshelf.

For all of those who are interested in either becoming Crime Scene Investigators, or increasing their knowledge THIS is the ULTIMATE book to get. It's the leading textbook, handbook, bible, guide, whatever word you wish to use and the author "Barry Fisher" has a way with words that leaves you with no doubt about his knowledge and experience. It's one of those books that I couldn't put down and can learn from and remember what I'm reading. An EXCELLENT study guide.

Fisher provides the absolute, hands-down best text out there for basic crime scene work. This is the one that is in everyone's bookshelf - we even keep all our old editions! When I began working in crime scene investigations, this was my 'go-to' reference, and several years later, I still read through it every once in a while to keep fresh. I teach part time, and this was the book my co-instructor and I suggested that we use for our basic and advanced crime scene classes - thank goodness it's our new text! I can't wait to share Fisher with our students. Invaluable book.

This is a solid play of a good novel, but it is unlikely that any viewer can see it without having first seen the film version with Ray Milland. The surprises and twists are all there and the dialogue works well. A solid play.

I will stay away from describing the plot, since that was done well by other reviews posted here. This is a wonderful book, especially if you enjoy British-style country house mysteries, spiced with the supernatural. The writing is superb. Ms. Macardle expertly draws you into the situation with characters that resonate and sparkle with life.

This book will not satisfy horror fans who are looking for an 'in your face' type of scare. Rather, the haunting unfolds very gradually, subtly, and is therefore all the more realistic.

If you are a fan of the classic Ray Milland film that was made from this book (The Uninvited, 1944) you are sure to enjoy the novel. Being novel length, the book has more characters than the film did, and also expands on some of the main character's histories and motivations. The Paramount film was a very faithful adaptation of the 'feel' of this novel...it was just necessarily compressed in length, and given a somewhat trite Hollywood closing that ties all the male/female relationships up a little too neatly (this does not happen in the novel).

Curiously, some scenes and even dialogue of the film are literally lifted word-for-word from this novel. The scene in the Tabacco shop, after the Fitzgerald's first purchase the house, comes to mind as the most perfect example.

It is a shame Dorothy Macardle produced so little fiction during her lifetime. I have heard she wrote a handful of short ghost stories but I've yet to track them down.

On a final note: if you enjoy the writing of Barbara Michaels you will love The Uninvited. I was first tipped off to the existance of this vintage novel through a narrative 'aside' which recommended reading The Uninvited in one of the Barbara Michaels books! (I'm not sure which of her novels mentions The Uninvited as a great book, but it might be Shattered Silk).

After writing a review for the movie version in which I recommended that viewers read the book as well, I was disappointed to come here and find that the book is so hard to find that it's making the asking price (understandably) very high. My own hardback copy I ordered some years back, and I also have an old dog-eared, falling apart paperback copy that my mother had (it was one of her favorites also). I have seen it a few times in the past in large and small used book stores, and it's definitely worth a search. Much more atmospheric than the movie, in my opinion (none of the comic relief that Ray Milland brought to the character), and there were so many good side characters that were left out of the movie. In the book Roddy (rather than "Rick") is a theater critic and hopeful author rather than a composer, and a play that he is writing may be relevant to the ghost story. There is a sort of sequel that was written by the same author, "The Unforeseen." While there are other characters and the mystery is not as interesting in the latter, it does let you know what happened to the main characters in "The Uninvited" after that book ended.

This is a wonderful timeless story by Dorothy Macardle. I own a hard back copy of this and try to read it at least once every couple of years. There is a light and breezy feel to this book and it would be the perfect summer read if you are tired of the run-of-the-mill.

Roderick and his sister Pamela leave the hustle and bustle of modern London looking for that perfect house on the English coast. What they find is the beautiful Cliff End overlooking the sea. From their first meeting with the sweet and lovely young Stella Meredith, whose grandfather owns the house, we know there is a larger mystery here. This is a good novel that slowly unfolds as we learn of Stella's mother Mary, and the beautiful Spanish girl Carmel who was seduced by Stella's father.

Who is the appiration that appears at the top of the stairway and why does the sickening cold always precede it? Why are there moans of anguish coming from the room that used to be the nursery? What is the real mystery of Mary's death? What about that Mimosa scent that comes with the moaning? And why do things get more stirred up every time young Stella is there? Roderick has fallen for the sweet Stella just as the reader has and both must find out.

What makes this such an excellent read is that it treats this as a straightforward story of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances, slowly unfolding as Roderick and Pamela attempt to solve this maddening riddle to an otherwise wonderful house they don't want to leave.

Both the mystery and ghost story all takes place in an entertaining day-to-day life in the English countryside kind of way, with a growing romance inching its way towards the center. Go out to your garden or your patio, pour yourself a big glass of iced tea, and enjoy something truly origional. This is a great light summer read and inspired the finest film of its kind ever made in The Uninvited, starring Ray Milland the lovely Gail Russell. You don't want to miss either.

Good luck in finding the original titled novel anywhere. Copies are hard to come by in any condition. Mine is "The Literary Guild of America," 1942. Hard Cover. The dust jacket has a picture of a house and a tree over looking a cliff to the see. At first I thought it was taken from the scene in the movie by the same name. However that is the description in the book. There is even an edition that was made for the troops during the war. And not any cheaper is the Bantam Books, 1947 Paperback.

Unless you collect screen plays, be careful as the play is also out in book form.

I first saw the movie (1944) that is good in its own right. Staring Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey. You know it will be different but which one is better. In this case they are quite different and both just as good in different ways.

Roderick Fitzgerald and his sister Pamela are in search of a house and find one with some beach front. After negotiation the price they move in and may have found more then the bargain.

The story is refreshing. However the real worth of the book is the writing style of Dorothy Macardle. I was not prepared with my English to English conversion books. She also writes in the time of the time and uses terms local to the England of the 40's If you like this story then she also wrote "The Unforeseen" equally as good.