Independent Books

I have choosen to write a review of the book I edited because I truly feel that the interested reader will find various topics and orientations related to the specialty of group psychotherapy. The included authors are leading professionals in their specialties who have generously given their time to making this book an interesting and worthwhile edition to the library of the serious and erudite group therapy practitioner. As you are aware, very few people live in total isolation but interact with the society in which they live. Group therapy is a microcosm of that society and thus elicits for the therapist and patient/client the opportunity to analyze the nature of those interactions creating an awareness for the possibility of change in ones interpersonal relationships. After reading the galleys of this book, I walked away feeling most satisfied and respectful of the efforts of my colleagues.

I recently started an online retail business and purchased Mr. Maher's
book among a number of others as guides and references in setting up,
structuring, and promoting the company. "How to Grow a Winning
Business" was particularly helpful because of its clear, concise, and
practical approach to what often seem like overwhelming tasks.
Because of the nature of my business, not all the chapters were
applicable, but the book is set up in such a way that you can read it
in its entirety, or simply hone in on a specific area.

The chapters on "Copyright Registration," "Credit Cards, Checks &
Online Payments," "Employer Identification Number," and "Website
Development" were the most helpful to my venture and undoubtedly saved
me time and money.

Much to my surprise, the book did indeed come signed.

The book was thoroughly concise and anyone could follow its instuctions. A pleasure to read and enjoy!

This is an excellent guide to the snakes of the entire island of New Guinea (including West Papua / Irian Jaya).
It includes good keys down to species level, beautiful photos of the most important species, and excellent distribution maps.
There are also chapters in snake bites in PNG and the role snakes play in local culture.
To round it up, there is a ckeck-list of New Guinea snakes and a useful bibliography.
Long out of print on Amazon, this book is availably cheaply from http://www.andrewisles.com
Highly recommended!

As a houseleader and committee member for a Habitat Affliate I found many of my joys and frustrations were address in this book. Well written and candid, it addresses the many points of view that are part of the Habitat Universe. If you are a volunteer or are interested in becoming one this book provides insight on the dynamics and tensions that you'll be dealing with.

Long over due. Stephen Foster is one of the great intellectual minds of our time...

"Hate Whitey" is a short staple-back pamphlet on Hollywood's anti-white movies and episodes of several TV programs. Following an introduction by the book's author, Michael A. Hoffman, the book is divided into five sections. The first section deals with movies that denigrate "white trash" and "rednecks," basically uneducated white people in the southern and western US. These whites are frequently cast as irredeemably backwards and bigoted. The second section, and the longest, lists the movies that vilify Germans. Germans are often portrayed as fiendish plotters trying to take over the world. The third section is a list of movies vilifying Christians. The fourth section are movies that Hoffman characterizes as "worshipping the Pharisees," i.e., movies that portray Jews in a benevolent light contrasted with the ignorance exhibited by white gentiles. The fifth section asks the reader about how many movies have been made about the Soviet oppression of peasants in Russia and the Ukraine during the 1920s and 30s and about the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. None have been made about the Soviets and only one made about Palestine. Most of the movies listed would count as "B" movies that are relatively unknown, or "cult-classics" at best (like "The Karate Kid," "The Boys of St. Vincent" and "They Saved Hitler's Brain". Some however have had wide critical acclaim and are well known such as "Pocahontas" and "Schindler's List."

I bought this book hoping for a Linda Howard story I hadn't read, only to find the one in here is An Independent Wife. Good story, if you haven't read it yet, though. And if you like Stella Cameron, her contribution was worthwhile, as well.

You will find a general treatment of the topic of Independent Contractors (IC) in other Nolo guides but if you want a definitive and detailed guide, this is the book for you. All the way from templates of general independent contractor forms on CD-ROM to a thorough analysis of the various aspects of working with Independent Contractors, this book does a great job of discussing in plain English what every Small Business Owner needs to know. There is another Nolo guide on just the different contracts you could use for this purpose but this book contains most of those types of forms.

The book starts out with an introductory definition of an Independent Contractor and explains the benefits and risks of hiring one. The next natural step for every employer is to go through the process of determining the worker status and federal payroll taxes. After discussing this topic, the book explains the Safe Harbor Protection which is the process an IRS auditor is supposed to follow in determining if your classification of Independent Contractors should be questioned (something along these lines).

There are 3 chapters devoted to IRS specific topics - IRS Audits, tax rules for specific workers, and the IRS test for worker status. State payroll taxes, Workers' Compensation, hiring household workers, and labor/anti-discrimination laws are addressed after that.

The book then discusses the topic of Intellectual Property ownership in this context of Independent Contractors. This is followed by a few chapters on sample IC agreements, procedures for hiring ICs, how to avoid government audits etc. My favorite chapter is the Chapter 13: Intellectual Property Ownership as this can get very tricky if you aren't careful. In my business, this also happens to be one of the biggest risks in hiring ICs for our work instead of employees.

Overall, this is an excellent book that explains in plain English (as Nolo always does) of the intricacies involved in working with ICs. Of course, as some large corporations in the computer industry found out, it isn't that straight forward. So this book only helps you do some of the right things and avoid the obvious problems but there is no substitute for a good lawyer who can handle the more difficult issues.

Good luck!

Hollywood Renegades introduces us to a group of independent filmmakers whose collective efforts and use of their movies as weapons against the major studies effectively ended the old Hollywood studio contract system. Historian J.A. Aberdeen reveals fascinating information (much of it previously unreported) about the rise and fall of the Society Of Independent Motion Picture Producers (SIMPP) and how an independent filmmaker movement of more than 50 years ago laid the foundation of the modern Hollywood we have today -- and a struggle by independents to make and distribute their films that continues into the present day. Highly recommended reading for all movie buffs and cinema history students, Hollywood Renegades reveals the astonishing stories of Charles Chaplin, Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Alexander Korda, Mary Pickford, David O. Selznick, Walter Wanger, Orson Wells and others whose impact on American filmmaking was as profound and far reaching as they were talented and ambitious.