Frontiers in Health Policy Research: Volume 6 (Frontiers in Health Policy Research)

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This important series presents timely economic research on health care and health policy issues. Each volume contains papers from an annual conference of researchers, government officials, and policy experts held in Washington, D.C. Topics include the effects of health policy reforms, changes in health care organization and management, measurement of health outcomes, health care output and productivity, the role of health-related behavior, health and aging, health and children, and health care financing.

Frontiers in Health Policy Research Volume 6

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Frontiers in Health Policy Research Volume 6
David M Cutler
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORC8JA

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Who are the top ten greatest Supreme Court Justices of all time? Who are the worst ten? Which Supreme Court decision helped lead to the Civil War? What are the ten greatest and worst Supreme Court decisions? What are the ten best courtroom movies? Who was the last to use the Supreme Court spittoon? Who was the first Justice to wear trousers beneath his Supreme Court robes? From John Marshall, the greatest Supreme Court Justice, to Alfred Moore, one of the worst, Bernard Schwartz's A Book of Legal Lists--the first ever compiled--provides the Ten Bests and Worsts in American law (and also includes answers to 150 trivia questions about the legal world). The lists include the greatest dissents and Supreme Court "might have beens;" greatest non-Supreme Court judges (Lemuel Shaw, number one on the Greatest list, played a prominent role in recasting common law into an American mold); greatest and worst non-Supreme Court decisions; greatest law books; lawyers (including Alexander Hamilton, Clarence Darrow "Attorney for the Damned", and Abraham Lincoln); trials; and greatest legal motion pictures. Each list entry has a short essay by Schwartz explaining why it is a best or a worst, and it is in these essays that we gain a wealth of information about the legal world. We learn, for instance, that Sherman Minton, number ten on the Worst Supreme Court Justices list, was such a nonentity that he may be best remembered as the last to use the spittoon provided for each Justice behind the bench. Before he became Chief Justice, William H. Rehnquist was known for playing Trivial Pursuit on the bench, Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote 873 opinions for the Court (the most in its history), and Roger Brooke Taney, number ten on the Greatest Supreme Court Justices list, was the first Chief Justice to wear trousers beneath his robes (his predecessors had always given judgment in knee breeches). Stretching back to the early 1700s, the law and the judges who interpret it have maintained a steady presence in our lives--sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. From disappointments like Plessy v. Ferguson (number two on the Ten Worst Supreme Court Decisions list), which gave the lie to the American ideal "that all men are created equal," to lesser known but no less important decisions such as the 1933 United States v. One Book Called "Ulysses", (number nine on the Ten Greatest Non-Supreme Court Decisions) the landmark First Amendment case that eased the law governing censorship, Bernard Schwartz provides legal experts and non-experts alike with entertaining information in a format that can be found nowhere else.

Customer Reviews:

Full of interesting things.......2005-08-14

This book is very well done, and its listings seem reasonable and informative. The reason I do not give it five stars is because it has no footnotes and no bibliography. For instance, on page 188 Schwartz refers to "Shaw's leading biographer" but does not name him nor the title or date of the biography. How simple to have put a footnote on the page, but there is none. But aside from this failing, this is a fun book to read and enjoy.

Entertaining, but probably only of interest to lawyers.......2000-10-31

Bernard Schwartz is a renowned constitutional scholar at the University of Tulsa. Mostly, he is known for his research on the Supreme Court, and he has produced a nice history of the Court.

This volume is a bit more lighthearted than the usual sort of fare that law professors put out. Basically, Schwartz has identified what in his view are the ten best Supreme Court decisions, the ten worst Supreme Court decisions, the ten best Supreme Court Justices, the ten worst Supreme Court Justices, and so on. For each entry, he has a short description of that case/justice/etc., along with explanations of why it/he made the list.

The cases will be familiar to any law student, and many of the cases will be familiar to non-lawyers -- i.e., Brown v. Board of Education, Dred Scott, and so on.

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This digital document is an article from Trial, published by Association of Trial Lawyers of America on May 1, 1997. The length of the article is 529 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Book of Legal Lists: The Best and Worst in American Law with 150 Court and Judge Trivia Questions. (book reviews)
Author: Jeffrey White
Publication: Trial (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 1997
Publisher: Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Volume: 33 Issue: n5 Page: 84(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A Book of Legal Lists: The Best and Worst in American Law, with 150 Court and Judge Trivia Questions

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A Book of Legal Lists: The Best and Worst in American Law, with 150 Court and Judge Trivia Questions
Bernard Schwartz
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKMX0G

Book Description

Over 50% of known flaviviruses have been associated with human disease. The Flavivirus genus constitutes some of the most serious human pathogens including Japanese encephalitis, dengue and yellow fever. Flaviviruses are known for their complex life cycles and epidemic spread, and are considered a globally-emergent viral threat.

Detection, Diagnosis and Vaccine Development, the third volume of The Flaviviruses details the current status of technologies for detection and differentiation of these viruses, their use in surveillance and outbreak investigation, and also reviews the latest clinical research.

* Comprehensive approach to the scientific disciplines needed to unravle the complexities of virus-host interactions
* Descibes the technologies that have contributed to our current knowledge about the Flaviviruses
* Identifies the major problems faced in understanding the virus-host interactins that result in disease
* An exhaustive compendium of current and past knowledge on the Flavivirus family

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Spectrophotometric determination of elements (Ellis Horwood series in analytical chemistry)
Zygmunt Marczenko
Manufacturer: Halsted Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Analytic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
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General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0470568658

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Tables of Spectrophotometric Absorption Data of Compounds Used For the Colorimetric Determination of Elements
Commission on Spectrochemical and Other Optical Procedures for Analysis
Manufacturer: BUTTERWORTHS & CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UG77GE

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Tables of Spectrophotometric Absorption Data of Compounds Used for the Colorimetric Determination of Elements - Tables Des Donnees Spectrophotometriques D'Absorption De Compses Utilises Pour Le Dosage Colorimetrique Des Elements
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
Manufacturer: Butterworths
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LBA02Q

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The colorimetric determination of total iron with o-phenanthroline: A spectrophotometric study (Trace elements investigations report)
Frank Cuttitta
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007FQPFM

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The determination of uranium in ores: Separation by ethyl acetate extraction and spectrophotometric determination by the thiocyanate method in acetone-water ... (Trace elements investigations report)
H. I Feinstein
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007FU2FQ

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The selective precipitation of thorium iodate from a tartaric acid-hydrogen peroxide medium: Application to the rapid spectrophotometric determination ... ores (Trace elements investigations report)
F. S Grimaldi
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Metallurgy | Materials | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007FRGLO

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Spectrophotometric determination of germanium in foods study of trace elements in food (part 6)
Fumio Hashinage
Manufacturer: Saad Publications, Translations Division
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007AQ322

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The spectrophotometric determination of uranium by means of the azide ion (Trace elements investigations report)
H. I Feinstein
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books | Accounting & Finance | Architecture | Business Management | Civil Service | Education | Engineering | Law | Medical | Professional Science
ASIN: B0007FU4FY

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The spectrophotometric determination of vanadium as thiocyanate in acetone-water medium (Trace elements investigations report)
H. I Feinstein
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007FU4DQ

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The thoron-tartaric acid systems for the spectrophotometric determination of thorium (Trace elements investigations report)
F. S Grimaldi
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Prospecting & Mining | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Mining | Civil | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007FQ4W6

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Personal & Spiritual Journey of a Cosmologist in the Discovery of VSL Theory

The Drama of a Scientific Theory

Whose theory is this anyway

a combination of science and the inside scoop on life in academia

Was Einstein both right AND wrong?

Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation
Joao Magueijo
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Light | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Physics | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Light | Physics | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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Three Roads to Quantum Gravity

ASIN: 0142003611
Release Date: 2004-02-24

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Among physicists, it is widely assumed that one's greatest chance for a breakthrough discovery will come before one reaches the age of 30. True or not, this idea leads young physicists such as João Magueijo to pull out all the intellectual stops in the search for glory and immortality. In Faster Than the Speed of Light, Magueijo reveals the short, brilliant history of his possibly groundbreaking speculation--VSL, or Variable Light Speed. This notion--that the speed of light changed as the universe expanded after the Big Bang--contradicts no less prominent a figure than Albert Einstein. Because of this, Magueijo has suffered more than a few slings and arrows from hidebound, jealous, or perplexed colleagues. But the young scientist persisted, found a few important allies, and finally managed to shake up the establishment enough to get the attention he merited and craved. Magueijo begins the book with a suitably accessible explanation of special and general relativity, then moves on to the ideas that laid the groundwork for VSL. In the process, he rips the doors off of scientific academia and airs quite a bit of dirty laundry. Comparing himself to Einstein throughout the book, Magueijo approaches his topic and its dissemination with cocksure genius, expecting readers to sympathize with him as he battles to win favor. And we do. The scientific process is "rigorous, competitive, emotional, and argumentative," writes Magueijo. His theory could knock down two solid pillars of cosmology--inflation and relativity. Not only does his radical notion deserve a trial by fire, it also deserves a champion like Magueijo, who isn't afraid of the flames. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

What if the speed of light—now accepted as one of the unchanging foundations of modern physics—were not constant? Brilliant young physicist João Magueijo puts forth the heretical idea that light once traveled faster, in the very early days of the universe—an idea that may dethrone Einstein and forever change our understanding of the universe. Solving the most intractable problems of cosmology in one brilliant leap, Magueijo's varying-speed-of-light theory (VSL) could have truly marvelous implications for space travel, black holes, time dilation, and string theory—and could help uncover the grand unified theory that ultimately eluded Einstein. Faster Than the Speed of Light tells the remarkable story of Magueijo's struggle to understand how the universe works, to challenge long-established ideas, and to fight to have his bold new vision accepted.

Customer Reviews:

Personal & Spiritual Journey of a Cosmologist in the Discovery of VSL Theory.......2007-06-13

This is a fascinating story of a young cosmologist who dared to challenge Einstein's most sacred laws of physics; the speed of light in vacuum is a universal constant. In human experience; space and time are perceived as universally rigid, but Einstein proposed that space & time; space-time could expand or contract but speed of light remains unchanged. On occasions many physicists have wondered, and debated that Varying Speed of Light (VSL) is an alternative explanation to inflation theory. A notable proponent is John Moffat who first expressed this idea to none other than father of relativity himself. Einstein responded by saying that "Every individual has to retain his way of thinking if he does not want to get lost in the maze of possibilities. However, nobody is sure of having taken the right road.... myself least of all." At another instance, Einstein said that "We are standing in front of a closed box which cannot open, and we try to discuss what is inside and what is not." The idea of VSL proposed by this author is not new, but he is one of those who made the theory a little more mainstream in physics. The first half of the book (chapter 2 - 6) discusses the current cosmological problems and inflation theory in layman terms, and in the second half, the author discusses his personal struggles in the pursuit of his controversial theory. He unleashes his mind and heart on any thing that matters; scientific bureaucracy, peer reviewing process, research-grant award mechanism, science administrators, and fellow scientists. The academic rat race is vividly explained along with his leftist and liberal leanings on political and social issues. He expresses cynicism against American and Russian scientists; a reflection of British educational system which refuses to forget 1776 and uncomfortable to admit scientific and technical superiority of another country.

The horizon effect of earth is due to its curvature, but the horizon of the universe is due to two factors; a definite age of the universe (13.7 billion years) and speed of light is constant. A consequence of this is when the universe was one second old, when it is known to have started expanding; the radius of the horizon was 300,000 kilometers. This suggests that the universe at its infancy had regions that did not have direct contact with each other, and thus can not explain the observed homogeneity of the universe (horizon problem). The second puzzle in cosmology is the flatness problem; the fate of the universe due to the dynamics of expansion, which results in three possible shapes; spherical, hyper-spherical (saddle shaped), and flat surface. When forces of expansion and gravity of the universe are matched, then the universe will neither collapse in a crunch nor does it expand endlessly leaving the universe in dark vacuum. This balanced state of the universe is highly unstable because the two opposing forces are nearly matched, when the natural tendency is that either the force of expansion or gravity takes control of the universe to increase entropy (Second law of Thermodynamics). This seemingly peculiar state of the universe is not clearly explained by the current cosmological models which call for a reexamination and perhaps reconsideration of existing theories.

VSL Model; at critical density of the universe, the density of matter that produces gravitational energy is equal to the density of matter producing expansion. In a closed universe (spherical shape), the mass density is above critical density, therefore gravitation supersedes; simultaneously the energy is lost due to a decrease in the speed of light under VSL model (correspondingly mass also decreases since E = MC(2)). Similarly for an open universe, energy is created (correspondingly mass also increases) from vacuum in the wake of expansion from an increase in the speed of light. Thus the universe gravitates to a flat universe in both closed and open situations but violating law of energy conservation (First law of Thermodynamics), because the total energy of the universe did not remain constant. VSL also explains the horizon problem. In VSL model; regions of the universe, which are denser will loss energy, whereas energy will be created in a sparse regions of the universe thereby maintaining homogeneity.

One of the properties of the cosmological constant is that vacuum energy is not diluted by expansion in contrast to matter and radiation. It is gravitationally repulsive and the energy density remains constant upon dilution: Expansion dilutes the lambda energy, but tension created by expansion makes up for the energy dilution thus balancing the power of expansion and gravity and thus keeping the universe flat. Hence vacuum energy theoretically must dominate the universe during expansion, but VSL model suppresses that by converting vacuum energy into matter. Other predictions of VSL include that near black holes the speed of light is zero at the horizon, and it also predicts in an eternal universe with no beginning and no end. Since the cosmic expansion is accelerating and cosmological constant lambda is responsible for slowing the speed of light since a sharp decrease in speed of light converts vacuum energy into ordinary matter and this result in conditions for new Big Bang. The cycle of new creation begins all over again.

The negative side of VSL is the violation of energy conservation, but it provides for converting vacuum energy into the matter. This model also favors infinite speed of light during Planck epoch in order to explain the horizon problem. It is proposed that the primordial speed of light would be 32 zeros added to the current value (an extreme scenario for the varying speed of light!). There are several versions of VSL including two alternatives from the authors work. Ultimately experimental evidence should favor one VSL model over all others. Although the author mainstreamed this theory in physics but his shabby literature search ignored the work of John Moffat who must get the credit for the discovery of VSL theory.

The Drama of a Scientific Theory.......2007-04-12

João Magueijo, in Faster than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation, autobiographically describes for a non-technical audience, the history of his hypothesis that the speed of light was faster than it is now when the universe was very VERY young. According to the author, allowing the speed of light (the otherwise constant c of E=mc^2) to vary has better explanatory power than going cosmological theories, especially "inflation". This yarn is based in physics and (especially) Relativity, and these topics are well reviewed for a general audience (i.e., without math). I always like expanding my brain in new directions. But, Magueijo's story is really about the sociology of science, the scientific method and scientific institutions.

The crucial distinction between a scientist and a non-scientists is that science is rooted in empiricism -- observation. The scientist is constantly asking, "How do I know that? Is there a better way to explain this?" Perhaps because scientists are so Spockishly constrained by logic and mundane experience, the general public views them as dull, as know-it-all eggheads that keep changing their minds about what is good for us and what is bad. However, as Magueijo makes clear, science is a cutthroat endeavor driven by ego and human insecurities.

Not being a physicist, I cannot speak to the validity of Magueijo's hypothesis of a variable speed of light. However, as a biologist, I can attest to the accuracy of his portrayal of the life of a scientist. While not my field, I could certainly relate, and found this story entertaining.

Whose theory is this anyway.......2007-01-20

Hey, I thought I had thought of this theory before him. I think one of my blogs has this original idea. Guess what the idea or theory that the speed of light in the begging of time was faster or slower is true. Since space-time started at the moment of the big bang, you would think the speed would of been faster just because the universe at the beginning is not the same as the one after the big bang. Given our short existence on this planet, i doubt if we will ever see any other speed of light than the present one. We can see back in time up to 300,000 years after the big bang. After you think about it longer this is not a good theory. If the speed of light is faster in the past would it be traveling faster than the current light and in a sense passing it? Then would we be seeing the future as the past. And that is not true. If the speed of light was slower at the moment of the big bang, then we could never see the light near the begging of the universe. With is not true. Every day we get closer to seeing the beginning of time for our universe. If the speed of light had not been consistant since the begging, we could not look back in time. Of course it is known that at the very begging the laws of nature where very different, for just a split second. But George Smoot got a Noble prize for proving that theory.

a combination of science and the inside scoop on life in academia.......2006-09-06

Faster Than the Speed of Light is a book about the author's speculation that early in the universe the speed of light was faster than it is now. The author starts with the obligatory overview of relativity and cosmology. I found his explanation very easy to follow. He then goes on to introduce his theories which I found harder to follow but still interesting. He also represents the trials and tribulations of those trying to get their theories published in scientific journals in a way that brings out the worst of academia. I hope it is not really like that! In any case this book is very interesting and worth reading. Even if his speculation comes to nothing, you will get a very good introduction to relativity and cosmology.

Was Einstein both right AND wrong?.......2006-08-31

It is not wrong to think the unthinkable, to talk about such matters and shine the light of conclusions upon why a particular idea is seen as `unthinkable'. João Magueijo does that, but the resulting book is both good and bad. The ideas are explained very well, but the way for explaining them less praiseworthy.

The most famous equation of all time, Einstein's "E=m c(squared)", proved to be extremely useful in explaining some fundamental questions in physics. Much of the legacy of Einstein flowed from a constant speed of light, at 186,000 miles per second. However, just because an idea is useful does not necessarily mean that it is universally true for all time in all circumstances. Magueijo explanation of the fundamentals of relativity is very clear, as his the formulation of the Big Bang riddles. The Big Bang theory is very powerful as an explanation, but is faced by severe problems, within cosmology circles.

The more difficult aspects of the book come when linking the story together. Magueijo conjectures that if the idea of a constant speed of light not universally, then it is possible to explain the Big Bang riddles. However, the raw science has some interesting use of English, and some vocabulary more suited to the playground than a serious (if `popular') scientific book. This is a shame, as it detracts from the thrust of the book, both an explanation of and a history of how the Variable Speed of Light (VSL) theories were derived. There is also the sceptre of missing years, when travelling to and from an object 4 light years away (at the imaginary speed of light). The numbers did not add up to me.

The book has value in being narrated by Magueijo, whose contribution to the work on VSL is immense. This is also a drawback. Magueijo uses the text to air some pet topics; not just on how science progresses (valid) and what is `good science' (similarly valid) but also on the vast volume of paperwork and administrative process necessary in order to conduct science and the submission of scientific papers (less valid). There is an element of sniping at the authorities

Where the history scores well is stating some of the stuffiness of academia, particularly Cambridge. To describe this without sniping seems to carry more weight. The narrative blows away a few myths, not least the Einsteinian idea that the speed of light is constant now, and has always been so since the birth of the Universe (however that happened). In that respect Einstein could have been wrong. Where Einstein may have been right is his use of `the Cosmological Constant' (which Einstein later discounted as his largest error). VSL, or at least some variations of it, do not have a difficulty in this becoming a demon that leads to an unstable Universe.

Well worth reading, but a book that has more value for the content than for the style, which detracts from its serious nature.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)

Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation

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Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation
Joao Magueijo
Manufacturer: Perseus Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IMWPDK

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Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation
Joao Magueijo (au)
Manufacturer: Arrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHE10E

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Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation
Joao Magueijo
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ5NGI

Book Description

Madame de Treymes, Edith Wharton's first publication after the highly successful The House of Mirth, is a captivating portrait of turn-of-the-century American and French culture. Inspired by Wharton's own entré into Parisian society in 1906 and reminiscent of the works of Henry James, it tells the story of two young innocents abroad: Fanny Frisbee of New York, unhappily married to the dissolute Marquis de Malrive, and John Durham, her childhood friend who arrives in Paris intent on convincing Fanny to divorce her husband and marry him instead.

A subtle investigation of the clash of cultures and the role of women in the social hierarchy, Madame de Treymes confirms Edith Wharton's position, as Edmund Wilson wrote, as "an historian of the American society of her time."

This Scribner edition of Madame de Treymes also includes three novellas: The Touchstone, Sanctuary, and Bunner Sisters. These short works are rich in the social satire and cunning insight that characterized Wharton's highly acclaimed novels The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth.

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