Frontiers in Health Policy Research: Volume 7 (NBER Frontiers in Health Policy)

Book Description

This series from the NBER presents new research by leading economists on current health care policy issues. The papers in this seventh volume, originally presented at the annual Frontiers in Health Policy Research conference held in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2003, reflect the economic challenges faced by policymakers and health care professionals in an age of budget deficits. Topics discussed include prescription drug benefits as a stand-alone component of Medicare, disability rates and Medicare costs, and conversion to for-profit health plans.

FRONTIERS IN HEALTH POLICY RESEARCH: NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, VOLUME 7 (PB) "

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FRONTIERS IN HEALTH POLICY RESEARCH: NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, VOLUME 7 (PB) "
Cutler/garber
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORCDG8

Book Description

Provides a historical perspective on government involvement in agriculture. Overview begins with Depression-era programs and continues on to discuss current assistance programs and the issues surrounding their administration. Specifics include coverage on financial institutions and programs, storage and marketing of crops, insolvent warehouses and buyers, agricultural cooperatives, farmland preservation law, lease of agricultural land, crop and livestock financing, animals, agricultural employment law, and soil and water management.

Amazon.com

Originally published in 1909, "Handy Farm Devices" is more than an engaging trip down memory lane. For any small farmer or homesteader, the techniques and devices described in detail are just as useful, durable, and fully functional today as they were 75 years ago. You will learn to build a portable chicken coop, a stone boat (for moving stone), a lightweight orchard ladder, gates that don't sag, and a handy wood splitter, as well as rudimentary farm structures, well houses, bee hives, a baby's cradle, a cheese press and much more. The charming, turn-of-the-century language and useful and inspirational quotes from Shakespeare, the Bible, Bacon, Longfellow and many others make this book a delight to read. --Mark A. Hetts

Book Description

Practical projects as useful today as when first published 75 years ago.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic book that can save you time and money.......2007-09-25

"Success comes to the man who so works that his efforts will bring the most and the best results-not to the man who simply works hard." Very elequently stated by the author from page three in the introduction of this gem of a little book.

Call me a survivalist, but I feel books such as these are going to become imperative in the future of america for both the suburbanite and country boy alike. Handy Farm Devices by Rolfe Cobleigh is a must own to anyone who owns or is even thinking about owning their own homestead. This book allows you to make just about anything you could possibly need around a private farm/homestead. Just to name a few things that are tucked away in the pages of this litte gem are How To: use a carpenters square, build stairs, temporary animal housing, a cellar, make your own dresser drawers, feeders for your animals, make a chicken coop from a barrel (and other chicken, pig, horse, and cattle housing designs as well), laying cement foundations, simple housing plans, how to build a concrete stone house for $400 dollars, build your own wheelbarrel, plus various orchard and planting ideas as well as other ideas that are so numerous I can't possibly mention them all.

The only thing this book will not do is give you a step by step guide on how to go about doing X,Y, and Z. It gives you pointers and a general push in the right direction, but it doesn't give you in depth direction. I only see this becoming problematic if you were to take on the task of building one of the houses described in this book. However, I don't see in depth directions being an issue for most of the devices mentioned. Even a modest amount of ingenuity should be sufficient in most cases. In the end this book delievers all that it reasonably can in less than 300 pages. A must have for those interested in homesteading, and those who believe that true self-sufficiency will become a necessary skill in the future of this country.

Great!.......2007-09-06

This book is a "must have" because of all the great ideas.
Today you can just buy all the stuff but this would be very costly.
This little book shows how to build everything you need by yourself.
I'm starting a very small farm for selfsuffiency and was desparate about the costs of all the needy things.
This book will spare me hundreds of $, it's really great.

Historical and functional.......2007-08-13

This book is full of historical information about devices, buildings and just useful things. This guide would be useful in areas or farms trying to live without elecrical equipment and in cases of disasters to make do until some assistance with more modern means arrives. I enjoyed the writing and would recommend the book to those looking to do things more "natural".

Great Ideas...don't expect to build them........2007-05-12

This is a great and fun little book full of old fashion devices. Treat it as an idea book, but don't expect explanations of how-to here. For at least half of the devices you won't need any explanation, the others look the info up somewhere else.

Depends on what you're looking for..........2007-01-10

This was a nice, fun book to read... but it was essentially useless for actually helping you build any of the things it talks about (and gives interesting history and info about). So for a practical DIY book, it's useless, but for a book just to learn a bit about this stuff and it's history and get a frame of reference, it's not bad at all.

Handy Farm and Home Devices and How to Make Them

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Handy Farm and Home Devices and How to Make Them
J. V. Bartlett
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Handy devices for farm & home

Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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Handy farm and home devices and how to make them.
J.V. Bartlett
Manufacturer: Cornstalk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WVC71C

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Handy Farm And Home Devices And How To Make Them
J. V. BARTLETT
Manufacturer: The Advertiser Printing Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KP2QGG

Book Description

This book describes the process of selection and explains how the nature of the process determines the nature of evolutionary change. Written in an uncluttered style, this book will be the first point of reference for anyone looking for a more extensive and authoritative treatment of selection than can be found in any other book.

Darwinism and mechanism: metaphor in science [An article from: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci]

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Darwinism and mechanism: metaphor in science [An article from: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci]
M. Ruse
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR4LPG

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
There are two main senses of 'mechanism', both deriving from the metaphor of nature as a machine. One sense refers to contrivance or design, as in 'the plant's mechanism of attracting butterflies'. The other sense refers to cause or law process, as in 'the mechanism of heredity'. In his work on evolution, Charles Darwin showed that organisms are produced by a mechanism (natural selection) in the second sense, although he never used this language. He also discussed contrivance, where he did use the language of mechanism. This discussion relates metaphor in general and Darwin's use of the machine metaphor in particular to the problem of the nature of science, concluding that one use of the metaphor reinforces the objective nature of science and the other use reinforces the subjective nature of science.

Evolutionary mechanisms: An entry from Thomson Gale's
<i>Gale Encyclopedia of Science, 3rd ed.</i>

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Evolutionary mechanisms: An entry from Thomson Gale's Gale Encyclopedia of Science, 3rd ed.
K. Lee Lerner
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000M5A3NM

Book Description

The “Gale Encyclopedia of Science” is written at a level somewhere between the introductory sources and the highly technical texts currently available. This six-volume set covers all major areas of science and engineering, as well as mathematics and the medical and health sciences, while providing a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge and technology. Alphabetically arranged entries provide a user-friendly format that makes the broad scope of information easy to access and decipher. Entries typically describe scientific concepts, provide overviews of scientific areas and, in some cases, define terms.

The liabilities of mobility: A selection pressure for the transition to consciousness in animal evolution [An article from: Consciousness and Cognition]

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The liabilities of mobility: A selection pressure for the transition to consciousness in animal evolution [An article from: Consciousness and Cognition]
B. Merker
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR2XTM

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Consciousness and Cognition, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The issue of the biological origin of consciousness is linked to that of its function. One source of evidence in this regard is the contrast between the types of information that are and are not included within its compass. Consciousness presents us with a stable arena for our actions-the world-but excludes awareness of the multiple sensory and sensorimotor transformations through which the image of that world is extracted from the confounding influence of self-produced motion of multiple receptor arrays mounted on multijointed and swivelling body parts. Likewise excluded are the complex orchestrations of thousands of muscle movements routinely involved in the pursuit of our goals. This suggests that consciousness arose as a solution to problems in the logistics of decision making in mobile animals with centralized brains, and has correspondingly ancient roots.

Thinking about evolutionary mechanisms: natural selection [An article from: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci]

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Thinking about evolutionary mechanisms: natural selection [An article from: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci]
R.A. Skipper , and R.L. Millstein
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR4LQ0

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Studies in History and Philosophy of Biol & Biomed Sci, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
This paper explores whether natural selection, a putative evolutionary mechanism, and a main one at that, can be characterized on either of the two dominant conceptions of mechanism, due to Glennan and the team of Machamer, Darden, and Craver, that constitute the 'new mechanistic philosophy'. The results of the analysis are that neither of the dominant conceptions of mechanism adequately captures natural selection. Nevertheless, the new mechanistic philosophy possesses the resources for an understanding of natural selection under the rubric.

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Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution.
Graham Bell
Manufacturer: Bell, Graham. Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution. NY: Chapman & Hall, 1997. Hardcover. 699pp. Fine condition.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TACXV0

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Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution.

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IBDTTK

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Historical and Baffling at times!

Are there any constants in the universe?

Good book

ARE FINE-TUNED CONSTANTS EVIDENCE OF GOD?

Barrow embraces change.

The Constants of Nature: From Alpha to Omega--the Numbers That Encode the Deepest Secrets of the Universe
John D. Barrow
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cosmology | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books
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The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas about the Origins of the Universe

The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks)

PI in the Sky: Counting, Thinking, and Being

Impossibility: The Limits of Science and the Science of Limits

The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless

ASIN: 0375422218
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Book Description

A major contribution to our understanding of the basic laws of the universe -- from the author of The Book of Nothing.

The constants of nature are the fundamental laws of physics that apply throughout the universe: gravity, velocity of light, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. They encode the deepest secrets of the universe, and express at once our greatest knowledge and our greatest ignorance about the cosmos.

Their existence has taught us the profound truth that nature abounds with unseen regularities. Yet while we have become skilled at measuring the values of these constants, our frustrating inability to explain or predict their values shows how much we have still to learn about inner workings of the universe.

What is the ultimate status of these constants of nature? Are they truly constant? And are there other universes where they are different?

John D. Barrow, one of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists, discusses the latest thinking about these and many more dramatic issues in this accessible and thought-provoking book.

Customer Reviews:

Historical and Baffling at times!.......2007-08-27

Barrow's has a good humour about philosophy but also takes it seriously enough to explain all concepts clearly. Numbers are not my thing but this one pulled me in pretty tight. This bloke knows his stuff but the book is very readable. If you're interested in math and M Theory stuff, this a good one. It starts from the beginning when measurements were first used and numbers' significance in the universe, thus spiralling into some fairly complex and modern issues.

Are there any constants in the universe?.......2007-02-23

In considering physics, Einstein once asked whether God had any choice in laying out the rules.

After discussing the history of human measurements (historically a product of chance), Barrow turns his attention to the so called physical constants of measurement and ultimately asks the question of whether they too are a product of chance (albeit on a different scale).

Though admittedly he makes errors along the way (like saying it takes 3 seconds for light to reach Earth from the sun instead of eight minutes), Barrow nonetheless manages to create a physics book that accessible makes cutting edge insights available to the casual reader.

And what Barrow has to say about the "constants of the universe" and perhaps their ultimately changeable nature speaks mightily to the boundless enigma that is the universe (perhaps one of many) in which we live.

Good book.......2007-01-13

This was an entertaining book but a little tedious at times. Also it was not exactly what I expected. I thought it would be more of a description of different physical phenomena, while this is more like a survey of different historical approaches to uniting all constants with one theory, which constantly failed but shed light on many side issues along the way.

ARE FINE-TUNED CONSTANTS EVIDENCE OF GOD?.......2006-09-30

As one who believes that life is a natural property of the universe, I am intrigued by the concept that the constants of nature seem to have been fine-tuned to make life possible. The conservative Patrick Glynn asserts, in God: The Evidence, that they constitute essentially incontestable evidence for what was once merely a matter of faith: "the existence of soul, afterlife, and God." The notion that the universe is really an infinite multiverse, and that we just happen to inhabit one of the infinitesimal few whose constants make the wildly improbably string of coincidence leading to our existence possible, is dismissed as far-fetched nonsense propagated by atheistic scientists desperate to find some way to justify their materialist dogma.

While I once considered the notion of a multiverse to be unlikely, further study has convinced me this is not so. However, even if the multiverse is a fact, the theory offers no more support for materialism than fine-tuned constants constitute evidence for a God whose existence is completely external to the universe. We have no way of examining these other universes, and hence no way of knowing that they have constants incompatible with the evolution of life and intelligence. If consciousness is intrinsic to physical existence, and there is no compelling reason for insisting that it is not, then the constants of nature would necessarily have "fine-tuned" values.

It is odd that John Barrow's interest in this possibility arouses such animosity and ridicule in some people. Is the idea that our existence might not be an accident really so distasteful? There are those who argue that the anthropic principle should instead be called the insectoid principle since the constants are also fine-tuned to produce insects. True enough, but insects are unable to discuss the matter. We are.

Dr. Barrow's book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of some of the intriguing coincidences of nature, and of the myriad ways in which these coincidences have been interpreted by scientists of different historical eras. There are some minor errors in the book, such as the sun being three light-seconds from Earth instead of eight light-minutes, but these are really important. The one question I have is the claim that human behavior, even if free will is illusory, is unpredictable in principle because if people are aware of the predictions made about their behavior, then they can act to falsify those predictions. But if free will really is illusory, why should the scientist not be able, in principle, to predict that behavior also?
(Peter Payne, author of CAPTAIN CALIFORNIA BATTLES THE BEELZEBUBIAN BEASTS OF THE BIBLE)

Barrow embraces change........2005-10-03

Interesting and topical to a discussion on the possibilities of existence. Barrow explores the difficulties of objective measurement, Einstein's fascination with what the universe could have been, Eddington's strange love of theory over experiment, the position of Dirac in the coincidence vs. consequence of habitable places, and the unexpected finding of possible variance in the fine structure constant from the worlds earliest known nuclear reactor.

Customer Reviews:

So you say you don't have time to read 1,801 important books..........2006-12-15

Have heart! This set is phenomenal and mind-blowing. Every entry is just a couple pages long with a brief but thorough synopsis of the "masterplot" in question and a critical evaluation of the work. It's incredible. It's must have reference item and a bibliophile's dream.

essential reference for the student of literature.......2000-04-17

Masterplots is an excellent aid for students and scholars who need to check a fact, recall the name of a character or setting, or review the details of a plot--all in the convenience of one's own home. I have recourse to these volumes frequently and find that my use of them to answer specific questions saves time and frustration. Browsing them may lead my research down a productive new path. A useful set!

Masterplots: 1,801 Plot Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature, Revised 2nd edition (Volume 6)

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Masterplots: 1,801 Plot Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature, Revised 2nd edition (Volume 6)

Manufacturer: Salem Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0893560901

Masterplots: 1,801 Plots, Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature Volume 9 Pet-Ric, 4979-5610

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Masterplots: 1,801 Plots, Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature Volume 9 Pet-Ric, 4979-5610
Frank McGill
Manufacturer: Salem Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0893560936

Masterplots: 1,801 Plot Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature

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Masterplots: 1,801 Plot Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World's Finest Literature
Dayton Kohler, Laurence W. Mazzeno Frank Northen Magill
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUBEBM

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