Alex Payton is a computer programmer hired to deactivate bugs in the Helvetica Bank of Zurich's database. In the process, she discovers a secret bank account wrought with a mysterious & dangerous history. With each clue Alex unearths, she finds herself deeper within a myriad of deceit, lies, & murder. ...

A humourous offbeat movie that offers an astute comment on various kinds of relationships between men & women in modern America. From the director of ` The Unbelievable Truth', ' Simple Men' & ' Surviving Desire'. A pregnant 17-year-old, Maria, quits high school & leaves home. She meets up with a housewife whom Maria suspects of kidnapping a baby. Then Maria meets Matthew, a dangerous looking electronics wizard who carries a Korean War-issue hand grenade around with him. Maria lives with her mother, father & sister with whom she has a stormy relationship. Matthew lives with his father with whom he too has several fights. Various relationships develop when Maria's father drops down dead. ...

This book explores the idea that collectivist societies produce security but destroy trust. It examines how the minds of individuals are shaped by the conflict between maintaining security inside closed networks & venturing outside to seek new opportunities. ...