Free as in Freedom interweaves biographical snapshots of GNU project founder Richard Stallman with the political social & economic history of the free software movement. It examines Stallmans unique personality & how that personality has been at turns a driving force & a drawback in terms of the movements overall success. Free as in Freedom examines one mans 20-year attempt to codify & communicate the ethics of 1970s era hacking" culture in such a way that later generations might easily share & build upon the knowledge of their computing forebears. The book documents Stallmans personal evolution from teenage misfit to prescient adult hacker to political leader & examines how that evolution has shaped the free software movement. Like Alan Greenspan in the financial sector Richard Stallman has assumed the role of tribal elder within the hacking community a community that bills itself as anarchic & averse to central leadership or authority. How did this paradox come about? Free as in Freedom provides an answer. It also looks at how the latest twists & turns in the software marketplace have diminished Stallmans leadership role in some areas while augmenting it in others. Finally Free as in Freedom examines both Stallman & the free software movement from historical viewpoint. Will future generations see Stallman as a genius or crackpot? The answer to that question depends partly on which side of the free software debate the reader currently stands & partly upon the readers own outlook for the future. 100 years from now when terms such as "computer " "operating system" & perhaps even "software" itself seem hopelessly quaint will Richard Stallmans particular vision of freedom still resonate or will it have taken its place alongside other utopian concepts on the ash-heap of history?" ...

Many of the key improvements to social conditions in the United Kingdom have been made by Christians. Most of us would be able to think of such key Anglican figures as William Wilberforce Anthony Ashley Cooper Earl of Shaftesbury or Dr Thomas Barnardo but lesser known contributions were made behind the scenes by significant members of the Non-Conformist Churches. This book traces the Free Church contribution to society from 1800 to the present day. It looks at the work of campaigners co-operative societies philanthropists & politicians & traces the ways in which conditions in slums education & industry were enhanced including work with women & with black & ethnic minorities. There is a growing interest in the part the churches can play today in community development & in the building of social capital. This book will show that some of the things now seen as government initiatives had their origins in the work of Free Church pioneers. ...

It is May 1969 & MI6 double agent Paul Dark stands alongside mourners at the funeral of Sir Colin Templeton; the former head of the organisation the man he knew simply as Chief -- & the man he killed in cold blood. Dark has got away with it evading the attentions of both his fellow British spies & the KGB operatives to whom he long ago pledged loyalty. But that precarious security is about to be shattered launching Dark back into the heart of an international conspiracy & making him a target for both exposure & assassination. Desperate to escape his predicament Dark gambles everything on one last throw of the dice exposing his Soviet handler to the British. But before long he finds he has no choice but to go on the run again taking him to the labyrinthine backstreets of Rome. The race is on to stop a deadly plot that dates back to the early years of the Cold War. The second part of the Paul Dark trilogy & sequel to the critically acclaimed Free Agent Free Country is another sweat-soaked Sixties-set spy thriller in the tradition of Len Deighton & Frederick Forsyth. ...

Free Fall tells the brutal engrossing story of the Second Chechen War through the eyes of a young Russian Soldier. Nicolai Lilin was trained as a sniper in an unorthodox Russian Special Forces regiment called the Saboteurs. This hardened & close-knit band of brothers operating beyond the control of military code faced mercenary fighters anti-personnel mines & torture of the most extreme kind. Free Fall offers a snipers-eye view of one of the most controversial wars in living memory. It is unflinching unforgiving & unputdownable. ...

Jockey Pat Vincent has ambitions to become a wealthy sporting hero. But he knows his dreams will never be fulfilled so he's devised a brilliant new scam which if he doesn't get caught is guaranteed to make him rich. Pat's girlfriend Zoe is starting her second full season as an apprentice jockey. She has a chance of becoming champion apprentice if she's not sidetracked by the disaster of her sister Harriet's unhappy marriage... Along the cliffs in Somerset a man walks his dog. Every day Andy Burns
- Pat's partner-in-crime Harriet's tortured husband
- wrestles with his demons. But Andy would be better off keeping his thoughts on the ground
- it's a long way down to the beach below.


...

Joe Pickett recently fired from his job as a Wyoming game warden is working on his father-in-law's ranch when he receives a visit from the governor. Governor Rulon
- a devious but down-home politico
- has a special request one Joe knows he can't refuse. For weeks the headlines have been abuzz with the story of Clay Mc Cann a lawyer who slaughtered four campers in a far-off corner of Yellowstone. After the murders Mc Cann immediately turned himself in at the nearest ranger station. Seemed like a slam-dunk case for law enforcement
- except that the crimes were committed in a thin sliver of land with zero residents & overlapping jurisdiction the so-called free-fire zone. Mc Cann has taken advantage of an obscure loophole in the law: neither the state nor the federal government can try him for his crime. The worst mass murderer in Wyoming history walks out of jail a free man. Governor Rulon sensitive to the rising tide of public outrage wants his own investigation into the murders & will reinstate Joe as a game warden if he'll go to Yellowstone without portfolio A to investigate. Joe happy to get his badge back even under these circumstances agrees. It quickly becomes clear to Joe that Mc Cann is deeply involved with some illegal activity taking place in the park
- something tremendously lucrative & unusually dangerous. As Joe & his partner Nate Romanowski search for the key to the murders they discover that it may be hidden in the rugged terrain of the park itself."



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This is a revised edition of this classic accessible guide
- fully updated to explore how the global crisis of 2008 has affected
...

Birminghams parks are a gift that has been passed on to us thanks to the efforts of four distinct groups. The first comprises generous upper class & upper middle class philanthropists of a variety of backgrounds & beliefs. The second embraces preachers like George Dawson & Robert Dale who propounded the Civic Gospel. The third is the Council. In its early years & with a few honourable exceptions like Alderman Cutler it was dominated by councillors with a miserable attitude to civic life. Thankfully they were eventually replaced by dynamic councillors who enthusiastically took up the Civic Gospel so as to provide municipal facilities for Birminghams people. The fourth group was a hardy & resourceful band of working-class activists who were resolved to improve life for their fellows. Together these groups succeeded in providing free parks for the people. They have left us a wonderful legacy that we should cherish. ...

Today Vince Cable is best known as 'the undisputed heavyweight champion of the credit crunch in Parliament' (Robert Peston) revered for his prescience & authority on the world economic crisis. But his journey to become Britain's most respected politician has been long circuitous & sometimes very painful. In this memoir he tells that story for the first time. Free Radical is a candid book written with wit & great insight. Vince Cable's life story is a long way from that of a conventional career politician. His book is as compelling as it is timely. ...

Meet Tilly Redbrow who doesn't just love horses
- she lives breathes & dreams them too! Tilly can't believe she's going to the
...