Elsevier announces the launch an open access journal: Case Studies in Fire Safety

Public release date: 15-Oct-2013
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Contact: Laure Ballu
l.ballu@elsevier.com
44-186-584-3058
Elsevier

Oxford, October 15, 2013 -- Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions announces the launch of a new open access journal, Case Studies in Fire Safety.

Case Studies in Fire Safety provides an exciting new publication outlet for facility designers, fire safety engineers and researchers to share case studies and short communications about practical problems in fire science, design and engineering.

Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Peter Johnson, Fellow at global design firm Arup, said of the launch, "Our built environment is changing with global urbanization and the increased production of taller buildings. We face major new challenges of climate change and forest fires, and internationally we have had some particularly damaging industrial fires. Alongside high quality theory-based research, insights into and sharing of practical design solutions is needed to address many of these problems. Case Studies in Fire Safety provides an open forum for sharing of such insights and solutions. It will offer a valuable resource for practitioners and researchers working in all fields of fire safety."

"We're delighted to announce the launch of this new journal. The publication format is designed to suit the needs of both the academic community and practitioners working in fire science and fire safety engineering fields," said Joe d'Angelo, Publisher for Civil Engineering journals at Elsevier. "There's a clear need for both academics and practitioners to share their experience and new ideas relating to fire safety, helping to avoid preventable and sometimes catastrophic oversights."

Case Studies in Fire Safety is part of a series of "Case Studies in" open access journals published by Elsevier within the field of engineering. Journals in the series will all follow the article based publishing model, allowing for immediate publication of final version of a paper without waiting for other articles to be ready to compile a full issue.

For more information or to submit an article, go to Case Studies in Fire Safety.

###

About Open Access engineering journal series, "Case Studies in"

The Case Studies series of journals are a new format of publication covering all aspects of engineering. They aim to connect researchers and practitioners working in a variety of subject areas by publishing short and accessible technical articles. They provide immediate, free and permanent access to technical research on ScienceDirect for the community of practicing engineers and researchers to read, download and learn from. Authors are provided detailed individual feedback on how many times their paper has been read and which countries the readership comes from. These Case Studies journals aim for a turnaround time from submission to publication of no more than three months.

Journals in the series will all follow the article based publishing model, allowing for immediate publication of the finalized paper without waiting for other articles to be ready to compile a full issue.

Case Studies Journals:

Case Studies in Engineering Failure Analysis

Case Studies in Thermal Engineering

Case Studies in Construction Materials

Case Studies in Structural Engineering

About Open Access Publishing at Elsevier

Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish open access in over 1,600 established peer-reviewed journals as well as 46 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit http://www.elsevier.com/openaccess

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group PLC is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.

Media contact

Laure Ballu

Elsevier

+44 1865 84 3058

l.ballu@elsevier.com

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 15-Oct-2013
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Contact: Laure Ballu
l.ballu@elsevier.com
44-186-584-3058
Elsevier

Oxford, October 15, 2013 -- Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions announces the launch of a new open access journal, Case Studies in Fire Safety.

Case Studies in Fire Safety provides an exciting new publication outlet for facility designers, fire safety engineers and researchers to share case studies and short communications about practical problems in fire science, design and engineering.

Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Peter Johnson, Fellow at global design firm Arup, said of the launch, "Our built environment is changing with global urbanization and the increased production of taller buildings. We face major new challenges of climate change and forest fires, and internationally we have had some particularly damaging industrial fires. Alongside high quality theory-based research, insights into and sharing of practical design solutions is needed to address many of these problems. Case Studies in Fire Safety provides an open forum for sharing of such insights and solutions. It will offer a valuable resource for practitioners and researchers working in all fields of fire safety."

"We're delighted to announce the launch of this new journal. The publication format is designed to suit the needs of both the academic community and practitioners working in fire science and fire safety engineering fields," said Joe d'Angelo, Publisher for Civil Engineering journals at Elsevier. "There's a clear need for both academics and practitioners to share their experience and new ideas relating to fire safety, helping to avoid preventable and sometimes catastrophic oversights."

Case Studies in Fire Safety is part of a series of "Case Studies in" open access journals published by Elsevier within the field of engineering. Journals in the series will all follow the article based publishing model, allowing for immediate publication of final version of a paper without waiting for other articles to be ready to compile a full issue.

For more information or to submit an article, go to Case Studies in Fire Safety.

###

About Open Access engineering journal series, "Case Studies in"

The Case Studies series of journals are a new format of publication covering all aspects of engineering. They aim to connect researchers and practitioners working in a variety of subject areas by publishing short and accessible technical articles. They provide immediate, free and permanent access to technical research on ScienceDirect for the community of practicing engineers and researchers to read, download and learn from. Authors are provided detailed individual feedback on how many times their paper has been read and which countries the readership comes from. These Case Studies journals aim for a turnaround time from submission to publication of no more than three months.

Journals in the series will all follow the article based publishing model, allowing for immediate publication of the finalized paper without waiting for other articles to be ready to compile a full issue.

Case Studies Journals:

Case Studies in Engineering Failure Analysis

Case Studies in Thermal Engineering

Case Studies in Construction Materials

Case Studies in Structural Engineering

About Open Access Publishing at Elsevier

Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish open access in over 1,600 established peer-reviewed journals as well as 46 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit http://www.elsevier.com/openaccess

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group PLC is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.

Media contact

Laure Ballu

Elsevier

+44 1865 84 3058

l.ballu@elsevier.com

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/e-eat101513.php
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Is The U.S. In A Debt Crisis?

The Thursday deadline for raising the federal debt limit is fast approaching, but the government is still shut down. Host Michel Martin asks Sudeep Reddy of The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine's Rana Foroohar, if the U.S. is in a debt crisis.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. You might've been hearing the name Malala Yousafzai. She is the Pakistani teenager who was shot at point-blank range by Taliban extremists a year ago because she dared to speak up about her desire to go to school. She has made a remarkable recovery. She is in the U.S. now. I spoke with her a few days ago and we'll bring you a portion of that conversation a little later in the program.

But first, back to pressing matters in this country's politics. The United States is just days away from being unable to pay all of its bills and most government functions are still shut down. There are hints that an agreement is near, but either way, we were wondering if we are in a debt crisis now. Joining us to talk about this are Wall Street Journal economics reporter Sudeep Reddy. Also with us, Rana Foroohar. She's Time magazine's assistant managing editor for economics. Welcome back to both of you. Thank you both so much for speaking with us.

SUDEEP REDDY: Hi, Michel.

RANA FOROOHAR: Thank you.

MARTIN: Sudeep, as we are speaking to you now, we are fast approaching the deadline where Congress has to decide whether to hike the $16.7 trillion debt limit or the nation could - technically, the nation would be in default. So what would happen if this is not raised?

REDDY: If it's not raised, the United States will stop paying some of its bills and financial markets will probably go into the closest thing to panic we've seen since 2008. You're already seeing signs of that. Markets are preparing for a catastrophe. They're worried about a much more serious crisis than anything we've faced. And they're hoping that this will get resolved at the last minute as it usually does, but they're not betting anymore entirely that it will.

MARTIN: Rana, could you - now, obviously, you're in New York, which is, you know, a financial center, you know, of the country and one assumes that there's kind of a lot of awareness about that, but on practical terms, what will most people experience? Will people have - will people feel this actually in their own wallets? Rana?

FOROOHAR: Oh, I'm sorry. I was having trouble hearing you. Yeah, they will certainly feel it in their own wallets. And as a matter of fact, they already have. You can see consumer confidence has gone down. Business confidence is down, which means that companies are not spending, that has a dampening effect on employment. There are already estimates that the shutdown, so far, has shaved something like .3 percent off of growth this quarter. Of course, the situation gets more and more dire and the prognostications become more dire about what the result would be in terms of higher unemployment if we were to go over the debt ceiling and actually have a default. Now I do think that we have to caveat all of this by saying, though, that Thursday is not necessarily, you know, the cliff and once you're over it that's the end, you have another Lehman Brothers style event.

This is something that will roll out over days and weeks. There's actually a cushion of money in the Treasury. And so the Treasury does have a few more days after Thursday to pay bills. But of course every day you go over that debt ceiling, markets get more and more jittery. And you can see that in stock futures' prices.

MARTIN: Rana, stick with me here for a minute. There are those who argue that this is just the kind of tough love the economy needs. It's just like maxing out your own credit card. And if you've maxed out your own credit card, you just have to stop spending. Just stop charging. Is that - is that an appropriate analogy?

FOROOHAR: Well, you know, that's said in sort of two ways - I mean, on the one hand, people say, well, we've got to get our deficit in order, we've got this debt problem. The debt and the deficit are not even by a long shot our biggest economic problems right now. And what's ironic is that the deficit has actually been shrinking recently because of the sequester and because of all the fiscal cuts we've had from the last time we were in this situation in August of 2011.

I do think that you're probably going to have to see a stronger negative market signal in order for politicians to start to really feel the pressure and get their acts together and come towards a deal. I think it's interesting that that hasn't happened yet - and part of the issue here is that there is just a huge existential divide between Wall Street and Washington. You know, Wall Street cannot believe that there is this group of Republican politicians that are willing to sacrifice the economy for political gain. That's just something that the Street has a really hard time sort of coming to grips with. And I think you can see that psychic disconnect in the fact that we haven't seen more of a market reaction so far.

MARTIN: Sudeep, do you want to talk a little bit more about that, since you talk to a lot of these political folks all the time?

REDDY: They actually bring up the credit card analogy quite a bit. They feel like the United States government should be run like a family budget. That misses some very important facts. Primarily, that the United States government is the largest, most powerful government in the world and can borrow for a very long time. And people actually want to lend the U.S. government money. It is a safe haven in a crisis. Whenever you see any hint of fear in the market you see investors flooding into United States debt because that's the last thing you can trust in a crisis.

And that's one reason why you actually have interest rates go down in a crisis instead of - for the United States - instead of going up as you might see in some other countries. When you're the safe haven currency, you can borrow a lot longer. You have a lot more flexibility. The credit card analogy is useful to a point. If you've maxed out your credit card, if you've gone too far, if you feel like you could end up in bankruptcy down the road - you should start getting yourself on a payment plan. That's what these last three years have really been about. Talking about the longer run budget to try to maybe deal with the problems that we'll face a decade from now. But Rana's exactly right. The problem we have today is really weak economic growth. If we don't do something about that then whatever we do 10 years from now won't really matter.

MARTIN: If you're just joining us, we're talking about where we stand with the debt limit and also, you know, by extension, the government shutdown. Both of those issues seem to be wrapped up in the current kind of political discussions. Our guests are Sudeep Reddy. Wall Street Journal economics reporter. And Time magazine assistant managing editor for economics, Rana Foroohar.

Sudeep, Rana talked about kind of an existentialist distance between Wall Street - and I would say, by extension, kind of the business community and kind of the world of mainstream economics and the political leadership - at least the political leadership that's very invested in this fight. Do you see that as being true? I mean, why do you think that there's such a disconnect? I mean, traditionally people associated - at least in this era - the Republican party as being the party more closely tied to business and their priorities...

REDDY: That certainly has...

MARTIN: So why do you think that there's this disconnect?

REDDY: That certainly has traditionally been the case. What you're seeing today, and what you've been seeing since 2008, because of this incredibly weak economy - the weakest since the Great Depression, the slowest recovery we've had since World War II - people are looking at our government, at our economy and they see an existential threat to the nation. They are fighting this fight over the size and shape of government. And that's what the Tea party is all about.

That's what this new Republican base is all about. They see this as a fight to save the economy and save the country. And that's why they're so invested in it and saying, let's not look at the short-term gains of Wall Street, let's look at the big picture. What is too easy to forget - and nobody in America loves Wall Street unless you're around it and making money from it - what most people are seeing when they see Wall Street is they see lots of greed, they see lots of people making more money than they should be. And the lesson of 2008 though is that the financial system is the underpinning of the economy. And you saw these votes in 2008 where lawmakers would reject that premise and we're still dealing with the consequences. Billions of people's lives have been altered because of that decision and those decisions in 2008. And there is that disconnect. If you don't accept that the financial system is the underpinning of our economy then lots of bad things will happen.

MARTIN: Rana, there's also a school of thought that you should spend more during the time of recession, more. That the government should be spending more...

FOROOHAR: Yeah.

MARTIN: ...When their economy is slowing in order to stimulate that - that's kind of the, you know, operating economic philosophy in a number of other governments, you know, right now.

FOROOHAR: Sure.

MARTIN: To try to address this ongoing kind of economic stagnation. Does that point of view have any currency at all?

FOROOHAR: Oh, absolutely.

MARTIN: With the people you talk to, and why is it that it doesn't seem to have more force right now?

FOROOHAR: Well, it's a function of our partisan politics. I mean, if you looked at it, you know, particularly if you're sort of a liberal economist, that's absolutely the right way to look at things. That you want to spend. You want government to be a push - a sort of a push factor in the economy rather than a headwind. You know, if you stripped out all of the fiscal cutbacks in the government as part of the economy, you'd already be in a more robust recovery. Government, instead of helping, is actually hurting economy. So you can absolutely make that argument. The problem is that, you know, as we've seen time and time again over the last three years, we're in a situation where we're not having a discussion really about what's best for the economy.

We're having a very partisan, localized, political fight in Washington. And it really has nothing to do with what the best steps are for the economy. And I think it's fascinating - actually the point that Sudeep touched on - about how the Republican party is not necessarily the party of business anymore. I mean, when I talk to business leaders - CEOs around the country - their agenda is in some ways very much a left-leaning agenda. They want investment into infrastructure and education. They want the government to get over it and, you know, get Washington rolling again and stop having these every six months, every three months, debacles that cut our growth.

MARTIN: Sudeep, final thought from you. You know, there's been a lot of talk about how the recession in these past years - or at least the economic stagnation over the last couple of years has changed American families. It's changed people's thinking about what their priorities are. Some of their fiscal priorities - the way they spend money. Is there any sign that this current situation is kind of changing the way political leaders are thinking about the economy?

REDDY: Unfortunately, it's leading lawmakers to be more short-term in their thinking instead of long-term in their thinking. When you see this much pain and this much economic devastation around the country, the natural reaction is to want to do something immediately to help. That's one reason you have these battles about what can we do right now. If you talk to any economist who's dealing with countries around the world, they will always say the holy grail is coming up with structural changes. With coming up with changes to an economy that might take affect years down the line, maybe a decade down the line, but provide those very important signals of what's going to happen down the road and provide a stronger underpinning for the economy.

We've moved away from that because we are obviously in two-year election cycles and people are focused on that. And the pain is so severe, it's so raw, that it's leading people - lawmakers and their constituents - to think about what can we do right now and kind of push aside what you might be able to do that would be even more helpful down the line. If we had this discussion a few years ago, we'd obviously be better off.

MARTIN: Wall Street Journal economics reporter Sudeep Reddy was speaking just now. He was kind enough to join us in our Washington, D.C. studios. With us from the Time magazine studios in New York, Rana Foroohar. Assistant managing editor for economics for Time magazine. Thank you both so much for speaking with us.

REDDY: Thanks, Michel.

FOROOHAR: Thanks for having me.

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NBC/WSJ poll: Shutdown debate damages GOP - NBCNews.com

NBC/WSJ poll: Shutdown debate damages GOP
NBCNews.com
By Mark Murray, Senior Political Editor, NBC News. The Republican Party has been badly damaged in the ongoing government shutdown and debt limit standoff, with a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finding that a majority of Americans blame the …
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AP PHOTOS: Pilgrims start hajj in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. Joined by their faith and a desire to purify their souls, more than 2 million Muslims from nearly 200 countries gathered around a hill in Saudi Arabia on Monday marked by a small white pillar. It is here, in Mount Arafat on the Mountain of Mercy, known in Arabic as Jabal al-Rahma, that the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers, calling on Muslims to unite.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. Joined by their faith and a desire to purify their souls, more than 2 million Muslims from nearly 200 countries gathered around a hill in Saudi Arabia on Monday marked by a small white pillar. It is here, in Mount Arafat on the Mountain of Mercy, known in Arabic as Jabal al-Rahma, that the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers, calling on Muslims to unite.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. The hajj, a central pillar of Islam and one that able-bodied Muslims must make once in their lives, is a four-day spiritual cleansing based on centuries of interpretation of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian Muslim pilgrim Mansour Attallah Ali, cries as he prays at sunrise on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, as part of the hajj, or pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2014. The day spent on Mount Arafat is an emotional moment for pilgrims because it is here, on this rocky desert hill, where they believe that the gates of heaven are open for prayers to be answered and all past sins to be forgiven. Many can be heard repeating the phrase "Labayk Allahuma Labayk," or "Here I am, God, answering your call. Here I am."(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims prays at sunrise on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. Countless Muslims have continued that same journey as part of an elaborate and physically demanding set of purification rites known as hajj. Muslims believe the rituals, which start in Mecca and culminate in Mount Arafat, also trace the footsteps of the prophets Abraham and Ishmael.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims touch a marker at the top of a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Oct. 14, 2014. The hajj, a central pillar of Islam and one that able-bodied Muslims must make once in their lives, is a four-day spiritual cleansing based on centuries of interpretation of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — About 2 million Muslims from around the world prayed at a desert hill in Saudi Arabia on Monday, joined in their faith and desire to purify their souls at the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage.

It is here on Mount Arafat, marked by a white pillar, where Islam's Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers some 1,400 years ago, calling on Muslims to unite.

Prayers on and around the mount are a climactic emotional and spiritual moment in the hajj. The faithful believe that on this day the gates of heaven are open, prayers are answered and past sins are forgiven. Among the crowds of pilgrims Monday, men and women wept as they stretched their hands out in prayer and supplication.

"Labayk, Allahuma, labayk," they repeated — "Here I am, God, answering your call. Here I am."

The prayers at Arafat, outside the holy city of Mecca, are part of the elaborate and physically demanding purification rites of hajj. Hajj is a central pillar of Islam and all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform it once in their lives. While following a route Muhammad once walked, the rites are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.

For many pilgrims, the hajj is an answer to a lifetime of prayers — particularly for the poor, who often save for years for the chance to make the journey. The rites emphasize equality before God, whether rich or poor. Men dress in seamless white terrycloth garments symbolizing simplicity. Women wear long, loose clothing and a headscarf, forgoing perfume and makeup

Syrian pilgrim Mohammed Firas has come to hajj without his children. They were killed in Syria's civil war, he says, a conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives.

"I pray to God on this great day to swiftly lift our country's suffering," he said.

In his annual hajj sermon at a mosque near Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia's mufti, Sheik Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Sheikh warned Muslims against divisions.

"The Muslim community is targeted by the enemies of Islam, who want to deal blows, sow divisions and spread chaos," he said, adding that Muslims must "protect their homelands."

Many of the pilgrims wore face masks, part of extra precautions this year because of a new respiratory virus centered in the Arabian Peninsula. The virus has killed more than 50 people in the kingdom this past year, prompting Saudi officials to slash visas for hajj by 20 percent in part due to concerns the presence of massive crowds in close quarters could cause a wider outbreak.

They say no cases of the coronavirus have been detected among pilgrims.

Around sunset, the pilgrims on hajj leave Mount Arafat and head eight kilometers (five miles) to Muzdalifa, a desert plain where they collect pebbles. Those pebbles will be used in a symbolic stoning of the devil that begins on Tuesday, marking the start of the three-day Eid al-Adha feast, celebrated around the Muslim world.

The following is a gallery of images from Mount Arafat by AP Photographer Amr Nabil.

___

Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Abdullah al-Shihri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

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'Identical' Stumbles Outside The Courtroom

Scott Turow practiced law before turning his attention to fiction writing. His legal thrillers include Personal Injuries and The Burden of Proof.

Jeremy Lawson/Courtesy of Grand Central Publishing

Scott Turow practiced law before turning his attention to fiction writing. His legal thrillers include Personal Injuries and The Burden of Proof.

Jeremy Lawson/Courtesy of Grand Central Publishing

The best way I can fairly review this book is to tell you seven things that it is not.

It is not a legal thriller. That would require the novel to be thrilling, at the very least, to compel you to turn the page. In my case, I read the book on a Kindle, and it often compelled me to turn my e-reader off.

It is also not a farce of a legal thriller. That was my initial guess. Think Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors: Improbable coincidences, characters misidentifying one another. Identical is not short on any of those. Then again, a farce by nature is required to be humorous.

Identical is not humorous.

Identical is also not a primer on DNA analysis or Greek mythology, however much it may read like one at times. As Turow explains in his author's note, he had the pleasure of consulting several experts for this book. Unfortunately, portions simply read like a transcription of their chats.

Identical is actually a pretty good courtroom drama, when it's in the courtroom. The novel tells the story of two identical twin brothers, Paul and Cass Gianis. Paul is a state senator running for mayor. Cass has just gotten out of prison after serving 25 years for killing his girlfriend. But now the murder is being re-investigated, and when all the detectives and lawyers are standing before a judge, the scenes are, generally, excellent. Turow is sharp as ever with dialogue, clever with legal arguments and positioning. But too often, outside the courthouse, the writing is explanatory and flat.

If I haven't made myself clear, this book is not Turow's best. Maybe my disappointment comes from being an admirer. Turow's first work of fiction, Presumed Innocent, practically established the modern legal novel — expert about the lawyering, subtle about the storytelling. The same way John le Carré, book after book, has made the spy novel into a literary medium, with the word "novel" required for its description. But where le Carré found a second (or third, or fourth) wind when anti-terrorism replaced the Cold War, Turow appears to be coasting.

Finally, Identical is not terrible. Plenty of readers will enjoy it, especially the ending, which is hard to see coming — in part because the author manages expectations well, in part because it's so implausible. But in my case, the book simply didn't meet a standard that Turow had established in my mind. I don't know if that's unfair, but it is true.

Rosecrans Baldwin's latest book is Paris, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/12/225461960/identical-stumbles-outside-the-courtroom?ft=1&f=1008
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Peter Croker presents at Keiser University College of Golf & Sport ...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Students at Keiser University College of Golf & Sport Management (COGSM) received some inspiration from 'down under' and golf instruction during a recent visit from Australian PGA Professional and award-winning instructor Peter Croker.

Croker shared his personal insights and teaching philosophy with the entire Keiser University COGSM student body and then provided individual instruction to students well into the evening.

"Golf is a worldwide industry and, at Keiser University College of Golf & Sport Management, we always strive to introduce our students to the players, teachers and techniques from around the world that have made a significant impact on the game. In this way, we can give our students a strong academic foundation and better prepare them for entering the job market," says Keiser University College of Golf & Sport Management Executive Director of Golf Operations Dr. Eric Wilson, who is also a PGA Master Professional. "All of our students were enthusiastic with Mr. Croker's presentations, and we're eager to have him return for another presentation in January 2014."

As a playing professional, Croker's career included the Australian, New Zealand, European and Asian PGA Tours from 1971 to 1983. However, he has received the most notoriety from his teaching. Croker was named PGA Teacher of the Year for the Victorian PGA Section in 2007 and has had major influence on PGA Teachers worldwide since 1993 till present time. He has coached numerous high-profile golfers, including Vijay Singh, Arnold Palmer and Fred Funk.

In 1992, Croker worked to develop a teaching system that helps amateurs and PGA coaches build golf swings and improve their games through a step-by-step, on-line learning program, available at www.keytogolf.com and www.CrokerGolfSystem.com/stepProgram. In 1995, Croker and the Croker Teaching System were featured as the cover story on Golf Digest USA, and associated Golf Digest magazines worldwide.

Keiser University COGSM degree in Golf Management prepares students for a variety of positions in the golf industry. In this program, students are prepared to provide golf instruction, manage golf course operations, ensure appropriate maintenance of golf facilities and equipment, as well as integrate the play of golf into the broader hospitality and recreation domain. Keiser University COGSM's Bachelor of Science in Sports Management degree (with a concentration in golf management) focuses on the managerial and business aspects of a career in golf. The curriculum supports an expanded professional role of sports managers and graduates of associate degree programs in golf, hospitality, fitness, sports, recreation and other related fields.

About Keiser University:
Keiser University (KU) is a private, not-for-profit university serving nearly 20,000 students pursuing doctoral through associate degrees on 15 campuses and online and employing nearly 3,500 staff and faculty. Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Keiser University. Keiser University's educational reach extends globally through its international programs, including the Latin Division, a cooperative agreement in the Eastern European nation of Moldova, and an off-site campus in Shanghai, China.

For more information on attending Keiser University College of Golf & Sport Management, please contact the College of Golf campus at 1860 Fountainview Blvd, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; online at www.CollegeofGolf.KeiserUniversity.edu; or call 888.355.4465.

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