The second XP Universe and ?rst Agile Universe brought together many p- ple interested in building software in a new way. Held in Chicago, August 4 7, 2002 it attracted software experts, educators, and developers. Unlike most c- ferences the venue was very dynamic. Many activities were not even well de?ned in advance. All discussions were encouraged to be spontaneous. Even so, there were some written words available and you are holding all of them now. We have collected as much material as possible together into this small volume. It is just the tip of the iceberg of course. A reminder to us...

M.E. Hugs is a collection of poems inspired by my children and written to document some of my most special moments as a mom to two extraordinary kids. One day I looked up and they just were not little anymore. These poems depict the priceless and also the totally ordinary moments along their journey to adulthood. Some people take pictures to remember the special times. I like to freeze the moments with words.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 has been widely seen as a historical turning-point. For the first time in modern history an Asian and a European country competed on equal terms, overturning the prevailing balance of power. Based on a wide range of original source material in Russian, Japanese and other languages, this book goes beyond the military and international political grand narratives to examine the war's social, cultural, literary and intellectual impact in their historical context. In Japan the war reinforced the country's self-image as a 'coming' nation, while in Russia, combined...

Based on a wide range of original source material in Russian, Japanese and other languages, this work goes beyond the military and international political grand narratives of the Russo-Japanese war to examine the war's social, cultural, literary and intellectual impact in their historical context.