Why do racial and ethnic controversies become attached, as they often do, to discussions of modern genetics? How do theories about genetic difference become entangled with political debates about cultural and group differences in America? Such issues are a conspicuous part of the histories of three hereditary diseases: Tay-Sachs, commonly identified with Jewish Americans; cystic fibrosis, often labeled a "Caucasian" disease; and sickle cell disease, widely associated with African Americans.

In this captivating account, historians Keith Wailoo and Stephen Pemberton reveal how these diseases -- fraught with ethnic and racial meanings for many Americans -- became objects of biological fascination and crucibles of social debate. Peering behind the headlines of breakthrough treatments and coming cures, they tell a complex story: about different kinds of suffering and faith, about unequal access to the promises and perils of modern medicine, and about how Americans consume innovation and how they come to believe in, or resist, the notion of imminent medical breakthroughs.

With Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease as a powerful backdrop, the authors provide a glimpse into a diverse America where racial ideologies, cultural politics, and conflicting beliefs about the power of genetics shape disparate health care expectations and experiences.

Everybody knows about designing web sites and computer systems so that they are easy to use, but what would happen if you designed a programming language with the same goals? The answer is ABC; a language that was designed on a 'clean sheet' with the goal of delivering an easy-to-use language ideal for teaching and learning about programming. . ABC is more readable than other languages, and has no obscure commands. . It is more concise than other languages; equivalent programs written in C are five times as long. . It is more powerful than other languages; its perfect choice of high-level data types make it an ideal tool for serious programming. . ABC was one of the inspirations for the Python programming language and Python shares key ideas and features of ABC. This book provides a hands-on introduction to the language including many programming examples along with a users guide and a complete definition of the language. The language is available free to run on PCs, Macs and UNIX. Have a look at: www.idhub.com/abc