That Jessica Simpson has been groomed to become the next (as well as younger, whiter, and more virginal) Mariah Carey should come as no great shock. Production by slavish imitation is the way it goes these days, and wanting to duplicate Carey's success is understandable. Yet the downside of idol worship (Simpson grew up with the octave-conquering diva as a touchstone) is the loss of unique identity, and sadly that's exactly what has occurred. From the wordless sighs to the mock Spanish guitars added for international appeal, to the overwrought power ballads and faux hip-hop flavored up-tempo cuts, Simpson, who can sing, is a prisoner of by-the-numbers production and songs by the usual pop/R&B-lite suspects. The end result is sonically stellar, but is too close to a generic endeavor that does little to establish Simpson as an artist. Still, Irresistible will no doubt firm up her already serious stats as a rising young star.

Happy Christmas is the seventh studio album and second Christmas album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The album was released on November 22, 2010 by Primary Wave Records. Simpson made an appearance on The Early Show to promote the album

I've always been a fan of Jessica Simpson, and have always thought she was a wonderful singer. However, lately she has gotten in the habit of singing in a breathy child-like voice, riffing way too much, even for her, and not announcing her consanants.

Comprehensive in its treatment of Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system for the masses, Alan Simpson's Windows XP Bible has an answer to most "How do I..." questions that are likely to arise in the minds of Windows XP users, particularly those who aren't too familiar with recent versions of Windows. If you're going to buy a Windows XP reference book for your office, this would be a good choice. The author--the respected Alan Simpson, who's put out similarly comprehensive books before--must have incredible patience, because he manages to document almost every Windows procedure down to the last option and the final "OK" click. Most people won't need this level of handholding--almost everyone has gained knowledge of the basic Windows conventions by now--and perhaps this book could have been more compact (as it is, it's pretty hefty) or contained more obscure details without it. But don't accuse Simpson of neglecting details.

With contributions from nearly 80 international experts, this comprehensive resource covers diverse issues, aspects, and features of public administration and policy around the world.

Offering effective tools and strategies, this book covers how to encourage and strengthen skills in process analysis and investigation, align OD principles with transforming societal values, clarify communication processes and decision-making procedures, and isolate and resolve roadblock issues.

Record breaking hurricane seasons, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, and intentional acts of mass-casualty violence, give lie to the delusion that disasters are the anomaly and not the norm. Disaster management is rooted in the fundamental belief that we can protect ourselves.

The demand for health information continues to increase, but the ability of health professionals to provide it clearly remains variable. The aim of this book is (1) to summarize and synthesize research on the selection and presentation of data pertinent to public health, and (2) to provide practical suggestions, based on this research summary and synthesis, on how scientists and other public health practitioners can better communicate data to the public, policy makers, and the press in typical real-world situations.

Written by nearly 25 authorities in the field, the Handbook of Global International Policy focuses on public policy issues among and within nations on every continent-comparing approaches and applications to real-world problems. Beginning with a thorough introduction to the subject, the Handbook reviews

The impact of religion on the 2004 presidential election results provoked widespread consternation and surprise. Given the intensity and closeness of the results, however, the role of religion should not have come as a shock. In fact, religion and faith have played a vital role in American elections for some time, and here, Green explores the links and how they have changed over time. Specifically, he concludes that there was an "old religion gap" that described longstanding political differences among religious communities, which has been supplanted by a "new religion gap" that shows political divisions based on religious behavior and belief. Green puts the differences into context and documents the changing role of religion in politics over the last sixty years. Covering three areas of religion that tend to influence election outcomes, Green illuminates the meaning of religious belonging, behaving, and believing in current political context. Each of these aspects of religion affects the way people vote and their views of issues, ideology, and partisanship. He reviews the importance of "moral values" in the major party coalitions and discusses the role religious appeals have in presidential campaigns. In addition, he compares the influence of religion to other factors such as gender, age, and income. Given the emphasis on the influence of religion on American politics and elections in recent years, this book serves as a cogent reminder that the situation is not new, and offers a careful analysis of the real role faith plays in the electing of government officials.