Events Books

The thread connecting the chapters in this book, several of which are adapted from Buruma's previously published writing, is the author's journey from free Los Angeles and thereabouts to unfree Beijing. At each stop along the way Buruma interviews dissidents or former dissents from Chinese societies. Their stories do seem to blend into each other after a hundred pages or so. There's the childhood of relative prosperity, the youthful recognition of a corrupt society, and the public expression of defiance, followed by arrest, imprisonment, and usually torture. The grisly repetition of fiendishly cruel punishments would be macabre if it weren't for Buruma's personal explanation for his curiosity: he wants to know if he and his generation in Europe could have borne such trials.

It is the personal element that makes this book as captivating as it is. We hear not only each dissident's words but also Buruma's reactions to them and sometimes arguments against them. His long experience in Asian affairs and understanding of Western and Asian societies make his thoughts as illuminating as the stories of the dissidents themselves. The book is not a travelogue but has elements of one. He meets old friends and strangers, eats new foods, and ruefully observes changes in urban landscapes. His brief descriptions of Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong and other cities on his route capture them in their essence.

"Bad Elements" is informative, horrifying, inspirational, and even funny at times. Anyone with an interest in Chinese culture, Asian politics, or modern history will find it enlightening.

Ian Buruma gives us a penetrating portrait of all kinds of modern Chinese rebels against authoritarianism ('A human being should have the right to choose his own destiny').
These dissidents represent 'the first principle of good governance: the freedom to be critical and in this respect, they are an example not just for China but for all of us.'

Among the most fascinating interviews are those with the Tiananmen rebels more than ten years after the bloody events. These dissidents are now more or less troubled men in exile, full of disillusion and desperation, even fleeing into religion, but still bickering with and criticizing their fellow travellers.
Although they showed enormous courage, the truth is that they were not really a threat for the regime. As Ian Buruma states rightly: 'The Communist government fears rebellious workers far more than students and intellectuals.'

This book contains a wealth of information on China and the Chinese Diaspora.
It contains painful interviews with victims of the Cultural Revolution who suffered horrifying tortures, as well as a harsh report on the Shenzhen zone and a correct evaluation of the Falun Gong movement.
The author sketches a terribly bleak picture of Singapore's dictator Lee Kuan Yew, who couldn't support the slightest criticism and who crushed even the mildest of his opponents.
He gives us also an excellent historical and actual portrait of Taiwan with the bloody Kuomintang invasion and the brutal dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek.
One minus point: in his distinguished portrait of Tibet he fails to mention the fact that Tibetans were trained by the CIA as invasion troops for an attack on Mao's China.
With every report and interview, the author illuminates different aspects of the Chinese mentality (Confucianism, zige, xenophobia, self-loathing ...)

This book is a magisterial achievement and a must read for all those interested in the history of China.

As with all of Buruma's other writing, this is a brilliant book, well-written and convincing. The strength of his writing lies in his appreciation of, and his craving for the intricacies and idiosyncracies that make up the Asian lifestyle. In this book, he gets down and dirty, even enduring the squalid conditions of rural Chinese life to live with a family whose Christian matriach runs an underground 'Church'.

My primary grouse with Bad Elements can perhaps be encapsulated in this very episode: I was very much looking forward to hear Buruma's views on the underground Church movement in China, and was expecting as much, but he chose to present the internal conflict within the above-mentioned matriach's family instead, whose children (like the Communist government) think that she's dabbling in the occult. Buruma loses the opportunity to discuss much of the issues he so tantalizingly mentions: an interview with a senior Chinese dissident falls through because the writer misses him as he passes quickly through the turnstiles of the Beijing underground, for instance.

This book strikes one as more of a work of travel writing, with plenty of pointed perspectives and unexpected opinions emerging from both the writer, the landscapes through which he passes and, of course, the people he meets. As such, this isn't quite as academic, nor does it provide as much in-depth historical/sociological research as some readers might expect. Another word of caution: while Buruma is mostly accurate in his descriptions, he does tend to neglect details - titles, place names, translations. Still, he does correctly observe that Lee Kuan Yew is, indeed, Senior Minister, the title he's held ever since stepping down from Prime Ministership. In Buruma's earlier The Missionary and the Libertine, Buruma actually makes the jarring mistake of addressing the man as Head Minister, a position which doesn't quite exist in Singapore.

Buruma's views are informative, but don't expect much objectivity here: he never shifts from his position that the CCP is 'morally bankrupt' (a phrase he uses a lot), and fails to provide balanced commentary of a wide array of issues, ranging from Tibet to the Tiananmen Massacre. Anyone or anything associated with the CCP is hence rendered malignant.

That said, Bad Elements is a great read. It will keep you up at night, just to get through all the details the writer so willingly provides! As complementary reads, I would suggest Ian Gitting's China Through the Sliding Door, a journalistic (if somewhat dry) account of reporting from China over the last 4 decades and Jan Wong's China, a witty work of non-fiction that manages to paint a sympathetic picture of the sufferings of the Chinese people under the CCP. Gitting's book is a masterpiece for its unapologetic objectivity and amazing detail.

For decision-makers in companies which are either doing business in China now or are planning to, this is a must read. Buruma examines various "bad elements" in China and elsewhere whose intransigence and (in several instances) corruption create serious barriers to communication and cooperation as well as to commerce with the western world. Viewed as a global market, the People's Republic of China offers business opportunities which are almost comprehensible. For those of us in democratic societies in which dissent is not only possible but protected by law, it is difficult to grasp the nature and extent of suppression of human rights which we so easily take for granted. Among dissenters, opinions vary as to the pace of reform by which to establish such rights. At one point in this brilliant book, Buruma discusses Dai Qing who can be described as a "go slow intellectual." She advocates patience and prudence, confident of eventual reforms. "One sees what she means, but the analysis is flawed. On the contrary, the raw emotions, the latent hysteria, the pent-up aggressions seething under the surface of Chinese life are the result of living a lie. As long as people speak cannot freely, nothing can be exposed to to the light of reason, and raw emotions will take over." Over the centuries, social reform in China has never been easy and often traumatic. After conducting interviews with several dozen "mavericks" and then reflecting upon what they have shared with him, Buruma seems skeptical that significant social reform can be achieved, given the opposition of various "bad elements." He may be right. There is also the possibility that one totalitarian dynasty will simply give way to another. In that event, to what extent will suppression of dissent be sustained? To what extent will such a new dynasty be more willing and able to accommodate new technologies, notably the Internet? Buruma asks these and other critically important questions. He and we await answers which will indeed have global implications: positive, negative, or more likely both.

This play has emotion and creativity that brings the early chapters of Genesis to life. Not since CS Lewis have I read a fictionalization of the Garden story that gave me pause to think. Right after I read this - I read the chapters in the Bible. I have gone and purchased the remaining books in the series as I expect to enjoy each of them.

This first in a series entitled "The Chronicles of the Door" deals with creation and original sin from the viewpoint of the angels. It's a clever premise, and well carried out. The author's great reverence for God shines through. Through the fall of man, the close "hands-on" relationship with God and Heaven is closed off, but the foreshadowing for redemption is evident. In the epilogue, God calls out to Abram, who will of course become Abraham. At that point, I went back to Amazon.com and bought the rest of the series! I recommend The Beginning because it makes one reflect on the magnitude of sin and how it grieves God. The cost of our disobedience is something rarely preached in church. Churches more and more preach on God's love and all the positive things, and try to avoid the controversy of dealing with sin and Satan. This book will cause you to consider the importance of your day-to-day choices.

As an ex-jock I'm not a real guy, but I wept like I had not wept in 20 years as I read Gene Edwards description of Adam meeting God. I wept when I read of Adam meeting his bride Eve. I wept at the tenderness with which God clothed his Children and sent them from the Garden. Although The Beginning is fiction, Gene Edwards has used Biblical truth to vividly and emotionally describe the events of the beginning of the world. If you have doubts of the glory and honor that it is to be a child of God you must read this book!

This book is incredible! Great reading for all ages. It really opens your mind to help you think outside the box of what "we" humans think about God. He created us in His image, yet we forget that He too has feelings and emotions. This is a great visual into the heart of The Father.

Mr. Mirlis' capacity to capture the thoughts and recollections of these wonderful sportsmen (and women) really made me (and my friends) feel like I was "being there" (of course, no pun intended!). In all seriousness, this book held my interest and I'm proud to say that I am not only a friend of Mr. Mirlis', but that I also own his wonderfully written book.

Having attended several of the sporting events and watched many of the others described by many of the contributors, I really enjoyed re-living these moments in time. I think a sequel would be a great follow up read. Mr. Mirlis should be commended on his ability to gather such a strong group of contributors.

This book is so great! I've bought several copies for FATHER'S DAY gifts for family members and friend who love sports.

I would totally recommend this book for all to read. Nice and relaxing and makes you wonder about the events you have been to in your lifetime. Maybe they should be in "Being There II"

While the Bell Curve has stirred up a whirlwind of controversy, the Bell Curve Debate is actually the better of the two books. This book has great rebuttals by the likes Stephen Jay Gould, Howard Gardner, Carl Rowan and many more. It even includes some of the classic papers on these matters such "On Breeding Good Stock" by Karl Pearson. Given a choice between reading the Bell Curve or the Bell Curve Debate, the Bell Curve Debate is the clear choice.

It is regrettable to see that this valuable work is now out of print. This book is mandatory reading for anyone desiring to delve deeper into this controversial subject matter. Russell Jacoby and Naomi Glauberman do a splendid job of bringing together authors with widely differing views on the "The Bell Curve." Irving Louis Horowitz, Stephen Jay Gould, and Christopher Hitchens are only among a few of the highly regarding thinkers contributing to this collection. The editors even included a couple of insightful pieces by Walter Lippmann written in 1922 taking to task scientists similar to Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray. I particularly recommend the article by Hugh Pearson entitled "Breaking Ranks." Pearson, aptly argues that the anti-intellectualism embraced by many Afro-American males afraid of being perceived as race traitors, does much to explain the low I.Q. scores of this group.

There is, though, one major complaint I have with each and every writer that has tackled "The Bell Curve." Not one that I'm aware of has made reference to the great philosopher, Karl Popper. This fact flabbergasts me to no end. Karl Popper warned that scholars, at best, present tentative indications for their theories which may eventually be proven false. How can we forget that fully credentialled scientists, not perceived crack pots, encouraged the bleeding of patients only a few hundred years ago? Another area of study now discredited is phrenology. All students in their formative years must read the serious scholarship of those bygone days when such views were highly respected. It is, I dare say, a humbling experience. Scientists may earn our respect, but we should never consider them infallible.

The measuring of intelligence is hindered by its intrinsic nebulousness. Thus, the study of this phenomenon is not restricted to members of the hard sciences. The arrogant premise of Logical Positivism is found wanting. Poets, artists, philosophers, and other denizens of the often derided Liberal Arts will forevermore continue to have a seat at the table. Debates over the nature vs. nurture aspects of intelligence are doomed to take place until the end of time. Nobody will ever be able to claim they have exhausted this ultimate conundrum of human existence.

... .

This is a worthwhile collection of old and new articles dealing with the controversy over IQ.Both pro and con groups are well represented in the various selections.The best article is written by S J Gould.
It is interesting that practically none of the selections question the very basic methodological question concerning the data upon which IQ calculations are constructed-standarized,fill in the circle,multiple choice,pattern recognition tests.No one explains why such tests are relevant to the measurement of intelligence.Such tests appear to measure memorization,recall,and effective "drill and kill " tutoring.It would appear that this is what some academics mean by intelligence- how well a test taker can regurgitate past training in taking such tests.

It's hard to imagine a better or more balanced collection of essays on the topic of intelligence testing and _The Bell Curve_. The essays present various sides of the debate, featuring perspectives from psychologists, biologists, historians, and theorists. Especially illuminating were sections dealing with _TBC_'s authors' funding source, a clandestine eugenics think-tank in New York. Also, you can find some good pro-Bell Curve articles here, although the bias certainly seems to be in favour of con- (a relection, I believe, of the academic consensus_.

It's a long book, so I thought it would last. No such luck. The writing is simply amazing, across the board. Buy it, enjoy it.

No one could possibly take The New Yorker, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Esquire,The American Scholar, the Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Time, Gourmet, Harper's and Vanity Fair and read all the stories in them every month for a year. But what if the greatest experts, The American Society of Magazine Editors read 1,586 stories and picked just the best 17 of them for you to read. Even if you didn't think you'd like the subject, you will love reading each and every one of these. I'm using it for a seminar I'm giving -- one article and its author to discuss each week for 14 weeks. It's Terrific!!!

For anyone who enjoys feature writing and investigative journalism this is an excellent read. I have made it through 9 of the 17 stories and have thoroughly enjoyed 8 of them. The topics are broad (John McCain, seal hunting in Greenland, a fat wine critic, campaign finance reform and many more.) The writing is so good that even topics that usually bore me (wine for one) became interesting.

No matter who you are, what your interests or where your political affiliations lie, if you enjoy reading good writing, you will enjoy this book. It represents some of the tightest, best researched and most insightful writing of a year's worth of magazine articles. The magazines in which the articles were originally published range from The Atlantic Monthly to Zoetrope: All-Story (did they include the ends of the alphabet for such a sentence as this?). The subjects, writing styles and tones of the stories smatter widely, but have in common one thing: they are stories worth your while. You could be forced to walk, sit and suffer with John McCain through his torturous 5-year imprisonment in a North Vietnamese p.o.w. camp, as well as with the cast of characters behind one week of McCain's presidential campaign tour. You could bask in the glory of Bob Parker, a burly, middle-aged Maryland guy whose freakishly acute sense of smell, coupled with his rigid integrity, led to his publication of The Wine Advocate and the author's well-founded claim that Parker may be "single-handedly changing the history of wine." The book is replete with the end product of authors whose diligence, sensitivity and dexterity with the English language have culminated in some rock-solid reading.

This is a wonderful resource for obtaining meanigful quotes for anyone who posseses insight into the nature of our existance here in America, and in the world.

This book is a wonderful collection of quotations that showcase the good in soceity and human nature. While there are a few pages devoted to poking at the far right, most of the book is filled with positive, uplifting thoughts. If you're a liberal, you're sure to feel a sense of pride regarding your beliefs, if you're a Conservative, it will help you to understand the REAL meaning of what it is to be a Liberal. I absolutely loved it.

I agree with Jim Hightower's assessment on the book cover, "This is a bible of progressive wisdom." This is not just a reference book, but a celebration of the virtues of liberal thought. I sat down and read it cover to cover. It's a one-of-a-kind digest and resource for taking our country back!

I have been searching for a compact book of quotes to use in opening and closing arguments in court - this book is perfect! It is not so long that hours are spent searching and not so short that only the most familiar quotes are included. Instead, it has many qulates which we may have heard at one time, but they are not so cliche'ridden that we know the end of every one. Instead, it reminds us of quotes which we would like to remember, and will either buy the book to keep, or spend time "borrowing" it from friends to copy the quotes we want.

The book is loaded with quotations appropriate to issues of justice, human rights, equity, honesty, fairness and a multitude of other positive liberal American virtues. It is good reading by itself but is also invaluable for anyone who does any issue writing in any field!

Charles Pfeiffer's book is essential for understanding how and why Jewish culture changed during the silent 440 years.

This book is an accurate and sound book. If you are looking for factual information about the intertestament period, get this book.

This is THE book to read on what heppened in the 400 silent years between the Old and New Testaments. This exciting time in Jewish history set the stage for the coming of Jesus. Why did the whole world speak Greek? What was the Jewish Rebellion? How did the Edomite line of Herod come to rule over the Jews? All of this background and more is in this book. It is written at a college history level, it is not light reading but it is well worth the effort.

'Is it not written in the Book of Jasher? The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day." (Joshua 10:13)




The Silent Years:
The Christian looks upon the Old Testament as preparatory, looking toward the fulfillment of its hopes and promises in the Person of Jesus Christ. He is interested in the history of the centuries preceding the coming of Christ, the advent, and a progress toward that period of history termed "the fullness of time" (Gal. 4:4)."
The time between the close of Old Testament history and the beginning of the New Testament period has often been called "the four hundred silent years." To the historian, however, these centuries were anything but silent, and they seem to become more vocal with each passing decade. Proceeding from the Old Testament into the New Testament you notice changes in their political and religious milieu. Apparently no Hebrew prophets were speaking or writing, and God was revealing no new word to the Palestinian Jews. It was a time of wondering and waiting for the Diaspora, and mother land being acted upon by other nations. Now appear Jewish groups within Palestinian Judaism; the Pharisees and the Sadducees are two-which did not show up in the Old Testament, but appear in the New.
The Jew notes during these centuries the development of synagogue worship, the successful Maccabean revolt, and the emergence of those parties within Judaism which have set the pattern for Jewish life and thought during the past two millennia.

Palestine under the Nations:
To the student of ancient history, names like Cyrus, Darius, and Alexander the Great make this period one of paramount importance. There is a new political power on the scene. The Old Testament ends with the Israelites under the control of the Babylonians. As the New Testament opens, Rome rules Israel. What has happened? Palestine, because of its location on a major travel and trade route, was often invaded and ruled by other nations. Those times of invasion-and the ensuing occupation-had profound effects on the nation and its religious life.The Assyrian Influence. Although the Assyrian influence came before the Inter-Testament period, there was an effect that lasted into the New Testament period. After conquering parts of Israel in 722 B.C., the Assyrians carried off some of the Jewish inhabitants and replaced them with other people. The resulting intermarriages resulted in the Samaritans, a half-breed people racially and religiously.

- The Greek Influence, through the conquests of Alexander the Great, had two major effects. Greek culture and the Greek language became prominent. The New Testament books were written in Koine, Old Greek and some of them utilize Greek concepts to convey the message of the Good News. On the other hand, the overwhelming Hellenizing influence led to a split among the Jewish people between the those who adopted Greek culture and the Nationalists who defended a pure Jewish culture and traditions.
- The Egyptian Influence. One major result of Egyptian rule was the translation of the Old Testament scriptures into the Greek language. This translation, known as the Septuagint, made Jewish ideas readily available to non-Jews and, at the same time, laid a foundation for the spread of the Christian faith.
- The Roman Influence, colonizing of Palestine by the Roman Empire as the Caesars expanded their power and territory. In order to rule their vast empire, the Roman government constructed and maintained a system of highways. They also saw that travelers on the highways were protected.

Intertestamental literature:
While some of the political changes were harmful to the Jews, they proved later to promote the emerging of Messianic faith in the nations, expected by the Essenes and the Therapeutae, a holy Jewish coenobetic monastic community. We get the literature of this period to find out how the people were thinking, to what their minds were being given. A large part of that literature appears in the Septuagint Old Testament, and is incorporated in the Roman Catholic Bible. In our Bible the Roman Catholics make their insertions of the Jewish literature as follows: Just after Nehemiah they put in two books, Tobit and Judith, neither one of them historically good, and a good deal of Tobit is exceedingly silly. To the book of Esther they add ten verses to the tenth chapter, and then add six more chapters. That these additions were written in this period, and after the inspiration closed, is evident from the reading of them. Just after the Song of Solomon, they put two Apocryphal books, Wisdom and Ecciesiasticus. These books, while not inspired, make very good reading, but they are written, as I said, in that interval between the two Testaments, and rather late in that interval. Just after the Lamentations of Jeremiah, they put the book of Baruch. Baruch himself was the scribe of Jeremiah and a good man. This book, some of it, is exceedingly silly, and evidently not written by Baruch.

Pseudo.epigrapha:
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha are a variety collection of ancient works inspired by the spirit of TaNaKh, some parts of which are so vividly close, that in Jebna they could have been included in the Jewish canon. The imaginary milieu and adventures of biblical characters; Enoch, Moses, Ezra, and Ezekiel, fill the pages of this heterogenous corpus with marvelous faibles. Oracles of such sages as Ahiqar and Sibyl, their apocalyptic prophecies and sacred legends provides a fantastic description of celestial realms.
Pseudo: false, epigrapha: inscription(Gr.), Psedoepigrapha: false ascribed writings, a collection of intertestimental writings of Jewish and early Jewish-Christian origins, not found either in Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint (Alexandrian translation in Koine).
The Pseudepigraphic writings were preserved in Eastern (Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian church traditions, and were often transmitted in those church original and ecclesiastic languages, and translated into Armenian, Georgian, Slavonic even if originally composed in Hebrew or Aramaic. Early Christian, Essenes and Gnostics may have added to writings or interpolated into some of these then existing books, as some fragments of pseudo writings have also been discovered among Cairo Geniza, Chenoboskion Gnostic library, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Book Review
"Pfeiffer's book on this subject is a gem. It is not so weighed down with scholarly material to be dry to the average reader. Meanwhile, it's not so light on material to be useless to anyone. This volume on the inter-testamental period covers those four hundred years in about 125 pages-- enough to give you fairly significant detail about what happened (and suggestions for where to look if you care to study the matter further), but not so much that it will put the average reader to sleep." Editors, Standing-Alone.com

Charles Pfeiffer's Authority:
I encountered Pfeiffer's scholarship in his two books, Ras Shamra and the Bible, and Tell El-Amarna and the Bible, and his book 'The Biblical World' is a masterpiece. He is concerned more with archaeology as, then, the new tool for checking history. That is why his book, Between the Testaments, was aimed at clarifying the impact of Persian and Hellenistic periods on the Jewish nation, before the Romans took over. The book's final chapters, 'The Origin of the Jewish sects,' and 'Rrise of Apocalyptic Literature' are compelling. This historical book is a good preparation for its Synonym, by D. S. Russell which elaborates on these two chapters literally and theologically. In an authoritative essay on Jewish Sects (IX): Zealots and Herodians, Fred Shewmaker referred to Charles Pfeiffer eleven out of seventeen times.

A Bicentennial Malthusian Essay(Conservation, population, and the Indifference to Limits) by John F.Rohe is an extremely interesting, must-reading, for all responsible people. Alarming, yet exciting, to gain a realistic understanding of conservation. Thinking non-conservationists will become conservationists. Conservationists will find the back-up information to substantiate their beliefs.

Richard M. Shuster, Retired Circuit Judge
5th Judicial Circuit Court, Barry County,
Michigan

A Bicentennial Malthusian Essay(Conservation, population, and the Indifference to Limits) by John F.Rohe is an extremely interesting, must-reading, for all responsible people. Alarming, yet exciting, to gain a realistic understanding of conservation. Thinking non-conservationists will become conservationists. Conservationists will find the back-up information to substantiate their beliefs.

Richard M. Shuster, Retired Circuit Judge
5th Judicial Circuit Court, Barry County,
Michigan

At a time when many people downplay Malthus, or even ridiculed him, his predictions are coming true-if we just take notice. This is certainly not visible in the suburban supermarket where many of the people who affect what is happening shop. However, for growing numbers of malnourished people on our planet, this is all too apparent. This fine book looks at the underlying causes for this predicament and suggest that the only final way to resolve this problem is to face up to our population problem. Increasing food production, if that were still possible, only postpones the worst, and because the world's population would be larger, would make the suffering even more terrible. Everyone should read this book.

Rohe addresses the natural limits that we face, population, resources, environmental degradation, the earths carrying capacity whose totality is a disease of being indifferent toward these limits. He write with the precision and logic of a lawyer which he is.

Patricia Thomas writes a phenomenal book of science, of politics, of a deadly disease, intertwined with business and the age-old struggle of societal good vs. personal/business gain. I was at first daunted by the size of the book alone, but the writing is so clear, so concise, so reader-friendly that it is an easy read. This is a must read for everyone interested in finding solutions to science-society issues such as AIDS. It is a must read for every health care professional and medical researcher, as well. As a science/health writer myself, I also highly recommend it as a teaching tool for how to write science for the lay person.

Sept. 11 has had a galvanizing effect in reminding Americans that planet earth is really a small place where whatever affects one person ultimately affects us all. The emergence of AIDS in the early 1980s might also have united Americans to fight a common enemy. Might have. But the truth, so compellingly told by Ms. Thomas, is that personalities and politics (both personal and national), prejudice and posturing got in the way of mounting a cohesive campaign. As a result, we are still far from stopping AIDS. Sure, treatments are better, but most of the world cannot afford treatment.
What makes "Big Shot" especially timely is that, as America prepares to fight the "new war," more military personnel will likely be exposed to the AIDS virus. When the GIs line up for vaccinations and grimace comically for the camera, as our fathers and grandfathers did for previous wars, protection against the AIDS virus won't be part of the cocktail. Because there is no vaccine against AIDS.

It's a pretty depressing scenario, but Ms. Thomas retains a wonderfully upbeat message with the subtext "that was then, this is now, so let's move forward."
Besides, she tells a helluva entertaining story.

It's been said that politics, like sausage, is best not seen in the making. But those who wonder why we don't yet have a vaccine or a cure for AIDS need to know why. Pat Thomas takes us behind the scenes and lives of the cast of characters deeply involved in the science, politics and business of one of the most hotly sought-after pharmaceutical products of all time.
"Big Shot" gives us reason to despair that science can ever succeed, given the private and public agendas of so many involved in the AIDS epidemic.
But it also gives us hope, as we see the many dedicated to finding a way to stop the spread of an epidemic that has already claimed 22 million lives. This is a masterful job by one of the best science writers working today -- wonderfully written and compelling.

I think "Big Shot" is the first important nonfiction work of the 21st century. With a clarity and an exuberance not often found in books about hard science, Patricia Thomas explains how politics, human frailty and corporate greed have prevented us from finding a vaccine for AIDS. Comparisons with previous books about AIDS and public policy don't exactly do justice to "Big Shot." If books must be categorized, Thomas' scrupulous research sometimes places this book with top ranking medical journals; but the wonderful writing -- you can almost dance to Thomas' prose -- places it among the better mysteries. In the hands of a lesser writer, the workings of DNA, retroviruses, surface antigens and hard-working proteins would cause one's eyes to glaze over. Instead, I found myself turning pages with Evelynwoodesque speed to get to the next development and the next, wondering which young researcher would win the race to the vaccine goal. Thomas has raised the bar for future books about medical research.

This book of Huainanz is full of wisdom. It pretty simply to apply in all aspect of life & business world too. I am a student now, studying this chinese masters has help me reach a new level of understanding.

This book is more philosophical than some others of similar titles and natures are. It views leadership and strategy through the lens of Taoist thinking, and as such is more concerned with the spiritual and ethical development of a leader. The book is broken into four sections: State and Society; Warfare; Peace; and Wisdom. Each is linked to the other, and follows the previous topic. There is a lot of discussion on the health of a given society, and how both the heads of a society as well as the people within it reflect and affect its overall health. There is a lot of focus on the causes and effects of warfare, as well as the ethics of waging war properly.

This is a small book, one that you can keep in your pocket or briefcase, perfect in size for reading on the train into work or while sitting in a doctor's office. It's full of essays that will make you think, and perhaps re-evaluate how you deal with certain situations in your life. It is worth buying, no question about that.

Cleary brings us another brief, readable translation from the Taoist canon. This time, it's a compilation of extracts from the Huainan Tzu (or Huainanzi). Unlike other books, this has multiple authors, guest philosophers in the court of a king of the small Huainan nation. If there's any choppiness in this list of brief lessons, it's probably due to the book's mixed origin rather than Cleary's editing.

He chose to arrange the aphoristic anecdotes into four chapters, on State, Warfare, Peace, and Wisdom. These readings are much less direct than other authors on statecraft - Han Fei Tzu or Sun Tzu are clearer to a modern reader, and more immediately applicable. Like other Taoist authors, these convey the sense that proper following of The Way is the only goal. Within The Way all other things, including peace, prosperity, and victory, ensue with the inevitability of water flowing down hill.

Some of these teachings are clear enough, though, and applicable immediately in today's world. "In early spring, ... pregnant animals are not to be killed and birds' eggs are not to be taken." Natural and agricultural resources need to be managed properly in order to stay productive for the long term. It's a lesson that is too rarely remembered in modern policy-making, when resources must be stretched to feed so many more people. Elsewhere, the Huainan masters direct their invasion forces not to destroy resources or plunder the populace, in order to keep the majority's good will after a change of regime. They knew this over two thousand years ago, but we're still applying the lesson only poorly today.

This isn't in the first rank of Taoist writings, but it's a readable and worthwhile addition for anyone who wants to dig a bit deeper. It complements Sun Tzu and Mo Tzu as much as it does Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. It gives a little extra perspective on today's world, too.

//wiredweird

PS: This book's content also appears as one section of a larger collection, Cleary's "The Taoist Classics, Volume I."

i read on the subject of eastern philosophy and the book of leadership and strategy is one that encompasses a typical taoist thought. very informative, and makes more sense than most holy books. thomas cleary is on my list of authors