The Main Man by Tim C. Leedom, Harry W. Carpenter, and Linda Adams

While presenting an interesting story, the authors attempt to warn us about the danger posed to society by ultra-fundamentalist Christians. There are thus two primary levels to this work. These are the novel itself and the underlying debate between fundamentalist and rational thinking. The authors advocate the latter position. Unusual to a work of fiction is an introductory essay that outlines the main themes of this debate and the importance of myth to a culture. This in itself is worth the read. However, I do have a quibble with the essay's author. She (Karen Armstrong) suggests that there is no extra-Biblical evidence for the Kingdom of Israel. This term is unclear as it could refer to David's empire as well as the subsequent successor states of Judaea (south) and Ephraim (north - also called Israel in some Biblical passages).

The story begins as Thomas Lazlo (the protagonist), a professor at a Southern fundamentalist college, discovers some new Dead Sea scrolls that will radically alter the traditional view of Christ. The aftermath of this discovery is interwoven with a plot by fundamentalists to hasten the supposed Second Coming of Christ. Essentially this group believes that there are three signs to his return, the last being the re-construction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The only problem is that the Dome of the Rock, a sacred Moslem mosque, currently occupies the site.

How all this plays out as well as how the authors present their philosophy without being heavy-handed about it makes for a very enjoyable read. Therefore, I can, without hesitation, recommend this novel.

In a little less than one hundred pages Ed Halpin has written a very thought provoking book about subjects probably rarely thought of by today's average person. He takes the reader from the atrocities of Buchenwald to the origin of man (or is it mankind) and on to the present day. The book has the rare quality of being suitable for a quick read if one so chooses while being equally suitable for introspection and deep thought if read more slowly, one chapter at a time. For older readers it will reawaken thoughts and ideas first presented in their youth. For younger readers it may open up a line of inquiry into the true meaning of life. Halpin handles difficult subjects with the excellence of a knowledgeable, good writer.

I thought this book was very good. It takes a really good book to get me past the first chapter, and this one kept me interested throughout the whole story. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery!

I'm actually an analyst of the telecom industry, so I come to this with a special interest. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend the book for those interested in some real foundations to understand the communications revolution. (and not just sound-byte Internet history). It's a pity that the name Lucent Technologies isn't in the title, because that's the real subject of the book. It's a history of Western Electric, which after a 120 year "pit stop" at AT&T ultimately spun out to become Lucent. The best part is the early chapters where we learn about the competition between the telegraph and Bell's telephone, the coalescing of local telephone companies under Bell's leadership, and ultimately the emergence of AT&T (with Western Electric)as the "Bell System" that most of us grew up with. Don't be put off by the fact that Lucent commissioned the book. It's a throughly documented, balanced, and obviously professional undertaking.

Leigh Childs and Nancy Admas have creatd a book that can be used as fill ins, in a math class. There are those days when you have an extra 10 minutes and ther is nothing to do well with this book, you can get ideas that have not prep time involved and get the whole class involved. These ideas are enriching and have purpose.

As a member of a Pacific Northwest tribe and fishing family, I found this book to be resourceful, interesting, eye-opening, and yet hopeful. It summarized rather clearly many important points of the "fish wars," tribal treaties, government-to-government relations and tribal sovereignty, family and tribal traditions, timber and dam effects on river/fish sustainability, and much more. It is clear that the author put a tremendous amount of time and energy into the research and ideas behind this book. And it is not just a "history rewritten" book or an attempt by one cultural group to get their two cents in on the events of 30 to 150 years passed. It's about an Indian world view, and how saving the salmon and the rivers they run through is part of the Indian way.

Another aspect that I liked about this book was the lack of white bashing, and also the tremendous respect for the law of the land. This book provides many examples of the patience required to work through the American judicial system, and how the positive results of that patience can be cultural, environmental, and social... things that are impossible to measure in terms of dollars.

A hint of hope is intertwined through the chapters as various governments and cultures -- people with sometimes conflicting goals and values -- are able to successfully work together as "good neighbors."

Inspiring and even humorous at times, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest, the environment, Indian culture, and/or the law. It would be great if this book ends up in classrooms at the junior high level on up. It also includes many excellent, crisp photos.

This slim volume allows readers to understand the events and context of the Dutch possession, settlement and colonisation of Mauritius. It is clear, simply written and perceptive. It contains many new, previously unpublished facts about the colonisation, including the records of living dodos decades after they were thought to already to be extinct. A good read. Essential reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in the first century of Mauritius' history.

Planning to start working with budding yeast, or going to give a lab course on genetics? This is a good place to start. This lab book brings the most basic techniques in yeast genetics, including gene knockout, gene replacement, transformations, mutagenesis, some biochemical assays, preparation of media (and more). This book is well organised and helps to build the correct schedule for your experiments, including all the materials needed. Even for the more experts this might help as a quick reference book.

This book is very informitive but a little old. It has been useful to my farm in the construction of cages barns. I would tend to use the newer commercial feed than the mixes they suggest in the book. I think the pellet feeds now are better than at the time of this books printing. It is very very helpful in breeding and cureing sick animals. Read it and judge for yourself. I wish the pictures would have been better.