After reading two books by the Dalai Lama, I can honestly say I would rather meet this one person more than anyone else alive today. He is an incredible man who has gone through many hardships but continues to have a positive outlook on humanity and even the men who occupy his country to this day.

You do not have to be Buddhist or even religious at all to gain a lot of insight from Beyond Dogma. As the title of the book implies, he really is the prime example of tolerance. He suggests it might be better for some people not to get stuck up on ceremonies or tradition and focus on what is important instead. Most religions at the heart are found on kindness, generosity, and humility. In fact, he speaks of several priests who took Buddhist vows but remained Christians because in essence, these virtues do not conflict. So he reaches out to people of all backgrounds. Part of this tolerance is because much of Buddhism does not require the same leaps of faith as other religions. You can reason through most of his discussions; you do not have to immerse yourself in scripture to understand what he says. He describes Buddhism as the Middle Way - between faith-based religion and secular philosophy - making it accessible to everyone.

His most recent book, the Art of Happiness, was very popular for its life-changing aspects. In addition to his sagely advice, this work also deals with international relations amongst differing religions and governments. Not surprising since it was written shortly after the Dalai Lama won the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize and consists of interviews while visiting France in addition to narratives. He embraces the idea of a 'New World Order' like few other modern leaders have had the bravery to do.

The Dalai Lama is not a religious icon hidden away from the world; he discusses real-life problems in a modern society that is far removed from the mystical city of Lhasa. Meanwhile, he can still apply a wealth of knowledge from a vast amount of information from many fields. If you are anxious to learn more about Buddhism, Tibet, the East, or the Dalai Lama himself, this is a great book to own yourself or to give to curious friends.

Browsing through a bookshelf with only the most vague notion of what I was looking for, my eyes were caught by the simple and yet powerful title of this book. At the time, I had little idea of what Buddhism was, and yet the title itself conveyed to me everything that seemed wrong with the religon of my upbringing.

Beyond Dogma is an inciteful and well-written treatise. It is one of my favorites written by the Dalai Lama, and the translation provides great clarity to his words. The autobiographical background of the Dalai Lama and the last fifty years in Tibet is in excellent context with the nature of Tibetan Buddhism. An excellent and easy read that is light on the complex theory and heavy on warmth and understanding.

Throughout the book, I can see what I think that author is getting at. She wants us to look beyond our materialistic world, to look beyond the people we are in the world we know. All a very valid message.

I find her message in the acknowledgement section somewhat confusing, that perhaps this is not Amelia Earhart afterall, that the reader should make up their own minds. If not Amelia Earhart, then why the companion named Fred, the talk of the fame that this woman knew would surround her when she arrived home and the references to the lost Electra.

Lucy and Robin were not terribly heartwarming characters in my opinion. They both seemed quite immature, self centered and shallow and I doubt that in the long term they would be able to hold a relationship together. They probably matured from their experience, but I think they might find being full time parents rather boring and I see each of them drifting into their old lives and habits, leaving the child to almost raising itself.

As to the woman that the author suggests to be Earhart, she has no choice as to the life she has led on this island, though I find it somewhat unlikely that after 40 years rumors from the Japanese and some natives might not have caused someone to come and take another look.

Inspite of the above criticisms, it was a fast read with a rather predictable ending.

In 1937, aviatrix Amelia Earhart disappeared with her navigator, Fred Noonan, somewhere in the South Pacific while attempting a circumnavigation of the globe. The mystery of Earhart's fate has captured the public's imagination for decades. Did she perish when her plane hit the water? Was she captured by the Japanese and executed as a spy? Was she abducted by space aliens? Is she living in Idaho with Elvis?

The premise of Alison Anderson's novel HIDDEN LATITUDES, which is set in1979, is that Amelia has survived 42 years as a castaway on a tiny Pacific atoll, the last 40 alone. Then one day, a 35-foot sailboat, the "Stowaway", with husband Robin and wife Lucy aboard, anchors in the island's lagoon, her engine kaput and her hull reef damaged. Might this be Earhart's ride home?

In chapters that alternate between the "voice" of Amelia and those of her might-be rescuers, the author explores the loneliness that derives from complete isolation from the world as compared with that despairing aloneness which grips the partners in a failing marriage. Earhart has become so accustomed to solitary life on her little island that she hesitates to reveal her presence to Robin and Lucy, whose marital difficulties are only exacerbated by their present crisis. At 82, Amelia wonders what would be gained by returning to a world that would regard her as an historical curiosity, soon to become nothing but an aged crony. Being young and not realizing the value of what they have together, Robin and Lucy internally contemplate the possibility of separation once they get back to "civilization".

I liked HIDDEN LATITUDES insofar as the poignancy of Anderson's plot resides almost solely in the Earhart character as she "remembers" for the reader the significant events of her life since she and Fred lost their way, including two near-rescues snatched away early on by cruel Fate. To this extent, Anderson has crafted an imaginatively satisfying "what if" scenario. On the other hand, the Robin and Lucy characters become so caught up in their dysfunctional behavior while struggling to make their boat seaworthy that they approach dangerously close to becoming tiresome. They're so self-absorbed in their own bickering that they fail for too long to follow up on clues that another human is present on this "deserted" island. You want to yell at them, "Snap out of it. Look around you!"

At one point, Amelia sneaks a book from the "Stowaway":

"In my shelter there is a new treasure, a novel. ...I have taken it from them ... but I think if they could ever know the pleasure it will give me they would not mind. Dare I read it over and over, for the pleasure? As it happens I cannot read quickly. I am not used to letters on a page anymore. ... I read aloud, quietly; words and voice struggle together against neglect. Yet I can savor the words and pictures they convey. ... I am like a child, learning to read, learning the world I have forgotten."

Perhaps more than anything else, Earhart yearns for the small things of life like jam, a scissors to cut her hair, a new pair of shorts, needle and thread. And, God bless her, books.

I bought this book used and let it sit on my shelf for almost 2 yrs until I picked it up and actually read it. Now I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. I can't get enough of the book - The story weaves a couple of plots, the first is a captive what-if Ameila Earhart was stranded on a deserted island (Who knows, stranger things have happened!). And the second plot is of a mid-life couple struggling through independence and love issues. And of course the two themes interwine!

I bought it years ago & have tried several times, but I find the writing style nearly impossible to read. At times it reads as if the author is trying too hard to make every sentence convey a deeply profound concept and at other times she jumps erratically to some obscure thought, feeling or concept. Not only did these jumps not move or interest me, I often couldn't even figure out (on either an intellectual or emotional level) what the author was trying to do.

After several attempts at completing the book, and having read only about 50 pages, I could barely bring myself to skim through the rest of the book to try to pick up a few interesting points or stories. I saw nothing to warrant additional attempts on my part.

I bought this book because I love to read about people's experiences in martial arts. I also enjoy poetry (and good writing in general), and Tai Chi is an art that I practiced at one time, so I really thought I would like this book. I love the concept (and even the cover) but this book did not do it for me. Perhaps linguistically and culturally this book works better in French. For those who are looking for a more readable book describing a person's experiences in Tai Chi, I would suggest, "There Are No Secrets" by Lowenthal.

Can we, by practicing a discipline such as Tai-Chi, refine our sense of self, our Being-In-The -World? Catherine David, in this sublime book, investigates the space that is behind the physical movement, behind the conscious mind, at the very core of what constitutes our sense of the Self - that space which gives birth to our sense of beauty and which can be translated through innumerable ways (including the Tai-Chi exercises and piano playing) into wordly manifestations of our uniqueness. In this space imagination and sensation are interlocked, like lovers. Once we realize that Self is just a metaphor and that the mental image can be the impulse to opening of a technical skill , we hold the keys to true freedom. In this society in which the essential is generally considered incidental (which is reflected in the unberable dullness of the contemporary man), Catherine David picks the essence from inconspicuous corners where it has been gathering dust and shows us how she uses it to unlock the gates leading to inner beauty. By doing this she helps us glimpse and perhaps touch that space. This book is a rare treat.

In this remarkable series of 26 linked meditations, subtitled "The Invisible keyboard of Piano and T'ai Chi," the French journalist Catherine David explores the analogies between playing the piano and practicing t'ai chi chu'an. A serious painist and student of martial arts, David draws on a wide familiarity with literary and philisophical texts to evoke the intellectual and spiritual world of her imagination. "A beautiful act is an island of absoluteness in an ocean of chance," she writes, and her essay reminds us that the world vibrates with possibilities, necessities, poetries for those who can focus attention. "Coded meanings brought to light after endless repetitionon" -- that is practice, that is success. It is not a matter simply of what can be seen, for, with Plato, David reminds us that "A sudden light first blinds you." But she steps away from the classical position when she goes on to say that "Then it shows you the world." The world of Catherine David is well worth a leisurely read.

The "Computer and Intrusion Forensics" book is a good high-level overview of the digital forensic process. It contains chapters that will appeal to all types of new investigators who will need to deal with computer-related incidents, including law enforcement, corporate investigators, internal audit teams, and corporate incident teams. A strong International overview of the legal issues are also given for the United States, Europe, and Australia.

This book provides a good overview of tool techniques, but does not give many details on how the techniques would actually be done with any tool. A detailed overview of three tools are given, but two of them are available to law enforcement only. The reader will finish this book with a solid understanding of the process that occurs during a computer investigation, but will still need additional books or training to start performing an investigation.

The chapter on fraud is very informative, as the topic is not covered in other digital forensic books and the skills will likely be helpful for most investigators in the future. The "Computer Forensics in Law Enforcement and National Security" chapter describes the investigation process that any investigator would find useful, not just law enforcement as the title suggests. The "Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Forensics" chapter gives an overview of Intrusion Detection Systems and Logging, but little is mentioned on how to confirm an intrusion while minimizing the amount of evidence that is modified.

This book will be useful as a first book to a new investigator who is looking to learn about the digital forensic process. This book will also be useful for technical managers and supervisors who will need to understand what their investigators are doing.

I read this book as part of my Sorbonne II exams literature study. At first, I thought it was going to bore me, and leave me all the way uninterested, mainly because I wasn't so keen on this type of literature, and because it seemed too long. But reading it was after all quite a nice experience! I found it wasn't boring, it kept me up, wanting to find out what happens next, although not all the time! :) Interesting because we learn so much about its theme (involving the status of Africa half a century ago). Interesting also, of a literary fashion; I, at least, found it fun to analyse it in class! It wouldn't get 5 stars because, well, it didn't exactly blow my skirt up, neither would it get 3 stars cause it just was more interesting than 3 out of 5!