Anyway, back to the book- Palden Gyatso is the image of courage, compassion and inner strength. I read passages of how he was tortured and bullied and then would flip to the inner photo of this tiny, frail man-astonishing! I see now that the determined and strong look on his face at the UK Independence rally co-exists with the gentle, loving portrait on the cover and it's a wonderful combination. This book reminded me that it takes deep courage to stand up for who you are and what you believe in but there is no greater purpose for each of us than to aim for that goal with all that we have.

Read this book to better understand why Tibet needs our support but also to re-instill your own will to be a decent,kind and courageous human being.

I have just returned from a trip to Ladakh and I could really relate to what Ms.Norberg talks about in the book.

Just a couple of side issues. It'd be good to know what exactly went wrong in Ladakh. Here are a people who for 2000 years had lived successfully by the rules of Buddhism. How & why did Buddhism fail these people in the face of global/western economic & cultural imperialism? Does the blame lie with Buddhism- it being too 'compassionate' and allowing a religion? Does the blame lie with the Ladakhis who probably were not as sincere Buddhists as they are made out to be?

After all if they really were such devout Buddhists, how come they fell to the greed that capitalism breeds?

Anyway, these are issues which could have been addressed in the book. Regardless, the book is excellent! A must read.

The authors do a nice job of weaving a story of hope at the end but I have concern for the future of these people. It helps me understand the decision the government of Bhutan has made to isolate themselves from western-style civilization.

The "old days" stories are consistently hilarious, from the opening page recounting of a match with Bruno in Jersey to his being cursed out by an older woman in California.

Fred also shows a lot of loyalty to the people he's worked with and for throughout the years.

As the WWE published books tend to be, it's written in a first person style in a speaking voice that evokes the author. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

We follow the very young playful boy from his very modest home in the Tibetian province of Amdo to the capital of Lhasa where his education as a Buddhist monk begins. He relates much detail about the rich culture and beauty of Tibet; however he is honest about it's isolation and failure to keep up with a more modern world.

As he tells of the miliary and political struggle with China, one can almost feel the tension mount. The account of his escape into exile is exciting, yet sad. The destruction of Tibet, the atrocities upon its people, and the genocide still being committed there is more than sad. Yet, the Dalai Lama does not hate. He has compassion even for those who have caused the suffering of the Tibetian people.

Great book. I recommend it.

The above said, I consider Richard Wedemeyer's earlier book, "In Transition", by far the best book ever written on how to manage a career change. His most recent book, "The Inner Edge:
Effective Spirituality in Your Life and Work", is equally good, but I see it a little differently than he and his co-author. It is a far more probing examination of all the essential aspects of self-awareness. As such, it is a practical and realistic set of concepts and exercises which will prepare one to make a quantum leap in career effectiveness or which will prepare one for a book like "In Transition." Whether this is spirituality is another issue, but it is certainly very good, accessible psychology.

The Inner Edge can be used in several ways including helping you figure out what to do with the rest of your life, and providing you with a practical and complete 10-20 minute daily routine to help you make each day as fulfilling and productive as possible.

This book helps us realize that we all have, and can tap into, inner spiritual strengths using our intuitive powers; but that to be freed up to access these inner strengths we first need to do three things...recognize and deal with (what the authors call) "unfinished business", take an insightful and honest look at who we are, and then set boundaries and priorities on the demands placed by others and ourselves on our time and energy.

Furthermore, The Inner Edge does more than help us in understanding these things; it is also a "how to" book. And in that regard the authors' use of "guided visualizations", particularly in helping us tap into our inner spirituality, makes The Inner Edge stand out.

While the book should be helpful to people in various stages in their lives, I think it is particularly valuable to people of any age going through a personal or job related transition; young people getting started in their careers, and people who will soon be leaving the traditional work place and are trying to deal with what to do with the rest of their lives.

In 1975, the original "Roadside Geology of Northern California," with the same authors, presented a new way for the amateur rock enthusiast to learn about the complicated geology of northern California. Unfortunately, it was painfully vague, missing important information found in other books of the series, such as significant insight into how formations developed and their ages (e.g., Cretaceous, Devonian, etc.). By in large, this Y2K update solves the problem, and expands the original's spatial coverage southward to San Luis Obispo and the San Joaquin Valley. The improvement in information is phenomenal -- partly because of the increased knowledge gained in 25 years as alluded in the preface, but mostly because of better writing and attention to detail. For example, the Chapter 4 (Coast Range) discussion on how different rock types develop from different areas of ocean sediments may be the best I have ever seen in any forum -- concise (4 pages) and non-technical, yet stuffed with information. Like several other areas of the book, it includes interesting insight into how geologists have handled the difficulties in classifying and sorting California's wild assemblage of rocks; for example: "During the late 1960s, geologists finally accepted that large parts of the Franciscan complex are almost hopelessly scrambled. They agreed to call these chaotic jumbles melanges....Recognition of melanges was, in a way, an admission of defeat." Other chapters contain similar nuggets of "inside" information into the processes of rocks and the way they are studied.

Of course, the foundation of this book, as in the whole series, is in its sequential descriptions and explanations of the rocks one encouters while driving various roadways. The improvement in detail here is vast as well. There are still a few ambiguities in rock age (e.g., Paleozoic/Mesozoic schists of the northern Klamath region...aren't the actual ages more precisely known?). A few typos or fragmented sentences appear to have escaped the proofreaders. But overall, this is a well-composed and thorough look at northern and central California geology for the layman. Residents and vacationers who want to know about the rocks they see must have this book. It has greatly helped me to understand the processes behind rocks I have gathered there.

The book provides a plethora of information for those who wish to see the many interesting and complex geological features of the northern and central areas of California. However, in order to make the best use of this book and fully appreciate the physical and historical geology presented, the reader should have a basic background in geology. This book will even refresh the memories of those folks with a somewhat oxidized recollection of rocks, minerals, geologic structures, and the like.

This book is not aimed at rock hounds, as its emphasis is not on collecting. The educated collector will find it interesting, though.

There are only two "problems" with this book. First, it will lengthen the trips you take as you look for the geologic features it discusses. Second, you may endanger your life as you stop to look at the road cuts discussed in the book or divert your gaze from the road to rocks while driving.

Of course, if you're too uptight to watch the extra-naughty version, you can select the somewhat-more-prudish R-rated rendition. Rounding out the bonus features are a restricted-audience trailer (never knew they made those!), text mini-bios & filmographies of the marquee cast & crew, and- well- that's about it. But it's not like you're gonna watch this for extra features anyway, now is it...?

'Late

The film is very well made. Throughout most of the film, a dark atmosphere is kept giving the film a sort of surrealistic and noirish quality. The actors take the film very seriously and never play it for humor or take the film's subject matter lightly.

By taking a sexual fetish (car crashes) that nobody has, the director (David Cronenberg) has allowed himself the freedom to explore the realities of such a fetish. Had he chosen to direct a film about something that people actually are turned on by, he could have disappointed many by inaccurately portraying this.

This film is not for everyone. Some may consider this merely an excuse to show graphic sex scenes boardering on pornography (the reason why the film is rated NC-17 - the R rated version was created for Blockbuster since they do not carry NC-17 rated films). As realistic as the sex may appear in some scenes, it is soft core, just like any other R rated film.

If you can appreciate this film, you will see nearly flawless acting from James Spader, Holly Hunter, and Elias Koteas. The film is expertly directed by a master (Cronenberg, director of such masterpieces as "Naked Lunch" and "Dead Ringers"), and based on a novel that has become over time a cult/underground favorite by J. G. Ballard. If you have an open mind, see this film and appreciate it, otherwise seek out any of Cronenberg's other films (except "M. Butterfly").