As we in the West still focus on Middle Eastern states and their government institutions when formulating policy, Lamb's book provides an interesting view of what's happening on the streets of the Middle East: the views, habits, and perspectives of ordinary Arabs. The edition I read was dated, but it still highlighted the importance of watching social and cultural trends in the Middle East.

The governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. all face rising popular discontent, and Lamb's book seems like a good start in trying to see where these trends could go.

Not being an Arab, I can't testify to his bias, but he seemed balanced to me--he pointed out the good and the bad, which is all any writer can do. No native of any region that a "foreigner" writes about is ever satisfied with the result, so there's little point in trying. I would point out, however, that those same foreigners undoubtedly have views of the United States that are less than informed.

This book was a great introduction into many aspects of Arab culture. Highly recommend it to anyone before making a decision about current Arab-American relations.

At last, there is a fair and unbiased vision for the arab people. The west used to look for arabs , as hostile and antiwest minds.In this book, lamb put the evidences that show the real image.
David lamb wrote a very nice desciption for the arab identity.
In his analysis , he depended upon many trusted referances as well as living among arab community for long time.
I liked his historical analysis for terrorism and history of aggressive movments in the middle east.
He demonstrated that it is quite unfair vision of the west to arab people.
I invite every European and American to read this unbiased analysis that may explain why the world suffer from instability now.

Over the Hills is the product of a seasoned communicator relating an adventure that many may consider but few pursue. Though he portrays himself as an ordinary guy, riding alone on his Trek from Virgina to California is a high accomplishment. He aptly describes the physical and psychological demands of such a long time on the road. He also deftly weaves the history of cycling, his professional life as foreign correspodnet with the Los Angeles Times and his experiences on the road to provide a very entertaining book for both the general reader and those that have suffered through a multiple-day tour.

I put down his book while he was in Arizona because I wanted the book to last. He could have circled north to Seattle or just turned around and gone back to the East Coast and I would have eagerly read his tale. Lamb, or his editor, shows the good sense to not provide a day to day diary. He excludes a daily recounting of mileage, weather and road conditions, diet and equipment reports. Instead he gives us bits and pieces that really convey the feel of the trip. We come to appreciate how hard it is to get on that bike day after day. He also shows us a part of America that you never see unless you are on a bicyle.

So in the end it not only a story about David Lamb's great adventure, it is another telling of the unsatiable spirit for new horizons and a cultural tour of the country. Lamb's observations of the Heartland versus the Coasts couldn't be more relevant than it is today, most recently seen on the blue and red presidential electoral college map. His accounts of his encounters reinforces that the kindness of strangers is abundant.

He left me wondering as to some of his motivation, what he did in the months prior to his trip and his life with his wife. Yet all in all it was a most enjoyable read.

I thank him for his work and welcome a sequel!

There's probably a million other people out there who've dreamed of doing this same thing, and it's heartening to read about an ordinary person who goes for it: no athletic icon, not someone to put on a pedestal, but the guy next door. And if you've ever wondered about the history of the bicycle, he comes across some amazing information within the small libraries scattered across America! For the armchair traveler, and also as encouragement to those of us who might just go for it ourselves, after all!

I had previously read the work on the Arab world by Lamb. I read this one because I, too, have pedaled the roads coast to coast. I followed the route from west to east, over many of the same roads. Lamb very accurately coveys the feeling of being of the open road, a long ways from home, on two wheels. Specifics about Oklahoma, eastern Tennessee and elsewhere, could have come from my journal... although I'm no professional writer. Good book. Also, try his earlier trip around the US, to minor league baseball towns: "Stolen Season."

There is hardly any significant fact about viruses that missed-out in this edition of "Fields Virology". Page after page, this sound all-inclusive reference doles out authoritative information on both viruses and viral syndromes. From taxonomy to etiology, metamorphosis to replication; the analyses of this text is grand. The same applies to its attached CD-ROM. Its practical outlook was intended to benefit both microbiologists and pathologists. Bernard Fields and his colleagues made their mark with this book. It is a great effort.
However, most botanist may not be pleased to know that little attention was paid to plant viruses. Again, many potential buyers may be demoralized by the rather high price that this virology-set demands.

It covers all fields of virology. Perfect and wonderful ! Easy to understand. I really recommend this book to who is involved in biology

There isn't a recipe in this book that isn't good. I have used it until the pages have fallen out. The recipes are easy and many of the meats can be interchangeable. This is a can't miss book for BBQ cooks.

Every single recipe that I've tried so far has been excellent. I am a "part-time gourmet cook", and normally I'd try out a recipe before I invite quests over to share the food. After trying out a few recipes from this amazing cookbook, I've started to invite my friends and family over for a cookout with my first attempt of a recipe from this book. If you love and enjoy food, you should own this book.

There is a very short explication of the title "The Worst Enemy of Science" in the Preface (pp. v-vi, signed by Gonzalo Munevar), where it is curtly stated: "Paul Feyerabend was once described in Nature as "The Worst Enemy of Science"." A more detailed reference than this briefest of mentions is nowhere given in the whole book. The book naturally contains (like all Academic books) hundreds of other (scrupulously) full references of much lesser importance. What is the precise Nature reference to Feyerabend as "The Worst Enemy of Science"? Or is this a pure legend, perhaps invented by Feyerabend himself (who loved exaggerations, farcical tricks, and hoaxes of the "Anything Goes" type) so as to bolster his well-deserved notoriety?

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

David Lamb's " Vietnam Now" is a brilliantly evocative book on life in Vietnam in the late 1990's. It captures eloquently the way Vietnamese have come to terms with their past. It brings to life the spirit, the courage and the generosity of spirit and the gentleness of the people. What David is able to do through
his superbly crafted vignettes of modern day life is to humanize a people and a country too often dismissed as a war.

He is able to blend the past history of the country and its impacts on the present by tracing them through the lives of fascinating people?Trinh Thi Ngo or `Hanoi Hannah, Pham Xuan An, the Time reporters whose cover as a Viet Cong colonel was blown only in 1978, General Giap who now leads a quiet life in a villa in Hanoi after a lifetime of war..... David writes for the first time of the "Vietnam's wandering tribe of mourners"- thousands of mothers and fathers, wives and brothers and sisters who spent their time searching out witnesses, digging up marked graves- all desperate for clues that would help them locate the remains of loved ones. And the Vietnamese MIA number over 300,000..... As David points out Americans became " so self-obsessed with our pain that we never thought much about theirs? a stunning statistic : one out of every ten Vietnamese was killed or wounded in war". He seeks to set the balance right. .......
This book is a combined history lesson, guidebook and a reflection on modern day life in Vietnam. It brings to life a country not only its history and its culture but even more importantly its life and soul.............recommended to all seeking to understand a country and how it is able to overcome insuperable odds and yet survive with its soul intact.

I visited Vietnam with my wife in 1999 to adopt a daughter, and my wife visited there again last year to adopt our second daughter. Lamb's book accurately reflects most of what I have learned about Vietnam, including the amazing Vietnamese people, and the seeming disconnect between their daily lives and their government. I can't guarantee that every word is accurate; it is a complex country that is changing is many ways. But I do think you will learn more about Viet Nam from this book than from any other I have read. And it will prepare you well for the visit I hope you make someday.

I don't think there's any American who can hear the word "Vietnam" and not have feelings about the awful conflict that divided a nation and ushered in a new way of looking at war. However, most of these recollections go back thirty years. It's different now. And that is the theme of this book by journalist David Lamb, who covered the Vietnam War as a young reporter in the late 1960s. Then, in 1997, the Los Angeles Times sent him to Hanoi for four years. This book is a result of his observations.

One of his remarkable discoveries is that in spite of the war, the Vietnamese people like Americans and he was treated well wherever he went. Vietnam is now Communist, but it is not the same communism that was typical of the cold war and the Soviet Union. Through the years, the hard line has softened, small businesses are thriving and the standard of living has improved. And the younger generation finds it is not necessary to join the Communist party in order to get into school or get a job, which was formerly the case.

The history of Vietnam is long and sad. Mostly, they were conquered by one country after another. When the French moved out, the Americans moved in to South Vietnam. They were trying to protect it from Communism but the people in the North really loved their leader and wanted to unify the country. The war was bitter and more than one out of every ten Vietnamese died. Then, after the War, the South Vietnamese were treated badly. They were sent to re-education camps for years and even when they came out, they could no longer get jobs. There are interviews with South Vietnamese in the book and they have somehow reconciled themselves to this. It is the younger generation who have the opportunities.

In the North, the people who fought are treated better. The cemeteries are well kept and widows and mothers get a pension. This is not true in the South. Former North Vietnamese soldiers talked to the author about the will of the people to endure in order to win. They are proud of the fact that they won and unified their country.

The younger generation of Vietnamese who fled after the war are coming back. They have been educated in Australia or America, are taller and heavier their Vietnamese relatives, and speak English better than they do Vietnamese. Life is hard for them in Vietnam and they have to adjust to constantly changing laws and a communist government, but they are starting new businesses and beginning to flourish.

This is an easy book to read. The interviews are short and connected in a way that illustrates the realities of what Vietnam is today. It is also Mr. Lamb's own story. And that of some American Vietnam veterans who are now traveling back to this place which holds so many memories. I've read several books about Vietnam. Mostly, they were about the War. But this one brought me right up to date. Definitely recommended.

I am an undergraduate student taking a course in virology, and i find this book extremely difficult to learn from. As a reference source for a particular virus it may be of use, but use of this book as a learning tool is foolish. Yes, this book is written by experts concerning a particular field, but it seems that the authors target audience is also...experts. In introducing fundamental concepts of virology, the text constantly uses examples to a particular virus. From this particular virus, it then makes reference of a mechanism of this virus. How can one make a reference to a mechanism, when one has not yet even been exposed to the virus family themselves? Its almost like talking about the stats of a certain sports figure, and then as a foot note make reference upon how the game is played.

As an undergraduate taking a course in virology, I found this book the only book I ever needed. It has all the information that you need and more. I just hope that they will continue to come out with a newer edition since this book is out of date and the field of virology has grown since this edition.

I read the chapter on prions and i found it to be really good and up to date. of course it requires you to know a little background knowledge but if you're reading this book you probably already fill out that category. definitely not for the layman...

I could not believe the format and content of this book when I requested it from NU's library. How did it get published? There are so many typos and it was badly written; it's an insult to refer to this material as a book, let alone allow it to represent Black/Latino life. Please attend workshops in creative writing, take courses at your local university, read other literature, something, but don't publish anymore!

This book is a great book that deals with Latino and Black relations. It addresses many issues that these two groups face in their communities and in our society. David Lamb accomplishes this with a lyrical prose familiar to today's urban youth. By embracing this emerging group of individuals. Lamb raises many issues such as race relations and the notion of "blackness." I had the opportunity to meet the author and he is an amazing man. He made me think about issues in our society on a deeper level and from a different angle.

It's a great story that reads like urban hip hop prose. Richard Lamb is an excellent author that captures inner city life like a movie

This poorly written, badly documented, sensationalistic approach to a life that was sensational enough without editorial help, turns Callas into a mix of Tallulah Bankhead, Imelda Marcos and Judy Garland with high notes. With fans like these, who needs ennemies ?

The book is a quick read. I doubt it took that long to write, actually. Having read more scholarly books about Callas, I found this book to be pretty sensationalistic and *probably* an inaccurate representation of this singer.

I have talked to people who knew Callas, and the general consensus is that she disdained profanity and was a rather private person. This book would have us believe otherwise. If you want to read a good Callas bio, try the one by George Jellinek, published by Dover. Also, I expect the one by Anne Edwards which will be published later in 2001 will be a good read.

Riddled with inaccuracies, sensationalistic, precious, this wholly useless book is best ignored. Even the photos are poorly chosen, and the adulatory tone surprises only by becoming more and more treacly and embarassing.