This is a collection of essays which document the many reasons the Three Gorges Dam should not be built, the lose of arable land, the dislocation of millions of people, the loss of 5,000 years of art and architecture, etc. Author Dai Qing, an outspoken opponent of the dam since the beginning, is to be highy commended for speaking out while others cower in silence. To put it in Western terms, it is David taking on Goliath, times 10.

There are a lot of detailed figures and facts in some of the essays. They're easily skimmed. But read this book if the subject matters to you and particularly if you're planning to take a cruise through the Three Gorges or have already taken it. While on the cruise, one is told only of the glory and power of the dam, which is to say, given the party line, but one should know the lie behind the line and the potential tragedy that awaits, the tragedy of the River Dragon coming again.

It is a good chance not to miss this book for the engineers in the fire protection field.

This is a handy if somewhat eclectic little collection, with works by some poets who are hard to find elsewhere, such as Henry Howard. If you don't have a copy of the long-out-of-print Hebel and Hudson anthology of English Renaissance Poetry, pick up this.

This is a thorough and well presented book. It starts with an introduction to crystals and quantum physics so it you get all the main tools to understand solid state physics. As a matter of fact the chapters on quantum physics are exceptional. True it's somewhat a summary of any quantum physics book but it's a very good one. I used it for a one term intensive course on both quantum physics and solid state physics angling towards semiconductor physics and transistors. The author provides concise and precise explanations plus all the mathematical progression. That's where it gets slightly cumbersome and the main reason I wouldn't recommend it for self study. You pretty much need to understand the reasoning behind those equations or you won't know what it's all about. As a reference book it's wonderful because everything is there. There's no other book that deals so well with the basics tools of quantum and semiconductor physics. My only complaint is that it lacks a final chapter on transistors(both bipolar and Mos would be appreciated) that would make it a truly phenomenal book.

This book (and "The Hispanic World in Crisis and Change, 1598-1700 -A History of Spain-" by the same author) has -at least- three strong points on its favor, which makes it very advisable to read: a) it takes great pains to explain -not only to describe- the Spain of XVI century; b) it includes a very relevant section on Spanish America, which is not common in books written on this period; and c) it is reasonable easy to read. I should have rated this book "four and a half" starts. Considering its content, I think it should be five; considering its readability, four. In any event, I do recommend it to read it. (Other books I would recommend to read on Spain: As a general overview, "A History of Spain" by Joseph Perez; and more focused on the XVI -and/or XVII- period: "The Spain of Philip II" by Joseph Perez; "Imperial Spain 1469-1716" by John Elliot; "Spain 1469-1714, A Society of Conflict", by Henry Kamen; and "Carlos V, El César y el Hombre" and "Felipe II y su tiempo" both of them written by Manuel Fernández Álvarez).

I've been searching for some basic knowledge of my Byzantine heritage for quite some time. "Standing In God's Holy Fire" has quenched my thirst. I now understand why the Byzantines have the type of liturgy that we have. This book is a "Must Read" !

Though authored by Philip A. St. John, what makes this book truly unique is that 60 of its 144 pages were written by men and officers who actually served in the Big E: Dusty Kleiss, Will Norberg, W. E. Roberts, Mark Roses, Jack Long (a CPO in my dad's division, V-5), Norm Zafft and many others. Some men -- like Kleiss and Roberts -- can be found in the history books; many others are "ordinary" sailors whose efforts made Enterprise the most successful and feared warship in US naval history.

The first 70 pages review the Big E's leading role in the Pacific War. Arnold Olson, Public Affairs Officer for the Enterprise CV-6 Association, fact-checked this section of the book for historical accuracy -- I can personally attest that he is a sticklier for detail -- and his efforts show.

As of October 2001, two books about the Big E are in print: this one and Steve Ewing's "Pictorial History" (isbn 0933126247). Both deserve a place on the bookshelf. Ewing's book includes more information on Enterprise's pre- and post-war story, a little more in-depth history, and an interesting section on the Enterprise CV-6 Association. Both books contain many photos, not all the same.

Philip's "History", however, is worth the premium price because of the many first-hand accounts it contains, and the personal involvement of the Big E's veterans in its production.

This biography of one of our great labor leaders surprised me. It didn't go very much in-depth but I always doubt those biographies aimed at kids because they rarely present a balanced portrait. This one does just that, showing Walter's flaws alongside his greatness and his achievements. It might even be of interest to adults who know nothing of Reuther and want a simple book on the topic, enough to knock off in an afternoon and without sinking into the depths of political theory.

This was my first book that I purchased for learning 3d studio max.. I also bought the fundamental book too.. I've only flip through couples of pages then I put it away to collect dust. The exercise are hard to follow, they gave complete instruction for teaching you a certain command. But you wouldn't find motivation to delve in to the 3d world by building something that's meaningless. The book is only good for advance user as it'll teaches you how to press certain short cut keys and stuff..

I found this book hard to comprehend.. even if I'm a immediate user, I wouldn't picked this book, as this is so boring.. It teaches you how to do certain things, but don't tell you much why you are doing it, or why is it necessary to take the steps..

there are few other good ones out there if you are a intermediate user...

There's a thing common to all classic books: even if you've read one from cover to cover you discover something new every time you open it. Things that you glossed over earlier suddenly start to make sense. This book is no exception. Since 'Inside 3D Studio Rel. 3' the authors have provided an unique insight into the world's most popular 3D programs. This book raises the standard even further, providing enough grip for the novice and a treasure trove of knowledge of the professional. The best thing about this book is the explanation of the PRINCIPLES behind 3D Studio MAX. Instead of the 'do this-screen shot-do that' methodology, the authors have concentrated in the core ideas behind every tool and procedure. If you want MAX to be an extension to your right brain, get this book. Read it all the time. Do the tutorials. Keep referring to it for ideas. You'll discover what you were missing with other books -- the real goods on making MAX dance to your tune.

Inside 3DStudio MAX At last!The book we all waited for.Inside 3DStudio MAX,writtten by Steven Elliot & Phillip Miller;authors of Inside 3DStudio Release 3 & 4.Some said that Inside series is better than the manuals.Well,to tell you the truth,they are quite right. The book is very well structured.It has 29 chapters,starting from explaining the core concepts of MAX,and ending in Network Rendering.Every chapter has its introduction and summary,that's very good 'cause you know what's the chapter about and the summary reminds you the most importants parts. It is not a book that throws you some tutorials only.On the contrary,the writers pay attention to general knowledge an animator must have.Mixing colors and light,story boarding,etc.. Every button is explained thouroughly in the book.It teaches you the best way to model and animate efficiently every model you can think of. Of course,it has some drawbacks.Material editor,Video Post,Space Warps & Particles are not explained in depth.Although there is a solution to that(in February 2 more Volumes will be published:Inside3DStudio MAX Volume II:Advanced Modelling & Material Editor,Volume III:Animation & Character Studio),who wants to buy 2 more books that costs 110$ additionally?(Answear:Me..:P).Another drawback is that the book has color photos only in the chapters that refer to Material Editor(although some will say that's no big deal).And the CD that is included with the book has 200mb of textures.O.k ,where's the drawback?:) Only a few of them are useful.90% of them are very artistic and extend beyond the needs of traditional animators.I think that whoever makes the textures(by the way Tim Forcade,who included textures in 3DStudio 4 Hollywood & Gaming Effects & Indide 3DStudio 4),should have in mind that animators need practical textures like wood,metals and stuff and not abstract paintings.... Inside is for the novice and for the experienced animator,and it is by far the No.1 if you want to master MAX. "Inside 3D Studio MAX should be a part of every serious animator's library"(Larry Crume,Vice President,Autodesk and General MAnager,Kinetix)

Kerr's WWII-era Berlin Trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem) is some of my favourite historical fiction, so I figured I'd give one of his more recent thrillers a chance. This one is set in 1960, mainly in Havana, Miami, New York, with side trips to Vegas and Chicago and takes place over the course of the Nixon/Kennedy election and the buildup to JFK's inauguration. Kerr weaves a fairly elaborate plot around the JFK assassination conspiracy mythos, involving a top assassin, the mob, Cuban intelligence, crooked CIA and FBI agents running amok, inept Secret Service, and a bevy of sexpots, building up to an attempt to kill Kennedy prior to the inauguration. There are two major, major reversals (ie. unexpected plot twists), and many reviewers are inexplicably revealing the first of these in their summaries. I will not, but suffice to say, it's these two reversals that keep the pages turning. Of course, we all know what happened in Dallas, several years later, and Kerr manages to produce an ending to explain that as well.

Some reviewers have complained that since we know the assassination doesn't take place, there's no suspense. Personally, I found that creating and building the suspense in the face of such knowledge is Kerr's most impressive achievement in this case. Much like Frederick Forsyth's "The Day of the Jackal," the reader is drawn into the world and methodology of the killer and those tracking him. Unfortunately, plot seems to be occurring at the expense of character. There's no one to really root for or care about, which is fine in a lot fiction, but doesn't usually work so well in thrillers. Not only is there no one to care about, there's scant characterization to begin with, the male characters all have the same tired tough-guy patter, and the women are exclusively characterized as sex objects (and not amazingly banal ones at that). Kerr's attention to cultural icons and detail, which was a wonderful element in his Berlin Noir trilogy, proves to be far less interesting when applied to America in the 1960s (perhaps because it is so much more familiar). When you combine these weaknesses with several linguistic anachronisms, and a total absence of the wonderful turns of phrase in his earlier work, you get the feeling this was a rather dashed off bit of fluff for Kerr.

i'm beginning to think that thrillers like these should carry some kind of disclaimer. WARNING FROM THE LITERARY COUNCIL: do not get too excited. This material contains an ending which may disappoint. Because in almost every other respect, The Shot is not only Kerr's finest, most thrilling, best plotted and fascinatingly peopled work to date - it is a fine and worthy and exciting thriller in its own right. A "new take on the plot to kill JFK", The Shot takes you beneath the surface of the 1960 presidential election and the Cuban Crisis, providing a fascinating look at the mob, FBI, CIA and Cuban-related shenanigans going on at the time. In the middle of it all is professional killer Tom Jefferson (all his other aliases are president names too - nice touch!). Here, Kerr displays what seems to be an almost disturbing understanding of the lives, methods and motivations of professional killers. There are actually three sharply-drawn assassins in this book, each with enough depth, charisma and drawing power to carry a whole thriller on their own. That aspect of The Shot is outstanding - you get the sense that Kerr has either done a great deal of research or has a genius mind for creating believable and ingenious detail. But none of that can make up for the way I feel about The Shot having just finished it. Most of the action takes place between the latter part of 1960 and the beginning of 1961. And as everybody knows, JFK was assassinated in 63. So it's as you draw closer and closer to the last page, and it's still only January 1961, that you begin to get this sinking feeling that this isn't all leading where you hoped it might. And without giving away the end of the book, when everything resolves itself (in an extremely rushed fashion, I might add) the sense of disappointment is enormous. I can't help feeling that if somehow this book had been stolen from me and never recovered, somewhere around page 350, I might have gone on thinking it one of the best thrillers i'd ever read.

The five stars here are for a well constructed, fun to read twist, on a topic most would consider exhausted.

This is my first read of this Author's work, but not my last. The JFK story is one that has been beaten well beyond death. When I first saw the cover, my thought was, "more garbage". I could not have been more wrong.

The book is not one that can be reviewed easily as the plot is so precise, well paced, and consistent, that any specifics would begin the guessing before you got to the book. In a sense this would be fine as the direction the book takes is not one you will have seen before, or would guess. General commentary, or a bit about the story would kill the fun. Many of the names in the book will be familiar from other JFK conspiracy theorists; Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Segal, OSS, FBI, CIA, MIRR, but that is where the similarity ends. A talented mind can always find a new perspective.

The Author recreates the time down to the guests on specific talk shows, and popular television programming at the time like, "Mr. Ed", or movies that were playing like "Psycho". The dialogue at times is razor sharp, and the pace of the book will leave you missing at least one night of decent sleep.

An all around great read. Highly recommended!