There are a couple of things about this work by Greenberg that struck me as significant, and added to the fact that the book is very well written, it makes for a very compelling read. Even after many years of scientific journalism and working within the industry Greenberg says that the scientific enterprise makes him "feel like a stranger in a strange land." This is no idle boast by someone trying to tout his credentials as an objective observer and skeptic. This is in fact precisely the perspective that Greenberg uses throughout; this arms-length approach allows him to come up with some rather perceptive insights and useful recommendations. The second point of interest, and something for which the scientific community should be commended, is that generally this book has been quite favorably received. Many times when an "outsider" reports on some subject, the first, and oftentimes the only point, aggrieved professionals focus on is that he's not an "expert", or he's a "non-specialist". That doesn't seem to be the case with most of the commentary on this book from the scientific community. And make no mistake, there's enough damning evidence here about the volatile mix of SCIENCE, MONEY, AND POLITICS and the resulting mess of "Political Triumph and Ethical Erosion", that it would be normal to expect self-defensive counter criticisms.

Greenberg traces the changing role of science and its relationship with politics, roughly since the period following WWII. Long gone is the era of the prominent presidential science advisors. Today it is money that dominates the scientific agenda. The chapter on the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its claim a few years ago that the country faced a shortage of tens of thousands of scientists is illustrative. Greenberg shows this lobbying effort for increased funds as a knowingly false issue pushed by a merger of institutional and academic interests. Greenberg quotes a US Office of Management & Budget Report which had this to say about scientists: "They are the quintessential special interest group..."

He has much to say on the inflated claims of many projects. Although he specifically mentions the aborted Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), it is clear he views more recent projects such as the Human Genome Project, and cloning, in the same light. Greenberg doesn't allow the book to end as a mere polemic though. He makes an interesting recommendation for the conversion of the NSF into a National Science, Engineering & Humanities Foundation. This is more in recognition of the need for a new "ethic" rather than as the desirability of conflating all knowledge to scientific methods as some scientists (E.O Wilson in CONSILIENCE) have recently called for.

Regardless of where you are in the sciences this book is sure to affect you. Many of the excesses and cases of influence and false claims are known about, and more importantly have already been condemned by well thinking professionals. Nevertheless by presenting it in such a readable format Greenberg will enjoy significant readership among the skeptical public. This at a time when science is engaged in the most far reaching issues for humanity, only means that scientists can expect more questions from an interested, and much better informed public.

This is the definitive book on this topic. The author has been reporting this subject for over 40 years and has personally interviewed most of the major players. Plenty of facts and figures but interestingly written. Neither "Gosh, how wonderful Science is" or an expose' of how tarnished Science is. Extremely objective and written by a man who knows as much or more about this subject as anyone around.Historians will use this as a reference for a long time.

I'm one of those who believes that we have far more to gain from good science than we have to lose. Nonetheless, Greenberg's book brought me up short. This is a dramatic, readable, well-documented, and shocking exposé of the dirty back-door means by which much support for science research is secured in this country. Greenberg cites example after example of how undeserving or questionable projects are funded while, presumably, more promising work goes begging because it lacks powerful patrons. Greenberg also argues that the whole system is corrupt because universities depend on grant overhead for operating budgets, while congressmen and -women want money for their districts, and various scientific disciplines want to increase their clout and standing. Greenberg clearly is very angry, and his anger stems from genuine outrage that an enterprise such as science, which is so important, and so powerful, has participated in making itself an often-sleazy political tool. I hope university administrators and all the federal officials responsible for science funding will read this book--the fault lies less with scientists individually than with the ways in which universities, the federal government, and scientific organizations see their self-interest.

This book opens your eyes to the wonders of the world through picture books. It gives easy to deliver effective lessons to go along with them. If you are an elementary educator or an outdoor educator it should be in your library and worn with use.

A great reference when teaching children about a subject they must value into the 21st century.

Most books with titles like this are vaporware - promising a lot but delivering nothing. This one is real and should be read by everyone responsible for managing a library. I've read/skimmed it once and have begun a project to determine how often books on the Reference shelf are used. Spend the $55!

Write a sequel to Lost Horizon? What hubris, what presumption! Just who do you guys think you are? Then I read it. It's wonderful. When James Hilton ordains that you leave Shangri-LA, you understand that you will never find it again. But Cooney and Altieri work their hermetic arts, and as you inch your way around the narrow ledge, hugging the rock like a lover, you pause to catch your breath, the mists below slowly clear, and there it is! I think Hilton would have been honored, and enchanted. How can this book be out of print? To Ms. Cooney and Mr. Altieri, Thank you.

Read it. It's a great novel and highly worthy as a sequel. This book left me in the same dreamy state as the original. Thought provoking about Tibet and the state of the world for any socially conscious person.

Sequel. Ugh. What a horrible word. Most of them should never be born, or if they are, they should be left on a hillside to die of exposure. There ought to be a different word to describe SHANGRI-LA--THE RETURN TO THE WORLD OF LOST HORIZON by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri (Wm. Morrow, 1996). It is in fact the sequel to James Hilton's classic, but without the irrelevance and loss of tumescence you've learned to expect. It actually needed to be written.

LOST HORIZON leaves you dangling deliciously. Forget about the movie version--it was good, but they took huge liberties with the plot of Hilton's tightly constructed work. Most notably, the movie shows the hero, Hugh Conway, arriving back in Shangri-La to the accompaniment of a swelling chorus and heavenly beams of light. It was the era of happy endings in movies, so they stuck one on. But the book--ah, the book is very different indeed.

It starts with a group of British gents in a men's club talking about Conway, a likable but peculiar chap, and how one of them discovered him quite by chance in a hospital in Canton suffering from amnesia. Then we learn that his memory abruptly returned on board a liner bound for San Francisco, that he jumped ship in Honolulu and was never seen again. The middle part of the book is a flashback: Conway's story of being benignly abducted along with three other people into Shangri-La, meeting the two-hundred-year-old lama, finding himself annointed as his successor, and then having to make a decision of Hamlet-like proportions: stay or go. He goes. Dreadful things happened to him after he left, evidently, so that he wound up ill and amnesic in a hospital. Then he got his memory back and jumped ship--to try, we presume, to find his way back to his lost paradise. And that's the last we hear of him. The final words of the book echo down hauntingly over sixty years: "Do you think he will ever find it?"

The authors of SHANGRI-LA dip into that poignant mystery with respect, precision and imagination. Their account of what happened to Conway during his disastrous journey out of the hidden valley in the high Himalayas, how he lost his memory, and what happened to him after he got it back is uncannily Hilton-esque and fits with the unanswered questions in the original like the parts of a fine watch. This account, in turn, is part of a highly relevant story about the brutal Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1960s, the real-life fulfillment of disaster prophesized by Hilton through his fictional character Father Perrault.

Tibet is still under the heel of China, and SHANGRI-LA teaches the reader some of the harsh facts while delivering a taut tale of suspense, intrigue, romance and mystery. Suffice it to say that there's a rapacious Chinese General who's got hold of a series of ancient riddles that put him on the trail of the hidden valley. A really good villain is the heart and soul of a thriller, and this guy is full of the complexities and contradictions that satisfy our appetites. And instead of crudely killing him off, the authors reward him for his villainy with a highly eerie anti-Shangri-La that makes you think of some sort of hell out of Oriental mythology with Rod Serling as a consultant.

SHANGRI-LA pays tribute to Hilton not just in its integrity, form and careful attention to the original--it leaves us with unanswered questions of its own, of the same poignant proportions. And here's a little tidbit to tantalize you: it's told from the point of view of a woman. I wouldn't mind a sequel to the sequel.

This book goes way beyond the usual movie companion book genre or the groupie can't get enough photos of the leading guy (or gal) genre for a very simple reason - its terrific design.

After flipping through a few pages, I knew I was in for a visual treat. Great layouts - the more powerful images rightly stand alone in a spread, while background and other less important photographs appear side by side. Creative use of color - Black and white photos are often on wonderful purple or red backgrounds that make them jump and don't distract. Great graphic and type choices are everywhere. Congratulations go to the book's creative team. The credits from Vision On Publishing list "Book Design by Nuisance" and "Reprographics by AJD" - great work.

Of particular note was the well-balanced choice of photos and interviews to include. Normally, movie books have way too many shots of the name-brand stars. Of course we hear from Guy Ritchie and Brad Pitt in Snatch, but great coverage of extras, production people and even Holly the Dog (who gets a two-page spread) make this more than the usual fanzine. In fact, its more like a coffee table art book.

If youv'e not yet read this book, you need to do so now, to put it simply, although difficult, is that it is an amazing insight into the creation and the characters that star in the film, from their character traits to their own personalities comming through into the making of the film. The comical attitude of each character is an exception to the book, giving it a humorous yet serious and 'real' content. This book is definately a must buy for Snatch fans, and espcially for those who have not yet seen the film.

This is a well-produced book and was worth the wait (I first placed an order for it in October). This book features many photos I had never seen before on nice thick pages. Some of the photos were full page and some covered two pages. There were over two dozen pics featuring Brad Pitt. Most of the photos are pretty good resolution though some are a bit blurred. Overall, a pretty good book. As for what it says ... the text was very little but always very amusing. Since I bought it for the photos, this did not matter. Buy it while you can!

IT BELONGS TO THE LORD'S REALM...
But this book WILL teach to to forgive.
And that's the best for your soul,body and mind !

un METODO PARA APRENDER A PERDONAR..
¿NO?
Te reto, amigo, porque si tienes ganas de vivir sin lastres, LO VAS A LOGRAR !

ASUNTO DE CURAS Y MUJERES.!
¡QUE EQUIVOCADO ESTUVE !
Este libro fabuloso me enseñó que,
PERDONAR ES COSA DE HOMBRES
DE MUCHA VALENTIA
NECESARIO PARA NUESTRA PAZ INTERIOR
PARA QUE NOSOTROS MISMOS SEAMOS PERDONADOS !
MARAVILLOSO PORQUE NO TE SERMONEA..TE ENSEÑA A HACERLO !

An undying tale.. legend... song... Wonderful poetry, the language is simply astounding! I have read the russian translation by Bounin, which was as remarkable as the original.

A book for generations. Mine was published 1898 and given me by my mother whose father(b.1875) gave it to her. It goes to the heart of the Indian race, a people susceptible to mythology and magic as their last great hope. Read it with an open mind, imagination, and for its beauty.

"The Song of Hiawatha" is the best book I have ever been exposed to. Every time I hear the wonderful rhyme of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, I begin to think of what this land was like before the Europeans conquered it. It is a wonderful tale of peace between nations and a great book to read to children.

For anyone interested in understanding the cultural phenomenom that is Bob Jones University, this book is a must. There is no substitute for this detailed, documented history of the school.

As a former student, I can better appreciate Bob Jones University after reading this excellent history book. I was not aware of all the struggles that this institution went through. BJU is still a working miracle.

This book is an answer to the questions and rumors that circulate in today's world! It is an accurate history of Bob Jones University founded by Dr. Bob Jones in 1927. It explains its beginnings, struggles and unwavering Biblical stands that has made it what it is today.

Mr. Simonian's penchant for blending the absurd with common day reality is what sells this piece so strongly. Moments coome and go each gripping the state of the human experience with both hands and never letting go. This play is sadly topical on all counts. A must hear.

I have been following Mr. Simonian's career since the days he wrote for Morton Downey, Jr. I have got to say that Mr. Simonian has truly outdone himself, this time. When I listen to this book on tape I can only think, "My God, how can such a young man from Desoto, KS have such a grasp on the fundamental future of this art? Why aren't more playwrights following his lead and delving into the dark psychi of the mundane?" If we in theatre are to survive into the next century with a shred of dignity we must tear a page from Mr. Simonian's book, for he is truly an artist.

Combine the theatre of the absurd with a sense of modern day realism and you have the production THANATOS from Plays on Tape. This new company has started on the right foot. This audio play, of what death means to certain people, is a unique project filled with a twilight zone view of the world. The cast sparks, with a special note of the performance of Ferrel Barron, who overwhelms the audience as an over burdened everyday man. Director Daniel Green keeps the pace lively and moving. It you want to try something new on the audio scene, pick this one up. AUDIOWORLD, Bennet Pomerantz