The stories start with the guys sitting around the Tejon Club, consuming large amounts of beer. One or another starts in with some tall tale, and, before you know it, they're off doing something ill-considered. One story is about going after giant African frogs supposedly in the area. In another story, their quest is to rid the area of killer bees that are allegedly coming from Central America. One day, Bob Don comes in with his new wife (women aren't really forbidden from the Tejon Club, but their presence is discouraged). She is the sort who bears a strong resemblance to a Before picture; not that Bob Don looks any better. So the guys give them a wild, alcohol-fueled party. They also try their luck at white-water rafting, but spend most of their time in the water or arguing with each other.

The best story of the group is about the gang (and their spouses and/or children) helping out a group of Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia living in the nearby woods. They celebrate an old-fashioned American Christmas in the Tejon Club complete with lots of homemade food, warm coats and gloves for all the Hmong, men, women and children, with Christmas decorations and everything.

These stories will not be compared to Great Literature. They are short, easy to read, raunchy and very politically incorrect. They are also quite entertaining and worth reading.

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Based in the Gulf state of Qatar, it came from the remnants of the BBC Arabic TV service. With the help of startup money from the Emir of Qatar, Al-Jazeera was to have complete editorial independence.

In a part of the world where the press is usually government controlled, Al-Jazeera is not afraid to get specific and name names. At one time or another, it has been criticized or condemned by seemingly every government in the Arab world, for broadcasting things that the local government would prefer not be broadcast. Every local editorial of condemnation and every denial of press credentials to Al-Jazeera reporters just increases its audience all over the world by satellite.

One of the things that Al-Jazeera is most known for is its talk shows, especially a nightly, two-hour show called The Opposite Direction. Two guests appear on the show, with totally opposite opinions on a certain issue, and with help from live phone calls, the sparks fly. Even by American TV standards, things get pretty loud and lively. Arab governments have noticed, and have begun imitating the format on their tame and boring government TV channels.

Even though Al-Jazeera is an Arab TV channel, it has tried very hard to be impartial, hosting members of the Bush Administration, after September 11, and government officials from Israel.

For those who want to decide for themselves if Al-Jazeera is a legitimate news broadcaster or a terrorist mouthpiece, this book is highly recommended. It's comprehensive, clearly written and is quite enlightening.

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At Birlstone, they find the body of a man who was shot in the face, point blank, with a sawed-off shotgun. The initial thought was that Douglas surprised a burglar. That becomes increasingly unlikely considering that the house has a real moat with a drawbridge, that was up at the time of the murder, and that his wife and butler reported that maybe a minute elapsed between the gunshot and the discovery of the body. Suicide is even more unlikely. In the past, Douglas did let slip the fear that someone, or some group, was after him. In his sleep, he might have mentioned The Valley of Fear.

Just before Holmes wraps up the mystery, the story shifts to 1870s Colorado. A man named McMurdo, on the run from the Chicago police, is on his way to a coal mining town called Vermissa. The place is run with an iron hand by Boss McGinty, haed of the local Lodge of the Eminent Order of Freemen. It's a national organization, of which McMurdo is also a member. But, in Colorado, the organization stays in control by means of intimidation and murder of anyone who gets in their way. The law is powerless to stop them.

McMurdo rises quickly in the "organization." One day, he gets word that a Pinkerton detective from back East, a man named Birdy Edwards, has come to town. McMurdo hatches a plan to lure Edwards to a house outside of town, with promises of all sorts of inside information on the Lodge. There, several Lodge members, including Boss McGinty, will be waiting. They plan to torture him to find out what he knows about them, then kill him. Everything goes according to plan, until McMurdo announces to the others that he is Birdy Edwards.

Many, but not all, of the Lodge members face long prison terms, or the gallows, because of the testimony of McMurdo/Edwards. He knows that the surviving Lodge members will not sit still, so he heads to England, changes his name to Douglas, and meets his end (or does he?) at a place called Birlstone.

You can't go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes story. It's an intelligent mystery with a number of twists and turns, it's very well written and the reader just waits for Holmes to put it all together and solve the supposedly unsolvable. It's well worth the reader's time.

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The state of Florida threw over 57,000 people off its voting rolls, the official reason being that they were convicted felons. For many, their only crime was being black and/or Democratic. The lists to be used by county election officials were found to be full of flaws, and just happened to come from a company with strong Republican ties. Some counties tried to send letters to the people on the list, to give them a chance to appeal the deletion; other counties didn't bother. There are a number of instances where Florida officials didn't make even the minimum effort to be sure of the names on the list.

When a country is in financial trouble, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are supposed to be there to help. In many cases, they are part of the problem. Countries are given a list of over 100 economic conditions that must be met before any loan money starts flowing. They include things like removing trade barriers to let in cheaper (usually American) goods and disrupt the local economy, privatizing state assets, cutting social spending and crushing labor unions. It's a recipe for disaster, which is usually what happens. The current economic problems in Argentina and Brazil, for example, can be partially blamed on the IMF/WB. It is possible to thrive without them; the country of Botswana said No to their conditions, and they are economically quite healthy.

Conventional wisdom says that the Exxon Valdez oil spill was the fault of one drunk captain. There is plenty of evidence of lack of proper equipment, doctored safety records, and cheating of the local natives. That's only the beginning.

Wow. Investigative reporting like this hasn't been seen in America in many years. No major media outlet is willing to expend the time and effort needed, and that's a shame. This book is brilliant, it's incredible, it shows just how wimpy most of the American news media really is, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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The Vatican Bank, with the Pope as sole shareholder, has been involved in financial scams, tax evasion and money laundering of Nazi gold. Some groups have an interest (usually financial) in taking the tiny number of Americans who belong to hate groups and making them into a tidal wave about to engulf the whole country. Conventional wisdom says that Henry Lee Lucas was one of the biggest serial killers in American history. On more than one occasion, he confessed to any murder put in front of him, even if he wasn't in the same state at the time (the police usually didn't care about that part), to increase his chances of going to the electric chair. Many witnesses say that there was a third, older, shooter that day at Columbine High School.

Mad cow disease is spreading virtually unchecked in America. There is a very graphic look at what a meat-based diet is all about, for animals and for humans. Another piece is titled, "Psychiatric Drugging of Children for Behavioral Control." It is a mistake to assume that all disabled people want to be "cured." Despite their high-sounding words in public, in private, all major religions subjugate women and treat them as inferior to men. Press coverage of the Branch Davidian siege at Waco, Texas, consisted of little more than FBI press conferences, and bore little relation to the truth. In many large cities and smaller towns, seeing the money to be made from crime, police have become the crooks. A piece by the editor detailing the large number of warnings received by the US government before the September 11 attacks, is, by itself, worth the price of the book.

I loved this book. Like its prequel You Are Being Lied To, this book is full of information that will never be covered in the American news media. There is something here to upset or offend everyone. This book is extremely highly recommended.

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The author also looks at conditions in one of the building's stairwells after impact. On the upper floors, the procession of people going downstairs is calm and reasonable. As they reach the lower floors, things get more tense and panicky, with people pushing and shoving. Then comes the rumbling from above that signifies that these people are too late.

Obviously, this is not easy or pleasant reading. For some, attempting to read this book is a permanent impossibility. For everyone else, this is a must read. If this book can help the grief process, if it can give those left behind even a glimpse of what was going through the minds of their loved ones just before the end, then Vaszily has done a Great Service. It is well worth reading.

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The book (and magazine) cover all areas of science, from astronomy, to biology, chemistry, math and medicine. The titles include: The Aerodynamics of Potato Chips, Apples and Oranges: A Comparison, The Politically Correct Periodic Table, How Dead Is a Doornail?, The Medical Effects of Kissing Boo-Boos, The Ability of Woodchucks to Chuck Cellulose Fibers, How To Write a Scientific Paper, and the classic piece of scientific experimentation, The Taxonomy of Barney.

The author also looks at the IgNobel Prize ceremony held every fall at Harvard University (the author is also the Master of Ceremonies). Prizes are presented by real Nobel Prize winners, in various categories. A few past honorees include: a dentist from Minnesota for his study Patient Preference for Waxed or Unwaxed Dental Floss, the authors of the painstakingly researched study Acute Management of the Zipper-Entrapped Penis, and a man from South Carolina for calculating the exact odds, over 8.6 trillion to 1, that Mikhail Gorbachev is the Antichrist. Of course, who can forget IgNobel honoree Dan Quayle, for demonstrating the need for science education?

This book is hilarious. Some are going to say that science and humor don't belong in the same sentence, let alone the same book. Nonsense. It shows that scientists can laugh at themselves, and if it gets even one young person interested in science, this book will have been a success. It is highly recommended.

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Bobbi, Joe's immediate boss, has laso noticed. Without making Joe resentful, she wonders how to bring him back to his core competency, treating the customer as most important. They go over Joe's activity log, every day. She pairs Joe with Bill, another salesman. It's not intended to treat Joe as a child (but that's how he initially interprets it), but to show what putting the customer first is all about. Between sales calls, Bill's ear is glued to his cell phone, checking his voice mail or calling potential clients. Depending on the customer, it may take a couple of visits before the subject of what product (in this case, office products like copiers) the client should buy is even mentioned. Selling any old box is easy, selling the right kind of box that will expand with the business is hard. Joe slowly begins to get the idea. His diligence returns, and his productivity starts to go up. He's not back to where he was, but he's getting there.

For most people, this book can be skipped. Those who are in business (especially sales) could really use this book. Improvement in business, however it is measured, is a never-ending quest. Putting it in novel form can be more helpful than in the form of some book full of business buzzwords. It's worth reading.

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In this fast-paced, 24/7 type world, many things can get left behind; spirituality is usually among them. This book aims to change that.

The first step for any person is to decide just what they want out of life. What is their heart's desire? Is it better to be happy, or to have a closer relationship with the Creator? Then come a series of things that anyone can do to incorporate spirituality into their lives.

When you get up in the morning, take several deep breaths and some stretching exercises to get you ready for the day. Try singing, or yoga or color visualization. During the day, think before you speak. Pay attention to where you put your energy. At noontime, take a moment of silence or say noontime prayers. It sounds like a cliche, but, on the way home from work, stop and smell the roses. Bless and appreciate your evening meal. Express your gratitude for the day just finished. At bedtime, send healing prayers to anyone who may need them. Write down things from the day for which you are grateful.

Included is a list of things that can be done at any time during the day, like take time to visualize your future, replace meat products with natural alternatives, stay clean, try not to take on too much, take the time to unclutter and reorganize, remember where other people are coming from emotionally and stop worrying. In short, make the most of every day.

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This book covers the entire directing process, starting from before the first rehearsal and extending to how to deal with critics. Read the play more than once. Understand that plays depict people in extraordinary circumstances. Keep the audience guessing. Rehearsals need discipline. Sincerely praise actors early and often. Listen for actors who drop the ends of lines. Some things are not and should not be repeatable. Don't keep actors hanging about needlessly. Include the crew. Be decisive. An audience's interest in the action is only as high as the actors' interest in it. Lighten up. Don't expect to have all the answers.

This is a very specialized book. For someone with zero experience in the theatre, like yours truly, these observations feel reasonable and logical; practically common sense. It's recommended for those on the outside as it will give a good idea as to what putting on a professional production is all about. For those on the inside, whether actor, director, writer or technical crew, this book is a must. It tells directors what they should know, and what the crew would like them to know.

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During Gulf War I, America deliberately destroyed Iraq's water system, causing the deaths of thousands of people, and did not allow importation of equipment to fix it. Convicted criminals, like Otto Reich, Elliot Abrams and John Poindexter now hold senior jobs in the Bush Administration. NAFTA has destroyed farming communities in America and abroad. New laws are restricting access to abortions here in America. The Bush energy plan threatens public health and the environment. American policies in Colombia support mass murder. The Bush Administration hampered an FBI investigation into the Bin Laden family before 9-11. Failing private prisons are bailed out by the federal government. Hear about these on the "all-news" channels?

The book also considers those stories which were covered in the media. Stories like that of Rosie O'Donnell's sexuality, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Mariah Carey's nervous breakdown, the private lives of Prince Charles and his sons and the relationship between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake very much deserve to be called Junk Food News. Also explored is a critical analysis of 9-11, before and after, how New York state exams censored literature, the big ten media giants, the rigors of self-censorship and a guide to independent media resources.

This is another excellent book from the people at Project Censored. It is required reading for everyone in the news business. I never fail to learn something from each volume. In an ideal world, the stories in this book are the ones that would be publicized from coast to coast.

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Greg Palast catches the news media in several blatant lies; not just misinterpretation, but actual, black and white, lies. The most popular antidepressants can cause suicide. The Watergate break-in may have been all about a call girl ring after all. The producer of the CNN report about Operation Tailwind (asserting that America used sarin nerve gas in Vietnam) gives her side of the story. A former federal drug agent describes first-hand how the Drug War is designed to fail. The New York Times knows about, but refuses to publicize, America's illegal bioweapons program. Howard Zinn brings the US bombing of Afghanistan down to the individual level, looking at some of those who suffered and died. Operation Pipeline is a racial profiling program in California that pulls over minorities on the pretext of minor traffic violations. The editor digs up more neglected information on September 11, including: some of the highest US officials admitted that the attacks could have been prevented, a US Senator has said that at least one foreign country actively aided the terrorists, and one of the warnings received by the US was from the Taliban.

Also covered in this book are the diamond trade, child protective services, fluoridation, the Resurrection story, government sponsored anti-drug ads, the US military faces a huge rape crisis, the flexible definition of "terrorism," and corporations that have claimed the "right" to lie.

As with its two prequels, Everything You Know Is Wrong and You Are Being Lied To, this is a must read of a book that has something to upset or offend everyone. I learned a lot from these eye-opening articles. This isn't a "liberal" or "conservative" book, but it is very highly recommended.

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In the first case, a pair of silk merchants spend the night at a hostel in a certain town. The next morning, just outside of town, one of them is found dead. The local Warden (the town policeman) immediately accuses the hostel owner of killing, then robbing, the merchant, something the hostel owner vigorously denies. The second case involves a young bride who is poisoned on her wedding night. In the third case, a young widow and her mother live alone. The widow's husband died a year previously under less than clear circumstances. Not only does the young widow lock herself in her room for half a day every day, she also gets very angry and belligerent toward her mother whenever any men come around; not just potential suitors, but any men. As Judge Dee investigates, and interroagtes both women, the circumstances of the husband's death get more and more mysterious.

Chinese detective novels are very different than their western counterparts. The culprit is introduced in the beginning of the story, and the interest is in seeing how the crime is solved. They tend to get very detailed, especially concerning the method of torture and execution, so a length of several hundred pages is common. This novel is one of the shorter ones that are available.

For mystery lovers who want to read a very different type of novel, this is worth checking out. Agatha Christie has little to fear from Chinese detective novels regarding competition, but it is still worth the reader's time.

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The author theorizes that some people are just born jerks, or become that way after exposure to other jerks. Such pompous, overbearing people should never be let anywhere near a management position. Deviators can be of either gender, and can be found anywhere between foreman and senior management. They are preoccupied with superficial things, like the look of a report instead of what's inside. They dominate all conversations with peers and subordinates, and monopolize meetings. They rarely apologize for a mistake or false accusation, especially when it involves someone lower than them on the company totem pole. They recruit spies to feed them the latest gossip about others. Deviators will only hire or promote those who hold them in high esteem. They use a lot of possessive pronouns, like "my people" or "my department," as if a piece of the company is their personal property. In short, 160 Degree Deviators have an exaggerated sense of their own self-importance. They consider themselves the center of the universe, and expect to be treated as such. Sound familiar?

What to do about such people? It's easy to say that so-and-so is a "kook" or is thinking outside the box; tell that to their subordinates or people in other departments. At all times, challenge Deviators to put up or shut up. Meetings should be called for specific purposes with specific attendees; don't let Anyone monopolize them. People who lie or sacrifice others to cover their mistakes should be immediately dismissed. If Manager X is considered "harmless" by senior management, transfer them someplace where they will be harmless, but get them out of that management job.

This book is excellent. A copy is needed in every company in America, Fortune 500 included. The CEO who says "it doesn't happen here" needs to take a closer look at their company. It is highly recommended.

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A person could say that this was the fault of "rogue" officers, and that Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied forces, knew nothing about it. Every indication is that the orders to starve the German prisoners came directly from Eisenhower. He was also the sort of leader who read the daily logs of transmitted and received cables, so it wouldn't have stayed secret from him for long.

Another possible reason for the lack of food given to German prisoners (which included thousands of women and children) is because, just having finished a major war, there was a big food shortage in Europe. Not only did American farmers create a huge food surplus, there were also approximately 13 million Red Cross Packages already in Europe, which would have been a big help to the prisoners. There was no post-war food shortage. Also, the German railroad system was relatively undamaged, so if the Allies wanted to get food to any part of the country, it would not have been a problem.

A food shortage would not explain the huge difference in the American and French camps, and those run by Britain and Canada. The latter countries provided tents and medical care for their prisoners, along with a reasonable amount of food. Conditions were not lavish by any means, but those prisoners survived their captivity in good condition. On the other hand, prisoners in the American and French camps could best be described as "the living dead."

Conditions in the American camps defy description. There was no shelter or sanitary facilities. The ground was quickly turned into mud in which many prisoners stood, all day and every day, because there was not enough room even to lay down. Other prisoners had to dig holes in the ground for shelter. When the sides collapsed during rainstorms, the prisoners often were too weak to escape. Diseases like diarrhea and dysentery were rampant. Anyone on the outside caught handing food through the fence was shot by US troops. The status of some prisoners was changed from Prisoner of War to Disarmed Enemy Forces, which allowed the US to ignore the Geneva Convention. The International Committee of the Red Cross was not allowed anywhere near the camps.

It would be easy to justify the events in this book by saying something Like "After Hitler and the death camps, the Germans deserved it," but that would be wrong. Inhumanity is still inhumanity. I like to think that I know my way around post-World War II history, but I was floored by this book. It is extremely highly recommended and a must read.

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In one part of the book, Martin, the main character, is asked to paint a portrait of a young woman at a moment when she is laughing. Unfortunately, Martin is of the opinion that the woman is rather ugly when her mouth is open like that. In Helsinki, a married man named Bernhard, entranced by the quivering nostrils of a woman named Marikka, takes her out to dinner, then they have sex. Napoleon Bonaparte thinks that he is a bicycle. Along the way, the reader will also meet a blue balloon, a red crayon, a talking monkey and a cocktail waitress named Darkbloom. There is also quite a lot of eroticism, both real and imagined, in this book, mostly invloving Martin.

This book doesn't follow the usual literature rules about plot and storyline. It is also an acquired taste sort of book. The reader will either really like, or really hate, the constant change of tense and location and narration. I really liked it, and, for those looking for something different, think this is well worth reading.

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Sarah, also known as Rainmaker, is able to manipulate the weather. Bobby, aka Burnout, is able to turn himself into a ball of flame. Roxy (Freefall) can manipulate gravity. Grunge's ability is to temporarily take on the physical characteristics of whatever he touches, be it metal, water or rubber. Fairchild, the "leader" of the group (first name Caitlin), is impervious to things like bullets fired at her.

Halfway to a Bachelor's degree in computers from Princeton when I.O. came calling, Fairchild finds herself at an emotional crossroads. Is this all there is to life? She yearns for a more normal life, like a regular job and a place in the suburbs. She is not the only one with personal stuff going on. Sort of leaving the group, Fairchild goes on a bunch of job interviews. She is disgusted to find that people are more interested in her body than her brain.

Around this time, Gen 13 is attacked by someone who knows them inside and out. A devious plan is hatched to take over the world, with help from a stolen Trident nuclear missile. This individual has created a new group of seemingly indestructible genetically engineered people with strange abilities called Gen 14. With Fairchild temporarily absent, things are not looking good for Gen 13 in the battle with their "descendants."

Obviously, fans of the Gen 13 series and comic book fans in general need this novel. For everyone else, this is lighter summertime-type reading that is perfect for the beach or pool. It's very much worth it.

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The average high-tech company consists of more than just engineers and computer programmers. It also consists of contract negotiators, customer service people, finance people, project coordinators, technical writers, web page designers and human resources people, among many others. These are positions where abilities like analytical thinking and clear written and verbal communications are more important than having a degree in a certain subject.

The usual rules about resume writing, networking and how to do a job interview still apply. Go to the corporate headquarters, where the hiring occurs, not to a branch office. The most important thing is to get your foot in the door, so take any job that is available. From there, you can transfer to the preferred area. The high-tech employee who stands still risks getting run over by fast-changing technology. Always look for ways to expand your abilities and knowledge base (and increase your value to upper management). Read the company's web site. Read professional publications in the field. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Constant re-education is a must.

High-tech is very different sort of industry, so he author looks at what to expect. Can the applicant work long hours, in a demanding atmosphere with little or no supervision from above? If not, maybe another career is the answer.

If the opportunity comes along, consider working for a startup, even though the huge majority of them are destined to fail. If it does fail, don't worry about it. Putting a failed startup on a resume is a good thing, because it shows that you're a risk taker.

This book is excellent. It's easy to read for non-technical types (like yours truly), and it's written by an industry insider. It allows the reader to pinpoint areas of interest, and areas to which their backgrounds are best suited. It gets two strong thumbs up.

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Why should the average person care about China's ability to feed itself? When China starts importing grain, in quantities of hundreds of millions of tons, prices around the world are going to rise very dramatically. The world will enter a period of food scarcity, where there simply isn't enough to go around. Political and economic instability will become an issue, not to mention simple survival for much of the Third World.

China has several 'strikes' against it in the area of food production. The vast majority of the land cannot grow anything because it is all mountains and desert. The cultivable land is in the east and south, the same place where the industrialization is happening. All those factories and highways are built on what was farmland. Over three-quarters of the farmland is irrigated, and water is becoming scarce, as the rapidly growing cities make their demands on the water supply. Food production per acre is stagnating or dropping, no matter how much water or fertilizer is used. As China industrializes, its residents are moving up the food chain. No longer content with a rice diet, they are more interested in consuming red meat, which, by itself, takes lots of grain. Underlying all of this is China's rapidly growing population.

This is a fascinating book. The author does not mean to 'pick on' China, but to show that with a growing population worldwide, especially in Asia, and food production stagnant or dropping, something needs to be done now. The alternative is the world's food production and distribution system completely falling apart, with disastrous consequences. This book is short, a very easy read, and it says a lot. It is highly recommended.

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An example of how things have gotten worse over the years is at the Allenby Bridge, the main crossing point from Israel to Jordan. In 1973, there was a flood of people going in both directions. Thousands of Arabs were freely visiting Israel. The checkpoint was more symbolic than actual. In 1983, the flood had slowed to a trickle. Israeli soldiers were everywhere. There were lines of people a hundred yards long, some of whom had been there for days. Any Palestinian produce intended to be sold in Jordan had a tiny chance of getting there before it rotted.

The book also talks about Israeli confiscation of Palestinian land, the holding of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails for long periods of time under "administrative detainment," and the destruction of Palestinian homes, with little or no notice, more often than not, for no reason at all. The separation barrier (or wall) is being built around the West Bank to make it harder for Palestinian militants to launch attacks on Israel. If it was built on the Green Line, the unofficial Israel-Palestinian border (because Israel has never officially delineated its border), there would be some grumbling. Parts of it are built miles inside Palestinian territory, taking more land. The cleared land, the access roads, the trenches, etc, that go along with the wall are always on the Palestinian side, not the Israeli side.

Palestinians do not escape criticism in this book. The killing of Israeli civilians by suicide bombers does nothing to advance the cause of peace; it only leads to more Israeli retaliation. The lack of a unified Palestinian "voice" is no help.

Among the actions needed to advance peace are: Arab recognition of Israel's pre-1967 sovereignty, openly and publicly. All Arab violence toward Israel must end. Israel must also delineate its final border. In recent opinion polls, large majorities of people on both sides are ready and willing to accept a two-state solution. The politicians have not gotten the message.

Another obstacle to a lasting peace is the lack of a real debate here in America, something more than just "Israelis good, Palestinians bad." If there is ever to be such a debate, books like this are much needed, and are very much worth reading.

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