Risks from Radium and Thorotrast (B I R Report)

Book Description

In the shadows of the city waits an invisible frontier—a wilderness thriving in the deep places, woven through dead storm drains and live subway tunnels, coursing over third rails. This frontier waits in the walls of abandoned tenements, hides on the rooftops, infiltrates the bridges’ steel. It’s a no-man’s-land, fenced off with razor wire, marked by warning signs, persisting in shadow, hidden everywhere as a parallel dimension. Crowds hurry through the bright streets, insulated by pavement, never reflecting that beneath their feet or above their heads lurks a universe.

Led by its two founding agents, L. B. Deyo and David “Lefty” Leibowitz, Jinx is a stylish urban adventure out?t known for its daring—if sometimes ridiculous—forays into the hidden wonders that lurk above and beneath America’s greatest city, New York. In Invisible Frontier L. B. and Lefty chronicle Jinx’s dramatic—if sometimes absurd—exploration of a Dante-esque New York, from the depths of the city’s underground Hell (abandoned aqueducts and subway tunnels) to the pinnacles of its Paradise (rooftops and bridges) and everything in between, capturing the genius of the city’s engineering, the vibrancy of its found art, and the elegiac beauty of its ruins. Here is a true series of wittily narrated adventures into the hidden world beneath a great civilization.

Customer Reviews:

Horrible, horrible book........2006-09-28

As someone very interested in urban exploration (especially in the subways) I wanted to check this book out upon hearing of it. After reading many of these Amazon reviews though, I opted out of a purchase, and took it out of my Bronx library instead. Thank goodness as I only wasted valuable time, and not any money.

This book is a sham. It is obviously mostly fiction. And it's boring fiction at that. The book is divided into chapters, each chapter a new "adventure."

I read the subway one first, where the "explorers" take the 6 train around the loop at the end of the line, to see the City Hall Station, which opened in 1904 (NYC's first station) and closed in 1948. The station is located on the loop of the 6 train, that makes the southbound trains go back up north after the last stop, Brooklyn Bridge. First of all, anyone can go on this "adventure." Just stay on the train at the last stop, Brooklyn Bridge, and that's it. Despite the author's attempt to make this sound risky, no conductors walk through the train to see if anyone is on (like they really care), just sit down. The author created some "European tourists" that inadvertantly stayed on the 6 after the last stop, and the author even tries to create some mystery by saying "are we on the wrong train?" Well, unless all those huge "6" signs that are lit all over the train are difficult to read, then you probably got on the correct train. The author also fails to mention that the MTA used to give public tours all the time through this station (and others like the 18th street on the 6 and more) but stopped after 9-11. This chapter was a joke. (UPDATE: The MTA now gives tours through the original City Hall station again.)

I started reading the other chapters, and saw they were no better. I then started to breeze through the book. One thing that is very obvious - no photographs of the adventures are in the book at all. This, despite the fact that on page 67 the author states, "Josh takes out his camera and snaps away at every pipe and puddle..." But no photos of their "adventures" are in the book. Why? Because it's fiction.

There are photos of what they are supposed to be exploring, sure, that's easy. There's even one pic of one of these clowns hopping some fence somewhere, ooo. Buit no pics of the actual "adventures." I guess "Josh" lost all those pictures when he went to CVS to have them developed.

The funny thing is, you can save yourself a lot of time by just going online and viewing pictures of these things for yourself. Especially the City Hall station, there are tons of pictures of it available from the people that were in there during the tours.

Just stay away from this sham of a book, it's really a huge waste of time.

disappointing.......2005-07-13

If the writing and adventures could match the inflated perceptions that the authors have of themselves, this would be a great read. Unfortunately, the writing is downright pedestrian and the urban adventures are either lackluster and/or poorly described. Also, the flow of each chapter is interrupted with uninteresting asides and juvenile commentaries on a scattershot laundry list of topics.

A typical example of this is the uninspiring breakin of an abandoned Harlem row house. The author starts off with a truncated textbook-like history of Harlem that lasts a few paragraphs. Once that boring bit of exposition is done with the writer and his friends drive around a little bit and then enter an abandoned building. They look around a little bit (not exactly thrilling) and then attempt to leave via the fire escape. Here, we are presented with a another aside about the author's 'love' of fire escapes.. "What, in fire escapes, do I admire?... their constancy... firm as Gibraltar... like Ulysses to his barque.. supporting, as Atlas, the gravid snows of winter". Ugh, at times like this you wish the author would have consulted with an editor.

Not everything is terrible. Things pick up here and there, there are a few interesting tid-bits of history, but overall the book does not live up to it's potential.

Well, there's four hours of my life I'll never get back........2005-02-22

This book was a tremendous disappointment. Many of the "missions" are laughably boring and/or carried out in a stunningly inept fashion, much of the writing is markedly narcissistic in its tone and yet inconsistent in content, and perhaps most disappointing the descriptions of the places where the authors go are remarkably poor.

First, the missions. The mission to the UN mostly involves trying to get inside by asking for an interview. Wow, it's like working for my high school newspaper all over again. Once they're shot down, one member of the team briefly sprints past a barrier and `explores' a plaza outside the building for less than a minute (the main point of which is to hold up the Jinx flag while his friends take his picture). Another involves staying on the subway even after the conductor announces passengers should get off! - oh the bravery and cunning!. This is made all the more ridiculous when two non-English speaking tourists inadvertently do the same thing and when the authors do not even get off the train once it's stopped at the abandoned subway station they had planned to explore. Later, they go into an abandoned house, where they discover that a lot of other people have also done this over the years.

Second, the writing. Much of the text focuses on how cool they look in their "uniforms" (dark suits and sunglasses), how cool they look walking to their missions, how cool they look on their missions, how cool it is when they all get together and how everybody else in New York are mindless zombies who don't appreciate what is around them because they are trapped in their sad, meaningless lives. The whole uniform thing is particularly stupid. There's one throw-away sentence explaining that they wear these uniforms because otherwise "scientists" and "philosophers" will not take their "empirical data" seriously, but you simply can't shake the feeling that they just want to look like they're either in "Reservoir Dogs" or "The Matrix" (particularly when the ridiculous `uniforms' keep attracting attention when they're trying to sneak into some place.) Throughout the book the authors bounce between stressing that they explore places for the scientific, empirical value of doing so and that it is not at all for a sense of adventure, only then to talk later about how much fun the adventure of it all is (including one author's admission that he believes the other has a death wish and that is why he engages in so many dangerous activities while exploring). In addition, much space is taken up with various diatribes on the evils of modern life (including a particularly passionate rant against the United Nations that comes totally out of nowhere), and all the horrible twenty-somethings of the world who spend their lives drinking iced coffees (which is a particularly hollow complaint when - a few pages later - the Jinx crew sits down to iced coffees after having screwed up the UN mission). You almost get the sense that after trying in vain to improve the writing, the publishers finally decided to spin the writing as "witty" and hope that people fell for it.

Finally, the descriptions are no better than what you'd get if you wrote down what you think the locations look like without ever actually going. The Croton Aqueduct is dark and slippery. An abandoned subway station is eerie. When you're on top of the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River looks a long way away. And that's about as good as the descriptions get.

Don't waste your time or your money.

Urban Exploration Farce.......2004-08-15

I was so excited to receive this book, and can not believe how dissapointing it is!! The people aren't urban explorers (UErs for short) - they are children who dress up in costumes and give each other "gang" names and then proceed to perform daredevil-like stunts which are not very impressive.
The book starts out talking about two of the teams failures - City Hall Place and the Croton Acqueduct, which makes you want to put it down and watch grass grow instead. I've been past City Hall Station many times on the downtown 6 train, even with my Mother, it barely even qualifies as daredevil. Their train stops while looping through the station and they are standing right there, but decide not to jump off - don't write a book about it then!! Croton acqueduct is equally as sad - they walk through the tunnels for hours, then stop before the actual bridge (the goal) because they are tired - go back the next day and do it right, or don't write a book about it!!
Any yes, there are no pictures, although they refer to their pictures all the time.
The writing is pretentious and annoying and pointless for the most part - I want to read about "Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden New York" not about your evening spent in twin donuts looking like freaks and scaring people!!
Do yourself a favor and don't buy this book - there are better books about urban exploration, particularly ones about the NYC area.

Minimal pictures.......2004-08-01

Very interesting subject; wish authors had provided more substance. Very disappointed with lack of photos especially with constant reminder of photographers who were amongst group of explorers. I too also have my doubts regarding editors/publisher of this book.

Would NOT recommend purchasing.

Invisible Frontier: Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden New York

Average customer rating:

Invisible Frontier: Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden New York
L. B. Deyo
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Here is an easy-to-follow approach to the fascinating hobby of genealogy. Every family has a story, and this book can help kids uncover the secrets and adventures of their own ancestors. From lists of helpful organizations to sample interview questions, state-of-the-art computer programs to Web sites, this guide will help children become family historians. Each chapter begins with a real anecdote, enticing young readers with visions of what they might find hidden in their ancestors' pasts. All varieties of families are represented here - extended, adoptive, and blended, from many races and cultures - with emphasis on the unique role that each has played in the founding and development of the United States.

Customer Reviews:

The Number One Book To Teach Your Child About Genealogy !.......1999-03-15

Well known genealogist Maureen Taylor has produced a wonderful volume filled with exciting examples on Genealogy for children. This book will excite your child to become interested in their own Ancestors. This wonderful volume contains superb selected photographs for each chapter, and excellent stories for your child's reading enjoyment.

This is also a must have volume for any grade school social studies or history teacher, or school library. More important this has become a valuable book for my child's personal library.

Table of Contents include the following chapters on (Our Families, Family Stories and Keepsakes, Getting Started, What does that mean ?, Where to find help, Helpful technology, Wartime America, A land of many cultures, Final Thoughts).

Through learning Genealogy your child will gain a greater appreciation for their heritage, and history. Exciting and educational reading for every parent and child.

Customer Reviews:

not what I had hoped.......2007-05-10

While some of the clip art is of good quality, it is difficult to find what I want within in. It is very limited.

Clip Art,More,and Even More Clip Art for the Liturgical year.......2002-05-29

I have used the liturgical clip art books from Liturgical Press for more than ten years. They are fabulous, clear, and cover a broad range of seasonal liturgical needs. The art items are presented in a variety of combinations and sizes, so if you don't have a copier that reduces, it helps. These volumes and also those by Placid Stuckenschneider are among th best any where commercially available.
Ken Suetterlin, central Iowa U.M. Pastor

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Even More Clip Art for the Liturgical Year
Placid Stuckenschneider
Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Religious | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Squirrel Homes.......2005-02-09

Early reader covering squirrel basics. Focuses on squirrel dens and nests, but touches on habits and life cycle. Each left page has one or two simple sentences. For example, "Squirrels put leaves, fur, and moss inside stick nests" (8). Each right page is a colorful close up photograph. There is a glossary, short bibliography, index, and publisher updated web links. Karen Woodworth Roman, Children's Science Book Review

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The Birth And Development Of American Postcards: A History, Catalog, And Price Guide To U.s. Pioneer Postcards
Daniel Friedman
Manufacturer: Daniel D. Friedman Classic Postcards Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Postcards | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Postcard Century

As We Were: American Photographic Postcards, 1905-1930

Collector's Guide to Post Cards

Linen Postcards: Images of the American Dream

ASIN: 0971963703

Book Description

Sedums are sun-loving, drought-resistant, and mostly hardy. They are prized by rock gardeners and succulent enthusiasts for their color and interesting shapes. This definitive study by one of the world's authorities provides cultural information for more than 400 stonecrop species and varieties, many of them photographed in their native habitats.

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SEDUM: CULTIVATED STONECROPS
Ray Stephenson
Manufacturer: Timber Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WFWR40

Book Description

In 1911 Italy, an aspiring Great Power, attacked Ottoman Libya. Italian diplomacy had long anticipated this attack, but Italy's military was ill-prepared for it. The Ottoman Empire, distracted by internal dissension and by the expansionist designs of its Balkan neighbours, was woefully unready. This study examines how the belligerents dealt with the military and diplomatic stalemates into which the Libyan War degenerated, stalemates which were ended only by the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, when the Ottomans were obliged to make peace with Italy to face more dangerous enemies nearer home. The Italo-Turkish War was the first armed clash between the lesser Great Powers immediately before 1914, leading inexorably to the deterioration of the Balkan situation and to Sarajevo. This is the first study based on the archives of the Ottoman Foreign Ministry for the period, as well as on better-known Italian sources.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading for WW One Diplomacy Buffs.......2006-10-10

I rate this as 5 stars. Amazon's system won't let me correct the erroneous rating of 3 stars.
Mr. Childs has written the definitive account of the contradictory, ultimately self-defeating efforts of the Italians and Turks to reach a diplomatic finale to this pathetic war. As becomes all too obvious, the sitting-on-hands approach by the Great Powers (which the Italians depserately wanted to be, but alas, post-Adua, were doomed to never achieve) only invited the Balkan sharks to circle the wounded Ottoman prey, leading inevitably to Sarajevo, the July Crisis and the world we live in today. What is astonishing is that many in Europe (including many Italians) feared that the Italian incursion would precipitate a domino-effect, which we all now know it did with catastrophic consequences for world history, yet felt compelled by the prevailing ideologies of imperialism and nationalistic/racial aggrandizement to proceed anyway. The Turks were as myopic as everyone else, though, and clung to the bitter end to the idea that the calcified, rotting Empire could be preserved for yet a little while longer, when in truth the corpse had been interred many years before.
I could not help but parallel this unprovoked, white nation agression against a Muslim nation with our present imbroglios in the Middle East. The Italians similarly achieved a swift military vistory, but never possessed much more than the land their troops occupied, and had to fight a guerilla insurgency for another 20 years. As a result of the militarism engendered by this and the subsequent Great War, Italy sank into the stupor of Fascist Dictatorship. One cannot help but wonder if the USA will not follow a similar road to ruin with its imperialist ambitions.

Rome versus the Sublime Porte in a diplomatic bluffing war........2001-03-10

This is a very detailed diplomatic history of the causes, international ramifications, and results of the Italo-Turkish war over Lybia and the Dodecanese islands. Very little information regarding the war itself is given as this is almost exclusively a diplomatic history.

Italy, a second rate power still smarting from their defeat in Ethiopia, used the French extension of power in Morocco as cover to invade Ottoman-held Lybia under the flimsiest pretenses. Quickly controlling the coastal regions, Italy soon found itself in a military and diplomatic stalemate with the Ottomans in the Lybian hinterland. Great Power indifference lead to an expansion of the war to the Aegean and a temporary closing of the Straits. It was only the beginning of the First Balkan War which threatened Ottoman possessions in Europe which hastened the Porte to the bargaining table.

The internal politics at Constantinople and Rome are both thoroughly discussed as background to the diplomatic maneuverings of both nations. These are particularly interesting given the turbulent situation in the Ottoman government at the time. Turkey's future alliance with the Central Powers and the Italian government's predilection towards fascism have their roots in the events of this period. Italy's schizophrenic diplomatic stance with Turkey (robbing them in North Africa while propping them up in Europe) is fully explored. Diplomatic archives from both Turkey and Italy have been thoroughly utilized by the author. Primary sources from the foreign ministries of the Great Powers are also used to show Europe's reaction to this war. Secondary sources such as political memoirs give the main actors' apologia for their actions and Europe's subsequent death spiral into the Great War.

This is a fascinating and detailed rendering of what second and third rate power diplomacy was like at the end of the Concert of Europe.

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One of the most beautiful books you can own...

A Gorgeous Catalogue

The Waking Dream: Photography's First Century: Selections from the Gilman Paper Company Collection
Maria Morris Hambourg
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A World History of Photography

ASIN: 0870996622

Customer Reviews:

One of the most beautiful books you can own..........2002-09-27

I stumbled upon this book in New York a few years back and was immediately stunned by its beauty and quality. The Gilman Paper Company apparently started their collection well before the current photography craze and amassed one of the most outstanding collections that you can imagine. Most of these photos are from the very earliest days of the medium and many are in the sepia tone that I personally love. The quality of reproduction is so good that you can actually frame some of the photos! It's astounding...well worth obtaining for any art book collector.

A Gorgeous Catalogue.......2001-05-02

I purchased this book in conjunction with The Metropolitan Museum exhibit of the same name. I spent hours in the exhibit, and I spent hours pouring over the lush, and beautifully reproduced images in this book. I've always been fascinated with the photographic process, and this book explores it down to the roots. I've walked away amazed that someone figured out how to look at something, and through a chemical process tranfer ones vision onto paper. (Not to mention concocting the chemical formula) A stunning book, well worth the price.

WAKING UP SCREAMING FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM: NPR's Roving Correspondent Reports from the Bumpy Road to Success

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Just the kind of quirkiness I like

WAKING UP SCREAMING FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM: NPR's Roving Correspondent Reports from the Bumpy Road to Success
Bob Garfield
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0684832186

Customer Reviews:

Just the kind of quirkiness I like.......2001-05-12

This is a collection of quirky stories about quirky people that the author happened upon in his work as a journalist. All the stories are loosely tied to the theme of "the road to success." You hear about the people who are planning to get rich by farming earthworms, poetry slams, the last professional human cannonball, selling condoms as key chains, and much, much, more.

Although most of the stories are quite funny, I really felt empathy for some of the people in them. All were just trying to get ahead, using ideas that most of us would consider to be doomed from the beginning. A couple made me feel down-right sad, especially the one about people trying to hit the big time with a cure for cancer. Instead of being amused by the investors' arrogance of thinking they had a miracle cure for cancer, I was deeply saddened to read about their desperate, terminally ill patients.

Book Description

Historical accounts of California tell of flocks of birds so dense in the sky that they cast a shadow on the ground, and of thunderous rivers of geese, ducks, and swans moving down the state to the lagoons of Mexico and beyond. Today, citizens and travelers in California take for granted skies empty of almost everything but the contrails of airplanes. But far more than wildlife is missing from California today. In text and photographs, Farewell, Promised Land documents the stark contrast between the California landscape of this past and what it has become, as it traces the evolution of the California environment, and looks ahead to what the future holds.
When writer Gray Brechin and photographer Robert Dawson received the 1992 Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize from Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, they began a five-year project of driving and flying around California to record the present state of its environment. This book is the result of that collaboration. In six thematic chapters dealing with Loss, Mining, Farming, Cities, Energy, and Health, the authors provide a sobering look at California's environment. A concluding chapter introduces individuals and organizations now attempting to redeem the state from its present course.
Farewell, Promised Land is a superb vehicle for communicating the causes, context, and seriousness of environmental and social disruptions in California. It is unique in that it successfully documents topics such as energy, health, and cities, and brings this information directly to bear on environmental issues. Appealing to the intellect as well as to our sense of aesthetics, Brechin and Dawson provide a timely wake-up call in this brave, honest, and straightforward assessment of California's fate.

Customer Reviews:

Dismal Documentary.......2004-07-13

A careful but rather biased account of California's environmental disasters, this book will make the thoughtful reader feel depressed, because it offers no solution to any of the problems it exposes.

Best Book on the Demise of California.......2004-05-28

This book taught me a great deal about the history and culture of California and it's environmental demise. As a landscape architect I found it particularly interesting the history of the landscape of California.

Great Photos - Good Environmental Information.......2000-08-25

Enjoyable read that works well as a large picture book. For those unfamiliar with the history of the development of California this would be a good start. Timely and accurate overview of the destruction of natural California.

A beautiful history of California environmental degradation.......1999-12-23

This book beautifully chronicles the damage that has been wreaked upon the California landscape in the last cnetury and a half. Particularly interesting is the commentary about the miner ethos that has prevailed not only among miners but also among loggers, agribusinessmen, and developers, leading to the pillage of the land for the gain of a few. However, the book was also weak here when it contrasted this ethos with that in Italy which has resulted in the preservation of the countryside. It seems only fair that the weaknesses of the Italian system, including the negative impacts of a slower economy and weak central government on the people's well-being, be at least acknowledged here as well. However, all in all the book is still very worthwhile. I will now never be able to forget what this state might have been.

Required reading for ALL environmentalists.......1999-05-19

It would be a shame if this seminal work on environmental destruction and the environmental movement were pigeonholed as a "California book." It is of equal interest to East Coast opinion-makers, Washington policy-makers, and all of those with an interest in environmental protection throughout the state, nation, and internationally. Thoroughly researched, it includes astonishing, little-known facts; but it is also highly accessible, written in lucid prose, blessedly jargon free, and including the telling, memorable anecdote. The photographs are stunning and will have an impact on even the casual browser - so the book will have an effect beyond "preaching to the choir." Perhaps most important, the book ends on a high note of hope, describing and lauding those environmental heroes and heroines who have made a genuine difference, one protest movement at a time.

Waking Up from a Dream of a Lifetime (Real Life Stuff)

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Waking Up from a Dream of a Lifetime (Real Life Stuff)
Karen Lee-Thorp
Manufacturer: Navpress Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1576838625

Book Description

Life is full of disappointments. This refreshing new Bible study guide can provide realistic hope and stimulating purpose to help women overcome their broken dreams.

Waking from the American Dream: Growing Through Your Disappointments

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Waking from the American Dream: Growing Through Your Disappointments
Donald McCullough
Manufacturer: Intervarsity Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0830817026

Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream

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An in-depth analysis of the political struggle of citizens of minority groups
Repetitive collection of dated newspaper columns
It's a good book.
"Fire in the Basement of America?"
Bob Herbert is a pleasure to read.

Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream
Bob Herbert
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Few journalists can match Bob Herbert of The New York Times in bringing to life the stories of ordinary people caught between the American dream and American realities. From partisan politics to popular culture, from race relations to criminal justice, Bob Herberts work is characterized by a strong moral vision and a deep understanding of the human costs of political decisions. In Promises Betrayed, Herbert makes the case that America too often fails to live up to its creed of fairness and justice, and his tenacious reporting offers cautionary tales that keep us all honest. He truly lives up to the journalists credo: to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Customer Reviews:

An in-depth analysis of the political struggle of citizens of minority groups.......2006-05-05

Promises Betrayed: Waking Up From The American Dream by Bob Herbert (Op-Ed Columnist for the New York Times) is an in-depth analysis of the political struggle of citizens of minority groups and their confrontation with the power-based, vested interest realities of America which seek to maintain a discriminatory status quo. A study of the over-frequent application of the death penalty and the demagoguery of terrorism to control public opinion and electoral politics, Promises Betrayed acutely provides readers with a timeless and timely exposure of the truths in situations such as the fabrication of drug charges against several people on the racist behalf of a police officer in Tulia, Texas; an eleven-year-old girl's conviction of homicide despite any evidence supporting her confession as having been coerced, and so much more. Promises Betrayed is very strongly recommended for social activists, students of law and political science, as well non-specialist general readers seeking an understanding of the realities of the American political system and the endemic persecution of the innocent.

Repetitive collection of dated newspaper columns.......2005-11-07

I'll try to start with something positive: the cover is pretty.

Beyond that, I'm not going to put more time into my review than the author spent "writing" this book which means I've got 5 minutes or less. This is a collection of newspaper columns. If the author wrote 10 columns on the same topic and included them all in the book, he didn't even bother to edit out the redundancies. Columns that span 20 pages in the book could have been reduced to 4 by eliminating the 80% of each column that he spent repeating the previous day's columns.
Couple that with columns that spend 10-20 pages arguing against a particular injustice, only to see in a 1 paragraph note at the end that the injustice was indeed righted, or that the column is 5 years out of date and no longer relevant with events that have transpired since, and one gets the sense of a writer with little respect for his readers and their time.
Done. In under 5 minutes.

It's a good book........2005-09-19

This book explores situations not covered by the mainstream media. An earlier reviewer said that some of the situations he writes about are not typical. Nevertheless they still exist and if you're intrested in reading them, this is a good buy. Poverty, corrupted corporations, to attacks on the middle-class; this book is a great introduction to some problems American faces in these modern times.

"Fire in the Basement of America?".......2005-07-24

Bob Herbert, the op-ed columnist for The New York Times, collects some of his columns that range from 1995 to 2004 within "Promises Betrayed." The journalist gives a voice to the voiceless black citizens railroaded in Tulia, Texas, the wounded soldiers from the current war in Iraq, and the struggling working class. The writing is clear and often biting, especially when attacking the purveyors of injustice such as the racist cop in Tulia or some of President Bush's policies. For example, Herbert quotes George Akerlof, a 2001 Nobel laureate in economics, in order to shed light on the current U.S. economy. Akerlof says, "the Bush fiscal policy is the worst policy in the last 200 years."

An annoying fact among this collection is that Herbert repeats himself often within a batch of related columns. For example, the same facts and tidbits are presented over and over again in the "Disgrace in Tulia" columns, which appear in sequential order, as originally published in newspaper print. With that nuisance aside, "Promises Betrayed" is still a worthy piece of reportage that brings to light clear cases of injustice. However, Herbert takes his reportage a step further and believes the cases presented are a reflection of an America decaying from within due to its eroding morals. He says, "We've been attacked from without, but the greater danger to the essence of America is within. There's a fire in the basement of the United States and we're behaving as if we cannot even smell the smoke."

Bohdan Kot

Bob Herbert is a pleasure to read........2005-07-15

On Bob Herbert's worst day, he thinks ten times more clearly (and of course, writes exponentially better) than the two illiterates who felt moved to offer their pig-ignorant commentaries. I doubt that either of them bought the book. For people who value the truth and who know Bob Herbert's work, he is always a pleasure to read.

Average customer rating:

Very challenging read
Open, honest, real. What we all feel, but don't say aloud.
touching

Waking from the Dream
Sam Iii Fulwood
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Sam Fulwood was an integration baby. He came of age during the post-civil rights ear, a time when middle-calss blacks--many carrying the scars of segregation and the struggles of the movement--wholeheartedly embraced a belief in the unlimited possibilities available to the new generation. The son of educated prosperous parents, Fulwood shared their dreams: He excelled at integrated schools and believed in the promise of a color-blind America.Waking From The Dream is the powerful chronicle of his disillusionment with that dream. Like other high achieving black men and women who defied the assumptions of society to become respected members of their communities and professions, Fulwood learned taht assimilation into mainstream America was at best superficial, at worst a betrayal of his own individuality and values. He realized that race would always be the most vital component of his identity, one that would continue to define him in a suspicious, often hostile, white world. As he describes his move into the self-protected , isolated cocoon of the black middle class, a world spearated from poor blacks and all whites, Fulwood issues a strong warning: "I can't escape the thought that white America, which stopped short of embracing middle-class blacks at the moment we wanted inclusion, may have already lost its opportunity."

Customer Reviews:

Very challenging read.......2003-03-04

As a middle class white male from the deep south, I was surprised with each chapter of Awaking from the Dream. My family was part of the subculture of integration, we used the phrase "a credit to their race" and spoke of inclusion and integration. Until reading this book, I thought anyone could pull themselves up "by the bootstraps" and life would turn out okay. To find that life does not turn out alright, that inclusion is hollow, that certain values are lost in the pursuit of this dream left me shocked and saddened. Mr. Fulwood's angst poured through each page, and although he has achieved much in life, his provocative portrayal of life in the black middle class brought up more than words can express.

Certainly he is living the dream of comfort and prosperity, but at what cost? It will take more than having his daughter play with black skinned dolls to make this life of his feel right, more than going back home to find the old schoolmates living well in white society. It will take all of us working toward an understanding of our racial and exclusive behavior, working to destroy these walls and accepting each other for our merits and our flaws. I am not naive enough to believe this will happen in Mr. Fulwood's lifetime, nor in mine, but this book has caused me to question the ideals I hold dear. We are not all "white devils", but we also are not changing the basic rules of our society either. This book is challenging to anyone who reads it slowly for the moral content and the implications of our elder's intentions.

Open, honest, real. What we all feel, but don't say aloud........1999-05-25

It's difficult to read a book by someone you know personally and remain objective. I made it a point to remain so during my read. Sam Fulwood represents a growing segment of the American populace. His book speaks for many of us who belong to the segment, but who cannot express as eloquently what we feel as he did in his memoir. There were areas where I felt he could have been MORE vocal, more expressive, but overall, there are things that all Black Americans can learn from his experiences interacting with White America. The chapter on South Africa is by far the best to me. I wanted to catch the first plane to Johanesburg. For those who don't know Sam, it's a slow read, but it builds nicely to it's conclusion. For those of us who know Sam, it's worth a second read. Savor it the second time around.

touching.......1999-05-25

his words touch the souls of many black man or woman. he put into words what so many could not say.there or very few words that can tell you how much i enjoyed this book. i wish that this author would continue with his writing about the black man of today. and where we can go from yeesterday into today.

Waking from the Dream: A Wealth of Practical Information Relating to the Buddhist Path to Enlightenment

Average customer rating:

Clear as sky

Waking from the Dream: A Wealth of Practical Information Relating to the Buddhist Path to Enlightenment
Detong Choyin , and Detong Cho Yin
Manufacturer: Tuttle Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0804830843

Customer Reviews:

Clear as sky.......2004-08-12

This book beautifully enumerates the gulf between perceptions and reality and provides a foundation for further study of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Of the books I have read on the subject this is the most accessible to lay students or casual readers. Whilst this accessibility reduces the opportunities for self-discovery, it lays down the fundamental guidelines that allow the self to form a map that will relate appropriately to the first steps on the path.
Given the enormous number of self-help books available, many written from ignorance and purely for profit, this work stands out as one of astonishing patience, humanism and honesty, crystal clear thinking and application of principle. To receptive readers for whom the concept of the path is a completely new and novel one, this book may represent a true revelation, an actual manual for being human in a reality that is very much a matter of perspective and experience.
For experienced readers the work offers encapsulating concepts and gives body and name to many of the things that life throws at all of us but that not all of us try to understand.
A truly excellent book.

Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents; in a Series of Letters from Various Parts of Europe (Dodo Press)

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Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents; in a Series of Letters from Various Parts of Europe (Dodo Press)
William Beckford
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1406537101

Book Description

Having studied under Sir William Chambers and Alexander Cozens, the author, William Thomas Beckford travelled to Italy in 1782 and promptly wrote a book on the subject: Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents; in a Series of Letters from Various Parts of Europe (1783). Shortly afterwards came his best-known work, the Gothic novel The History of the Caliph Vathek (1786), written originally in French and, as he was accustomed to boast, at a single sitting of three days and two nights. There is reason, however, to believe that this was a flight of imagination. It is an impressive work, full of fantastic and magnificent conceptions, rising occasionally to sublimity. He was an English novelist, art critic, travel writer and politician.

Farewell, Promised Land: Waking from the California Dream

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Farewell, Promised Land: Waking from the California Dream
Robert; Brechin, Gray A. Dawson
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JXT464

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