This book adds both novelty and inspiration to an otherwise dull coffee table or mind. More touristically, this is one of the special books that make you go to the place and find where the interesting buildings not in the travel guides are. The pictures are excellent, not cropping so much as to glamourise rubbish, and not putting things out of context: in short, well edited text and visuals. One note, it has nothing to do with the experience of being in a third world country, but it is for the visual pleasure only.

I own at least a dozen books in which the second word of the Title is "Style", but this is certainly one of the best. Well organized, informative and full of beautiful photographs. Looking through this book you can learn about the Architecture and Design of Myanmar. The book is divided into sections dealing with Religious and Secular Architecture, Early and Modern Architecture and Arts and Crafts. At the end of the book there is a section of Textiles and Costumes, and another entitled the Pagoda Market which shows photographs and gives descriptions of vendors of various types of handicrafts. Thus a cross section of the different aspects of the Myanmar Style are given, without adaptations by Western Interior Decorators. Some "Style" Books are misleading because they show the adaptations, primarily in the West, of Stylistic Elements. While these books are ok, I prefer to see the Style as it actually is in Myanmar, not a Architectural Digest type of interpretation. This book is free from this. The text is concise and informative. Not overloooked should be the quality of the photographs and the paper and printing, which in this case are all excellent. Some other books of this genre are not up to high quality. No worries here however. I highly recommend this book. It will make you want to visit Myanmar, or at least think about redesigning in your home.

Finally, a book on art and design in Myanmar/Burma that does justice to the living traditions as well as the colonial and pre-colonial empires. Superb photography, thoughtful text, and some quirky subjects, too, such as the chapter The Great Pagoda Alley. Enjoyable.

An important work that sheds light and understanding of the struggles and triumphs of Afrocubans and their culture. Robin D. Moore takes you into a fascinating journey, with scholarly research and in depth analysis, of the racial experience during a period of tremendous changes and unrest in Cuba. This work is an enormous contribution to our understanding of this period between 1920 through 1940...Bravo!

This book needed to be written. It is the story of Afro-Cuban musicians in the pre-revolutionary atmosphere of commercialism and imperialism from the US. Part of the story revolves around the racism of that era, which existed as well in the genres of big band and jazz. And part of the story revolves around the music of that time period--some of the richest and most complex in Latin American history. If you want to understand the use of African cultural identifications in popular music, this is a good place to start. It fills in some of the history which led up to the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon today.

Robin Moore's work is an important contribution to cuban studies. Combining archival research and interviews, Moore traces the arc of afrocuban cultural expression in the early 20th century from dispised cultural form to national symbol, a process, moore notes, which has interesting parallels to the United States. Scholarly but readable, this book is destined to become a standard work in cuban musicology and contributes to cultural, ethnic, and popular music studies.

I first checked out this book from the library, along with other books on menopause, and was immediately captivated by it. There were so many things I wanted to highlight, that I decided I had to have a copy of the book for myself. It addresses how to deal with physical and emotional symptoms of menopause, along with tips for general good health. Highly recommended!

I almost didn't pick this book up because of the title. It sounded a bit arrogant to me and I was afraid the inside would be condescending the way that doctors can be. I was very, very wrong! It's an easy read. To the point. Plus, she addresses many of the concerns I had about HRT, herbal remedies and many more. A must read for every woman!

I have read hundreds of menopause books - this tops them all! A short, to the point and VERY useful tool. I am going to recommend it to all the folks at my own web site.

This is one of the famous books written in pharmacology. it makes it interesting to study this subgect. although it not a comprehensive book in pharmacology and can not be used as a reference, it is good to start with in your medical study. It discusses topics in a nice way with summery at the end of each topic, and have a nice chapters in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics with illustrations. Not boring to read and have a good lyout.

Its strange that such an exciting subject as pharmacology is served by so many badly organised, boringly written and outdated textbooks. Rang + Dale is a refreshing antidote to this strange state of affairs. The first 8 chapters form a superb introduction to the subject - particularly because the authors don't skimp on the physiological details and concentrate on principles rather than endless catalogues of obscure drugs. This is a British textbook and thus uses British nomenclature, but the American equivalents are pointed out along the way, so American readers shouldn't be put off. The more advanced student will of course outgrow the material in this book, but I would strongly recommend this textbook for science undergrads, medical students, and anyone looking for a book to provide a solid foundation to their study of pharmacology.

99% of Medical, Pharmacy & Science students use this book in the UK

..the Irish, and them that wish they were. So goes the old Irish boast. Reading about Ginger Coffey, the spirit of that saying is captured splendidly. He's a new immigrant to Canada, with a wife and daughter, and like many a new immigrant, he has trouble finding work and earning enough money to support a family. This leads to marital problems, and eventually separation. But through all the hardships Ginger faces, he never loses his will to live. He always has a plan, and rather than let himself become despondent over his prospects, he drives away his pessimism and dreams of tomorrows full of opportunities. Although he eventually reconciles himself to the fact that he's "not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be," (as a certain Great Poet would say), that isn't to say he becomes bitter or loses hope. Like Ginger puts it, "Life [is] the victory, isn't it?"

This book has moments both happy and sad, some terribly poignant, despite the very ordinary subject matter- or maybe because of it (?). Nothing too cerebral, but a grand story with themes the average person can relate to.

This book is a great book. It is written differently which is very good. As I read I seemed to flow with it and I felt everthing that the character Ginger Coffey felt. Each time something new came up, or another problem arised, you felt for the character, but you knew it would be ok. Summary: very interesting, easy to understand, and factual about immigrating

I truly love this book. In it, Brian Moore explores one man's heroic attempt to shift position in the world. Ginger Coffey leaves the unpromising economic situation in Dublin Ireland to pursue his idea of the Great Canadian Dream. With wife and daughter in tow, he arrives in Montreal in the dead of winter with $15.03 to his name. He has been waiting a long time for this golden opportunity. It soon becomes apparent however, that Canada was not as eagerly waiting for him!

He manages to land a job at The Tribune, but rather than his desired position as journalist, he wallows among the other galley slaves as a lowly proofreader. They collectively suffer under an exploitative and humiliating boss, MacGregor. Because of his radical Irish optimism, Coffey is blind to the emptiness of the editor's promise to promote him to journalist "one day soon". Before that mysterious day which never arrives, Coffey is further forced to augment his meager wages by accepting a job as a diaper delivery man for a company called TINY-ONES. Is this the Utopia that he crossed an ocean for? Utopia-shmopia! But while his Great Canadian Dream is shattering he hears some trans-Atlantic gossip that suggests the situation back in Ireland is even worse! So his choice of Montreal is now an irrevocable one, if for no other reason than it at least affords him some anonymity until he hits the big time. But even this anonymity is brutalized one day when he encounters an old Dublin girlfriend while he is in the full garb of his TINY-ONES uniform. This is only one of a series of humiliations that Coffey experiences, not the least of which is the fact that his marriage is threatened, and he fears that his wife Vera is involved with an associate of his. His fears are correct... her involvement with the successful journalist Gerry Grosvenor amounts to a sort of clandestine infidelity, but unknown to Ginger, it has not been adulterous. At any rate, soon they are poised for a divorce. But the coup de grace in Ginger's bad luck comes one cold winter night as he stumbles out of a bar after drinking far too much of a mixture of wine and Coca-Cola. While waiting for the bus, he feels the need to unburden his bladder somewhat, and (thinking that he was up against an unoccupied office building) relieves himself in the doorway of one of the biggest hotels in the city! He is arrested for indecent exposure and has his (hilarious) day in court. In this case, the luck of the Irish turns out to be a six-month suspended sentence.

It looks like things could get no worse. Coffey returns home to gather up his things and leave his family. But amazingly, his final courtroom incident has led to some genuine "luck" in the life of Ginger Coffey. A great final chapter shows us the joy that comes from true forgiveness and reconciliation. Ginger Coffey must resign himself to the fact that some very simple things in life (the renewed love of his wife, the steadfast love of his daughter) are like the consolation prizes in his uphill run through life. In the end he celebrates the retention of roughly no more than what he arrived with in Canada... his original $15.03. But, along with that fortune, he now has a new understanding of what makes life important.

This was Moore's first novel with a Canadian setting, published in 1960 after the Irish-born author himself had spent twelve years living in Canada. He was personally familiar with what it is like to be an immigrant emerging from Montreal's Dorchester Street bus terminal into the same sort of frozen slush, snow and gloom that Ginger Coffey experienced. And Moore's interest in this novel seems to be an investigation into the ways in which public myths (the Great Canadian Dream) reflect and encourage private fantasies (I'm going to get rich when I get there). Coffey's conclusion was that "life was the victory... going on was the victory." That the true challenge and test in life resides in the private domain, in intimate relationships. It is for this reason that the central drama of the story, which is intertwined with Ginger's search for wealth and public recognition in the New World, is the collapse of his marriage to Vera. Moore deals with these serious themes in a novel that is very light to read and even "comic" at most points. Ginger Coffey is an unforgettable character... the quintessential well-intentioned optimist/dreamer.

Interviews with disciples of Papaji/Poonjaji. Good idea, nicely done. Only the interviewd people, except the son of Papaji, seem to be rather brain-leaky. One may like it, if one likes the non religious aproach to spirituality. But even then, it sounds too easy, that one just walks in with a guru and realizes the highest spiritual truths, then soon becomes a spiritual teacher and would have reached the end of wisdom. So I'd take the book as an example, how it should not be, but it's hard work, to figure out exactly whats wrong, because it sounds quite authoritative and unrefutable at certain pages. It's just simple interviews, but their omisions imply a lot which needs rethinking, (which, I think, is good:-).

I have been a spiritual seeker for a long time. I have read and pondered many metaphysical books, searched out autobiographies of spiritual masters. But I have never read one that affected me like "Meeting Papaji." I cannot recommend this book highly enough. By reading it I was literally brought into the presence of a living mater. In the preface Roslyn Moore describes being led to gather stories about meeting this great soul. The book is made up of eleven talks she had with people who were with Papaji in the nineties. The author is blessed with a combination of innocence and intelligence that brings each person out perfectly. Seeing what Papaji said to people and how he dealt with them is endlessly fascinating. There is an immediacy in reading "Meeting Papaji" that cuts through all concepts. As a result, many of my questions have come to rest. More importantly, and this would have been hard for me to believe, the search itself has now come to rest. This is Papaji's gift. Prashanti, one of the interviewees, lived near Papaji in Lucknow for many years and is now a software engineer and Ayurvedic healer in Northern California. He says, "With a saint realization happens just from being with him, doing nothing. There is nothing you can attribute any attainment to, although I guess you can attribute it to the Shakti (spiritual energy) of the saint. Being with Papa pointed to the absolute immediate Presence. No words were necessary. You would just snap into knowing, as if someone turned the light on." Papaji's transmission is simple: that we can know what is deeper than appearances; that we can be free; that we are realized now. This becomes clear through his presence, which is the presence, through his Shakti, and through asking for and sincerely desiring that. Even though Papaji left his body in 1997, he is alive!

In his life, Papaji, a fully enlightened master and disciple of Ramana Maharshi, transformed hundreds (maybe thousands) of lives in his effortless way, through the vehicle of satsang in the little town of Lucknow, India. So many who were in his presence describe the profoundest awakenings to the truth of life. Roslyn Moore, the author of this book, was inspired to track down and interview some of these fortunate individuals. And she did a great job. Reading this book gives you a peep into the deep transformative process that Papaji's presence precipitated in a number of interesting (and beautiful) personalities. The first interviewee is Gangaji, who began giving her own satsangs in the US a number of years ago at the prompting of Papaji (she has done such magnificent work -- see her book The Path of Self-Inquiry to get some feeling for her satsangs). If you are a Gangaji fan, you will love hearing some of the "inside" stories that she tells regarding her times with Papaji. Moore also interviews an Ayurvedic healer, one of Osho's former disciples, a former Japanese monk of the highest order, Papaji's physician, and Papaji's former wife (to name a few), all of whom gave their lives to him and in the process awakened to the wholeness of their being. Many who read this book will be lifted to the "next step" (so to speak) in their lives -- the book is loaded with the influence of awakening. You will be well rewarded for reading this book. Thank you Roslyn Moore for writing it.

Although Brian Moore is one of my favorite authors, I didn't much like this one. But the scene from which the book takes its title was for me unforgettable.

A very nice read from Mr. Moore. Well paced and well stocked with voices at once familiar and seemingly authentic. A good meditation on the rights of outsiders to interfere with the affairs of State, and on the split loyalties between serving man and God. This book is in a similar vein as Black Robe (also by Brian Moore) and Monsignor Quixote and The Power and The Glory (by Graham Greene).

No Other Life is a vieled portrait of Jean Betrand aristide,told of course in fictionalised form.Told through the eyes of his fellow priest and discoverer,if you will, it tells the story of an activist priest,watching his people become further and further oppressed,until he himself decides to enter politics.{this book was written in the period that aristide was in exile}The descriptions of island life are pure Moore,as is the age-old moral ambiguities,the question of faithvs.politics.{Moore claimed to be agnostic,which wouold fit this book quite well} The books title comes from the narrators own soul quest,and his affirmation thereof.The ending is open-ended,as the aristide character becomed messianic,which,along with powerful colusion of military,corporate and religious powers leads to his downfall.Another moral, challenging novel form the late Mr. Moore.Excellent!

As a Latin learner, no doubt I'm interested in etymology. I picked up this book for the title and the publisher. They betrayed me. This work ,certaily, contains Latin and Greek origins and their derivatives, but doesn't mention any grammarical points without which we cannot grasp the morpholgy of Latin or Greek derived English words. Further, the vocabulary index at the end of it counts only 2,000 or so. I can list more than that without any preparation, ad-lib. You can find more authentic information even in [Wheelock's Latin]. I'd rather recommend [The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language], which is the best for English etymology. So if you are a serious reader, forget this book.

However, this work has easy-to-read format and some cartoon-like illustrations. I guess this is intended for the senior elementary school students. They will enjoy this book while constructing essential vocabulary. That's why I give 3 stars.

P.s. I want to have e-mail friends. Male, 22, medical student. Anybody interested send e-male to me.

I have found this book to be very helpful studying Latin and Greek roots. This is not a Latin textbook, as Jay Chang was probably looking for (he seemed to be looking for e-mail friends more than anything), and if he thought so from the title then he needs to study more English. My students (Graduate level English majors) love this book, we all find it very helpful because of the way it specifically traces roots in each words breakdown allowing the reader to understand many more words that are related. If you are looking to expand your English vocabulary and your understanding of the roots of our language, this is the best book I have found.

Regarding the above review, Jay Chang says:
"P.s. I want to have e-mail friends. Male, 22, medical student. Anybody interested send e-male to me."

Is this normal book reviewing procedure? I think I might like some E-Male too...

Lots of Thurston, Mike Watt & Lee Renaldo, some David Yow, only one entry from Courtney and none from Stephen Malkmus, so the title is a little misleading. If you're a Beck fan, you'll love his entries. They're the best of the bunch. He describes the world as he sees it in Beck-style free-form, without bashing his fellow performers. Thurston's entries are almost entirely in strangely self-righteous defense of Kathleen Hanna and an incident in which he was not even involved, which is a waste. The last I heard, Kathleen is more than capable of speaking for herself so his defense of her/bashing of Courtney is unnecessary. I expected and would have preferred more insight into the Lollapalooza performing experience.

Here is a low priced little book with lots of journal entries from Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, quite a few from Beck and a couple others (but the others don't contribute too much). It is a very interesting inside look at one of the most vividly remembered tours in independent rock history. A lineup featuring the likes of these many performers will probably never cross the U.S. again in my lifetime. The Kathleen Hanna incident doesn't actually dominate Thurston's entries, but takes up a large chunk of his journals. Beck's entries are great. David Yow doesn't say too much... One overriding theme is how big of a jerk Courtney Love really is. There are plenty of little interesting stories relayed along the way. Don't miss out you Sonic Youth and Beck fans! And for all those who still remember being at one of these shows, it might be interesting to hear what was going on behind the scenes.

In 1995, the Lollapalooza maelstron plundered thru the cities & towns of America, a [diamond] sea of noise & beats changing lives & generally having fun. That's what I'm lead to believe anyway. Thurston is more or less the star here as he was in 1991: the Year Punk Broke, & there's some other cool & crazy kids there too. He writes in his typically amusing & insightful style about the Mexican food, the backstage parking that's reserved strictly for Hole & how Kim has to pretend to be Courtney so SY's car can get in, & how Bek was outraged by this, the Kathleen vs Courtney thing, the crowds disappearing when SY are last on the bill, etc. Lee Ranaldo also writes from the sonic perspective, of course in his more contemplative style usually except when he gets pissed off he shows it. Well, to be honest, I've read these things as they were intended, as computer things so I didn't get everything, I'd very much like to hear what the great Beck had to say about it as well. Yeah the show goes on eevry year but that was the one that mattered. Very interesting reading that you can go back to many times for enlightenment/amusement.

If you're looking for in-depth detailed information on RDF, XML Schema, DAML + OIL etc., then don't buy this book.
If you're interested in DAML + OIL, and applications of it, then you don't want this book. (It covers DAML + OIL, but only touches its surface.)
If you want to read about new standars rising from the XML community, and you don't have any particular preference, then this might be a book you like.
If you can't cope with minimal cohesion, then you definitely should not buy this book. There's no single message in this book.

By now, I guess most of IT professionals have atleast heard about XML and know what problems XML can help solve, however it's challenging to keep up with fast evolving technologies around XML, like RDF, Topic Maps, Schemas, etc. I myself had heard about these technologies, but didn't quite understand them fully till I read Professional XML Meta Data from Wrox. As far as I know, this is the only book available in the market today that covers technologies useful for data description, discovery and exchange, in so much detail. The book covers XML Schemas, XML Linking and Querying, both the RDF specifications, Topic Maps and more. All the topics are explained in detail, the book is very well connected and the chapters flow nicely in sequence. I personally liked the final chapter "Advanced Meta Data Use Cases" that covers couple of areas where meta data can enhance the applications.

If you need to know about the latest XML metadata technologies or concepts like the Semantic Web and machine readable metadata, you need this book. I found it very useful in explaining RDF (there are three excellent chapters on RDF) and Topic Maps, which are potentially difficult subjects to understand. The book also suggests some interesting uses for metadata in the future, and has a useful chapter on extracting metadata from databases.