A very interesting, well written, in depth look into U.S. relations with Israel from 1946-1967. Green covers keys points in Israel's short and violent history in an attempt to better inform the public about many key issues from Zionist recruitment during the War of Independance up to the incident involving Israel attacking the U.S.S. Liberty without provocation during the infamous 6 Day war with the United Arab Nations. This is an excellent read for anyone either seeking more information on U.S. policy towards Israel (via detailed history of key events) or those studying foriegn/global policies involving countries in the middle east. I highly recommend this book!

This book is a complete, well researched history of the secert US relations with Isreal. The detail and precision of each account is amazing. Stephen Green gives life to the rumors that have been echoed thoughout US post WWII history. His non-partisonship prohibits, in his writings, the bias` that some Western people have toward Arab nations. This book is a great lead into his LIVING BY THE SWORD.

I feel that this is the most important book I have ever read in my life. This is only the second Alan Watts book I've read so far, so I'm new to his philosophies. I have to go buy more of his books now. If you only read one book this year, make it this one.

On the one hand, there was very little in this book that I haven't found in other books by Watts, so that was a little disappointing. If you have read many of his works, you might consider skipping this one. On the other hand, I enjoy his writing so much, even though I really don't share his worldview, that I don't mind a re-run. On the third hand, the new material I did find, was very enlightening.

One of the things that I came across here, that I hadn't seen elsewhere, was a discussion on art and music. He had some great quotes: in trying to figure out what some modernist abstraction means, he says, "It always takes the artist to show us the vision, but of course, in the meantime, it is difficult to interpret these things." (pg. 28). He ties that whole discussion into one of my favorite topics, which is pattern, or "li." There was another quote I particularly liked, this time distinguishing between "good" and "bad" music: "Bad music always expresses something other than itself, like the 1812 Overture or the Sunken Cathedral. But good music never refers to anything other than the music. If you ask Bach, "What is your meaning?" he would say, "Listen! That is the meaning." This whole book was filled with essays on meaning and pattern, and I found it a joy to read. Overall, I have really enjoyed all the books I've read in his "The Love of Wisdom Library."

Having studied Taoism under an orthodox Taoist priest in China, I read this book with great interest.

History is full of paradoxes. One is that the long slow decline of Taoism in China is synchronous with its long slow rise in Western consciousness. Taoism? When I mention the name to people there is usually a look of blank incomprehension. Mention of some of its incidental elements - Feng Shui, Tai Chi, etc., - sparks a flicker of recognition. But, there's another paradox: a whole New Age spirituality has arisen unaware of its cultural roots.

The problem is that everything about that culture is so different. Even the spelling of words: Taoism (or is it Daoism?) has up to four dozen translations - way, nature, mind, reason, law, God, etc. - and is embedded in multilayered texts which have been continuously reinterpreted over millennia (students of the Bible will get the picture!) so that, to a large extent, to read is an act of creation.

It is this very ambiguity and difference from everything Western minds are familiar with that has created both the problem and the appeal. Not a little of the initial dismissal of Taoism by Jesuit missionaries as primitive superstition and pagan magic arose from a culture clash in which the rational, ordered system of Confucian scholar-bureaucrats seemed much more appealing to the bearers of Western enlightenment.

So what changed? Partly, the appeal of a more simple and natural existence has now a greater pull in our anxiety-prone, over-stressed, unfulfilled modern lives. Partly, there is the spiritual and moral vacuum left by disenchantment with Christianity. Perhaps most significant is its coincidence with concepts thrown up by modern scientific thought. As Clarke notes, "Taoism, with its dynamic conception of nature and movement, flow and change, its emphasis on energy (chi) rather than substance, its grasp of the web of interconnections that bind together all phenomena both human and cosmic, and its rejection of rigid laws and absolute boundaries, is especially close in spirit to modern physics, in spite of differences in empirical detail, methodology and aims."

Bestsellers, such as Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics", have explored these similarities and the way in which the classical model of the mechanistic Newtonian universe of individual identities has been replaced by an organic, holistic view. Indeed, the views of Taoism - with its sense of unordered spontaneity - are complementary to the insights of Chaos theory and the evolutionary view of the world in which life appears in self-organizing systems of complexity which are finely balanced between order and disorder.

Taoism offers an image of nature in which harmony comes not through the fiat or teleological intent of a creator but by the spontaneous cooperation of all things brought about by following the necessities of their own nature. The moral consequences of such a view are an intensely pragmatic approach to life, a "rambling without destination". Historically it has often been seen as subversive of the established order in favor of a free society and a focus of subversive elements, even anarchy. What puzzled Westerners and offended Confucians, not to mention modern party officials, is the apparent rejection by Taoists of ethical norms. Its "receptive passivity" - emphasizing all that is feminine, tolerant, yielding, permissive, mystical and receptive - is contrasted to the command culture of social convention with its masculine, managing, hard, dominating, aggressive and rational characteristics. Clearly, the Taoist intent to banish hierarchical privilege so that people could once again love one another is something that will appeal to idealists of all ages.

In a wider perspective, Taoism now stands in that long tradition of ancient systems of thought which have prompted radical transformations in the West, such as Aristotelianism with the Scholastics, hermeticism in the Renaissance, gnosticism among the Romantics. Clarke's lucid and well-informed book will be invaluable to anyone seeking to know more.

An intriguing feature of modern western culture has been its readiness to play fast and loose with the elements of Chinese religion without really understanding or caring how they fit together. From yin-yang coffee tables to 'the Tao of Pets', this cultural appropriation is ubiquitous. J.J. Clarke has given us a timely and excellent discussion of the interface between Taoist and Western religion and philosophy, which should not to be confused with 'A Gathering of Cranes : Bringing the Tao to the West', to which it is vastly superior. What is particularly interesting about Clarke's work is its willingness to set the philosophy of Taoism firmly alongside western philosophical thought, and to consider the implications of their meeting. He begins by quoting Nietszche: 'what is needed is... new philosophers', and goes on to suggest that some of this newness might in fact be provided by age-old Taoism. While this is an academic and scholarly work, its clarity and readibility is such that I would have no hesitation in recommending it to undergraduate students of religion, or indeed to the interested general reader. However, here is probably not the best place to begin an understanding of Taoism as such. For this I would recommend Martin Palmer's 'The Elements of Taoism' or Isabelle Robinet's 'Taoism, Growth of a Religion'.

IF YOU LOVE ASIAN, INDIAN, AND CHINESE FOODS YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! THE RECIPES ARE EASY TO FOLLOW. EACH RECIPE HAS ABOUT 4 STEPS AT THE MOST SHOWING YOU AT EACH STEP HOW TO DO IT. VERY SIMPLE TO FOLLOW FOR THESE TYPES OF FOODS! I HAVE TRIED MANY AND THEY ARE DELICOUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! IF YOU LOVE TO COOK OR WANT TO MAKE A SPECIAL MEAL THAT IS DIFFERENT FOR A CHANGE, THIS IS DEFINETLY THE BOOK FOR YOU! TRY IT YOU'LL LOVE IT! TRUST ME...

The step by step pictorial can easily make a middle of the road cook into a Asian Chef in a matter of moments. The receipts are authentic and easy to prepare. The auther has done a great job of relaying information. Ingredients are present so various cultures can benifit from this wonderfull book. Ingredients are items you can find at the store and a bunch of exotic items you can never find. All in all this is a book everyone who likes Asian foods should have in their kitchen; the Zapper knows.

These two authors write stunning books of delightful, easy-to-follow recipes, with lush, evocative photographs, and great attention to detail on the culinary fundamentals of each recipe. The only problem is that they keep recycling and republishing the same recipes/photos over and over again. I got burned three times. I bought the book "A Taste Of The Mediterranean", which I liked so much that, impetuously, I went online and bought three more titles by the same two authors, Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow. I got "The Mediterranean Cookbook" (the one with the close-up photo of some ripe tomatoes on the cover). It turns out that this is the exact book as "A Taste Of The Mediterranean", but with illustrations in place of the photographs. The third book I received was "Mediterranean Country Kitchen", which while it is a lovely book, is nothing more than a condensed version of the same recipes/photos from "A Taste Of The Mediterranean". Lastly I bought the newer hardback book "Mediterranean : A Taste Of The Sun". This is an outstanding, lengthy book (500+ pages), but about half of it is "A Taste Of The Mediterranean" recycled in its entirety. I would certainly recommend the new one "Mediterranean : A Taste Of The Sun" as the finest and most complete of Clark and Farrow's sumptuous books on subject. But I'm feeling angry and a bit duped at buying the same book over and over again. Buy the new one, skip the earlier, cleverly-disguised retreads.

Often cookbooks with pretty pictures are low on substance. This book is not one of them. Yes, there are pretty pictures, more than that. Some of them are gorgeous, but it's the recipes that make one pause and then want to rush to the kitchen after a trip to the super market and stop eating junk when they could eat food like this. A stunning collection.

Bombing. Arson. Riots. Murder. Fear. Euphoria. Hope. Despair. Religious fanaticism. Sounds like the Mid-east at the turn of the century, right? The only question is, which century? Author, J. Bowyer Bells' book, "Terror Out of Zion," chronicles the chaos in Palestine/Israel from the late 1800's to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. The story is one of unparalleled violence. Recent events show, little has changed.

Bell shows how Anti-Semitism in Europe from the late 1800's onward fueled the Zionist Movement making Jews determined to establish a national homeland. Nazism caused the movement to gain strength. As Hitler gained power Jews had two choices: immigrate illegally into Palestine, or Auschwitz! Palestinian Arabs, who had lived in the Holy Land for 2000 years, greeted their new, Jewish neighbors with pogrom like activities including riots, looting, arson, and murder.

Through it all, the British attempted to maintain order throughout the "Mandate." Both Arabs and Jews were confident the authorities would ultimately see the rightness of their position. However when the British kept the door closed to, "The Promised Land," even to the survivors of the Holocaust, Vladimir Jabotinski, Avraham Stern, Menachem Begin etc. took up arms. Bells account of their ruthless, but highly successful terror tactics makes interesting reading. They are a blueprint for what's happening today.

We have come a long since Britain attempted to police the "Mandate" with, "constables," armed only with, "staves." Caught between two groups who both claimed God's blessings, Britain tried to ignore the problem and hoped it would go away. When it did not, they left the problem to the U.N.

The U.S. has assumed Britain's role as arbiter in the mid-east. Little has changed. Both sides are still convinced of the rightness of their cause. Both still hate with an intensity borne of decades of bloodshed. Only the weapons are different. Biological/chemical weapons, suicide bombings, and most recently, commercial airliners have replaced revolvers and homemade bombs for the terrorists. America now responds with strategic bombers and cruise missiles. While the level of violence has increased dramatically, we are no closer to a solution.

Americans who mistakenly think the conflict began on Sept. 11, 2001 should read Terror Out Of Zion. What Bell does not answer is who is right? When is an individual or a group justified in taking up arms? What level of violence is justified? Do the ends justify the means? What is the distinction between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?

Terror out of Zion is a historical expose on events that are directly related to what's happening in the world today. Enlightening, detailed and informative I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an answer to why the world stands on the brink of World War III today.

A facinating book. In the issue surrounded by bitterness and blame-casting to this day Dr.Bell managed to write an objective and unbiassed book wich sheds a light on a lot of important and relevant issues. His writing style will make you read this book from cover to cover and crave for more!

This book gives a great view of the New Kingdom ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes. It provides intimate details into the lives of the workers at Deir-El Medina, the monumental temples, beutiful tombs, and its unique history. The Strudwicks do a wonderful job expalining how Thebes went from a small Egyptian town to a huge capital that would leave an unforgettable mark on Egyptian Culture.

This book differs from the usual guides, as it describes the historical evolution, from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period, of the tombs and temples of Thebes (modern Luxor). The authors provide detailed and accurate information about life in the city. Subjects covered include the Valley of the Kings, that of the Queens and of the Nobles. Issues such as tomb decoration and burials of private individuals are addressed. This is an excellent, recommended, must-read book for all.

The book has an excellent selection of quite shocking photographs. The graphic design and production values are exceptional. The text articles are largely very informative. Elliot Sperling presents a thoughtful analysis of the dynamic nature of Tibetan culture and identity, dispelling the rather silly historical myths of feudal hell vs. high altitude nirvana. Mickey Spiegel's reporting of the stories of individual recent Tibetan exiles brings home the concrete, human reality of how awful things are for those Tibetans unwilling to kowtow to China's colonialist and racist policies. Orville Schell's final article is a bizarre piece of writing in this context. I can only conclude that it was included for some form of "balance". His direct comments on Tibetans are that their cuisine is "inedible" to Westerners, they engage in only "the most modest kinds of personal hygiene", and they have shown themselves "capable of considerable savagery against one another". Schell's big thing is the romanticization of Tibet by others. He admits he once was so eneamoured, and his shame and anger about this seem to dominate his analyis. Its a real pity that this self-loathing makes him blind to the issues of justice and legitimacy that the Tibetan problem presents. These issues are the fundamental attraction for many if not a majority of Tibet's foreign supporters.

This book is an excellent introduction to Tibet, especially Elliot Sperling's candid and daring introduction, "Exile and Dissent". The pictures compel you to read; the reading rewards.

It is especially refreshing to see a moderate human rights organization like Human Rights Watch endorse Sperling's accurate and unrestrained discussion of Tibetan nationhood. Sperling never goes so far as to explicitly endorse statehood for Tibet--that would certainly compromise Human Rights Watch's ability to advocate for human rights from a non-partisan position--but he comes close:

"A strong case can be made that prior to 1951, Tibet was at best part one part of the empires built by the Mongol and later Manchu emperors who conquered China, but never an "integral" part of China itself" (32).

The best moment in the book, in my mind, is Sperling's paragraph on 'cultural preservation':

"Tibetan culture, like any other, is dynamic. Calling for its "preservation" automatically brings forth the need for it to be defined, which which in turn evokes a stuffed-and-mounted item fit for a museum. Tibetan culture does not need to be frozen in time, but Tibetan cultural life needs to be protected from measures that repress literary and artistic expression...The contours of dissent in Tibet and its repression by China are not shaped by calls for cultural preservation or cultural autonomy, but by calls for Tibetan independence" (36).

Tibetan dissidents, Western supporters, Western journalists, US diplomats, members of the Tibetan government: read this paragraph twice! Cultural preservation is not freedom; it is the opposite of freedom. This is why Beijing contributes money to cultural preservation efforts in Tibet: the more the culture is 'preserved', the more it is frozen, and the less threatening it becomes. Not only is the threat removed; with the threat disappears the culture's ability to sustain and give solace to its people. Culture, once preserved, becomes emasculated, of little use to anyone. I think few more important passages have been written on Tibet than this one.

Shocking and beautiful photographs, and powerful testimony, follow; by the end, any intelligent reader will be compelled to action.

Hopefully, the reader will at least be well-armed against the unfortunate note on which the book ends. Orville Schell's pusilannimous and meandering essay, the last in the book, is the worst kind of contrast to Sperling's clarity and gutsiness.

Schell's essay ranges from offensive to simply odd. What, for example, could motivate anyone to write "Of course, China's President Jiang Zemin, like many of his countrymen, tends not to romanticize Tibet as Westerners do..." (175)?

Worse is Schell's inability to distinguish Hollywood's brief fascination with Tibet from the global social justice movement which has arisen to protest China's brutal occupation. His drastically misguided assertion that "Tibet's new Western persona [was] consigned to Hollywood's custody" denies both the authenticity and strength of the freedom movement and the possiblity that celebrities are capable of sincere feeling and political work. Hollywood made two movies about Tibet. The movies mythologized it. Of course they did; that's what Hollywood does. But it is insulting to deny the work and influence of the Tibet movement by conflating it with a Hollywood trend.

And then there is Schell's weird analysis of the severity of the occupation:

"To foreigners looking on from afar, the Chinese occupation and the dismantling of traditional culture and society seemed similar ...................."(175-6).

"To foreigners"? "Seemed"? "Represented"? This is either the height of timidity (Beijing, after all, is more than capable of revoking the visas on which Schell, a Sinologist, depends for his livelihood) or simple ignorance. Given the other essays and the testimony in this book, it is difficult to believe that Schell can really be unaware of the severity of the occupation--indeed, he mentions it at various points. Why then such timidity?

Eventually, one grows tired of wondering--and returns to Sperling, and the freedom struggle.

This book gives a wide variety of all the different spots on a barrier island. we use it in enrichment class and I enjoy the book very much.

This book uses descriptive illustrations to add to the enjoyment of its useful information. Its particularly relevant to the Coastal Carolina region and contains interesting and helpful facts for the beachgoer. Its format serves the single page reader as well as those who enjoy larger portions. Highly Recommended

I approached this book thinking that it might give a few ideas as to how countries today might get themselves started in high technology industries. I was surprised to find that Mathews' and Cho's story is as relevant to developing countries today as it is to the East Asian tiger economies with which they are concerned. In particular, their story of how Korea, Taiwan and Singapore all used different leverage vehicles for the creation of knowledge intensive industries in their countries, seems to be applicable very much to the case of China today, or India, or any other country with a serious state looking seriously to become a player in industries where technology is a prime factor. Countries don't have to reinvent everything from zero!

Congratulations to these authors for stating this as clearly as I've seen in recent years. The book stands comparison with Amsden, Wade and other contributors to the industrial upgrading literature.

The creation of high technology firms and industries is increasingly an important source of national industrial competitiveness. Harnessing and diffusing new technologies, leveraging knowledge and developing new collaborative mechanisms demand new corporate strategies and arrangements between business and government. Tiger Technology by John Mathews and Dong-Sung Cho provides new insights into these issues. In explaining how late comer firms establish themselves in one of the most technologically demanding industries, their book sheds light on the process by which East Asian countries - Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan have developed technology leveraging strategies and capabilities that enable them to compete in high technology industries. Furthermore they argue the East Asian countries have developed institutional systems for rapid technology transmission and diffusion.

Part two of the book draws this argument out by examining in detail the various national case studies. However, it is in Part three of the book that the authors draw together the comparative detail of the national case studies.Here they identify three models of high technology industrialisation that the East Asian economies have pioneered.The book raises interesting issues for managers, public administrators and scholars - focusing on the need to develop strategies for learning at the firm level and developing institutions that can foster cooperative relations between business and the public sector.

In sum, Tiger Technology, is a well researched, well written and topical book that demonstrates the continued potency of the East Asian 'miracle'.For those studying or working in the fields of strategy, international management and public policy the book is a 'must have' that will become an important benchmark in the study of high technology industrialisation. The book is therefore highly recommended.