Time: The Middle East: The History, the Cultures, the Conflicts, the Faiths

I am amazed by objectiveness and clarity of the material presented in the book: I am using this book in my classroom for two months already as one of the most professional introductions to the problems of the Middle East I have seen in years of a teaching of the topic. The very structure of the book can be perceived as a major success as it presents a complex and contradictory situation in the region in all its tragic diversity and critical significance. Ismail Agayev, Ph.D USA California

01/15/07 02:53:23 PM "Exploring the Unexplained" ed. Kelly Knauer (Time®), ©2006 This book has the distinction of not going overboard with any theory or thought. There are a lot of weird phenomena in this world and these are just few of the more interesting and better known ones. They missed the one about how people started to get radio shows from twenty or so years ago for an evening. Odd, but a one time event that has not repeated itself, nor is there any way of exploring what happened as there is no physical remains to work with. They give some of the current thoughts on Stonehenge and the pyramids, and also give the various new age or superstitious notions that are running around. I liked that the book did not take any thing away from the weird thinking people have, only reported it.

" Adjust your aura and fasten your seatbelt for a marvelous journey into the unknown: Bigfoot to the Bermuda Triangle, Aliens to Yetis, dowsing to the Da Vinci Code, telepathy to crop circles, Exploring the Unexplained separates truth from rumor and fiction from fable. The book features fresh reports from worlds we are only beginning to explore, including new findings on twins and synchronicity, mind-and-body studies and scientists' attempts to quantify accounts on the power of prayer." The book is divided into multiple `mysteries', all including various sub-topics on extreme paranormal activity, hoaxes, and myths. The sections are based on marvels in History, Nature, Space, Mind and Matter, Spirit, and the World Beyond. From the stories of Atlantis and the Amityville Horror, Stigmata and Demonic Possession, Roswell and Crop Circles, Stonehenge to Easter Island, the book clearly demonstrates truth behind speculation. After reading the book, I quickly scanned over my favorite sections to re-read the parts that I could not engorge enough of. Hearing about most of these stories in my life at sometime in my life, I was thrilled to find a book that covered so many of them. Written and published by the editors of Time magazine, this book is definitely legitimate. "It is curious to note the old sea-margins of human though. Each subsiding century reveals some new mystery; we build where monsters used to hid themselves..." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Section one covers the `Mysteries of the Past'. Beginning with Plato and his story of Atlantis, the book quickly escalates to legends of King Arthur, King Tut, the Oracle of Delphi, and Newgrange. Seeing the remarkable photos to go along with the stories inside allows the reader to become invoked with a mystical and magical realm of surrealism. Section two is about the `Mysteries of Nature'. This section is all about the Loch Ness Monster, Dowsing, the Fate of Dinosaurs, Bigfoot, Feng Shui, and Auras. The book depicts the story of the hoaxes behind Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, but also fails to explain the Bermuda Triangle and Auras. `Mysteries of Nature' is by far the most interesting section in the book. " I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" - Carl Sagan Thoroughly covered in the `Mysteries of Space', Editor Kelly Kuaner unravels the famous story behind Area 51, and Roswell, New Mexico. Eight pages are dedicated to aliens, UFOs, and dozens of pictures of those infamous little green men. The section also explains mysteries on Mars: the Martian Face, water on Mars, and the Martian Canals. The last three sections cover Mind and Matter, Sprits, and Ghostly Experiences. All three share similar interests with one another, and could all be combined into one category.