In this accessible and often entertaining survey, historian Thomas Cahill reviews the achievements of Classical Greece and its huge influence on Western civilization. Beginning with an overview of Greek history--partly as Homer presented it in the ILIAD and the ODYSSEY--he goes on to focus on the other early figures who have most influenced Greek civilization (including Sophocles, Sappho, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) and to explore their contributions to modern attitudes toward, for example, war, philosophy, literature, government, and religion. He also writes about the interrelationships between Greek and Roman ways of thinking, and the influence of Christianity on the Greeks, and vice versa.

This investigative report on the House of Saud, and its connections to America's business and political communities, uncovers a wealth of information and asks some profoundly disturbing questions about what was long considered America's staunchest ally in the Arab world. Journalist Gerald Posner, author of WHY AMERICA SLEPT: THE FAILURE TO PREVENT 9/11, explores such questions as: What is the extent of Saudi investments in the U.S., and what influence do they carry with them? Did members of the Saudi families in America receive preferential treatment in the days following 9/11--and, if so, why? Are they with us or against us in the war on terror? In what ways does our supposed ally act to undermine our foreign policy? Was there a close connection between the House of Saud and a high al Qaeda operative? And, perhaps most explosively, is there a secret, failsafe "scorched earth" plan that involves detonating explosives in Saudi oilfields in the event the kingdom is attacked from without or from within? For each of these issues, Posner's research has been extensive, including tracing the money trail and obtaining bank records--research that, he charges, was not pursued by the 9/11 commission, which, in its final report, called the Saudi government a "problematic ally."

American cops take on the worst of Korean gangs in a story of violence, action, and suspense.