Real-Time Embedded Multithreading: Using ThreadX and ARM

Book Description

Use the industry's most popular RTOS/processor combination to develop embedded applications that are small, fast, reliable, and deterministic. Beginning with a discussion of embedded and real-time concepts and terminology, this book uses a specific demon

Use the industry's most popular RTOS/processor combination to develop embedded applications that are small, fast, reliable, and deterministic.

Customer Reviews:

Well-balanced Introduction to RTOS Concepts and ThreadX.......2005-03-14

This book provides a solid introduction to embedded kernel mechanics and a detailed discussion of the ThreadX operating system. The first five chapters present a light overview of real-time operating system concepts, the ThreadX kernel and the ARM processor. The next seven chapters focus on classic issues faced by kernel designers, including critical sections, mutual exclusion, synchronization, inter-thread communication and memory management. Another chapter discusses ARM exception handling, and the final one provides a complete implementation of a real-time system in C using ThreadX system calls to illustrate the utility of an embedded kernel. The book concludes with a number of detailed appendices documenting the ThreadX API.

Each fundamental RTOS concept (eg mutual exclusion, memory management) receives a balanced, detailed treatment that explores generic OS issues and corresponding ThreadX-specific services. The text is straightforward and non-academic, aimed more at engineer-practitioners than at students of operating system theory. Essentially this is a technical discussion of ThreadX, demonstrating that the kernel provides clean solutions to classic real-time design challenges.

Another review indicates that padded appendices contain API reference material which can be freely downloaded from a vendor website. Given that the appendices account for appx 25% of content, I agree that buyers should be informed. I also think that the appendices are very helpful to those of us who prefer the convenience of self-contained material, and who prefer to avoid the inconvenience of downloading/printing/handling an additional document. All-in-all I like the API section and consider this a matter of personal preference.

I have one minor quibble with the equal emphasis given to ThreadX and ARM in the title. The book is clearly RTOS-centric, much more concerned with operating system concepts than with details of the ARM core. The light ARM material mainly illustrates the coupling of ThreadX to a particular processor architecture, and readers should not expect an ARM technical guide.

A good reference and introduction in one package.......2005-02-17

I was very pleasantly surprised with how well this book performed at 2 very different levels. It provided a very simple introduction to Real Time programming (with a definite focus on the ThreadX OS) as well as being a very useful reference for an experienced ThreadX user.

I have been using ThreadX for several years (although not on the ARM processor) and I wanted the book to help with training some new programmers as well as to evaluate the option of using the ARM on a new project. I was impressed as to how well the book helped to achieve these goals.

The book gives a clear explanation on how the various Operating System services are used and where they are appropriate. The demonstration version of ThreadX was very useful for playing with the concepts and getting a "hands on" feel for how things worked without having to deal with all the details of how to get a program running on an embedded system.

I also liked the description of how the system is implemented on the ARM processor, it gave enough detail that I could understand the interaction with the hardware and made it much simpler to introduce a non-ARM architecture as part of the training.

As useful as the book was for the introduction and training aspect, I have noticed that it has also become my standard ThreadX reference at work, which was not what I expected. While the ThreadX documentation does have more detail I have found it much simpler to use this book and I have only needed to refer to the "official" documentation once or twice since I got this book. I have also found the demonstration OS very useful for prototyping and testing.

The only group that I think may not find this book as useful a reference, is the knowledgable embedded developer who is not working with ThreadX and wants to find out more about the OS or about the ARM processor. For this audience there is probably insufficient depth and more detail than they require, but for anyone who is entering the field or is working with ThreadX regularly I would highly reccomend this book.

Extremely Practical.......2005-02-09

This is the most useful book on embedded programming that I've ever read. The reason for this is its practical aspects.

First it talks about what is probably (certainly the one I use so I guess I'm prejudiced) the most CPU used in widest range of embedded applications.

Second it picks one of the standard real time operating systems (ThreadX -- and includes a demo system of the RTOS on the bound in CD).

The book gives a clear introduction into the goals and techniques used in embedded programming.

Finally it discusses in detail a case study of the design of a typical embedded system. In fact the device they are building looks so useful that I wonder if it isn't a real product.

Again, this is an excellent introduction, suitable for the engineering being assigned to a project or the manager beginning to specify one.

Book Description

This NBER series presents current academic research in the areas of taxation and government spending. The papers included provide important background information for policy analysis without making specific policy recommendations.

Volume 18 continues the series tradition of addressing issues that are relevant to current policy debates as well as to questions of longer-term interest, covering topics that include the tax treatment of assets saved for higher education expenses, the measurement of depreciation allowances, and the mortgage interest subsidy.

Book Description

Angiogenesis research is one of the most quickly developing areas in biomedicine. It is considered to be a common denominator in society's most important diseases and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop new angiogenesis-based drugs.
This volume focuses on the genetic control of angiogenesis, both in humans and model organisms, and will be a valuable resource to all researchers in the field, including the fundamentals of the process as well as workers in biotechnology.

Therapeutic Antibodies (Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology)

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Therapeutic Antibodies (Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

Immunology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Pharmacology | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Antibody therapeutics are the treatment of choice for several autoimmune and oncological conditions and are becoming the molecules of choice for further combination therapies and cell engineering. Current developments and clinical successes are summarised by experts in the drug development field. A must read for immunologists, clinical scientists and novel drug developers.

Genvec expands its angiogenesis technoogy for the prevention of blindness.: An article from: BIOTECH Patent News

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Genvec expands its angiogenesis technoogy for the prevention of blindness.: An article from: BIOTECH Patent News

Manufacturer: Biotech Patent News
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from BIOTECH Patent News, published by Biotech Patent News on February 1, 2001. The length of the article is 441 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Genvec expands its angiogenesis technoogy for the prevention of blindness.
Publication: BIOTECH Patent News (Newsletter)
Date: February 1, 2001
Publisher: Biotech Patent News
Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Introgen obtains exclusive licenses to family of mda-7/IL-24 technologies.: An article from: BIOTECH Patent News

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Introgen obtains exclusive licenses to family of mda-7/IL-24 technologies.: An article from: BIOTECH Patent News
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from BIOTECH Patent News, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 472 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Introgen obtains exclusive licenses to family of mda-7/IL-24 technologies.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: BIOTECH Patent News (Newsletter)
Date: January 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 21 Issue: 1

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Market: Students and researchers in geophysics, astronomy, and astrophysics. This book reports on the timely Earth Observing System (EOS) Program's wide range of scientific investigations, observational capabilities, vast data and information system, and educational activities. Because its primary goal is to determine the extent, causes, and regional consequences of global climate change, this program provides the scientific knowledge needed by world leaders to formulate sound and equitable environmental policies.

From Pattern to Process: The Strategy of the Earth Observing System (EOS Science Steering Committee Report, Volume II)

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From Pattern to Process: The Strategy of the Earth Observing System (EOS Science Steering Committee Report, Volume II)
Dixon Butler
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics & Space Admin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J1S9NU

From pattern to process the strategy of the Earth Observing System (SuDoc NAS 1.15:89702)

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From pattern to process the strategy of the Earth Observing System (SuDoc NAS 1.15:89702)
NASA
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Technical Information Service, distributor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000108862

Book Description

This is a complete handbook and reference volume which covers everything that one needs to know about electron optics. It is a comprehensive coverage of theoretical background and modern computing methods. It contains a detailed and unique account of numerical methods and an extensive bibliography.

Amazon.com

In Christopher Buckley's hilarious fourth novel, Washington, D.C., is naturally enough a place of sex, lies, and videotape. Unfortunately for Little Green Men's pundit protagonist, John Oliver Banion, it is also the HQ of Majestic Twelve, a very, very covert government project. Since "that golden Cold War summer of 1947," MJ-12 has had a single mission--to convince taxpayers that space invaders are constantly lurking below what's left of the ozone layer. "A country convinced that little green men were hovering over the rooftops was inclined to vote yea for big weapons and space programs," the author thoughtfully explains.

But one disgruntled operative wants out. Nathan Scrubbs is fed up to the back teeth with the art of alien abduction--not to mention his cover as a Social Security flunky--so when his request for a transfer is quashed, he drunkenly decides to take it out on ubiquitous ultra-prig Banion, who happens to be on TV at the time. The ensuing high-tech kidnap, at Maryland's Burning Bush Country Club, is only one of the thousands of convulsively funny scenes in Little Green Men. Not that the novel isn't a skewed morality play of some sort: as Banion comes to believe in Tall Nordics and Short Ugly Grays, he is quickly removed from every A-list in town. But oddly enough, social and political disaster turns out to be as liberating as the finest alien probe. Let's just say that long before Banion and Scrubbs have a close encounter at the Millennium Man March on Washington, this Beltway barrel of monkeys attains a truly extraplanetary level of amusement. --Kerry Fried

Book Description

The strange land of Washington, D.C., is teeming with aliens, politicians, and other bizarre life-forms. Beltway insider and stuffy talk show host John Oliver Banion finds his privileged life turned topsy-turvy when he is abducted by aliens from his exclusive country-club golf course. When he is abducted a second time, he believes he has found his true calling and, in the most pasionate crusade of his life, demands that Congress and the White House seriously investigate the existence of extraterrestrials and UFOs. Friends and family, meanwhile, urge Banion to seek therapy before his reputation is ruined for good.

A comic tour de force from "one of the best and surest political humorists in America" (Los Angeles Times Book Review), Little Green Men is an uproacious comedy of manners that proves once and for all that the truth is out there. Way out there.

Customer Reviews:

Amusing.......2006-11-15

There are plenty of stories about contact with aliens, including a plethora dealing with government conspiracies to conceal such contact. In Little Green Men, Christopher Buckley offers his own take on these stories and has delivered a fun novel.

Little Green Men centers on John Banion, the most powerful man on television. He is an incisive and often nasty interviewer of political figures, and even the President accommodates him. Banion lives the good life until he is abducted by aliens and subjected to the standard probes and other tests. He almost shakes off this event, but then it happens a second time, and he becomes an avid crusader for exposing aliens. This, of course, makes him appear crazy to many and his reputation slides quickly.

What Banion is unaware of is that this whole thing was a hoax orchestrated by Majestic Twelve, a super-secret government agency that occasionally fakes abductions for its own reasons that dates back to the Cold War. Nathan Scrubbs, a disgruntled member of Majestic Twelve, in a drunken rage, had targeted Banion for abduction; this was strictly against the rules that prohibit prominent figures from being kidnapped. Scrubbs's actions put him on the wrong side of his mysterious employer, forcing the lowly bureaucrat to go on the run.

Unfortunately for Majestic Twelve, Banion does not either fade away or get dragged off to an insane asylum. Instead, he builds a new following of true believers in UFOs, and raises these folks to a much higher level of importance. Even as he threatens Majestic Twelve, he is himself in danger, all the while remaining oblivious to the truth.

This is a delightfully funny novel that is also well-plotted. Few people on any side of the UFO debate emerge unscathed in this satire. This may have been my first Christopher Buckley book, but I have a suspicion it won't be my last.

Was this alien BO?.......2006-06-07

This is the first book I have read by Christopher Buckley and I am pretty happy with it. At first I wasn't sure how I would like it when it started with the talk show and the Washington political scene. I am definitely not savy when it comes to politics. I thought I would not understand the plot, the theme, the characters, etc. But that's what made Buckley such a great writer for me. He write so well that I could both understand and enjoy this political satire.

Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was how both sides: government and UFO enthusiasts received comical attention. On the UFO side we had the UFO convention stories, how the "probing" started, Banion's groupies, Tall Nordiac singers, etc... On the political side readers saw how the government concocted this alien cultural belief in order to achieve their objective: funding to beat the Russians. The back and forth (most of the time silly )behind the scenes debates politicians go through during an election year, i.e. the President's and his staff's dilemna on if he should attend the shuttle lauch and it's final manipulative conclusion.

My favorite line "He noticed a smell, acrid and overwhelming at first, like ammonia, with a sweetish aftertaste, like...cinnamon? Was this alien BO?" I have to admit this little insigificant line made me laugh out loud. This book is full of Buckley's wry sense of humor.

Good God! Is Buckley the Greatest living writer?!.......2006-04-08

Reading this book is literally stunning. If there were any justice, the hacks ought to abandon their work (or at least rewrite it through a few times) before they sling it out the door- looking at James Patterson and Dan Brown.

The prose on every page is so carefully wrought it is amazing. He captures characters, organizations and Washington dynamics with such economy, with such perfect on-the-nose phrasing it, it really is amazing. Put your finger down on any page and you will find excellence. This is the league of Wodehouse and Waugh.

The book is both amusing and enteraining and worth the purchase because the reread value will be high, but I'll be damned if you dont come away with the feeling of resentment at other popular authors who's poor craftsmanship is so clearly shown up by Buckley.

"Banion took the call.

'Jack!' Bill Stimple was the Ur-corporate relations man. Each greeting began with an exclaimation mark. When the Grim Reeper came for Bill he'd probably bray, 'Death!', and ask how his golf game was coming."

Don't Waste Your Time.......2004-09-30

This is one of the most uninteresting novels I have ever read. There was nothing in the whole book that was worth reading. The characters are so 1 dimensional that from the get go you can see through them all and wish you weren't reading the book. I finished the novel, just to see if it ever redeems itself. Please don't waste your time.

I could almost believe it.......2004-09-23

This was a pretty good book. I found the beginning to drag a lot and a few times I really wanted to put it down but I went on and on the whole I am really glad I did. Once the book picked up it was hard to put down. The ending was cool and in this day and age really believable.

Amazon.com

Popular classicist Peter Green (author of Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.) offers an engrossing narrative of the wars between the Greeks and the Persians. This is real David-and-Goliath material, with the scrappy, feuding city-states of ancient Greece fending off a much larger aggressor. The conflicts themselves are a kind of struggle for the soul of Western civilization: "On the one side, the towering, autocratic figure of the Great King; on the other, the voluntary and imperfect discipline of proudly independent citizens." The Greeks surprisingly fare better in these encounters, and make themselves legends on the plains of Marathon (192 Greek casualties versus 6,400 Persians), during the heroic last stand at Thermopylae, and elsewhere.

The Greco-Persian Wars is full of wonderful stories featuring bravery, cowardice, and treachery. Unlike so many of his fellow historians, Green understands the importance of a dramatic narrative, sometimes employing novelistic techniques to relate what happened. It's not an overstatement to say that the course of Western history might have taken a strikingly unfamiliar turn if these battles had had different outcomes. Green is a natural storyteller, and The Greco-Persian Wars is a delight to read, even for readers who have no background or special interest in the classical world. --John J. Miller

Book Description

This is a reissue, with a new introduction and an update to the bibliography, of the original edition, published in 1970 as The Year of Salamis in England and as Xerxes at Salamis in the U.S.
The long and bitter struggle between the great Persian Empire and the fledgling Greek states reached its high point with the extraordinary Greek victory at Salamis in 480 B.C. The astonishing sea battle banished forever the specter of Persian invasion and occupation. Peter Green brilliantly retells this historic moment, evoking the whole dramatic sweep of events that the Persian offensive set in motion. The massive Greek victory, despite the Greeks' inferior numbers, opened the way for the historic evolution of the Greek states in a climate of creativity, independence, and democracy, one that provided a model and an inspiration for centuries to come.
Green's accounts of both Persian and Greek strategies are clear and persuasive; equally convincing are his everyday details regarding the lives of soldiers, statesmen, and ordinary citizens. He has first-hand knowledge of the land and sea he describes, as well as full command of original sources and modern scholarship. With a new foreword, The Greco-Persian Wars is a book that lovers of fine historical writing will greet with pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

biased garbage!.......2007-08-09

Obviously mr. peter green has some hostility toward the the persian (iranian)culture. Right at the intro, he goes on about how achaemenid persia gave no contribution to the world at all! well, for one, the persian court was a frequent learning place for the greek scholars for at least 200 years.(according to herodotus himself), postal system,tolerating free practice of religon and culture, no use of slavery, intricate governmet system(which completely was a failure when greeks attempted after alexander's barbaric conquest),pioneering army technological advances( check out "persian army" by nick sekunda), building great roads connecting the empire(two third of the known world then)... not to mention that alexander and the rest of the greeks burned down and destroyed alot of persian literature, and scentific recordings, alot of persian achievements were destroyed. Therefor, what is left today is known to be the greek's acheivements to their credits without a solid proof for the most part. only the battles that the greeks had won are grossly portrayed which to the iranians was nothing but an insignificant setback, untill the barbaric advances of alexander ofcourse. Even the bible praises cyrus, darius, xerxes, and artaxerxes for the humane, and generous actions of the persian emperors especially to the jews. mr. peter green get a clue! there was a reason that the persians were always envied by the greeks, and there was a reason that the greeks call the persian emperors lord of asia!

History at its best.......2007-03-25

History books should be interesting and supported by facts. Peter Green's Greco-Persian Wars scores well on both counts. He combines the historical fact with a narrative that maintains the reader's interest.

Excellent historical book.......2007-03-21

The book writes like a story. It is beautifully written and well researched. Anyone who is wanting to know the clash of the Greeks and the Persians, the battle of Marathon, the Hot Gates (a.k.a., the famous battle for the West) and the aftermath that leads to rising power of the great Greek empire, this is a must book. Mr. Green truly knows his Greek history and is not shy in making the narrative alive and reader friendly. Five stars all the way!

Par excellence........2007-01-26

This is quite simply THE book to read to thoroughly understand the conflict between Classical Greece and Imperial Persia. It rivals Kagan's "The Peloponnesian War" in depth and detail. And while not quite the break neck read of Holland's "Persian Fire" it compensates with an eminently readable style and makes Cartledges's "Thermopylae" look anemic and cadaverous even given the significantly more limited scope of the latter's work.

Green does an exceptional job of comparing and contrasting the ancient sources of information on the period, Herodotus, Plutarch, Aeschylus etc. and weaves them together with the modern scholarship of Burn and Pritchett etc. while injecting his own theories to provide a narrative that brings both the players and their times vividly to life.

Green takes Herodotus to task for bias and obvious propagandistic nonsense early and often and with common sense and logic corrects many of the more egregious errors of the primary sources, in particular the size of Xerxes army, specifically the probable confusion between chiliarchs (commander of 1,000 men) and myriarchs (commander of 10,000 men). Using Munro and Maurice among others he corrects the likely decimal error in Herodotus's calculation of the size of Xerxes army. Reducing it from a phantasmagorical 1.7 million men to more credible 170,000 infantry with another 40,000 cavalry, quisling Greeks and miscellaneous others.

Add in no small amount of irreverent levity and you have the perfect tract on what Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) refers to as a "hinge" of history.

In two words, BUY IT!

Excellent and Epic.......2006-12-14

I recently bought a copy of Prof. Green's book The Greco-Persian wars and I could not put it down. The book is amazing and well-worth every penny I spent on it. Just the account of Thermopylae had me on the edge of my seat and filled with excitment and pride in what these barve 300 Spartans and their allies did for Greece and western civilization. Green's love-affair with Heroditus is quite evident and was a great use to him in this book. I loved Green's Alexander to Actium and I greatly love the Greco-Persian Wars. Buy this book and you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this book

Amazon.com

Genetically modified food is in the news and on our plates. And while consumers may not have known they were being used as lab rats, America's uncontrolled experiment with such "inventions" as StarLink corn, with its built-in insecticide, is already well under way. In Eating in the Dark, environmental journalist Kathleen Hart examines the battles being fought in boardrooms, grocery stores, and government agencies over the creation, distribution, and regulation of genetically engineered organisms. The truth is quite disturbing. Companies like Monsanto began releasing modified seeds to farmers in the 1990s, but consumers weren't informed. From baby formula made from engineered soybeans to taco shells that cause dangerous allergy attacks, the stories here are well-researched and frightening. Hart accuses the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of aiding and abetting what she calls a public health "nightmare," and she calls for both intense research and strong legislation as a way of getting the experiment under control. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Most Americans eat genetically modified food on a daily basis, but few of us are aware we’re eating something that has been altered. Meanwhile, consumers abroad refuse to buy our engineered crops; their groceries are labeled so that everyone knows if the contents have been modified. What’s going on here? Why does the U.S. government treat engineered foods so differently from the rest of the world?

Eating in the Dark tells the story of how these new foods quietly entered America’s food supply. Kathleen Hart explores biotechnology’s real potential to enhance nutrition and cut farmers’ expenses. She also reveals the process by which American government agencies decided not to label genetically modified food, and not to require biotech companies to perform even basic safety tests on their products. Combining a balanced perspective with a sense of urgency, Eating in the Dark is a captivating and important story account of the science and politics propelling the genetic alteration of our food.

Customer Reviews:

Do you know what you're eating?.......2007-03-15

I read Seeds of Deception prior to reading this book and subsequently found Ms. Hart's work to mostly review of what I already knew. Some of her interviews brought new faces and personalities to the stories of protestors and farmers embroiled in the conflict.

It amazes me that with all the evidence and scientific uncertainty surrounding GMO's, America still does not have labeling laws! Pass this title and others like it along to your friends and family. Know what you're eating!

Eating In The Dark Review.......2005-05-02

Eating In The Dark, written by Kathleen Hart was an interesting book and gave me lots of information but it flowed really slowly. I'm scared to eat a lot of foods after reading this book. Most Americans eat genetically modified food on a daily basis, but few of us are aware we're eating something that has been altered. Meanwhile, many consumers refuse to buy our engineered crops and their groceries are labeled so that everyone knows if the contents have been modified. Eating in the Dark tells the story of how these new foods quietly entered America's food supply. Kathleen Hart explores biotechnology's real potential to enhance nutrition and cut farmers' expenses. She also reveals the process by which American government agencies decided not to label genetically modified food, and not to require biotech companies to perform even basic safety tests on their products. Eating in the Dark is a captivating and important story of the science and politics propelling the genetic alteration of our food. Kathleen Hart has talked to farmers and scientist to gain the information in which she wrote about. Her style in this book is very professional and tells the truth and doesn't leave your mind wondering about our food supply. Kathleen Hart obviously had a major interest in the genetically engineered food industry to write this book and you ca tell this by the voice that was presented in this book. I recommend anyone who has some questions about genetically engineered foods to read this.

Be very, very afraid.......2003-09-26

Kathleen Hart's "Eating in the Dark" documents how genetically engineered (GE) foods have been widely introduced without the American public's knowledge or consent. As such, the book is a sobering story of deeply-entrenched corporate interests and the trampling of consumer rights.

Ms. Hart is an experienced journalist who has done an excellent job documenting the activities of the biotech industry and its opponents. The author shows that much of the so-called debate that has played out in the media has been mostly pro-industry propaganda and public relations, with most Americans remaining blissfully unaware of the risks they may be taking by eating GE food products. This contrasts sharply with Europe, Japan and elsewhere, where the public has prevailed upon their representatives to enact labeling laws and keep most biotech food out of their countries.

Ms. Hart discusses scientific studies that are critical of GE products to make the case that more study is needed before approval is granted. The protestations from the biotech industry that these studies represent "junk science" are beside the point. It is not unreasonable to demand that radical food products -- such as potatoes and corn that produce their own pesticides -- are thoroughly tested before being released into the environment; this would seem especially true when one considers that there is absolutely no nutritional benefit for the consumers who ingest these products. But of course a strict regime of testing does not serve the interests of capital, which must recoup its investment and earn profits as quickly as possible. Hence the pressure on U.S. government agencies filled with powerful ex-industry executives to hastily approve these dubious products for sale.

Ms. Hart provides abundant evidence that consumers and environmentalists should be very, very afraid of the captains of biotech and their products; their penchant for mischief could hardly be imagined by the most talented writers of fiction. For example, Monsanto's aborted "terminator" seed project threatened to introduce crops that would produce sterile seeds in a corporate scheme that would have made the world almost totally dependent on its products for the maintenance of the food supply. Another example is "bio-pharming", which is the insane idea of using food crops to grow pharmaceutical products in an open-air environment. Unfortunately, bio-pharming could result in cross-pollination with native plants and might ultimately ruin staples that humanity has depended on for thousands of years. Ms. Hart makes it clear that such risks are totally unnecessary and deserves much greater attention from the public if we are to avert disaster in the future.

On the positive side, the book helps us understand that the new science of genomics might render GE techniques obsolete, providing researchers with tools that merely enhance age-old plant breeding practices and deliver on the promise of more healthy and nutritious foods. Let's hope that this is the case. But in the meantime, the evidence presented in this book suggests that GE products should be labeled and the industry regulated much more closely than it is today, if not banned outright.

I strongly encourage everyone to read this book.

An inadvertent apology for organic foods.......2003-09-07

The current conflict between the advocates of non-GM and GM foods shows no sign of abatement. The arguments on both sides of the debate can reach levels of vituperation that are reminiscent of those that took place between the advocates of AC and those of DC power early in the twentieth century. The author of this book, by attending hundreds of meetings and conducting many interviews spanning a four-year period from 1997 to 2001, has given the reader a fairly good historical account of the GM debate. She is clearly not an advocate of the marketing of GM foods (at least without labeling them as such), and this gets in the way of presenting a book that is "fair and balanced" from a scientific point of view. Readers should not expect any kind of detailed scientific argumentation in this book, but they will gain some insight into the contentious political issues that have arisen in biotechnology. Those readers, like myself, who advocate the practice of genetic engineering will perhaps, after the reading the book, become somewhat concerned about the lack of zeal among the executives of the major biotechnology companies in backing up their products. This lack of enthusiasm should be replaced by unashamed pride in their accomplishments, and they should stand behind their products, instead of cowering to groups who lack scientific credentials in biology and chemistry. It is readily apparent, when reading the book, that it is the organic food industry that stands the most to lose if GM foods are accepted by consumers. It is thus not surprising to learn that their objections are detailed throughout the book.

The reference to consumers as being "force-fed", as chapter one is titled, already serves to bias the discussion against GM foods. The omission of information or labels does not by itself force people to purchase any food products, organic or otherwise. If consumers suspect that any of the foods they purchase are contaminated in any way, they are free not to purchase them. In addition, the dialog in this book, as in many others (both for and against GM foods), is targeted toward an abstraction called the "public". The members of the "public" never seem to be characterized explicity, but instead the "public" is used to justify social and political policy that must be put into place to protect the "public".

The author quotes individuals in the book who consider the genetic engineering of foodstuffs as "unstable" or "unpredictable". These terms are not defined explicitly, but instead examples are given, such as petunia coloration and growth hormones in farm animals. None of these examples though serve to illustrate what unstable or unpredictable means in the context of genetic engineering, which makes heavy use of statistical analysis and probability theory. Clarity of formulation is essential in any debate, but even more so in the context of genetic engineering, due to its enormous societal impact.

The author seems to express surprise that government agencies, such as the FDA and the USDA, are supportive of biotechnology, and not being aggressive enough in insuring that GM foodstuffs are safe. But inactivity on the part of government agencies is not a sign that they are "in bed" with the biotech industry. It might merely mean that their competence lags behind the science. Bureaucracies, with their characteristic inertia, are fine examples of Newton's first law.

The chapter on "lethal" corn pollen was not convincing, and I was hoping that the author would have given more insight on the controversy that arose regarding monarch butterflies and their reaction to Bt corn. Although the author gives good details on what was said in the monarch problem, she still leaves open the question as to whether or not monarchs indeed react adversely to Bt pollen. The study the author quoted, by the entomologist John Losey, is still incomplete in this regard. A rigorous risk assessment study is in order here, supported by painstaking experimental research. Modeling efforts could also assist in clearing up issues that cannot be studied in the field or laboratory.

There are many other books that have appeared in the last few years that take the anti-biotech stance that the author of this book does, and no doubt many more will appear in the future. There have not been many books however that serve as apologies for genetic engineering. This asymmetry in representation of the issues in GM foods needs to be rectified, but it must be done with calm, rational discussion, and supported by careful scientific experimentation. It does not serve the biotech industry at all to dismiss books like this and other studies as being "junk science". The optimal approach is for biotech CEOs, scientists, and spokespeople to be completely honest in their assessements of their products, supporting vigorously the good ones, and withdrawing completely those that are not. A passive attitude among the supporters of genetic engineering might encourage the dismissal of products that could be of enormous importance to the world's populations.

A stunner that will have you eyeing groceries in a new way.........2002-12-21

This book is an excellent introduction to anyone looking to learn more about genetically modifyed food. I asked my husband what he thought of genetically modifyed food, he answered that "It's good isn't it? Aren't they developing food with more vitamins that will grow with fewer pesticiedes?" This would have been my answer had I not read this book. According to the author, and this reviewer, the American public doesn't realize that they're eating genetically modyfied food NOW. It's in your "Betty Croker" mix and in a bag of potatoes, it's in your polenta corn meal mix and milk. This author carefully chronicles how the EPA, FDA and USDA have failed to inform the public of this change in our food chain and worse -- the have utterly and completely failed to ensure that it's safe to both eat and grow despite public opinion to the contrary. While other industirlized nations (European Union, Japan, etc.) have instituted lableing the US has not. The documented disregard for the public's safety will have you wondering who's money is in who's pocket and exposes the biggest loophole in federal regulation.

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