Land

Directed by David Flatman, written by Flatman, Meg Morrison, and poet Les Murray, it is narrated by Alex Scott, and has a lovely score by David Bridie. Made for IMAX in 2002, every aspect of "IMAX - Australia, Land before Time" is excellent, is a must for anyone interested in this great country, and those of us who like to explore foreign lands without leaving home.

Although the folk-tinged ballet scores that made Copland the quintessential American composer of the early 1940's are outside the scope of this selection, he worked along similar lines well into the 50's. ''The Tender Land,'' his 1956 opera about a girl's coming of age on a Midwest farm, is the culmination of this style, offering both the orchestral warmth and evocativeness of ''Appalachian Spring'' and the homey vocal writing of ''Old American Songs.'' Its attractions include a gorgeous quintet (''The promise of living''), an infectious barn dance (''Stomp your foot'') and a touching finale. The Brunelle recording, with Elisabeth Comeaux as Laurie and Dan Dressen as Martin, does the score full justice.

Although the folk-tinged ballet scores that made Copland the quintessential American composer of the early 1940's are outside the scope of this selection, he worked along similar lines well into the 50's. ''The Tender Land,'' his 1956 opera about a girl's coming of age on a Midwest farm, is the culmination of this style, offering both the orchestral warmth and evocativeness of ''Appalachian Spring'' and the homey vocal writing of ''Old American Songs.'' Its attractions include a gorgeous quintet (''The promise of living''), an infectious barn dance (''Stomp your foot'') and a touching finale. The Brunelle recording, with Elisabeth Comeaux as Laurie and Dan Dressen as Martin, does the score full justice. Allan Kozinn

The classic tale of 'Peter Pan' continues in Disney's sequel 'Return to Never Land'. In 1940 on a world besieged by World War II, Wendy, now grown up, has two children, one of them is her daughter, Jane. She wears her trench coat during the air raid, and later that night, Wendy tries to give her own children hope by telling them of her magical experiences with Peter Pan in Never Land. However, Jane, Wendy's daughter, sees it all as make believe and refuses to believe in the tales. That is, until the villainous Captain Hook mistakes her for Wendy and abducts her to Never Land in an attempt to lure and capture Peter Pan. Peter Pan's quest to return Jane safely home is jeopardized until she can begin to believe in the magic of imagination.

As the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity, the Holy Land (the area in and around modern-day Israel) is one of the most important regions in the world. With a rich history stretching back over 3,000 years, this area is a sacred land for three major faiths and the setting for defining events in religious history, including…

Filling the need for a comprehensive book that covers both theory and application, Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover: Principles and Applications provides a synopsis of how remote sensing can be used for land-cover characterization, mapping, and monitoring from the local to the global scale.

During the past two decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in issues of land reform in developing and transitional countries. This has been initiated by the large-scale re-distributive activities in former communist countries and by the growing number of claims by displaced indigenous population groups to restore their rights to land.