Television Books

Yes, for any trekie fan, this is a must have item...though it makes one wish other star ships had blue prints as well.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation Blueprints are great, except for one thing: they don't show where the brig is. Other than that, they are great!!!

This book/set of blueprints is the most detailed I have ever seen... I spent hours and hours studying them, they were so detailed! They even show the location of the turbolift shafts, and the computer panels! The blueprints cover things not shown in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual... Like the ship's aquatic life tanks, which house dolphins and various other fish and sea animals, or the Main shuttlebay... which is so massive, it could house a football stadium.

I reccomend this book to any 'Trekky' who wants to know more about the Enterprise than they are told by the Television Series.

Developed by Rick Sternbach, senior illustrator at Paramount for the STAR TREK franchises, The USS ENTERPRISE BLUEPRINTS give STAR TREK fans a whole new way to explore this facinating universe. Inspired by Franz Joseph Designs STAR TREK BLUEPRINTS from 20 years ago, Sternbach and his illustration team have, for the first time, given the fan a way to explore the massive vessel from television's STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION deck by deck. Ever wonder exactly where LT Worf's quarters were? Want to know how to get from the Conference Lounge to Ten Forward? With these highly detailed blueprints, now you can find out. The plans consist of 13 sheets. Each sheet is lovingly drawn, and minutely detailed. But perhaps the crowning jewel in this package is the 16 page booklet accompanying the plans. The booklet, which contains a forward by Robert H. Justman, a producer of the original STAR TREK as well as THE NEXT GENERATION, is the record from a round table discussion featuring Sternbach and several other people who were key in the production of the television series. There are many facinating insights into how the series came to be, how the starship was designed, and several other topics sure to appeal to every STAR TREK fan. A sure fire collectable, the USS ENTERPRISE-D BLUEPRINTS are a must for the bookshelf of every STAR TREK fan.

I have to say that the Main Shuttle Bay is really an amazing slant; I never would have figured the entire middle of the saucer section was 'hollowed-out' like a space going Aircraft Carrier - amazing! Always wondered where those 'Runabouts' came from on the series . . . sure wish there was set of these Prints for the Enterprise-E.

This is a MUST set for anyone who's ever wondered what it would be like to walk the halls and decks of the Starship Enterprise.

The photographs and the written text of this book compliment each other
perfectly. This book is put together not just for the Bob Marley fan but
any style music fan and also for fans of photography.

AUTHOR WAS OBVIOUSLY A CLOSE FRIEND OF BOB'S!

MY ONLY SUGGESTION IS THAT THOS BOOK REALLY POTRAYS CLEARLY THE LIFE OF A LEGEND.

Pi up this book put the record on and get into this love and obscurity of "Slave Driver". Enjoy it.

One of the most surprising things you'd expect out of me, a 15 year old skate punk kid, is my collection of books. Big and small, short and long, all of my books are spanned on a shelf system that runs around my room. An those are just the good ones. The really good ones go in my night table drawer. This is one of them. Bob Marley is and was one of the most inflential people not only in my life, but in many others as well. This book not only shows that, it also shows the feels and vibes of Caribbean life during his time. It richly illustrates reggae in general, racial boundaries, and social problems of Marley's time. It is a vividly painted portrait of one of the greatest musicians of our time. With facts from his birth to his death and everything that happened to him in between, it helps you (the reader) to fully understand this great person. Bob Marley was truly influential, and this book illustrates that fact completely. You will read it over and over and over again.

A smart, well crafted book about the basics. A must for anyone at any level of their craft. Doesn't substitute for actually taking a class with Book; however, well worth the read!

I'm going to enter the author's studio first chance I get. Excellent, excellent book. Full curriculum for acting workshop. Hugely different from most classes. Big idea: dancers don't learn to dance by sitting and watching people do prepared dances. Actors should learn to act by acting. Improv games, not comedy improv, more like, emotion shift is a game, convey the subtext is a game. Play by conveying twenty different subtexts, learn the skill of conveying subtext by playing the game, then when you have to do it as part of actual work, you've got the skill ready. This book is innovative, original, daring, disciplined, and brilliant.

Book On Acting: Improvisation Technique by acting coach, teacher, and directory Stephen Book (long-time faculty member of The Juilliard School and the University of Southern California) is a "user friendly" handbook written especially anyone who serious aspires to becoming professional actors in film, theater, and television. Offering ways to improve one's performance with both scripted and memorized lines, and covering everything from using improvisation to liven one's monologues or improving one's chances at an audition in better displaying conflict, agreement, etc. on camera, Book On Acting: Improvisation Technique is an excellent and confidently recommended single volume instructional resource.

Stephen Book's "Book On Acting" is a great achievement! With a clarity and thoroughness rarely found in books of this sort, this author/acting-coach lays out every how, why, what & where needed to learn this brilliant technique. Book explains how to learn the tools of improv and then take them to a new level by using them for the WRITTEN word. The technique gets an actor out of their head & into their body, increases their "stage" presence and allows them to deliver a fresh performance every time the camera rolls or the curtain rises. Whether you're an actor who wants to learn this technique or a coach who wants to teach it - this book will fulfill all of your needs. I can't recommend it enough!

I'm an actor and I've studied and practiced the "Improvisation Technique" outlined in this book and I can't recommend it more. Stephen Book has created a way for performers to create a workshop for themselves without the need for a "teacher" (or tuition!). The costs of acting classes can be very prohibitive; but now, with this book, a group of actors can commit to doing the curriculum at little or no cost and learn a very effective and reliable new technique.

Book's "Improvisation Technique" is different than other "traditional" methods:
1) It's a doable and reliable methodology that can be used solely or in conjunction with other techniques.
2) The learning is layered; it's a step-by-step, logical process. In every class, something new is added to what was previously learned.
3) Participants learn "acting focuses" independent of scripted work. Once an "acting focus" is learned and mastered, the participants then learn how to apply it to scripted work.

4) The "teaching" is never personal or critical so those learning are never put in a place of being judged.
5) The learning is experiential - participants learn by doing, not watching or analyzing. Every class, every participant works on their feet.

I graduated from one of the top theatre schools in the country. When I graduated and moved to Los Angeles, I took an ongoing class in Uta Hagen's approach as well as participated in a several general scene study classes. I had a mixed bag of different ways of working, but I didn't have firm grasp of a single reliable approach. Then, I was introduced to "Improvisation Technique."

Compared to other acting training I've had, I'd say the biggest difference is that my other training was mostly an exercise in being directed (which does have some limited value), while "Improvisation Technique" is much more about self-sufficiency.

And actors absolutely must be 100% self-sufficient in the professional world. On the sets of television and film production, there is often only time for a blocking rehearsal, and the director is often more concerned with the shot than the performance. My theater and scene study training did not prepare me for this reality.

I never had a reliable way to quickly and efficiently break down a script and make choices. Now I do.

I used to read scripts from "my character's" point of view and make choices based on "How would I respond if I were this person under these circumstances?" Now I read scripts from the writer's point of view and make choices based on facilitating the writer's vision of what is being dramatized, and my callback/booking rates have increased dramatically.

Used to be, intellectually, I had an idea of what my character wanted and what I wanted the performance to be, but I had no way of getting that into my body in any sort of consistent/reliable fashion. Now I do.

My acting used to be very reactive, very "in the moment." And if I was reading/acting opposite someone who wasn't very good, I wasn't very good either. I relied on external forces to create my performance. Now I can create spontaneous performances, nailing all the beats, whether I'm acting opposite a tired casting director or an award-winning actor.

Reaching high levels of certain emotions used to be very intimidating for me. But Book's technique allowed me to relax, do A, B, and C, and presto! they came easy and simply. Now I approach an emotionally charged scene with confidence.

And it's all because of this technique.

WARNING! This book is not meant to be read and considered. It's meant to be put on its feet! And Book takes participants through the curriculum one step at a time.

Book takes the fundamental improvisation principles of Viola Spolin ("Improvisation for the Theater") and extends them into dealing with scripted and memorized material.

The exercises in this book are presented in logical sequence. Each exercise picks up where the last one ended; so, I guess you could say that each exercise gets progressively harder. But, because they are learned one at a time, in sequence, participants only notice the current one they are learning as being difficult.

It's kind of like juggling. You first learn to keep one ball in the air. Then two. Then three. Then four. Then four with fire, etc. When you were learning how to keep two balls in the air, THAT was the hardest exercise. But when you move on to juggling three balls, two has suddenly become ridiculously simple.

The beauty of this kind of learning is that the goals are constantly being pushed higher, just out of reach. Participants are constantly engaged because there is always another challenge and it's only in retrospect that they realize how much they've learned.

All you need is some empty space, some dedicated friends, and this book, and you'll have everything you need to learn a new acting method that will get you out of your head and into a spontaneous improvisational state while you say your lines on cue.

Will it make a difference in your professional career? It has in mine.

The Brothers is a coherent and compelling series of autobiographical narratives, alternating among Art, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril. These perspectives are a valuable record of collective memory, as well as moving individual journeys. American culture from the late 1930s to the close of century informs and drives these voices: here is camaraderie and racism, love and alienation, spirituality and hedonism, cruelty and tenderness, peace and rage, cocky determination and chilling fear, triumph and despair--all related with a palpable frankness. Those of us born in the 30s and 40s will find parts of ourselves here; those born later will see how true it is that "past is present." Lovers of jazz, blues, early rock'roll, funk and r&b, and New Orleans rhythms will revel in the stories of contacts with the "greats." The street language may put off some readers. With all respect to those readers, I suggest their tolerance. It is no small thing that those who struggle with personal demons may find a light to their paths between the covers of this book. Over 300 pages, family photos, discographies, and an index.

This autobiography is actually a quartet of autobiographies as the essence of each of the four Neville brothers come alive in this book. The non-fiction focuses on the individual personalities, their personal take on music including their solo careers and group performances and recordings. It also Includes their evaluation of the last four decades of music especially in New Orleans and their personal trials and tribulations.

All this marks this non-fiction, as several cuts above the typical wave of rock and roll biographies that seem like perfect flavors of the month. Instead this tome provides a "Tell It Like It Is" feel that fans of the New Orleans sound will enjoy. Anyone who reads THE BROTHERS NEVILLE will seek other works by master music biographer David Ritz (see his works on Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin, etc.) as this reviewer plans to do.

Harriet Klausner

The Brothers is a extraordinary look at how music and culture nurture us and redeem us. The power of this book lies in the unashamed honesty of the Neville Brothers and the wisdom and confidence of the author to allow the brothers to tell their own story. Unencumbered by analysis or author's comments, the brothers simply present their stories while the author ties the threads together to show how the Neville brothers as individuals worked through their personal problems and came together as a family and a musical group. There is no other book that means more to me than The Brothers. Their story has helped me to make sense of my own journey as an American journalist and music critic living and working on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies.

David Ritz has helped many rhythm and blues musicians write their autobiographies, including Ray Charles, B. B. King, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin. The characteristics that these books share is the sense that the subject is writing directly to you as you read, and that the bad times as well as the good times are revealed. If you are a fan of the musician, you feel like you have a better understanding of them once you've read the book Ritz helped them write.

The Neville Brothers' story must have been complicated to organize because there are 4 Neville Brothers, Art, Charles, Aaron and Cyrille. They tell their stories simultaneously, a paragraph or two by one brother and then a paragraph or two by another and so on. The story they tell is fascinating and often horrific! Violence, drug abuse, crazy characters, prison terms and danger fill virtually every page. These are fascinating lives to read about, but I wouldn't want to live them! Aaron and Charles seem to be the most forthcoming and the most sympathetic of the brothers. If you love Neville Brothers' music, you'll want to own this book!

THe Neville Brothers are a very solid unit.Great talents.this book takes them not only as a Group but also as People with feelings&outlooks.David Ritz does a Great job of doing books.always Interesting reads.this is a very complete book.long overdue on these greats.but better late than never.

There are no limitations , save those that we create for ourselves... Bruce Lee

This is a great book if you are looking for a compilation of rare photos and facts.. Unlike most books out there that beat around the bush , This book showcases the man as he wanted to project himself to the world .The perspectives are variable throughout the book , giving the reader a vast panoramic view of the life and times of the much hyped martial arts superstar..

Frankly, if you're looking for a detailed description of his persona , you will find exactly that and more.. Full of great photos that give a realistic insight on the master , this book is a good buy if you are interested in the glam..

If you are a martial artist however , I would strongly suggest that you do not buy this book . There are various other books that will serve your purpose, books like 'The Tao of JKD'.

This book is a great addition to my collection of Bruce Lee books of pictures, filmography, philosopy and techniques. It has one of the best picture collections of all the books I've seen. The content isn't bad either. Talking about the life of the Little Dragon and some of the deep thoughts he had in his short life in this world. My fan-ography of the Jeet Kune Do Sifu is just starting, even if I have been a follower for years. This book is not a dissapointment. It will be a great addition to any collection.

What an intimate look at the man behind the image! The book is highly visual--the text is very limited--but the photos are like none that I've ever seen in other books on Lee. I'm talking about the baby pictures of Bruce and Brandon, photos of Lee from behind the scenes in his movies (a kind of spooky one of him and Sharon Tate from what must have been just before she was killed), and pictures of he and his wife just sitting on the couch at home. It makes you realize that there's a man and father behind the superhero that appears in his films. I loved it.

Bruce Lee was his own man.he had so much style&smoothness about him.this book highlights his world in front of the public&behind it.very detailed&very upfront.you get a very insightful look into his world&vision.a man who forever changed the world with his talent&craft.a man who was trying to make sense of his surroudings&the things that were in placed around him.He will never be forgotten.

Many of the documentaries and biographies out there about Bruce Lee were unauthorized and created by shysters trying to cash in on his sudden death. This book, based on the recent video documentary "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words" is not only superior because it really is based on the master's own words, but the book and video are also endorsed by Bruce's widow and daughter. Here we get plenty of great photographs from Bruce's films, training, and family life. Meanwhile, Bruce's thoughts on acting, family, and his martial arts style (or, according to him, its dismissal of style) are true revelations for any fan of Bruce's classic movies. His thoughts on being a serious actor, rather than a martial arts "superstar," are quite a surprise; while his personal philosophy and attitudes toward martial arts mastery are both fascinatingly Eastern but surprisingly down-to-Earth and accessible for Western enthusiasts. So instead of fighting your way through all the frauds and fakes out there, get it from the master himself. [~doomsdayer520~]

I'm glad they keep making the calendars despite the show not being on anymore. Keep it up!

I love getting the calander every year, because although life goes on after Buffy, this is one way to enjoy the memories again and again!

For the past few years I bought this calendar.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer was my favorite tv-show.
The pictures always are great.

Greetings,
ilja

I love this! i couldn't be happier than having tara (Amber Benson) gracing august (my birthday), fianlly i get what i want!

I love the 2008 Buffy Calendar! All of the pictures are very good. My favorite part is that Cordelia finally has a month of her own! I feel she's not recognized as much as she should be. I guess most people associate her with Angel, but thats no reason for her to be absent from so many Buffy products.

It's deffinetly worth buying.

Although BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER had been a first rate show from its inception, it was during the shows based upon the scripts that it started moving towards something approaching genuine greatness. Before these shows, it had been a superb series, but after these it became something considerably more. The most unbelievable thing is that as great as these six episodes (well, five of them anyway) are, the ones following were even greater, so great as to place Buffy among the greatest shows in the history of the genre, and arguably the greatest. The two episodes following these six would be ?Surprise? and ?Innocence,? and from that moment on Buffy would exist on an artistic level unmatched on television.

?Lie to Me? was written by Joss Whedon, and as fine as many previous shows had been, it is one of the first truly great moments in the series. Billy Fordham, played by Jason Behr (who would shortly after this achieve television stardom playing an alien in ROSEWELL), an ex-boyfriend of Buffy?s from L.A., shows up unexpectedly in Sunnydale. Eventually we learn that he is, in fact, dying, and has cut a deal with Spike and his crew to turn the Slayer over to them in exchange for being made a vampire. The episode has many funny moments (such as when Angel, Xander, and Willow go to a faux vampire club, and Angel remarks that none of them know anything about vampires, including how they dress, when a wannabe walks by dressed exactly like Angel), but even more poignant moments, like when Ford explains to Buffy his reasons for betraying her.

?The Dark Age? was written by Dean Batali and Rob DesHotel, who co-wrote a number a number of episodes of Buffy during the first two seasons. This is the best script they produced. Ethan Rayne, to whom we were introduced in ?Halloween,? makes his second appearance in the series. By far the most interesting aspect of the show is the way that we manage to learn more about Giles background, all the way to learning that his former mates had called him ?Ripper.? I enjoyed the few episodes that featured Ethan Rayne, and was always perplexed that he appeared in only four shows??Halloween? and this episode in Season Two, ?Band Candy? in Season Three, and ?A New Man? in Season Four. There was talk on a couple of occasions of Anthony Stewart Head doing a show set in England based on ?Ripper,? and if he had, I?m sure Robin Sachs would have been his ?Lex Luthor.?

?What?s My Line?? is a phenomenal two parter, and is notable not merely for introducing Kendra, the second slayer, but for the writing debut of the great Marti Noxon, who would become one of the greatest writers in the run of the show as well as co-executive producer, eventually running things when Joss Whedon ceased the day-to-day overseeing of the show. She co-wrote the first half with Howard Gordon, and then wrote the second by herself. One of the major themes of Buffy during the first two seasons was her hesitancy to embrace her calling as slayer. Although she wouldn?t fully accept the role until the first show of the third season (?Anne?), these two episodes stress her reluctance to be the Slayer more than any other shows prior to them (and even after ?Anne,? although she has accepted who she is, she struggles against her fate). These are exceptionally well-written shows, and one can engage in endless discussion the Kendra/Buffy relationship. Kendra, unlike Buffy, has completely accepted her fate, and while Buffy can never be like Kendra, she does learn from her to accept her calling.

?Ted? (written by David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon) is not as strong on paper as it ended up being onscreen. Although it is a first rate script, John Ritter absolutely nailed the part of the psychotic robot Ted, and turned in one of the most memorable guest appearances in the entire history of the show. This is the episode that contains Giles famous quote about subtext rapidly becoming text. No other show in the history of TV has ever contained lines as clever as that one.

?Bad Eggs? was Marti Noxon?s third contribution to the show, and unfortunately perhaps the weakest script she ever did. One of the most amazing thing about the Second Season is that while the strong episodes established it as one of the great shows in the history of television, it nonetheless had a surprising number of pretty rotten episodes. Also, some of the strongest shows are preceded by the weakest. Just as ?Becoming? would later be preceded by ?Go Fish,? so ?Surprise? is preceded by ?Bad Eggs.? This might be an accident, but I doubt it. I suspect they realized it was a weak script, and wrapped the season-long story arcs around it. After this season, each season had considerably fewer weak episodes.

These six scripts show Buffy, which was already a very good show, in the process of becoming a great one. The scripts that immediately follow the ones in this collection are arguably as strong a group of scripts as any show in the history of television.

This was the first scriptbook I bought and I was really excited to read it. Some of the dialouge was wrong but most of it was correct. The episodes were spectacular and immediatly I got my freinds togethar and we acted it out.

Its been about 3 months and my script book is starting to curl at the ends. :( But thats alright because its still in good condition .... I dont know why I'm telling you this ...

If you love to act this is for you!! This is ALL SCRIPT!! Unlike, Once More With Feeling -- this is a bit of a better buy. :)

This was the first Buffy script book I ever bought and I thought it was pretty good. I could now act it out with my friends (I was always Buffy he he ) and stuff. The only problem was that it was the original script and some of the dialouge wasn't right. (as you will see with all the other Buffy scripts) but I think its totally worth your money!! Its brilliant! Awesome! Amazing! You'll capture Buffy, Drusilla, Spike, Angel, Kendra, Willow, Xander and GILES' humor, peronsality and everything that makes Buffy great!! BUY IT BEFORE THE RUN OUT!! ITS THE BEST!!!

This book is great for fans who haven't seen the first six episodes of the second season. It gives the lines and stage directions to them so you feel like you've seen the actual episode. It even includes scenes which may have been removed from the original episode.

This book chronicles the first arrival of Spike, whom is now an important character. It also has "Halloween" which includes some funny stage directions from Joss Whedon.

If you haven't seen the beginning of the second season of Buffy or if you want in-depth information on the episodes' scripts, you should definately buy this book.

I happen to like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and I love reading through the scripts when I'm bored with watching the same episodes over and over. Its just nice to be able to read.

One of the most thought provoking books of our time. This book will awake the curiosity, not just about Cambodia, but the way we should live in this world. And, especially, how everything is connected, especially media to the way we live.

What happened in Cambodia, unfortunately, did not matter as much as it should have at the time. And this is the crux of what this book is about, for it mattered then, and it matters now, and will always matter. Books like this remind us.

I read this book when it first came out and have revisited it several times since. Each time, there is a special resonance between the ideas in the book and the events of the times in which I read it. This is an important, passionate book that is that rarest of rare finds: surgically precise intellectually without being pretentious or opaque.

The parallel construction of the two stories, the Cambodian genocide and the assault on communication and community by our homogenizing consumer culture and thought-deadening media is audacious and brilliant.

This book is a disturbing, inspiring and challenging. For those who would like to follow the workings of an eclectic passionate intellect grappling with the deepest roots of the disease eating away modern North American culture, this is the book for you.

Way ahead of his time and tuned into visions of the future that were intimated by the state of the world in the 1980's, Fawcett's vision anticipates the rise of George W. Bush, with his renditions, his suspension of habeus corpus, Guantanamo and the primary role of his maintream media to erase history in service of the fantasies of those who would seek to dehumanize all who deviate from the True Path.

Brian Fawcett warned us about it twenty years ago. This book is perhaps more relevant now than when it was written.

I am an avid reader of books about Cambodia. This book, altough not a direct work on Cambodia, made me realize the inter-connectedness of our post-modern world. I had never hear of Brian Fawcett before buying this book. He rekindled my rebellious spirit against where-ever it is that we are headed! His insightfulness about the inter-connectedness of our modern times is witty and disheartening. I would recommend this book to all global thinkers.

Do you have a sense that national governments are just one level above the slave populations they are trying to delude. That there is a hierarchy to all pervasive control. Fawcett writes one of the most important books of our time as we enter into the next phase of on-line/media dominated mania. As humanity, freedom and sanity gradual slip away Fawcett chart the course of our demise.

If you're ever haunted by the countless examples of mans inhumanity to man, please read this book. It explores a writers struggles to become an artist in a worldful of atrocities. Fawcett explores the creative process, the global village, the mass man and Cambodia. He convincingly links the global village to Cambodia: the kamer Rough killed anyone with knowledge of the 20th century world just as the computer chip, albeit more subtley, erradicates the need for memory and ultimately for any kind of genuine human contact....well, anyways that's how I interpret Fawcetts message. His brilliant essay on Cambodia runs through the bottom half of the book, as subtext. I would recomend you read the essay first and then read the short stories which are on the top. This is such an important book it should be required reading at the universities...or at least be stocked in every library. Written in 1985,86, it's short term fate may be oblivion but in the long run it'll find an audience. Lastly, when Orwell wrote of a totalitarian regime in his book 1984 he made it appear too bleak...fawcett shows how that regime can exist at Disney World withn a happy face on it. Once more this book gets my highest praise.

Everyone who I have mentioned the title of this useful book to has immediately come up with "NO WE CAN'T" And usually they say they prefer, not CNN but AlJezeera. What can I say? I checked it out and they are probably right. There's more balance there.

So, the guy who wrote this book worked in the BEEP for a thousand years and he noticed that if you wanted to get on you had to tow the party line. The party line line being PC-ism and multiculturalism. Both of which are well discredited but still inform the status quo in academia and the political establishment in the liberal democracies. This is tyrany under which we all suffer, whether we realise it or not. It's dreadful, everyone is expected to have the same opinions. What is that? When I grew up in post war Britain it was all about thinking for yourself. WE were encouraged to think for ourselves. Now, if you dare do so, you won't pass your exams. It only goes to show that a higher education can be very damaging and will leave most victims of it with useless life skills and a diminished common sense. And common sense is indeed what forms the basis of life stills. Right?

So definitely a very useful book for people who want to question the given patitude that the BBC is neutral. Anyone who still entertains such a ridiculous notion should be seriously worried about their chances of making it in life.

Aitken tells the following story. After a bombing incident in which Prime Minister Thatcher was nearly killed by the IRA he heard this not untypical comment in the BBC newsroom, "Pity they missed the bitch". One remark does not of course make for a picture of a whole newsroom, but Aitken provides plenty of evidence here that the BEEB is indeed less than patriotic, very biased to the Left in promoting its own agenda. For instance its enthusiastic stance for Great Britain joining the European Union, or its very soft non Cold War-ish attitude towards the former Soviet Union prevented it from treating fairly opponents of its views.
As one who has listened to the BBC for years on the Middle East I can attest to its almost total lack of balance and objectivity in relating to the Israeli- Arab conflict. Time and again there are interviews in which the spokesmen for the Arab position would blame everything on Israel, and the spokesman supposedly for Israel would be chosen from the extreme left wing of the Israeli political spectrum and so also blame Israel. The fundamental idea was always that the poor Palestinian Arabs were innocent victims and the Israelis cruel oppressors.
This is what Aitken has to say on this issue.
""My view is that the Palestinians and the Palestinian leadership is the architect of its own misfortune in many ways. Whereas, what comes across from the BBC's presentation of events in Palestine and the Middle East generally, is that in some ways, the Palestinians are a put-upon victim minority, and it's the beastly Israelis who are doing the dirty to them.
"And you know, that is not a fair presentation of the position. Because the Israelis are militarily strong and successful, and the Palestinians aren't, I think the BBC allows that too much to play at its judgment, so that what comes across is too much sympathy, if you will, for the Palestinians, too little appreciation of the rights of Israel, and also too little recognition of the fact that Israel is a functioning democracy in a way that Palestine isn't, and nor is any Arab-dominated Middle Eastern state, and not enough credit is given for that in my view."
But Aitken does not confine himself to the Middle East. He writes about the anti- American of the BBC especially in regard to the current Bush Administration. He discusses the British undermining of the current US-British effort in Iraq.
Aitken contends that an institution which should be defending the values of the free world actually works to undermine them.
This book will certainly not make them happy in London's Bush House but for the many many listeners throughout the world who have been subject to this bias for many years it raises the slim hope that some reconsideration and correction might come in the future from this still major source of news to the world.

The Beeb's Bias

WSJ Online Journal

By ROBIN AITKEN
June 29, 2007

I experienced a sense of vindication recently when I read that the BBC was about to publish a document admitting a pervasive liberal-left bias in its output. As this was the theme of my recent book, "Can We Trust the BBC?," it seemed I would be able to indulge in a spectacular bout of I-told-you-so-ing. Alas, that brief, heady moment proved premature. For while the report is a careful piece of research, it pulls its punches when it comes to bias within its own News and Current Affairs department -- where it matters most. Richard Tait, chairman of the BBC's "Impartiality Steering Group," point-blank denied that there is any bias in its news output. The Beeb has never been distinguished by a culture of robust self-criticism.

I know this from experience: Toward the end of my 25 years as a BBC reporter I began writing a series of internal memos, first to senior news executives and finally to the BBC's Board of Governors, detailing an entrenched liberal-left bias that seriously undermined the BBC's claim to be an impartial news provider. Referring to well-documented incidents, I posed several questions: Why did we keep hiring established left-wing pundits, but never any journalists with right-wing credentials? Why did we use "right wing" as a yah-boo term to mean "anything we don't like"? Why did we never give U.S. actions the benefit of the doubt -- in contrast to our strenuous efforts to be "fair" to Britain's avowed enemies?

The reaction was a studied indifference from everyone up the command chain. In a way, the BBC's attitude makes sense. The most important asset for any news organization is credibility. It is the mortal fear of "brand contamination" which in the past persuaded BBC executives to keep a lid on any discussion of the organization's failure to live up to its obligations to fairness and impartiality.

And there has been wide-scale failure. On every issue of public policy and political controversy, the BBC's instincts are to side with the progressive, liberal wing of politics.
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The Beeb's reaction to my own book was telling: Not a single BBC outlet has seen fit to interview me, even though the accusations it contains are serious, detailed and sober. As a publicly funded body, the BBC has a duty to engage with its critics, especially on the vitally important issue of impartiality and overall fairness. Until it does so, it will not be prudent to trust the BBC.

Mr. Aitken's "Can We Trust the BBC?" was published by Continuum this year.

With its national TV and radio networks, regional and local stations, the BBC is massively influential in the UK and also worldwide through the BBC World Service, ten international TV networks plus international radio services in more than 40 languages as well as its Internet news site.

Robin Aitken, having spent 25 years at the organization, provides well-documented proof of its leftist bias, chronicles his struggle against this partisanship and puts forth suggestions for reform. Important elements of the BBC's world-view include unquestioning support for the European Union and the United Nations, guilt about Britain's imperial past, and an anti-capitalist, anti-religious (except when it comes to Islam), anti-American and anti-Israel stance.

The first chapter covers the broadcaster's history from its establishment to the radical change that took place in the late 1960s and subsequent developments, whilst in the second Aitken recounts his career history at the BBC. A significant change took place in 1987 when the ideological agenda took an even sharper turn to the left. The concerns he raised about ideological bias were contemptuously dismissed, he was falsely accused and even threatened.

Chapter four provides profiles of the broadcaster's senior management, almost all of whom have long-standing connections with leftwing media like The Guardian and with the Labour Party. The BBC's overwhelming support for the European Union is dissected in chapter five that reveals a record of purges and suppression of anti-EU opinion, including that of Eurosceptics in the Labour Party.

The "despised tribes" of the BBC are discussed next. They are Ulster Protestants, Conservative Christians and the Roman Catholic Church in particular, most Americans and all those that the organization considers to be "right-wing." There was also a strong bias in favour of the IRA while balanced debate on immigration, the Middle East, Islam and other uncomfortable issues are avoided. There is no doubt that the BBC is contributing to the alarming spread of antisemitism worldwide, as also documented in The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism by Bernard Harrison.

Like all leftists, those at the BBC believe that their moral values are superior and not to be questioned. Chapter eight provides detailed evidence of how far they will go to twist, lie and distort in order to mislead the public. More evidence from current and previous employees - in their own words and anonymously - is provided in the following chapter.

Aitken concludes that one cannot trust the BBC, especially not on issues relating to Israel, the Iraq war, the European Union, Ulster, the USA or Islam. See also The Other War by Stephanie Gutmann for an analysis of reporting from the Middle East. He provides proposals for change by suggesting for example the introduction of a wider spectrum of balanced views and the redirection of funds to other broadcast media.

The BBC is a national institution in the UK so complete abolition is not even considered. It is still hard to understand why opposition parties and civil society did not more vigorously oppose the use of taxpayers' money to subsidize a self-perpetuating class of ideologues promoting such one-sided views. More information on this matter is available in What's Left?: How Liberals Lost Their Way by Nick Cohen.

What a pity that broadcast deregulation wasn't thoroughly effected in the 1980s. It's the one important area where Margaret Thatcher did not succeed. If she had, the UK and a significant part of the global public would have been better informed and less brainwashed than they are today. I also recommend Scrap the BBC! by Richard D North, whilst Propaganda by Jacques Ellul remains a classic on how people's attitudes are shaped by the media.

I've seen public television and heard public radio on more than one continent. And there are some good and bad aspects to them. On one occasion, I was shocked to hear exit interviews on the radio with voters in a democracy. Although the race was close, the more than one dozen interviewees all were strongly for the same candidate! There was no attempt to show the other side at all! I realized at once that this was both bad and biased reporting. On top of that, the other candidate won!

Recently, I read a book called "The Voyage of the Matthew." It was produced by the BBC. And, of course, the book was recreated on public television. It all seemed pretty good to me, as the BBC often does fine work, although I have to wonder about anything it has a hand in.

According to Robert Aitken, the BBC has a strong political bias. One person Aitken mentions wrote that if it could submit a slate of candidates, their platform would be anti-racist, pro-abortion, pro-women's and gay rights, pro-UN and EU, pro-union and anti-big business, pro-high taxes, pro-government spending and intervention in industry, anti-private education, anti-private health care, pro-local democracy and local councils, pro-multiculturalism and ethnic minorities in general, pro-foreigner and foreign governments, especially if they are left-wing, anti-monarchist, anti-prison, and anti-American.

If this is true, it's not good. Yes, I am a liberal, and I have many of the same political positions. But the BBC is supposed to represent the taxpayers in Great Britain, and those taxpayers deserve coverage of their views. I'd say the same thing about any biased media. As a matter of fact, one only has to look at what the media were like in some Communist nations three decades ago to see how political bias can wreck credibility.

As near as I can tell, the BBC is a participant in a war against Israel. One person is quoted in this book as saying that at the BBC "that America is bad and Israel is evil are two of the assumptions that just can't be questioned."

Let's consider the ramifications of this. I'm an American, and I see plenty of very positive things about the United States: it is a great land of opportunity, it is reasonably prosperous, and relatively free. But what about Israel?

Israel is one of the great success stories of the past century. There was a successful revolt against a wicked colonial occupier (which happened to be Great Britain, although I'm not sure what the BBC thinks of that). There were successful defenses in wartime against a variety of racist and bigoted aggressors. It has improved itself even when under attack. It has shown great concern for the environment, being the only nation on this planet to have more trees in the year 2000 than it did in 1900. And whether its people have wanted to be meek and humble or not, it has been content with a small amount of land: at less than 11,000 square miles, it is very land-poor. If every nation were as greedy as Israel for land, there would be no wars over land! It's a democracy, and its people are reasonably free. There is much about Israel we all ought to try to copy if we want human civilization to survive and prosper. And the BBC is failing us if it makes it so difficult for us to hold Israel up as such a positive example.

In addition, the BBC is failing even in its role to display liberal politics when it comes to Israel. After all, it openly sides with the aggressors against Israel. And those aggressors are primarily racists, bigots, right-wing and reactionary extremists, anti-abortion religious fanatics, anti-women's and gay rights, and anti-ethnic minorities in general. I think that the BBC's opposition to Israel is not so grave a moral error as its support for some of Israel's most seriously felonious attackers.

Given how counterproductive the BBC is when it comes to Israel, one would think that there must be many other places where the BBC perverts journalistic standards. And this book points out a number of them. One interesting program it came up with was called "Sex and the Holy City." No, it's not about Jerusalem, it's about the Vatican, or more precisely, the Catholic Church. There's a chapter about the BBC pro-EU bias. And there is a section on the BBC response to the war in Iraq, as well as one on "the despised tribes." Yes, there are other groups besides the Israelis that the BBC shows special contempt for, including, of course, the Orangemen. And that means giving more support to the politics of the Irish Republican Army. I think it can be argued that in the Middle East and in Northern Ireland, the BBC has worked against peace.

We see in this book just how difficult it is for anyone to get the BBC to apologize for outright misstatements. As Aitken says, "the BBC doesn't feel the need for validation from others; it shrugs off strictures, whether from church, politicians or judge, taking the view that its critics are either mad, bad, or stupid." That appears to be true, and I am one of the many critics who aren't mad, bad, or stupid.

Aitken quotes someone who says that the BBC is not a "mouthpiece for the nation," but "a foghorn bellowing at a nation." But whatever it is, the nation is listening to it. It has a huge TV market share, and most British subjects view it at least occasionally. And it is watched by many folks all over the world. Its bias represents a violation of journalistic standards that is hurting plenty of people.

I recommend this book.

I thought this book was crazy! It was a psychotic version of Survivor with a touch of hot Monkey sex! Catsaway is a fun book that anyone who has ever watched reality TV will be sure to enjoy. I love Survivor and I loved this book for making fun of it! This book points out where we have come as far as TV expectations...which is pretty sad at times. This book is for entertainment purposes only and that is exactly what Blayne Cooper and Ryan Daly deliver. Castaway is wickedly funny and you will love the characters. The only question is will the girl get her girl and walk away with the million dollar prize? You'll have to read the book to find out! Castaway is a book that will take you away from your crazy life if only for a little while. Please read this book for what it is...a comedy and don't take it seriously. You won't be disappointed! Castaway will stay in my collection to read when I need a good laugh at life!

Take the connived "reality" of Survivor to the traschan and instead allow your imagination, not to mention your funnybone, enjoy the utterly hilarious antics of these "Castaways". A truer group of fruitloops, nuts and flakes couldn't be found. This book is a delightful satire that makes Gilligan's Island look childish and Richard Hatch look like a wuss.

Arch paranoid survivalist Ryan is bound and determined with the help of her trusty sidekick "Tiffany the knife" to win enough moola to outfit her backwoods retreat with the finest security a government-suspecting person could buy. Her only threat comes in the very delectable shape of Shannon,the former assistant to the network's president of programming and now network mole. Seems Shannon has hot-wired Ryan's brain to lust mode. Throw in a bitchy producer, a Latin haridresser queen, macho builder, veterinarian, buff boy, professor, minister, farm girl, fashion model and several other stereotypes, you have the makings for one tearfully funny nightmare contest.

No stereotype is left unskewered and every hyberbole is used to its fullest. This is one heckuva romp through the worst case scenario of a show gone awry. Absolutely a re-read favorite of mine and great pick-me-up on a rainy day.

I've only seen bits of episodes of survivor but this was still incredibly funny. The characters are all caricatures, but still somehow real (too real!) I think the authors manage to insult every stereotype (earth momma, michigan militia, corp exec. etc. etc.) but keep you reading. Oddly enough, most of this romp could be believable, given what goes on T.V. and that just makes it all funnier. Touch of romance and tenderness and hot monkey sex adds, well, maybe not balance, but perhaps variety.Read it and prepare to laugh!

Castaway is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time! An absolute enthralling cast of characters who had me just about literally rolling around on the floor laughing. If only the real Survivor could be this way I might be tempted to watch it again. Two thumbs up!

Very funny and very clever parody of the Survivor tv series. Reality TV never had characters as wild as these! Smart, sexy and loads of fun. This one kept me laughing from start to finish.