Events Books

First things first. Stephen Baskerville, I thank God for you and this masterpiece of truth you have written. Even after going through eight years of family court hell and beyond with my husband Steve(referenced on pg 150), I was shocked at what I read. I bought 13 copies so I could give our local judges one as well. This book should be mandatory reading in high schools across the country. It would save millions from losing everything they work their whole life for. Again, thank you for a brilliant honest assessment of Family Court, Inc. and all their hangers-on.

Taken Into Custody is an excellent resource that should be required reading (with a test) before a marriage license is issued. The reason I give 4 out of 5 stars is because the author and reviewers have overlooked half the story.
When I was confronted with a petition for "no-fault" divorce in 1988 I thought it meant that grounds were no longer required if both parties agreed to the divorce. I quickly learned otherwise. Until reading this book I believed the motivation for turning marriage into an unenforceable agreement was corporate profit. Since two can live nearly as cheaply as one my analysis lead me to realize that upon divorce utility companies collect two payments. Appliance manufacturers sell extra washers, refrigerators, TVs etc. Revenues are created for extra housing, property taxes, insurance, transportation, silverware, light bulbs and all. In some cases the labor pool is increased driving down wages. I now realize that both de facto branches of government (Administrative and Commercial) profit handsomely. In addition to financial benefits women are lured into this scheme by forces with a history of perpetrating evil deeds to aid industry. Search Gloria Steinem CIA or visit
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As for children, Steven Hassan's book Combatting Cult Mind Control points out that offspring from broken homes are most easily recruited into cults and tend to remain in them the longest due to the false families cults create. He tiptoes right up to saying that military organizations are cults but seems too timid to take the last step. One need only visit a law library and skim Court Martial Reports to find numerous references to all of "my brothers and sisters" in the services. Former service personnel including Tony Brown of PBS's Tony Brown's Journal admit they had been brainwashed by the US Military. With a nearly uninterrupted series of wars since 1941 the US Military need all of the children longing for a family that they can find.
The American people weren't asking for "no-fault" divorce. It arose out of nowhere as a gift from a government concerned with our best interests.

This is a book that every father should read and all the children that suffered through a divorce, should read when they are adults.

Professor B is unfortunately spot on with his analysis of the divorce industry. I live in Australia and find our system closely mirrors that in the States.No wonder really. The rort extends to judges getting first class tickets to frequent conferences where they share stories and a good time. At taxpayer expense.

I too have been to the Star Chamber, having committed no crime. I have been jailed for declining to answer a question, which was unimportant.

Baskerville writes clearly and cogently about a corrupt system that is destroying our way of life. His book is a must read by anyone enduring the divorce process

G. Woolley

I am a natural born scientist. Facts, just give me the facts. Theories are only as good as the ones telling them. Rarely I come across a theorist that can make a believer out of, well, even me.


This book is chock full of facts, data, reviews, studies and even a little theory that all can be used, proven and sighted - except theory, which can only be respected until history has passed where it will become fact.


The very sad nature of this book, as true as it may be, is that each statistic is a human life. Every person reading this book has been touched by this in one way or another. You can tell them when your walking down the street. They have an "emptiness" behind their eyes. If they smile it's superficial, if they laugh it's usually cut short and followed by a startled look. When they gather together they feel safer then they've felt in a long time, but the fear is right over their shoulders and they know it.


To blatantly point out the horrors of this book and then our own government who is perpetrating them should resonate throughout our land like a tsunami. Starting slow and in the distance. Little ripples on the beach. Bigger and bigger until it has swallowed up our world.


The book is great and if you have read it or lived it one must ask:


What are you going to do about it and when are you going to do it?
You are in control of your own destiny.


FaFNY dot com

I have no idea how accurate the facts are, but this is brilliant storytelling. Think Douglas Adams in the post-Communist Eastern Bloc.

This is a well-written, well-researched book that captures a unique moment in history and a bizarre character who's also a product of his place and time. Rubinstein goes the extra mile to follow the thread of this true-crime story, and his engaging prose takes you with him.

Excellent book! Great true crime story that is action packed, and very funny...plus a little bit of history!
Highly recommend this book!

As an economist who has often worked on the transition from socialism, I found this book to be the best single source of what really went on---OK, that's partly because the book is hilarious and has one of the best book covers of all time. But Rubinstein should have won a Pulitzer prize for managing to capture what was going on behind the scenes on the socio-economic front in the early years of the transition in such an entertaining way. Let's hope Atilus escapes and there's a sequel.

Julian Rubinstein tells the true story of Attila Ambrus, the Transylvanian-born backup hockey goalie in Budapest who also lived the life of a pelt smuggler and daring bank robber between practices and games. It was a story the author first heard about in a short news piece in Sports Illustrated in 1999 and on writing the book he's able to set the story in hilarious style against the backdrop of the changing Hungary and Romania of the early 1990s. At one point Ambrus is described as "a sizable conundrum within a notable contradiction, the best unpaid hockey goalie in a filthy-rich slum town". The photo section in the middle, the appendices and interview with the author at the end, and the references throughout to world events the west would be familiar with serve to remind us that this is largely a work of non-fiction despite all the absurdity. A great read especially for those who have visited or have lived in this part of the world in these changing times from Socialism.

My father, a well-intentioned school teacher who never met any situation that couldn't be turned into an object lesson, gave me this book to read when I was 14. There was no preamble, just, "Here." To this day I remember several passages in horrific detail, so I can safely say that the writing was clear, effective, and moving.

I somehow doubt my Dad thought I was going to become a child abuser someday, but this book certainly fixed in my mind the horror that a child can endure at the hands of adults and I believe in my heart that I would never do anything like this to a child. I don't know if it could have that effect on everyone, but perhaps it should be assigned reading--it certainly couldn't hurt to try.

I'm in the Navy. I'm 32 years old with a 3-year-old girl. I think I read this book about a year ago and it touches me every day. I think about it all the time. I picture Ursula, I pray for her, I pray to God she's with him. I look at my little girl with her long, blond locks and think that in around two years she will be Ursula's age. It breaks my heart to know she is learning the alphabet as Ursula did. It causes me to cringe deep down to imagine such an innocent, lovely creature such as a small child would endure torture at the hands of those she was supposed to be loved by and who should have cared for her. The truth is that I finished it in spurts, crying and yelling at the bathroom ceiling when my husband was at work and my daughter at preschool, the only time I could find to devote to little Ursula's story. I see her picture in my mind's eye. I have a BS in Business Admin, and not in Social Work, but I hope to retire from the military someday and find my place in the world helping children instead of residing in the business world, as I had previously planned. I owe it to Ursula, and I owe it to my little girl so I can help her see that people should care for each other and try to make a difference.

How can you read this book and NOT feel compelled to help a child who is suffering...? Children can't protect themselves. Even as strict as our laws are, we need them to address, above all, crimes against children as the most heinous of our society. Protection of all children should be our #1 priority. It's the only way to make our future bright.

I read this book and it took me about a week!! Why??? Because everytime I started to read it the tears just started flowing! It is unthinkable what this poor child went through. I cannot even imagine what the mother was thinking or should I say "monster" because she is by NO means a mother! I can just feel for this little girl, she was so wanting to please her monster to no avail. Right up to the end thats all she wanted to do. HOW can people do THIS??? There is barely a day when I don't think about Ursula and wish SOMEONE had done SOMETHING to stop this! To me it's ridiculous how people can just ignore it or not see it. This world just gets worse day by day. For you URSULA I say the world is cruel. I love you!

I grew up and still live in Central Florida and when this book came out, it was required reading in high school. I will never forget how the book made me feel. It's a very hard book to read and has many emotions all wrapped up into such a small package. I highly recommend this book. It's basically the authors recreating the last days of this little girls life.

This book is the true story of a woman who allowed a live in boyfriend to abuse her child - to death. It shows also how many people the child tried to reach out to (next door neighbors) and how many people witnessed her suffering (doctors, teachers) and did not do anything. It is a horrifying account of a man's desire to control a child's behavior through evil and dehumanizing tactics. Children need to be understood. It is wrong to expect behaviors from children beyond their years, comprehension, abilities. This little girl was a normal child with normal behaviors, and unfortunately her mom chose someone to be with that was unable and unwilling to cope with having a little girl around. It is tragic. Please read it.

I greatly admire Robert Zubrin. I think he is right that we need energy independence and quickly. However, he has bought into a lot of questionable notions as is evident in this book. He buys into the entire "war on terror". It turns out that the "war on terror" is even more of a blatant mountain out of a molehill than the "Cold War" was. Even worse it is a "war" by design "without end" that is likely to eat all our freedoms. He calls Iraqis fighting invaders "terrorists" without distinction. He buys into the notion that Iran in building nuclear weapons despite all intelligence to the contrary. He buys into some huge network of terror when all evidence to date is that such does not exist. He buys the official story of 911 with all of its holes big enough to fly 747s through. He buys into a huge "Islamist" conspiracy against us instead of the relatively isolated nutty terrorist groups that exist in the Muslim world.

If you can wade through all of the above then he gives a sound argument as to how to get to energy independence. I don't agree with his wording of why in all cases but the goal is admirable and the means achievable.

There are three "chunks" to this interesting book. The main one sells hard about why the US must become energy-independent from the oil people who also wish our destruction. Following on this are very good engineering discussions of energy, where it comes from, what will and will not work, why global warming is not an urgently immediate threat (but will be so as the rest of the world justifiably wishes to catch up to us in living standard), and how methanol and flex-fuel cars in particular is the right-now answer to getting unstrapped from the oil kingdoms. The third chunk consists of how the past century's history was determined by oil. All three chunks go together extremely well, oddly enough, even though it would be hard to find many agreeing with every single bit of what Robert Zubrin writes.

There is considerable humor in Energy Victory, and even that which borders on the sarcastic is still quite funny. After all, you will see pure "engineering humor." An example might be Zubrin's warning that if we wish to mine hydrogen for fuel cheaply from the sun, the temperature on approach is so hot that we should consider going at night! It is best to ignore the many external blogs about this book. You will find scores objections (some downright nasty) to Zubrin's claims about using hydrogen as a transportation fuel base, about producing methanol from any organic matter, and about sources & uses of various fuels. Most of these miss the point. "Energy Victory" gives what engineers for centuries call "rough estimates" of all the above claims. A rough estimate is not a wild guess, it is a ballpark statement of reality. E.g., his statement of 9 gigatonnes of carbon being added to the atmosphere is probably off, but not by deal-breaking amounts. His estimates should be taken seriously for what they are - first-order estimates that give an excellent indication of what needs to be DONE. Refinements will naturally follow.

This book serves personally as a reference, both for current use in climate change research, and for future use to see how the numbers really turned out. Buy the book, because the library will not enjoy your marking the thing up, nor will they like you to monopolize checking it out of your system!

I think this is a brilliantly argued book. I think he does well in establishing the link between petrodollars and Islamofascist terrorism. Of course, the problem created by our heavy reliance on imported oil goes beyond that in our huge balance of payments shortfall. Our reliance on imported oil also slowly drains away our defense and strategic power. Meanwhile, this generation's strategic "wise men" are all on the Saudi payroll.

Most importantly, Zubrin thoroughly debunks hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. I already knew that based on an investment I made in the 1990's. When the consulting engineers said that it would take 22 hydrogen tanker trucks to replace 1 gasoline tanker truck, it was time for me to bail out. According to Zubrin, it only gets worse: it takes more energy to produce hydrogen than the hydrogen reaction produces. The road to hydrogen leads nowhere.

Zubrin punctures a criticism of alcohol fuels that is currently being made. Ethanol made from corn is not causing food shortages. Most of the corn produced in America is used for animal feed and the alcohol extracted from the corn still leaves the corn mash available as animal feed. But alcohol fuel, especially methanol, can be made from practically any plant life. The argument against corn based ethanol is not that it causes food shortages but that it requires heavy federal subsidies when there are other less expensive alternatives available.

The key to his argument is the Flex Fuel vehicle which, with $150 worth alcohol compatible hoses and sensors, can run on various alcohol-gasoline mixtures: E85, M85. These are vehicles you can buy right now with well tested technology. You can buy the vehicles, but in most parts of the country, you can't buy the fuel. Zubrin argues that a federal law is needed to make all vehicles flex fuel vehicles. Zubrin made the argument to the Bush Administration, which declined to support him because they opposed additonal vehicle mandates.

Zubrin didn't make this argument, but I think if flex fuel became a requirement of all vehicles, then the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements and the Air Quality waivers could be phased out. I can't understand why, unless I'm unaware, the domestic auto companies haven't made that argument. It would make their life much easier and less expensive.

Zubrin does make the argument that the CAFE is irrelevant in any event because we will never be able to gain control of fuel prices through conservation. OPEC can set the spigot up and down at will.


Two final notes: Zubrin makes a good case for coal based methanol. Since we have large reserves of coal sitting in the ground because of the sulphur burning problem and acid rain, methanol extraction would allow us to use that resource without the enviornmental damage caused by burning coal. Zubrin also recounts the Brazilian experience with ethanol, which was a very bumpy road when oil prices fell in the 1990's. Getting free from OPEC may require imported oil tariffs because alcohol fuel mixtures are only competitive when the price of oil is about twice as high as the price per gallon of alcohol due to alcohol's mileage penalty. Of course, widespread production and distribution of e85 and m85 might become much more economical than current prices would suggest.

I think these ideas are worth pursuing.

Energy Victory by Robert Zubrin's begins by demonstrating from various prime and secondary sources how Americans cannot wait twenty years, nor count on the specific provisions of energy legislation recently passed by Congress to achieve energy independence. The problem is that the lion's share of oil reserves are claimed by Saudi Arabia, a nation historically committed to the spread of Islamic fundamentalism. That particular form of religion seeks to dominate or destroy all who do not submit to their particular tenants. Zubrin gives an excellent narrative history of the evolution of that nation and its intolerant Wahhabist zeal, accompanied by the appalling slaughter of Assyrian Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and Muslims that disagreed with them. Literally, trillions of dollars from oil money continually flow into the Arabian sector supporting terrorist activities and related instructional schools all over the world--including the United States. The essential thesis of the book is that the answer is to defeat the Saudis and their OPEC machine. This, he argues, can be definitely accomplished by fielding a viable energy alternative that costs less and puts former petrol dollars into the hands of American and third world agriculturists--the international free market will take it from there. Addressing various alternatives, he demonstrates how conservation fails, and how hydrogen will not work as an alternative; such an application, he writes, essentially violates the laws of physics. The answer to the problem, and main objective of the book is to promote a Congressional mandate that that all vehicles sold in the United States include a flex-fuel capability including varieties of ethanol, methanol and other farm or natural sources. As noted in the book, there have been calls from the Set America Free Coalition (SAFC) which have been successful in getting legislation introduced in the Senate and Congress. Recent bi-partisan efforts involved Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA). Nevertheless, those efforts obviously have not been successful. Legislation mandating Flex-Fuel in all cars would provide the needed facilitating infrastructure for the further expansion of alternative fuels in a free market. Zubrin points out how alternatives can be manufactured, sold and transported for much less than oil, once the required infrastructure is in place. Of course, the initial alternative source has been corn ethanol. Nevertheless, he sees a variety of ensuing cellulose renewable sources coming about very quickly. The use of natural gas and coal can be used in the interregnum period for firing the process in some cases, others can use methanol.

Zubrin discusses at length various groups and people opposed to alternatives, exposing the failings for instance of the Pimentel study. Taking the study point for point, he convincingly counters its arguments. He also shows how the Saudis have many American politicians and action groups on their pay rolls making PR for alternatives ever more difficult.

The book also promotes the viability of a worldwide trade in what he called a "new alcohol economy and world development." Third world countries play a critical roll in the mass of needed products for this plan. Although, subject often to the whims of narcotics mobsters and charlatans, they could successfully grow assorted common agricultural products and trade in a world market for alternatives. That outcome would also help slow drug trafficking and encourage increased marketing of other international commodities related to farming.

He heralds the Brazilian sugar based ethanol program as a successful model, though there would be differences in the United States. While the program's success varied based on the cost of oil, the ultimate answer was flex-fuel vehicles that use a wide variety of sources. Consequently, a nation that in the mid-twentieth century had to import 80% of its oil, today has become not only energy independent, but an exporter of ethanol.

Global warming is also discussed at length and answered in an amazing manner of twists. Simply put, he argues convincingly that it contributes to our energy problem in a positive manner.

Then, a very fascinating history of oil and power demonstrates how petroleum affected the causes, strategies and outcomes of both world wars.

In the end, Zubrin promotes a variety of alcohol alternatives for immediate needs, but concludes that nuclear fusion provides the most promising future for the world's energy needs into the next century. He implores the United States to get back on track and support research into the viability of that source of energy.

To a historian who teaches Modern American History at the post-secondary level, this book is provocative, granting a semblance of hope for America's future. Although oil has been the world's essential energy source for the last century, escalating world dependence on it, OPEC's violation of international laws regarding price fixing and their baneful use of profits demand change. Politicians: this is a must read! It provides a viable plan for a triumphant American future. Robert Zubrin's Energy Victory is a workable blue print, not only for America, but every nation in the world that cherishes religious and social freedom.

After his push to colonize that utterly useless world called Mars (the real wealth of the solar system is in the Asteroid Belt and icy moons, easily available and not at the bottom of a gravity well), Zubrin moves on to another political boondoggle, ethanol.

His arguments fail on nearly every point. The argument about unused farmland is especially irrelevant. Even if all of the arable land in the US were dedicated to alcohol production (including switchgrass, cellulosic ethanol, and methanol), the most we could ever hope to achieve is to replace about 15% of our gasoline usage (representing at most about 10% of our total oil imports dedicated to gasoline production). Let's see, starve the world to replace ~1/10 of one's oil imports? Don't think so.

Most seriously, the energy balance is not there. It takes about 11 barrels of oil to produce the ethanol energy equivalent of 10. That's an energy return of about 1.1 to 1. Actually when one factors in storage and transport issues it's much lower, maybe down to 1 to 1 (breakeven) or even lower (net loss). If you have a company that you are trying to save from bankruptcy, do you pour your resources into a division that breaks even or loses money? Not if you hope to remain in business for long.

Pointing to the success of Brazil provides no solution for the US either. Brazil straddles the Equator and receives about 22% greater solar energy flux than the US does. That, along with a more efficient crop (sugar cane) and a year-round growing season, gives Brazil an energy return of about 5 to 1. One unintended consequence of this "success", however, is that rainforest destruction (remember the rainforest?) has accelerated at an alarming rate due to more and more acres of it being turned into fuel.

Ethanol and other bio-fuels, far from providing an energy "victory" for the US, will only lead to an energy "defeat", and starve the rest of the world in the process.

I love reading this Bible, especially the gospels, it puts them into one story of Jesus.

The Narrated Bible puts the Bible in chronological order making it much easier to follow and understand. For example, the Gospels are intertwined to tell the story of Jesus' life. As you read the book of Acts, each epistle is included at the time it was written. This is wonderful to help anyone understand the Bible story.

I am really enjoying reading this Bible. It has helped me understand the Old Testament in a new way by fitting the books together in a logical fashion. I understand better the sequence of events.

I highly recommend this Bible as a supplement to your existing one.

This is a terrific bible! It has really made the stories come alive and has made my daily readings easier and more fulfilling. I have learned quite a bit, have noticed some great details I never did before, and the commentary has led to some good discussions with friends.

I plan to buy more of these to use as gifts.

I can't recommend this bible highly enough! FIVE STARS!

Received in good time. Excellent condition. A wonderful Bible!! Am really enjoying it.

This is a very informative book and a must read for anyone interested in understanding why the Bush administration is so prone to launching wars in the oil-rich Middle East region. The author, a renowned economist, is very knowledgeable about the economics and domestic politics that support such warmongering efforts. He identifies the pro-Israel Neocon movement and its alliance with the lunatics of the religious Right as important forces in the push toward involving the U.S. in wars abroad. The military-industrial complex and the strategic importance of Middle East oil are represented by Vice President Dick Cheney in the Bush administration, and are also prime movers of war.

Probably the most original part of this book is its chronology of empires and how Western civilization started its ascendency after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This chapter (chap. 16) is worth buying the book in itself. The author's style is direct and pulls no punches. An excellent book.

As an amateur student of American foreign policy, I am appalled by the wave of anti-americanism it has generated over the last few years. The policy of systematically meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, especially in the Middle East, has been most counter-productive.

There is no doubt that unbridled interventionism, often done illegally and under murky influences, is the root cause of why there is so much anti-americanism around the world. And case in point is the gratuitous violence imposed on some Muslim countries, i.e. Iraq and Palestine. This is creating tons of resentment all over the Muslim world, turning many to hatred and some to terrorism.

Tremblay's book offers a way out of this circular dilemma: Apply to the Muslim world the same treatment given to the Communist world with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. As he puts it (p. 152-53), the Helsinki Accords, signed by 33 Eastern and Western European countries, the United States, and Canada, played a fundamental role in opening up the communist bloc to liberty, freedom and reforms. I doubt that bombs would have brought the same result.

Former President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Helsinki Accords opened the door to reforms that would not have taken place otherwise. Why can we not adopt a similar approach with the Muslim world, instead of jumping all the time on the war wagon? This is a well-written and well-researched book. It is highly recommended.

People who want a condensed introduction on how the Bush administration walked into a quagmire in Iraq should read "The New American Empire". I don't agree with all of Tremblay's arguments, but in my opinion he hits the nail on the head when he identifies the real reasons why Bush II invaded Iraq, i.e oil, Israel, military bases and domestic politics. By the way, the same scenario seems to be repeating itself with Iran, with the same deception about the real reasons for intimidating Iran.

So, even if you do not agree with everything the author has to say, this book is worth a ton of newspapers articles or hours of TV reporting. The chapters on `Oil' and on the `History of Empires' are worth buying this book.

Among the many books written on the Iraq war and the Bush administration's fixation with militarism, this book by economist Tremblay is one of the most readable and most informative.

The fact that George W. Bush was planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' in that country, even before he took power in January 2001, should make people pause and think. So should the Neocon blueprint for a complete American take-over of the Middle East ("Rebuilding America's Defenses"), drafted in Sept. 2001, by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby.

Now that Iraq is a mess, that thousands and thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, the American people are entitled to know the real reasons why the Bush administration launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, with no provocation but with a lot of bad faith. All the official reasons have been proven false. After reading this book, one knows the real reasons behind one of the most foolish enterprises ever undertaken by a U.S. government abroad. I have learned a lot also from prof.
Tremblay's new blog: http://www.TheNewAmericanEmpire.com/blog.

The truth shall set you free!

Dr. Tremblay is right on target with his assessment of the direction the U.S. is heading, along with his critiques of the politicians we have in this country. It is amazing that more people don't "see through" the false facades these people present to the public, and that so many people believe the lies doled out to unsuspecting voters! I would recommend this book as a very timely read....particularly in view of the upcoming 2008 Presidential Elections

This book is a book that anyone who is considering a career in any type of child services needs to read. I myself am going into social services and this book made me realize what I will be seeing on a daily basis. Mary Ellen was such a brave little girl and I applaud her for surviving her early life!

The book Out Of The Darkness is an awesome book. It shows the hard time that a little girl named Mary Ellen had to go threw. She has such a hard life, but in the end everything work out. I recommend this book for everybody. This is an outstanding book, everybody should read it.

I'm Eric Shelman, co-author of Out of the Darkness. I just wanted to ask that if you buy this book, come on back and write a review of it when you're done. I've never had anything but positive feedback about it, but others can use YOUR personal experience with it to better judge it prior to purchasing. I thank all of you who have read and commented on our book.

The authors of this book have created a wonderful window of understanding how child abuse/neglect has evolved over the years. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the human service field. Through the heart-felt story of Mary Ellen, we can see why there is such a strong need to protect children and continue to evolve for many more years. Thank you to Shelman & Lazoritz for telling such an important story.

Review of Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson by Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, M.D. Dolphin Moon Publishing, 2003

I chose to review this book because it explains the job of a social worker in the early days of the profession. The book appealed to me as an author and advocate. Set in New York City immediately after the Civil War, this book offers a powerful story in a historical context. Using an original style that combines journalism with fiction, the writers completed a work of art that is based on a true story. The protagonist, Mary Ellen Wilson, was a real orphaned child who experienced devastating cruelty at the hands of the first woman to be tried and convicted of child abuse, Mary Connolly. The story climaxes when Etta Wheeler, a social worker; Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and Elbridge Gerry, ASPCA attorney, come together to rescue Mary Ellen. It's nearly inconceivable that animals were awarded victims' rights before children.

Thomas Wilson was an immigrant from Ireland who fled the potato famine to shuck oysters at a New York City hotel. In 1861 he married Frances Connor, an English immigrant who he'd met while she was a laundress at the hotel. While he was on the front lines during the Civil War, she gave birth to their daughter, named Mary Ellen. The year the child was born was the same year that Tom Wilson died in battle, 1864.

Frances found it difficult to work and care for her child, so she sought the services of a woman named Martha Score. Childcare for the working poor in the tenements of New York City provided meager nutrition and crowded conditions with no sanitation. However, Miss Score took good care of the baby while Frances worked long hours at the hotel. Travel through the tenements was treacherous at night, so Frances could not visit her child as often as she wished. After her husband died during battle, Fanny turned to alcohol for solace, leading to the loss of her job. Eventually, Fanny died in an "inebriate's asylum." When the war ended, working women returned to housekeeping as their husbands went to work. This left Miss Score with no income, thereby having to abandon the then two-year old Mary Ellen to Blackwell Island almshouse. Mary Ellen was illegally adopted to the evil Mrs. Connolly, where she suffered for seven years.

Etta Wheeler worked for St. Luke's Mission; she cared for the "outdoor poor" and frail elderly in the slums of the city. When neighbors spoke about the cries of a child called Mary Ellen, Miss Wheeler used all available resources to rescue Mary Ellen. However, she was often told by pastors, police, and lawyers to not interfere in the family's business. Undaunted by the advice, Etta persisted in her rescue efforts, eventually aided by Henry Bergh of the ASPCA. In 1874, with police assist, Mary Ellen was carried out of the abusive home, covered with a horse blanket provided by the ASPCA. The court proceedings set a precedent: "There had never been a recognized way to remove a child from an unfit home." The jury trial resulted in felony assault charges against Mrs. Connolly.

Etta Wheeler's sister, who lived on a farm in upstate New York, legally adopted Mary Ellen. Etta continued her social work in the tenements of New York City, where she was needed most. Mary Ellen eventually married, and her daughters spoke of their mother's burns and cuts that never fully healed. However, Mary Ellen lived until the age of ninety-two, surviving her husband by thirty-one years. Meanwhile, Mr. Bergh founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Mr. Gerry was responsible for forming the initial laws pertaining to the rights of children.

This story will cause the reader to wince at the cruelty and rejoice at the rescue. Perhaps the most poignant message in the book comes with the ending: "Perhaps we should see Mary Ellen not as the victim of abuse, but as the survivor, and as a persistent reminder that the efforts of a few people on behalf of one child can make a real difference." As a social worker, that is my hope.

This book is far better researched than the material that consumer use of fluoride is based upon.

Very scary!

In easily readable style, investigative journalist Christopher Bryson reveals the appalling truth about how an industrial waste product with toxicity equal to that of lead has come to be dumped in our drinking water. Researching official documents from the years of World War II and the cold war of the 1940s, declassified in the 1990s after 50 years, Bryson tells of the lies and the cover-ups, names the multi-million dollar corporations and the people involved, and through rigorous footnoting, his source documents. This book is a must-read for all those wanting to know the shocking facts about how, through misrepresentation of the results of scientific research and skillful propaganda, unsuspecting communities have to been made to believe that a toxic industrial waste product is completely harmless and will prevent tooth decay.

The Fluoride Deception is exceptionally well-researched and indexed. Clearly, the author did not intend to put out just another book on the issue, rather he intended to write the definitive guide. The case made herein is extremely compelling, facts, figures and sources are heaped on by the dozens and for those wanting a well-sourced book free of dramatization and chock full of cold hard facts, this is definitely it.

The one thing that I dislike about this title is the fact that the binding is very stiff and it makes it harder to read without damage. Due to the "meatiness" of the title, one has the temptation to force the book completely open this destroying the integrity of the binding. The Fluoride Deception is one of the many books that could really be enhanced by the addition of a "stay flat" perfect binding.

This does interfere with the reader's experience of the title to the point that it needs to cost the review a star, which is a shame because the content truly is five star quality. But I am reviewing the entire product as a whole, not just the text between the covers.

I read this book as part of a book club and was absolutely amazed at the history of lies and chicanery associated with flouride in our water, toothpaste and dental use. If you want validation of what is in the book look no further than the January 2008 issue of Scientific American who interviews and quotes many of the scientists whose stories are found in this book.

I used to think that anti-flouridationist were cranks, based on the way they are characterized in the media and by folks in public health. Now I am seriously concerned about the level of flouride in my drinking water and trying to figure out how to protect myself and everyone else I can. Do yourself a favor and get educated. The public health implications, including the risk of neurological damage in the very young and arthritis and other unexplained disorders in adults is worthy of great concern. Especially when you realize that adding flouride to water was initially done to whitewash and to undermine concerns that this industrial pollutant (from coal mining and steel production among others)was poisoning communities and workers.

Well written. Opens up another "Pandora's box" of corporate greed affecting the health of countless millions of Americans in the past 60 years.

I am a licensed PI in Washington State, primarily working for attorneys providing litigation support. By the time I'd gotten to page 50, I'd learned something which would save me more than the price of the book on my next case.
Each chapter is summarized with "The least you need to know" and all are written in a matter-of-fact yet entertaining way. I enjoyed Mr. Brown's wry sense of humor and have gleaned much more from the book than I'd expected.
Lots of techniques, sources, and practical knowledge in here, an excellent value. Never mind the title, this is not for, nor written by, idiots, I wish I'd gotten a copy sooner.

I have briefly read through this book. It has a lot of helpful information. I do collections and have been doing skip tracing for several years. I am always looking for books or anything else that will help me find my debtors. This book, unlike some other ones I have come accross, has good legitimate information.

I thought this book was very educational and explained a lot about the field of private investigating.

I ordered this book just for fun and because I like to read detective novels. I have already found it useful in locating an old Navy buddy I lost touch with over the years. Written with a sense of humor.

Having researched many titles on private investigation before ordering any
books I placed this one at the top of a short list of "To Order" based on the excellent reviews. After receiving the book and reading it cover to cover I say WOW! The rave reviews were all true.I have since ordered and read the second book on my list(Private Investigation 101 by N.M Tillman). It was also very good and did offer some additional refrence sources.
For anyone who wishes to learn the basics of P.I. work this should be the
FIRST choice!

Barry Goldwater's "The Conscience of a Conservative" was one of the seminal manifestos of the modern-day conservative movement, defining conservative positions in both economic policy and foreign policy. It was published in 1960, when, just as today, many conservatives seemed ashamed to identify themselves as such.

Reading this book will give conservatives a sense their movement's roots and the ideological confidence that comes with knowing that their ideas have a long and distinguished pedigree. I sometimes wonder how America would be different today if Goldwater had beaten Johnson in 1964 and the ideas in this book, not those of the Great Society, had been implemented.

Being a conservative is something a person should be proud of. It gives you a perspective of one's ideology. The way our media and our universities are indoctrinating our society is scary. The only way to counteract this marxist point of view is to be informed and this book will actually make you think.

This book is clear and to the point. Mr. Goldwater doesn't waste any time laying it all out on the line about what true conservatism is. My wife and I are adding it to our home school library of required additional reading.

I had heard this book mentioned numerous times on talk radio shows as a major starting point for the conservative movement. It is definitely that and more. Goldwater's overriding idea is the most liberty for the individual balanced by the rule of law. I found his critique of union still on spot for today. His views on dealing with communism are from a position of strength, still a good idea for today dealing with radical Islamic terrorists. I may be unusual but I read the afterward by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and had to chuckle. The first part of his afterward was fine, a tribute to Barry Goldwater, the man. But the last half of it I could see the spittle flying from his lips as he went into a diatribe against the current administration. A short paragraph on how he thought the current crop of conservatives aren't following Goldwater's ideas would have been fine and expected from a Kennedy but half of the afterward? The vitriol used showed me something else I have heard is definitely true. For the political left everything is political, even praising an old enemy.

THE CONSCIENCE OF A CONSERVATIVE represents the touchstone of modern conservatism. In 1960, clearly and articulately, Barry Goldwater made the conservative case on many modern issues: the role of the federal government, federal fiscal policy, tax policy, foreign affairs (although dated now), the welfare state, and many others.

Goldwater believed that economic, political, religious and social freedoms were intertwined and dependant upon one another. For example, free markets were as necessary to a free society as the right to vote and infringement upon one was infringement upon them all. Goldwater was not alone. Towering intellects like economists Hayek, Friedman, Hazlitt and others argued the very same case with profound results.

In the late sixties, another voice would take up these arguments: Ronald Reagan. Building upon the conservative foundation of Goldwater, Reagan would initiate the Tax Reform Act of 1982 and America would enter a period of economic growth never before seen in the world. The principles that Goldwater espoused and the policies of monetarism, lower taxes (supply side economics), and fiscal restraint fueled an economic engine which is still running.

Goldwater was not a policy wonk. He was a conservative with a heart for others and compassion and love for his country. His battle cry was. "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." But he didn't let his passion for freedom blind him to the beliefs of others. He valued debate and respected the conflict of differing opinions; he was a gentleman about discourse and politics.

Goldwater issued a warning about America's enemies when he said, "The real cause of the deterioration can be simply stated. Our enemies have understood the nature of the conflict and we have not. They are determined to win the conflict and we are not." These words are as chilling a warning today about America's enemies as they were about Communism fifty years ago.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and George Will both pay tribute to Goldwater in this 2007 version which are worth reading. As for Goldwater, I pray we will see his like again.