Public Policy Books

This book is excellent. It covers a wide variety of topics and areas of interest, including the theory about finance and development, econometric evidence, and institutional issues. It is a great service to the economic profession and to any one interested in what a growing financial system means to the developing world. Unfortunately, it does not cover the important topic of financial crisis, which is clearly relevant to the developing world today; but it offers a solid and broad look at the arguments and issues of financial development in tranquil circumstances.

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If like me you've always felt a little unsure what those self-proclaimed financial gurus on FNC thought they were talking about, read this book. Because for every neo liberal platitude the talking heads on the tube mouth these days, while the economy is obviously going down the tubes, this book offers a rational, common sense explanation that reveals the deeper economic current underneath. Current monetary policy is exposed as a monopoly. The real story on money creation, public debt, and how private property rights are monoplized, is explained without resorting to abstrations or overly obscure terminology. So do yourself a real favor - as opposed to going on another diet - and find out why you're becoming poorer while the elite become wealthier.

JW Smith's books have been an essential tool in my continued study of "how the world works". This outline of money's true value exposes the hidden monopoly structures that disenfranchise the majority of common people through the exclusive entitlements of a hand-picked minority. As a friend of mine is fond of saying: "It might not be right, but it is legal". Alternately, Dr. Smith presents a progressive vision of how the world might work under more democratic "terms and conditions" that eliminate legalized theft, also known as "unearned income". Neither poverty or monopoly can possibly exist in a world where labor is fully paid for their work. JW Smith steps up to the plate, swings the bat, and drives home the far-reaching implications of this truth. It's about time somebody did. Thanks for your work, Dr. Smith!

Frederick John Dalton is to be congratulated for this beautifully written and spiritually inspiring study of the moral vision that underlay Cesar Chavez's activism. Following in the tradition of Jesus, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, and the Berrigan brothers, Chavez's orientation was biblical to the core. He preached and practiced nonviolent resistance, personal and group sacrifice, the transformative power of love and forgiveness, and individual prayer and meditation as essential tools in working for peace and justice. Unlike so many activists then and now, Chavez wasn't concerned with protesting and demonstrating just to say "No." More fundamentally, he was interested in working for social and economic conditions that would affirm people with a resounding "Yes!" Chavez's deep faith in God and the Gospel of justice and peace grounded that "Yes" and made it truly prophetic. As he himself said, "What keeps me going? Well, it's like a fire--a consuming, nagging everyday and every-moment demand of my soul to just do it. It's difficult to explain. I like to think it's the good Spirit asking me to do it. I hope so...If you really want something, you have to sacrifice. Because of my faith the concept of sacrifice is understood" (p. 162).

This is a must-read for anyone who yearns to integrate a passion for social justice with a deep, mystical faith in God. Cesar showed us, as all genuine mystics do, that the two are not only incompatible but necessarily conjoined. Dalton's sensitive and well-written study has done Chavez proud.

Cesar Chavez has been likened to the American Gandhi, using the powerful tools of nonviolence, including fasting with prayer and mass mobilizations, to affect political change, labor rights and human rights for his people, our people, for Americans now again forgotten, rejected, despised, blockaded, dispossessed. We need him now. We need him again. Read this book. Be him now.

Published by the excellent Catholic printing house Orbis Books, this biography was written by a professor of moral theology at Holy Rosary College in San Jose who briefly and intermittently volunteered for the UFW after the death of Cesar Chavez, whom he had seen once deliver a speech.

I met Mr. Chavez a few times nearly twenty five years ago at Mass in the tiny chapel of the Maryknoll House in Manhattan, as he was visiting during conferences in New York. Mr. Chavez was ever a faithful and a profoundly practicing Catholic, inspired by our Faith to work for peace and justice and labor and human rights for the most poor and despised, just as Our Holy Father His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI recently exhorts us in Sacramentum Caritatis: el Sacramento de la Caridad: una Exhortacion Apostolica Postsinodal that the Eucharist in itself compels us to alter the unjust economic structures which entrap so many of us in desparate poverty.

Ceasr Chavez therefore inspires and guides all Americans and all Catholics in the true realization of living our Faith integrally. Professor of Moral Theology Dalton here examines deeply the life of Mr. Chavez, exploring his moral vision and his true path in Faith.

Briefly the professor sums up this intense and real moral vision thusly:

"Cesar's moral vision centered on sacrificial service, solidarity through voluntary poverty, nonviolent confrontation, and faith in God and others. These virtues shaped the identity and character of the union community just as they shaped Cesar's own identity and character. These characteristics were from Cesar's perspective, non-negotiable (p. 152)."

I fonud the references to the great Bishops Connelly and Curtis of Connecticut tantalizing yet welcome. Despite the revised Code of Canon Law's bias which might throw cold water on such faith necessities, they performed truly Catholic work in line with Pope Leo the Great's famous encyclical Rerum Novarum, a courageous labor which may be studied more fully and thus usefully at Cesar Chavez, the Catholic Bishops, and the Farmworkers' Struggle for Social Justice. We need them and their truly Catholic hierarchical witness and orthopraxis and deeply moral vision and integral living of our Faith now more than ever.

Before reading this book, I knew that we should let CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) children be children. I have always been curious about CODA's point of view. I did learn few things and was surprised by couple of things. Thanks, Paul, for satisfying my curiosity.

As another native signer, I was quite pleased with Preston's book for it's well-roundedness. Preston does not seem to have a particular agenda he is trying to extoll. The variety of voices in this book show that people perceive similar circumstances differently. A much needed book!

This is an impressive book. It will open a lot of eyes, especially eyes that watch ads for antidepressive medication on television. The authors wrote the book for people who feel depressed and need more information and for professional caretakers who want a better understanding of treatments for depression.

The authors argue that there is little reason to go along with the theory that defects in brain chemistry cause depression. When a person is locked in depression, it may well be that his brain chemicals change. However, the authors can't find evidence for the widespread belief, fostered by pharmaceutical companies and biological psychiatrists, that depression is a disease caused by defects in the brain. Some people may indeed inherit a susceptibility, possibly via brain chemistry, to develop depression, but without an interaction with life experiences the predisposition would be unlikely to affect them.

Antidepressant drugs, obviously needed say the pharmaceutical companies if depression is a disease of brain chemistry, can be shown to have a moderate therapeutic effect. However, the authors, based on reviews of a large number of placebo-controlled research trials, found that most of the positive effect could be attributed to a placebo reaction-another eye opener.

The authors view depression, not as a brain disease, but rather as a mood and behavioral disorder resulting from adverse life situations. "It's Not Your Brain; It's Your Life" is their title for a section of Chapter 3. Depression might result from the death of a spouse or the loss of a vocation where the person fails to find a replacement, or, more commonly, from the long-term avoidance of risks of pursuing deeply-held life goals or intimate relationships. Avoidance, manifested as isolation, sleeping, drinking, procrastination, and the like, can be motivated by fears of failure, rejection, humiliation, shame, etc. Behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy are described with considerable clarity as therapeutic treatments for depression. The focus of this therapy is replacing the avoidance behavior with effective coping behaviors. Among the most interesting parts of the book is the section in Chapter 5 describing five cases of depression where a "double arrow" diagram points to the crucial step of avoidance that maintains the disorder.

In reviewing the treatment literature, the authors find that these types of psychotherapy are at least as effective as medications in treating depression in the short-term but are more effective in the long-term because the relapse rate is lower after treatment is discontinued. Apparently, psychotherapy is more likely than medications to "stick."

A shortcoming of the book is that some sections are hard to read. These sections, probably intended for a professional audience, seem long and complicated. My suggestion to the reader is to feel free to scan or skip. On the other hand, I found other sections, particularly Chapter 5 describing the behavioral approach to understanding and treating depression, were interesting and easy to read. Three appendices provide practical advice on questions to ask before accepting a prescription, how to find a behavioral therapist, and questions to ask a potential therapist. I think this book is well worth the effort required to read it.

Any college-level health collection, especially those strong in mental health concerns, must have THE MYTH OF DEPRESSION AS DISEASE: LIMITATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES TO DRUG TREATMENT: it goes where few books so clearly have gone before, arguing that there's little actual scientific evidence for treating depression as a biological disorder to be treated with drugs. Indeed, the authors say, there is very little known about the role of biology in depression; but marketing by pharmaceutical companies has perpetuated the myth of chemical imbalance and treatments to benefit their bottom lines. Therapy is under-explored in contrast, and should be one of many alternatives to drug therapies: that's the hard-hitting contention of THE MYTH OF DEPRESSION AS DISEASE, which should earn much classroom discussion as well.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

Written by John Bellamy Foster (Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon), Naked Imperialism: The U.S. Pursuit Of Global Domination is a scathing criticism of American foreign policy since the cold war years. In particular, it frames American wars in the latter half of the twentieth century, and especially the Iraq War of the twenty-first century, as instruments of imperialism - in particular, suggesting that the current administrations insistence in committing to a conflict in Iraq with no clear end can only be explained as an expression from the ruling class' desire for imperialism, as it defies other logical justification. A sharply left-wing manifesto, nevertheless thought-provoking in its meticulous analysis.

"Naked Imperialism" by John Bellamy Foster is an outstanding collection of essays on the topic of U.S. imperialism and the Iraq War. Each chapter consists of an article previously published in the Monthly Review between November, 2001 and January, 2005 and also includes a preface and introduction written in late 2005. With astounding clarity and intelligence, Mr. Foster's analysis helps us understand why America has come to openly embrace imperialism as a means to control the world economy and the ramifications of this strategy for us now and in the future.

Mr. Foster's work is distinguished by its historical perspective and application of Marxist economic theory, where the rise of imperialism in Europe and the U.S. is inextricably tied to the need to satisfy the expansion of capitalism in its host countries. But with the European empires crumbled through war and the USSR dissolved through economic crisis, a politically, militarily and economically powerful U.S. has lately emerged to dominate a 'unipolar' world. Mr. Foster debunks the popular but simplistic notion that a neoconservative cabal headed by George W. Bush has somehow 'hijacked' the U.S. government. Rather, the only difference today is that the emperor simply has no clothes as brutal wars of imperial control of Mideast energy resources are unleashed with little concern for world opinion or innocent lives lost; Donald Rumsfeld's statement that "the Iraqis will get tired of getting killed" is cited as a prime example of the administration's callousness to the effects of its policies on civilian populations.

Mr. Foster muses about the barbarism that is inherent in a capitalist system that extracts wealth from peripheral nations in order to enrich the center. In the era of globalization, multinational corporations act as monopolies that slow domestic economic growth but apply intense pressures to build and deploy weapons of war. Following the work of the late Harry Magdoff, he argues that perpetual indebtedness and dependency in the so-called developing nations of the world inexorably leads to political instability and, ultimately, conflict. Interestingly, Mr. Foster shows us how the U.S., like the British and Roman empires of ages past, uses propaganda in order to justify conquest and interventionist wars. Consequently, the Iraq War is publicly promoted in the U.S. as a cause for freedom and democracy; whereas in private decision-making circles, the imperative to gain access to Iraq's vast oil resources is widely acknowledged.

Mr. Foster addresses a number of related topics, including a comparison of the Iraq War with the Vietnam War; an overview of U.S. military bases around the world and their shifting strategic importance over time; widening income gaps between the wealthy and the poor; the illusion of a Pax Americana versus the reality of a Pox Americana; what the U.S. might need to do as a consequence of a military stalemate in Iraq; and more. The author is hopeful that as U.S. imperialism becomes more visible, resistance movements might arise that can help steer the U.S. and the world economic system away from a road that is leading towards environmental devastation, economic collapse and barbarism.

I give this insightful book the highest possible recommendation.

This is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive reviews of nanotechnology available today. Dr. Berube is probably one of the most informed professors regarding nanotechnology in the world today, and it is certainly apparent in his book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the field, from beginners just starting to understand the technology to those wishing to refine their existing knowledge base.

Materials:

1. The National Science Foundation predicts annual sales of $340 billion for nanostructured materials, $600 billion for electronics and information-related equipment, and around $180 billion in annual sales from nanopharmaceutircals by 2015.

2. The biggest markets for nanoparticles remain in familiar products, from the black rubber filer in tires, a $4 billion industry, to the silver used in traditional photography." According to Lux Research, "only about $13 billion worth of manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology in 2005." "Toward the end of the decade, Lux predicts, nanotechnology will have worked their way into a universe of products worth $292 billion".

3. Three California companies are developing nanomaterial for improving catalytic converters: Catalytic Solutions, Nanostellar, and QuantumSphere.

4. Kopin light-emitting diodes called CyberLite uses less voltage than current LED technology with High ESD resistance of 4000 volts. "High ESD resistance is critical for industrial applications such as in automobiles. These blue and white CyberLites are ideal for compact portable light-using devices, such as wireless phones, games, camcorders, cameras, laptops and PDAs, which operate on battery power."

5. QuantumSphere, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-quality nano catalysts for applications in portable power, renewable energy, electronics, and defense. These nanopowders can be used in batteries, fuel cells, air-breathing systems, and hydrogen production cells. A leading producter of NanoNickel and NanoSilver.

6. Cyclics Corp adds nanoscale clays to it's registered resin for higher termal stability, stiffiness, dimensional stability, and barrier to solvent and gas pentration. "Cyclics resins expand the use of thermoplastics to make plastics parts that cannot be made using thermoplastics today, and make them better, less expensively and recyclable."

7. Naturalnano is a nanomaterials company developing applications include industrial polymers, plastics and composites; and additives to cosmetics, agricultural, and household products

8. Industrial Nanotech has developed nansulate, a spray on coating with remarkable insulating qualities claiming the highest quality insulation on the planet with temperature ranges from -40 to 400 C. The coating can be applied to: Pipes-Tanks-Ducts-Boilers-Refineries-Ships-Trucks-Containers-Commercial-Industrial-Residential

9. Production will shift from the United States and Japan to Korea and China by 2010, and the major supplier of the nanotubes will be Korea.

10. GE Advanced Materials and DOW automotive have both developed nanocomposite technologies for online painted vertical body panels. Mercedes is using a clear-cost finish that includes nanoparticle engineered to cluster together where form a shell resistant to abrasion.

11. eMembrane is developing a nanoscale polymer brushes coats with molecules to capture and remove poisonous metal proteins, and germs."

12. KX Industries - Design and manufacture of extruded activated carbon water filtration media with in-house developed proprietary technology: antibacterial and antiviral water -filtering membranes that can turn raw sewage into clean water.

13. Nanosonic is creating Metal rubber that exhibit electrical conductivity.

14. ApNano is a producer of nanotubes and nanosphere made from inorganic compounds. ApNano product, Nanolub is a solid lubricant that enhances the performance of moving parts, reduces fuel consumption, and replaces other additives.

Electronics:

1. A study by FTM consulting reported future chips that use nanotechnology are forecasted to grow in sales from $12.3 billion in 2009 to $172 billion by 2014.

2. Harvard researcher "applied nanowires to glass substrates in solution and then used standard photolithography techniques to create circuits." Nanomarkets predicts "the market for nano-enabled electronics will reach $10.8 billion in 2007 and $82.5 billion in 2011."

3. IBM researchers created a circuit capable of performing simple logic calculations via self-assembled carbon nanotubes (Millipede) and Millipede will be able to store forty times more information as current hard drives. MRAM will be inexpensive enough to replace SRAM and nanomarket predicts MRAM will rise to $3.8 billion by 2008 and 12.9 billion by 2011.

4. Cavendish Kinetics store data using thousands of electro-mechanical switches that are toggeled up or down to represent either a one or a zero as a binary bit. Their devices use 100 times less power and work up to a 1000 times faster.

5. Currently, the most common nanostorage devices are based on ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM. Data are store using electric fields inside a capacitor. Typically FRAM memory chips are found in electronics devices for storing small amounts of non-volatile data.

6. A team from Case Western has approached production issues by growing carbon nanotube bridges in its lab that automatically attach themselves to other components with the help of an applied electrical current. "You can grow building blocks of ultra large scale integrated circuits by growing self-assembled and self-welded carbon nanotubes."

7. Applied Nanotech using an electron-beam lithograph carved switches from wafers made of single-crystal layers of silicon and silicon oxide.

If you are at this site, you probably have more than a passing interest in making an intelligent choice when you vote for president and Congress. So you're probably not the kind of person who votes whichever party line; or who believes the last television ad he sees; or just chooses by race, religion, sex or physical attractiveness, never mind the issues. You may already know more than the average American about U.S. history and the national debt. But if you are like me, you may have not put it all together into the answer to the question: what the heck is happening here?! And why?!

If you really want to know, Bob Kelly tells us, and in an interesting, even riveting format. My favorite section, under each recent president, is the list of paradigm-altering Supreme Court decisions. For instance, I finally found the answer to one favorite question: when were teenagers told they could defy speech-limit rules in public schools? (It was after my tenure as editor of my college newspaper).

Another interesting section states Mr. Kelly's opinions on certain social issues that he finds more relevant to the national debt than I do; but they always give me something to think about. Whether you share his Judeo-Christian viewpoint,or consider morality an innate absolute for the successful survival of our species, you will want our country to get its moral act together before it's too late to sustain our freedom. And bottom line, this requires addressing the outrageous national debt, starting with this year's election.

This book is under-titled. In addition to the analysis of debt, it provides a sketch of American and world history from Washington to Bush.

Well written and documented with numerous tables, this book makes a compelling case for limiting debt by reducing citizen's dependence on the government and supporting private sector growth. Recommended for informed general readers; upper-division graduates and up.

Every serious political activist should own a copy of "The National Debt from FDR (1940) to Clinton (1996) by C.L.T. member Robert E. Kelly, with a foreword by Jeff Jacoby, now available in bookstores. A fascinating read with evereything you really want to know about the federal government in one compact place.

"A real tour de force!"

The National Environmental Policy Act: Judicial Misconstruction, Legislative Indifference, & Executive Neglect by Matthew J. Lindstrom (Assistant Professor, Political Science Department and Environmental Studies Program, Siena College, Loudonville, New York) and Zachary A. Smith (Professor, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona) is a detailed and scholarly analysis of the ramifications of The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) federal law signed by President Nixon more than thirty years ago. Individual chapters of this definitive treatise address NEPA's origins, goals, implementation, and how modern-day courts have vastly limited its powers with possibly detrimental effects upon America's environment. Strongly recommended for professional and academic environmental studies reference collections, The National Environmental Policy Act is a thorough and accessible study for anyone looking to learn more about the nature of the NEPA law and its effect upon the United States from its inception down to the present day.