Current Events Books

Most absolutely outstanding Book on Gays and Lesbians ever published. A MUST read for ever young Gay or Lesbian and their Parents.

This was an excellent read. Well written with clearly organized ideas, this book tells us what life is like for a gay midshipman trying to live up to (and succeeding) proper military ideals. You get a feel for who the author was as a human being and how unfair it was for him to be dismissed according to a military policy based in fear. Gay men and women who are looking to serve our country in the military would do well to read this book.

A very honest rhetorical satire on 'reality' . The author narrates the actuality of the country 'stalked' by homophobias. It leaves us thinking about how should we face up with such controversial issue; to feel for these individuals or to contiue with the discrimination that is presently destructing and murdering their spirituality. A good start-off for individuals who would like to expound on this issue.

An account of a young Midshipman's experience at the Naval Academy, and ultimate litigation as a result of his dismissal three weeks prior to his graduation. This book is well written and one more in a growing list depicting the mindless discrimination policies against homosexuals in the militar y. Joseph Steffan, as a cadet, was exemplarary in all aspects. Ironically, his dismissal was a result of his adherence to the "honor code". He refused to deny his sexual orientation, even though his conduct was never in question. A truly sad commentary on the military today, but nevertheless, the reality.

Rob Morris and Rep. Steve Gunderson tell their story very well. The layout is very well done with Rob and Steve each having their own section in each chapter. I couldn't recommend a better book to politicaly motivated gay men and women. Oh, and yes, a great cover design too!

I read this book a few years ago and was particularly interested because I had lived for years in Steve Gunderson's congressional district, had met him several times and had voted for him. He was first elected as I recall in 1980 as part of the Reagan Revolution. He was a decent enough fellow, did his job conscientiously and probably with his background in agricultural issues might've ended up as a Secretary of Agriculture perhaps. Whatever his rise was in the Republican Party it pretty much was ended after he was "outed" although I was impressed in the book about his friendship with Newt Gingrich and Gingrich's acceptance of his homosexuality (then again, one of Newt's sisters, I believe, is gay). Say what you want about his personal lifestyle, if it had a bearing on his political future (and how could it not have) then it was the public's loss in the long-run to have a conscientious congressman like Gunderson take himself out of the political arena.

Being the only gay GOP congressman, Gunderson's book is worth reading if only for that fact. I had moved out of his district by the time he was "outed" by "B-1" Bob Dornan but I recall having heard years earlier about his being gay and knew that one of his Democratic challengers during his tenure had struggled with the idea of outing Steve himself in order to try and win the election; this was long before Dornan decided to do what he did. In the end the Democratic candidate decided to keep the news to himself, so to speak, and not make an issue of it. He was soundly defeated in any event, by Gunderson.

As a liberal Democratic activist, I was suprised how much I liked this book. While I had known Representative Gunderson was hardly one of Ginrich's drones, his independence impressed me in some cases.

Throughout the book, Gunderson and his partner are frank in exploring the balancing act between being gay and Republican. It also makes no bones about the dislike for former Representative Robert Dornan (who was thankfuly replaced by Democrat Loretta Sanchez)Yet, at the same time Dornan was responsible for Gunderson's outing, the congressional conservative unwittingly freed his colleauge from a long standing dilema.

Myself included, some allies and GLBT people might forget there are Gay Republicans and they are just as deserving of equal rights as the more typical members of the community. In a non-judgemental tone, this book shows the skeptical reader just how difficult it can be to maintain those two identies. Ultimately, honesty is the best policy.

In a day and age when politicans from both sides of the aisle are caught up with imagery instead of truth, reading this book is a thought provoking and humbiling experience for any individual regardless of party or sexuality. Although I might disagree with some of Gunderson's decisions, I at least know that he has character depth.

This is a story once again that shows how religion damages gay people, but how individual integrity can win out. Gunderson seems at times naive and is often trapped by his homophobia. His struggle to accept himself is painful. I wished for more House and less Home, but it is his story to tell and it was very interesting and complelling.

I applaud the author for this effort and will gladly donate the cost of the book to any non-profit organization that is "helping to make the world a better place" in return for an electronic copy of the book. Ideas such as this should be available to everyone.

I have not read the book, so this is really not a review, but how could anyone give a negative review of such a work? I look forward to reading this material and as a result, taking action where possible to help reach the goals.

Presentation:
The interior text is formatted nicely. I don't recall encountering any typos. No interior illustrations, graphics, or photos. The text is divided up into headings, subheadings, etc to lend sufficient visual interest, and this makes it significantly easier to skim the book if necessary. The writing style is neither humorous nor bland.

Subjects covered:
The book is divided into eight parts, is further divided into 33 chapters by subject, and is further divided into 116 "actions."

The parts are these: Building community. Raising the next generation. Computer activism. Protecting the environment. Food, hunger, and agriculture. Socially responsible banking and investing. The responsible consumer. Peace, Justice, and social change.

Each "action" is fairly brief, only a couple pages, and tells you some background information about the subject, argues why something should be done, and tells you what you can do, and who to contact to learn more and actually do some things. There are plenty of things you can do other than donating money to organizations, such as volunteering or making changes in your lifestyle. Interestingly, the last action listed in the book, number 116, is about supporting gay rights.

Since this book was published in 1995, much of the information may no longer be of use:
~ References to the Internet are obsolete, since this was before the World Wide Web.
~ Changes may have happened to mailing addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of organizations to contact. You'll have to Google them and find out where they are now.
~ Statistics aren't fully up to date, although ten-year-old statistics are probably satisfactory information.

Suggestions:
~ Since a lot of this book is disappointingly out of date, get it from the library rather than buying it. Don't feel bad, since the book itself says that getting library books is better than buying a book you're doubtful about, since it conserves resources.
~ Read this book with a notepad at hand, to jot down things you found interesting: points, actions, and names of organizations to look up later.
~ You can read this book in short breaks when you're fairly busy with other things, since its layout makes it very easy to find your spot again to resume reading, or to skim.

This book is different from most books of the 50 Ways to Save the Earth genre because it covers a diverse array of social, political, ethical, and environmental problems in an in-depth fashion. The authors explain tough issues like the environmental effects of eating styles in clear, calm terms. The suggestions to make the world a better place range from extremely easy acts to reduce personal consumption to ambitious, challenging proposals for personal engagement with the homeless, the homebound, and others in need of assistance. Not only has it changed my own daily behaivor, I've found it to make a great, thought-provoking gift

This is a great book, reminding us that no matter what we do, it affects the whole world. So we might as well direct our attention and affect our world in a positive way by following the suggestions the authors have put together. Extremely well researched and organized book. Everyone can make a difference. I wish everyone would read the book to find out how!!!

With not much to add to the other reviews, this book has great depth and gives insightul knowledge of how the war in Iraq as well as The battle against the WTO, World Bank and IMF, needs to be thought out differently.
The author doesn't spend his time attacking or belittling some of the common held views of the left, he simply adds to the argument, a refreshing thing when several books on the above subjects just keep repeating the same ideas. I highly recomend this book, if only for the chapter on Thomas Friedman. Another book to read is Jeff Faux's "The Global Class War" which is quoted in this book a few times.

Engler's ideas are intelligent, interesting, and extremely relevant. His style is very clear and accessible. "How to Rule the World" is highly recommended reading for anyone concerned about US foreign policy and the global economy.

Mr. Engler describes the efforts of the greatest economic engine in the world (still), known to many as the United States, to determine and control the future of developing countries, whether by cloaked capitalism (Clinton-Blair third way neo-liberalism) or fiat (G.W.Bush aka Teddy Roosevelt). But, as he documents, that effort is failing, whatever its motivation, as the United States loses control not only of its economic fiefdoms in South and Latin America but of its own population, as its efforts to control the world incur domestic debt and keep its own middle class stagnant and the poor yet more impoverished. Like the history of its predecessors, the British, French, Dutch and Flemish empires, it is a modern ride on the Appian Way with the real reasons for the fall of the empire explained, unlike that other book which explained every battle of the Roman Empire but left the reader wondering why it actually failed. As with Americans, new to this outcome, the Brits and others have yet to acknowledge their diminished, yet mostly comfortable status as now just a nation. But Americans, unused to their diminished supermacy, are certainly feeling its effects.

Mr Engler looks at the details, the intracacies of finance and their implications for the target countries, but his thesis is the nature of a changing world where economic development and, moreover, its native control, in the Southern American hemisphere (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Boliva, Cuba) engenders independence and dooms (despite the WTO and the World Bank) a century of American hegemony. His discussion of debt cancellation, the H&R Block of international finance, more than his other examples, reveals the vulnerability of North American attempts to control fledgling South American governments. While Engler's focus is the popular movements in Central and South America, he does consider the East, never under the American thumb, but quarantined by the West, with China now holding most of America's debt the United States incurrs trying to keep its power everywhere. Our economic dependence upon the East that the Unites States has never had to entertain in a marketplace it had always exploited, but now readily accepts, whatever the consequences, as long as a buck can be made does not bode well for capital owners of the homeland. Oh, it must make those bulwarks of British Imperialism, the last vultures of the underdeveloped world, just shudder the thought of those despicable yellow people in implicit control. They and we can commisserate over our oriental tea.

Oh, you can bet there will be consequences. And Engler, knowing that the closer one gets to an issue, the more one loses the luxury of unbridled ideology, takes issue with the conclusions of commentators and analysts, both right and left, providing a studied guide to where the road may lead in the deep, deep woods of the twenty-first century.

This book is both terrific and important -- crisply written, sophisticated but accessible, and extremely valuable for progressives in the United States who want to reanimate the global justice movement here.

First and foremost, Engler persuasively argues that the Bush administration has pursued a policy of unilateralist, nationalistic, and militarized "imperial globalization" that differs from the "corporate globalization" model of the Clinton years. Doing so, Engler pleads that we recognize differences of opinion and strategy -- and the opportunities these fissures and tensions create -- among global elites. The key question Engler poses is: as the Bush model runs aground, will we simply go back to the globalization of the 80s and 90s, or can there be alternatives? A lot of evidence suggests that there is a real chance to develop alternatives: many Democrats now oppose neo-liberal free trade; more importantly, there has been, in the years since 9-11, a tremendous rollback of neo-liberalism in the Global South. Engler educates us about these alternatives, and challenges us to revitalize the global justice movement based on an informed understanding of recent trends, crises within the pro-globalization community, and the activism in the Global South.

Written with the precision of a scholar, the flair of a journalist, and the heart of an activist, this book is vital reading for so many communities: academics, policy makers, activists, and anyone who wants an up-to-date account of the state of the global economy. I can't recommend it more strongly.

Jeremy Varon

Are you human? Do you have a body? Are you and organ donor?
Are you not an organ donor? Are you pro life or pro choice? Well then this book is for you.
It is out of date, but still very important. The out of date part just has to do with the fact that things have changed and more issues have developed since this book.
There is a reviewer here who says he is in the footnotes. Can he contact Andrew Kimbrell and have this book continued out to our current date, so I do not have to explain this book is out of date, but important. Used bookstores ignore this book because it is so old. They do not realize how important it still is. Old book do not have it do not want to obtain it is their attitude.

My only complaint you have to keep adding to this book each year or start an updated website like some books have with a note in the new book to go to it for updates on current bio ethical issues.

Who gets the parts? Who makes the parts?

Want to think further go for this topic and read fiction?
1)Read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley a book way ahead of its time.
2)Rent the Movie The Island a curent movie.

The main take away is that we need to talk about and deal with these ethics. Every one needs to think about their values and not ignore this. Obviously the answer is not an easy one, but get more facts. If you have not read this you are probably missing facts.

One reviewer says this is not a ballanced book nope it is not, but we do not hear this perspective much at all so it provides ballance in the world.

Amazon has a reference for this if you like this you will like other books. Body for Life. That is a diet book, so you really want to skim those suggestions because they just pull up books that say body in them that have nothing to do with bio-ethics or this book. Obviously computer generated.

Thousands of men and women were originally conceived in petri dishes in laboratories from sperm sold by anonymous men for an average payment of 50 dollars. What is the long-term psychological effect on such persons who must live with the knowledge that their conception occurred outside a womb and their fathers were involved in it only for money? This is one of the many questions that Andrew Kimbrell raises in The Human Body Shop, in which he covers the full range of issues relating to the treatment of the human body and its components as marketable commodities, from the controversy in the 1950's and 60's over the sale of human blood to the looming possibilities of human genetic engineering. These are global issues; for example, while the sale of body parts for transplants is illegal in the U.S., the sale of kidneys is a thriving business in India and other developing countries, where the poor are selling their body parts to the rich. Another controversial practice is surrogate motherhood; thousands of babies have been born of mothers who were contracted for the nine-month gestation service, usually for a fee of 10,000 dollars.

Since a 1980 Supreme Court decision that a living organism (an oil-eating microbe) could be patented, the patenting of life has become an accepted practice. As of 1997 over forty animals had been patented, including mice, turkeys, and rabbits. Human cells and hundreds of human genes have also been patented. Kimbrell poses the question of whether genetic engineering will eventually lead to the patenting of a human being?

While treating the reader to a highly interesting recounting of the histories of controversial biotech practices, Kimbrell makes a cogent argument that the marketing of life is dehumanizing; he calls for increased government control in the biotech field, especially as we enter the era of human genetic engineering. There is unquestionably a need for more public debate on biotech issues, but Kimbrell could have helped even more to further such debate by devoting a bit more of his book to the views of biotech proponents, even though he passionately disagrees with such views. Kimbrell's failure to favor the reader with a broader range of views dropped the rating for The Human Body Shop from five stars to four.

In the vein of his mentor Jeremy Rifkin, Andy Kimbrell has written a broadside condemning all aspects of the bio-industries extant at the 1993 publication date of this book. Well written, and thoroughly researched this is a highly readable in-depth review of the major bioethical issues facing us today. I recommend this book highly and not just because I am in the index. The chapter in which I am mentioned deals with the Harvard or oncomouse and patents on living beings. Andy's account is accurate, well researched, and his opinions are thoughtful and well grounded. If you are not repelled by the politics of Jeremy Rifkin, but have an open mind on the questions of the ethics of biotechnology, this book is well worth your attention.

Highly recommended! Kimbrell's book is both thought provoking and informative and is very hard to put down. He addresses the things that the newspapers do not tell us about surrogate motherhood, organ marketing and genetic engineering. He tells about the odd court cases and rulings dealing with issues society has never had to deal with before. He also gives examples of how genetics is being used to affect our lives without our consent. The book does an excellent job of raising the reader's awareness of how our species future is presently at a crossroads and why we should be concerned. Interesting topic, clearly presented and well referenced for those wanting more.

What must be one of the most tightly held secrets of CIA is the identities and operations of what are called Non Official Cover (NOC) officers. These individuals operate far from the safety of U.S. Embassies as private U.S. citizens under deep cover. As this book makes clear these officers are unique and often courageous individuals.
The pseudonymous author of this book, Ishmael (Call me, Ishmael), has provided an excellent account of just how a NOC goes about the business of recruiting and exploiting foreign agents often under extremely difficult circumstances. To his great credit, Ishmael managed to produce an informative and fascinating memoir that still protects sensitive CIA names, locations and operations. Ishmael is a former Marine Infantry Officer who, despite his contempt for CIA as an institution, still is a patriot first who wants the U.S. intelligence system to really work.
This brings us to what for many is the most important revelation of this book: the fact that CIA is and apparently always has been a dysfunctional institution virtually incapable, as an institution, of either effectively collecting human intelligence (HUMINT) or doing its core mission of producing strategic intelligence. Ishmael suggests that CIA has been able to attract a host of dedicated, capable people who should have made CIA the premier intelligence agency of the world. Unfortunately, Ishmael also describes a culture of amateurism and bureaucratic gamesmanship that has more often than not hampered if not prevented the agency from doing it job of producing good intelligence. CIA managers as described in this book come off as risk adverse, ill-informed bureaucrats incapable of supervising even mundane administrative activities. Ishmael also implies that CIA managers are excellent at protecting themselves, their `turf' and, of course, hoodwinking their nominal overseers in congress.
All this is pretty harsh on CIA, but seems to square with what Robert Baer, another competent and patriotic CIA intelligence officer, has noted in his own `intelligence memoir', "See No Evil" about his adventures as a case officer. Reading both books is an interesting exercise. Although there is no evidence in either book that the men knew each other both have arrived at remarkably similar conclusions on the sad state of CIA.

This is the ultimate adventure story of a deep-cover spy, operating throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, tracking weapons scientists and terrorists. It is full of dry humor, and never slows down. But the real purpose appears to be to draw the reader's attention to the weakness in American national security caused by poor or false human intelligence. By not pontificating, the book is exciting and gets its point across. It's a book about intelligence reform disguised as a spy story.

Deep cover spy Ishmael recounts details about inept CIA training and torture courses, dodging co-workers trying to sabotage his work, falling prey to a dead-baby con scheme in Bombay, and the hilarious saga of his friend, the world's worst spy. I read an advance copy that should be the same as the final - and believe some of its revelations are explosive: the inability to place spies in foreign countries, the CIA's growth within the USA, disappearing money, work avoidance schemes, and great gaps in intelligence. A few paragraphs on the Plame incident are enlightening.

The Twins, a pair of CIA professors, pop up to intrude upon intelligence operations; a hunt for CIA pornography users decimates deep-cover spies overseas. CIA employees hire their spouses as managers in a confusion of nepotism. And bloody Iraq, a place of such absurd violence that ordinary CIA risk aversion is temporarily on hold.

The CIA's just a big couch potato, a failure at providing intelligence but an expert at feeding itself and growing ever larger. The consequences of this nonpartisan book could be far-reaching and CIA reform should be on the top of the Obama, (Hillary) or McCain agendas. CIA reform may well be the most important thing Americans can do as a nation to protect themselves. The author's decision to donate his book profits gives his case even greater strength.

This is a clean-sheet final review. I considered dropping it to a four because of false notes. However, after adding up all the substantial "bombs" in this book, bombs I will itemize below, I believe the book not only merits five stars, but should--if Congress were honest, which it is not--warrant a full Congressional investigation, and a wholesale purging of the light-weight risk-averse clowns now managing CIA's directorates.

The author was a Non-Official Cover (NOC) Officer, something he is not allowed to say, but he no doubt has infuriated the pretentious at CIA by making it clear that virtually all of CIA's case officers are under Department of State cover.

I will list the false notes first. While I have not been active in clandestine operations since 1988, the following troubled me:

1) Ability to work on own funds with pay and expense gaps of up to $200,000 at a time.

2) Excessive travel to HQS and entry into HQS. In my day NOCs did not come inside at all.

3) Implied knowledge of inside operations and actual sighting of final cables--in my day, NOCs were handled as prize agents, and never saw any official traffic.

4) Agents (the ones committing treason) complaining to HQS to get their NOC fired? This is way over the edge.

5) Uninformed view on JAWBREAKER and First In with respect to public story--however, it is now it is coming out that Bin Laden was believed killed by multiple air bursts over Tora Bora, and the "flight" to Jalabad might have been a CIA deception ordered by the White House, and the only good explanation for why General Franks refused to drop a Ranger battalion, knowing it was merely in support of a CIA fabrication.

6) Inconsistency between one claim that Plame had four years of training followed by a short tour followed by five more years of training, and footnote 46, which is much more credible.

I hope other case officers, and NOCs, will read and review this book and contribute reviews that extend my own notes in the public interest. The time has come to shut CIA down and start over (the same is true of the rest of the secret world, but this book focuses on CIA).

Management crimes itemized in this book:

1) Waste of billions of dollars in post 9-11 money, to include paying rent for domestic assignments and creating hundreds of new CIA offices all over the USA, while failing to create new NOC capabilities overseas. [Note: open sources tell us that rather than fielding hundreds of NOCs, CIA created extremely expensive cover companies, all but one of which has since had to shut down--just as the Joint Fusion Centers across the USA are shutting down: CIA management is disconnected from reality in a big big way).

2) Risk aversion, multiple layers of inept and egotistical management, most of whom have made a career out of being in HQS rather than serving in the field (I myself did three back to back tours overseas and quit CIA when I was told to go down the hall and lie to another case officer--which was coincident with Ted Price deciding I was unfit for duty because I consider the DO a joke).

3) US academic access agents being sent to destroy NOC access and existing cases, management seeking to triple-up coverage on cases best handled by singleton NOCs. Combined with the risk aversion, with HQS officers being clueless on how easy a commercial approach can be, anywhere including in "rogue" or "threat" states, this book for all of its flaws, is a death blow to the Potemkin village called the National Clandestine Service.

4) HQS, and Agency personnel, have blown virtually every clandestine identity in history--very very few have been brought down by hostile counterintelligence. I was one of five case officers NOT blown by Phil Agee's Cuban-sponsored list as published in Mexico, this resonates with me. CIA lives "immunity from accountability," NOT "cover."

5) Many credible examples of CIA waste of new money on NOC "trainees" that are stationed in USA and "counted" in testimony to Congress. Riveting story on how CIA fabricated NOC overseas presence by sending NOCs on non-operational sight-seeing tours, called "Axis of Evil Tourism" by the NOCs.

6) Lends additional support to the long-known unwillingness and inability of CIA to operate in Syria or any other Middle Eastern country, in anything other than a declared liaison capability.

7) Destroys CIA claims on Europe, pointing out that more often than not CIA is "shut down" across Europe and refuses to do operational actions not being done jointly by liaison. Points out that Europe is important as a transit point, not as a target, but this nuance is evidently lost on risk-averse "managers."

8) Recurring theme is the micro-management, the multiple layers of approval and editing (including the morphing of Reports Officers into "Collection Management Officers" who no longer add value)

9) Exposes the ease with which an ally, perhaps Germany, has dangled double-agents and consistently embarrassed CIA case officers. This probably applies to Russia and France, and more subtly, to China and Cuba, but then CIA is not admitting any of this.

10) Page 118: in the Middle East, the author's primary area of operations, 15% of the NOCs working as they should; 70% quiet failures; 15% spectacular failures. The real question is: what number. My guess is 30, of whom only 4 are real, and half are light-weight contractors.

I am coming up on my 1000 word limit, so here are some teasers: NOC laptops used to fire one out of ten NOCs for access to pornography; polygraph given for "disgruntlement"; CIA stationary accidentally sent to all NOCs overseas; contract firms taking the money and destroying clandestine service....

The appendix, specific recommendations for reform, merits serious consideration. On balance, this book is now on my short list of essential references on the deception and death of our spy service.

See also:
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Lost Promise
None So Blind: A Personal Account of the Intelligence Failure in Vietnam
Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the Cia's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam
The Crimes of Patriots: A True Tale of Dope, Dirty Money, and the CIA
Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
Still Broken: A Recruit's Inside Account of Intelligence Failures, from Baghdad to the Pentagon
Blond Ghost

The book is an eye opener for sure. It really puts the war on drugs (the people) in the real world. It's a got to read kind of book, do your self a favor and read it!

Ibogaine, the illegal, boycotted and most effective treatment for addiction known to man. The ibogaine story reveals the behind the scene story of ibogaine and the bogus war on drugs. Ibogaine is a broad spectrum anti-addictive natural substance that has been used for thousands of years by native people. The attempt by the US government and pharmacutical companies to keep it off the market (and information about it from the public) is cruel and criminal. Being safer than asprin and not subject to any abuse potential it does not qualify as a schedule 1 controlled substance with the likes of heroin and cocaine, yet it is so scheduled. Why? Could the government actually want drugs on our streets? Could it be a threat to many billion dollar medications? Read the book for the answers.

The in-depth information on the theoretical/pharmacological actions of addiction (and Ibogaine's role on resetting the mind's regulatory systems) alone should be enough of a motivation to buy this book. OK, the story line gets a bit muddled here and there - as the authors weave many independent threads into this contemporary account of growing public awareness of the importance of Ibogaine - but don't let this stop you from reading this book. The research covered by this presentation is about as exciting as REAL science gets. After all, scientific discovery is truly a human drama.

Since the overt suppression of research on "psychedelic" (mind-manifesting) drugs, few animal studies - and far fewer human studies (almost none) - have been authorized by the FDA. This book clearly emphasizes the importance of on-going research based in these important chemicals.

Anyone truly interested in the mechanisms of human consciousness and behavior should absolutely read this seminal work. Our potential as individuals (and by extension as a race) is eternally tied to our ability to understand (and ultimately control) the mechanisms governing individual consciousness. As this book clearly illustrates, addiction is a malfunction of the biomechanics of consciousness - as well as the result of bad decisions. Yet, it appears that it may take more than self-help programs to permanently reverse the damage done. When it comes to curing individuals - and by extension society - of addictive behavior, Ibogaine appears to be just the tool we need to tackle this problem at the source.

I might append "The Ibogaine Story" with this epilogue. The maintenance of our own bodies is an individual responsibility. Learning to do so intelligently is nothing less than a primordial right. Put another way, "big brother" has no authority inside the soul's temple. When it comes to the eternal "war on tyranny," if information is power, than THIS BOOK IS A WEAPON OF MASS ENLIGHTENMENT.

The topics of ibogaine and the drug war in America are covered nicely in this book, with an emphasis on historical perspective and cultural insights. This is an important book, but it is also somewhat confused in its overall presentation. By that statement, I mean that it goes so deeply into the topic that it begins to confuse the average reader. This book is a must have however, for anyone interested in the current politics and background of ibogaine.

This is one book where you must read the introduction. and then when you read the book you find out thatthe book can be interpreted in at least one other way. i think everybody would take out something different but that would always be refreshing. i could not stop myself from saying 'aha' at many places. still, i think he sometimes is contradicting himself. he thinks that socialism and liberalism can go together. maybe he is right. i dont think so.

Written by a very advanced thinker, this book represents a shattering statement against the Christian petit-burgois morality of work, a true revolution and evolution in man's thinking.

Russell became famous as a mathematician and philosopher.

But when he won the Nobel Prize, it was for Literature. When you read this book of essays, you will see why.

It is beautifully written and has all of Russell's virtues: clarity, wit, humor, forcefulness, simplicity.

Even better, it is a brief education in itself. Most of the essays were written just as the Great Depression was beginning, and Russell gets right to the heart of a problem Capitalists and Socialists do not usually address: How much work is needed, and what is the ultimate point? He constantly stresses that we do too much work, and most of it is unneeded, and makes life grim. He never ceases to remind us that we should work to live, not live to work.

He addresses this point in many ways--through economics, through architecture, through the then-raging problems of Fascism and Communism. And though he treats serious problems seriously, he always has time for the breathtaking perspective and the ligtht touch--as with the essay, "Man Versus Insects."

A wonderful, even life-changing book.

+++++

Controversial philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Lord Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) has written fifteen scintillating essays on which to whet our intellectual appetites. These short essays were written between 1925 and 1935.

Russell writes in an elegant, readable, and understandable style. His arguments are well thought out.

These essays consider social questions not discussed in politics. The general theme that ties these essays together is that the world suffers from dogmatism and narrowness; what is needed is the willingness to question dogma.

These essays are a blend of philosophy with other disciplines such as psychology, economics, science, and history. All the essays are brutally honest and forthright. Each is packed with loads of wisdom. What's amazing is that these essays are as current today as when they were first written and their messages will probably remain relevant in the future.

My five favorite essays in this collection include the following:

(1) "In Praise of Idleness." Discusses work and the importance of leisure. In order to get an idea of Russell's insight that permeates this book, here's a sample sentence from this essay: "The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

(2) "'Useless' Knowledge." Points out that all knowledge is useful not only that which has a practical value.

(3) "The Case for Socialism." Russell gives many arguments in favor of socialism, most notably the need for preventing war.

(4) "Western Civilization." Discusses its characteristics. Sample sentence: "I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent utility."

(5) "Education and Discipline." Sample sentence: "Education...must be something more positive than mere opportunity for growth...it must...also provide a mental and moral equipment [for] children."

In conclusion, this book is Bertrand Russell at his best. Enjoy!

+++++

I think most people's reaction to a 500 page book would be one of caution, myself included. It has nothing to do with the content, I just know it will take a while for me to get through that many pages.

That being said, this collection of Nader essays is a 500 page book, but it's been a joy reading it because of the organization of the book. Broken down into smaller chapters, the book is full of very short, but well-written essays usually no longer than two pages. It's very easy to read a few at a time, and then come back to the book later. I actually find myself reading this book faster than I would other books of the same length. Each piece is so short I usually end up telling myself, "I'll just read a few more." In the end, it makes the book easier to read.

As far as content goes, the book is great. I think if you're a genuinelly progressive person, you'll still like Nader even though the Democrats have tried to scapegoat him rather than admit their own problems as a party. This country needs people like Nader to remind us that we don't have to settle for what we have, that things can and should be better. This book sends that message loud and clear.

Deeply intelligent, in breadth and depth, these articles by Mr. Nader, who has given everything for just causes over nearly half a century, make eloquent, and plain, what so many others believe and either can't, or won't, say.

The October 23rd "review" pretty much sums up why John Kerry and his hysterical Anybody-But-Bush supporters were shellacked this week, while everything Ralph Nader said during the campaign was proved correct. Ignore the subject at hand, be hysterical and irrational, and wave empty slogans ("A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" -- what does that mean? In Wyoming, where Kerry lost by over 20 points? In D.C., where Bush lost by over EIGHTY points? My vote would never have gone to Kerry under any circumstances....how was my vote for Nader a vote for Bush?)

Meanwhile, Ralph Nader continues on without a break and will now focus on the ridiculous ballot access laws in this country, as well as the subjects touched on in this book. What he "has done for us lately" is to start one new organization after another from 2000 to 2004, advocate on behalf of the District of Columbia's pathetic public library system - left to rot by the D.C. Democratic Party, which has done nothing for anybody in decades - and highlight solutions to other issues that are working right now in localities around the country. Read what he has to say in this book and climb on board. Roll up your sleeves and put up or shut up, Democrats.

A must read for anyone interested in how our government operates. There is a bit of repetition but a lot of good information and contacts for further research.

Excellent series of interviews with still pertinent movers and shakers in the realm of spiritual activism. Incredibly inspiring. Very very relevant for today, though written in the late 80's.

This book will inspire you to begin making the changes in the world that you desire to see. It includes inspirational and down to earth interviews with some of the greatest activists that ever lived. Always remember change is possible if we take action and pursue it with love. Highly recommended.

Now in a newly revised edition enhanced with a new foreword by Arun Gandhi, and featuring interviews with Mubarak Awad, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Cesar Chavez, H.H. The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Joan Baez, and others, In The Footsteps Of Gandhi: Conversations With Spiritual Social Activists is a collection of deeply contemplative and insightful essays written by a diverse roster of contemporary spiritual and social activists. Touching on an impressive array of modern social issues ranging from AIDS, to apartheid, to the Israel/Palestine conflict, and more, this seminal tribute to the power of (and desperate need for) nonviolence is emotionally moving, morally relevant, and enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone concerned with how best to address the rampant social issues of our time.

Catherine Ingram's beautifully constructed book presents interviews of spiritual social activists that serve both as a historical record and, in our current world climate, an inspiring reminder that it is important to take action in line with our beliefs and principles, and that the word "spiritual" can include engaging oneself in crucial social and political issues that affect us all.