Events Books

This is the most objective analysis on events in the Middle East I found in years. Prof. Harari is a great internationally known theoretical physicist. He was the director of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001 and received several honors as a leading scientist. His analysis is cristal-clear. I already bought 4 books to give to friends.

This is a penetrating analysis of the components of terror. The book offers a survey of the landscape of middle-eastern conflicts. It is, however, not a pedantic rendition. The author presents a complicated issue in an easily understandable form.

In April 2004 internationally known physicist Haim Harari was asked by a meeting of the International Advisory Board of a large multi-national corporation to present his own personal view on events in the Middle East. He spoke candidly.

Without his knowledge a copy of his remarks was leaked and posted on the Internet. It caused a worldwide sensation and was translated into more than half a dozen languages. (The article is seven pages long and can be obtained by going to the FrontPageMag website, clicking on Archives, setting the date drop-downs to March 15, 2006 and clicking on Go. The article is at the bottom of the page.)

Due to the widespread interest in the article, Prof. Harari went on to write an expanded version, which resulted in "A View from The Eye of The Storm". This is not a scholarly treatise with bibliography and footnotes (although there is a very good index), but the perceptions of a fifth-generation Israeli-born observer. Yet Harari is no ordinary observer. He is a brilliant scientist, trained in objective and precise analysis. And he is a man not only of great acumen and scruples, but a man deeply concerned about human events and the future of humankind.

Prof. Harari believes we are already into a World War with Muslim Extremists, but that a few more years may pass before everybody acknowledges this is a fact. He outlines four main elements of the present World conflict: 1, suicide murder; 2, lies; 3, money and 4, the total breakdown of law. The role of each of these elements is examined in detail in the 211 page book.

Following is Harai's eminently sensible solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict:

"There are certain immutable facts in the Middle East. Peace can arrive only if the Palestinians except the existence of Israel. Peace can materialize only if the Palestinians have their own state - next to Israel not instead of it. The densely Jewish areas will be part of Israel; the densely Palestinian areas will be part of the Palestinian state. Israel will have an Arab minority. Many Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza will have to be abandoned. Most of Jerusalem will remain in Israel, and it will continue to be the capital city. Some heavily populated Arab neighborhoods of the greater Jerusalem area will be in the Palestinian state and may form its capitol city. A carefully planned demilitarized strategy must be developed; it will take a substantial number of years and can be lifted only by mutual consent. Descendents of Palestinian refugees will be settled in Arab countries, many of them in the Palestinian state. All Arab countries bordering with Israel will have peace agreements with it, and no unresolved disputes will remain. The borders between Israel and its Arab neighbors will be protected by some kind of fence...because no open border can survive a 20:1 income ratio."

Later in the book Harari provides a concise prescription for treating the problem of international terror. He admits "it's easy to list these things...it's far more difficult to apply them worldwide." But "it's just a matter of time until all free countries unite and recognize they are facing a life-threatening, global problem."

Read this book, and you will learn the clear-headed professor's answers - answers that he urges are "simply the only possible solutions" to the international terror of our present World War.

Haim Harari is a great internationally known theoretical physicist. He was the director of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001 and received important honors as a leading scientist, including the prestigious Harnack Medal, awarded by the Senate of the Max Planck Society in an unanimous decision.

But this book is not about Physics, its about terror and reason in the Middle East. In my opinion, it is by far the best review of terrorism ever written.

Harari is a fifth generation Israeli. His grandmother was born in Jerusalem in 1872, and so was her grandmother. So where his children and grandchildren. He writes in Chapter 1:

"For seven generations we have lived here, in the eye of the storm. We have survived more wars and terror attacks than any other nation. But now we are informed by the former French ambassador to London that we are "a shitty little country" endangering the world; at the same time we learn that the rulers of Iran want to replace our "shitty little country" by yet another Shiite country.

So writes this gifted and deep observer of the reality of the Midle East today. Every page of this book has deep and extremely intelligent observations, whose truth is undeniable. Harari's reasoning is always compelling, like that of any great scientist. He starts each one of the 32 chapters of this extraordinary book with a short citation. These themselves are little gems. For example here is the gem that starts Chapter 30: "You cannot punish a suicide murderer by [the] death penalty; You cannot bomb into the Stone Age somebody who is already there."

Indeed, the war between radical Islam and the West is waged by people yearning to go back to the past. They reject modernity above all.

Or here is the gem starting Chapter 13: " The incredible economy of China creates an entirely new "South Korea" every three years. Why can't the rest of the poor rural areas of the world do the same?"

World War III already started though many people do not realize it yet. A relatively new totalitarian movement has grown and gained roots in the Middle East, financed by Saudi Arabia, Iran and other oil-rich states. Like the totalitarian regimes of the past, whether in Mao's China , Stalin's Soviet Union, Pol Pot's Cambodia, Hitler's Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, or Tojo's Japan, the adherents of this Islamic form of fascism are prepared to kill a large part of Humanity in order to bring forth the Islamic "paradise" that is supposed to triumph in the entire World. All fascists, it seems, are megalomaniacs, and the new Islamic fascists are no different.

This book is living proof that the pen is mightier than the sword, and a potent weapon against the Islamic totalitarians of today in World War III. Just like Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, Tojo's Japan, Pol Pot's Cambodia, or Stalin's Soviet Union were defeated, ultimately reason will win over this new form of religious fascism and barbarism. World War III already started, but the victors are going to be the same ones as the victors in World War II.

This book is highly recommended. It should be read and reread by every thinking person on Earth.

At last an unbiased intelligent analysis of the situation in the middle east and the events that brought to that situation. A must read for anyone interested in world affairs.

Really well written book. Found alot of friends and family members in the book in the era of which it was written. Very true to it's nature. Purchased 2 books.

It is often common to find in magazines reports: "Carlos Santana. The man who created the latin-rock", as if he had create this sound by his own in a chemical laboratory. Instead, in this book, Jim Mc Carthy gives credit to a lot of people that put their little grain of sand to make this style born and live. Each musician is analicize by a very human view, but always in relation with the musical stuff. The pictures are incredible, and the Glossary... ¡re-grosso!. ¡Aguante el Rock-Latino!.

* LATIN * ROCK * MASTERPIECE *, June 27, 2005
Reviewer: derjenrogers from WILTHIRE
l found long ago, a very special sound,but no one was around totell me about it, no one knew anything, only that the music was so powerful it WOULD change your life. My soul has been searching for 30 years untill Jim McCarthy came and spent four years of his life, writting, hundred of interviews, to bring to life an utter MASTERPIECE, documenting the raw,uncensored passion to the roots of LATIN ROCK. Authenticity and powerful emotion drips off every page,forcing the reader to collect it and greedily drink
down this strong, pungent,wonderful nectar to fill your unknowing soul with THE KNOWLEDGE!

All the peoples names (which i only use to just read on the back of album covers) all come to life and i feel that they are close
friends,as so many are backed-up with the huge amount of photographs in this wonderful book.l now, no longer feel left outside, without The Knowledge, but part of global commune, full of love, warmth and unashamed greed for LATIN ROCK.
Jim McCarthy has pulled off a monumental task with getting to grips with the truth behind the roots of the music to some of the greastest latin rock bands of all time.
Their music will be here forever, as indeed this book will be.

THIS BOOK IS A TOTAL MUST FOR ALL LATIN ROCK LOVERS
DISCOVERING IT'S ROOTS,HISTORY,IT'S MUSICIANS. THIS
MASTERPIECE WILL FOREVER HAUNT EVERY BOOK SHELF ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THE ONLY TRUE AUTHORITIVE VOICE IN LATIN ROCK

Reviewer: derjenrogers from UK
l found long ago, a very special sound,but no one was around totell me about it, no one knew anything, only that the music was so powerful it WOULD change your life. My soul has been searching for 30 years untill Jim McCarthy came and spent four years of his life, writting, hundredS of interviews, to bring to life an utter MASTERPIECE, documenting the raw,uncensored passion to the roots of LATIN ROCK. Authenticity and powerful emotion drips off every page,forcing the reader to collect it and greedily drink
down this strong, pungent,wonderful nectar to fill your unknowing soul with THE KNOWLEDGE!

All the peoples names (which i only use to just read on the back of album covers) all come to life and i feel that they are close
friends,as so many are backed-up with the huge amount of photographs in this wonderful book.l now, no longer feel left outside, without The Knowledge, but part of global commune, full of love, warmth and unashamed greed for LATIN ROCK.
Jim McCarthy has pulled off a monumental task with getting to grips with the truth behind the roots of the music to some of the greastest latin rock bands of all time.
Their music will be here forever, as indeed this book will be.

THIS BOOK IS A TOTAL MUST FOR ALL LATIN ROCK LOVERS
DISCOVERING IT'S ROOTS,HISTORY,IT'S MUSICIANS. THIS
MASTERPIECE WILL FOREVER HAUNT EVERY BOOK SHELF ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THE ONLY TRUE AUTHORITIVE VOICE IN LATIN ROCK

i love this book it,s about time a book like this came out i love all the old pics of the bands and of the mission district now people will know the history of san franciscos latin rock and salsa sceen all the bands they mentioned on here like malo santana and sapo azteca tower of power el chicano i grew up listening to them

Chapter 5 on Afghanistan, gives the reader an intimate,
close up view of the country and its people. We are so
advantaged in the current war because we cannot have the
the illusion that "the enemy" is a boogey man, whose host country deserves to be obliterated. Not so. In disabling
terrorists networks, may we the people of the world make a
step forward in which we wake up to our oneness. Roger Plunk's book is a "how-to" book for living in a world connected, not only at its unified source, but also through its many venues of
information exchange.

This book tells in common languagge an extrordinary and true story that is both spiritual and pragmatic. An enjoyable easy read that will inform and inspire you, this book is refreshingly honest. The very original theme and information presented is sure to interest anyone tired of the same old stories! I highly recommend this book!

This is one of the most important books for our time. Both diplomacy and power politics in the conventional sense are consistently failing the world. The major powers have only one goal, which is to project their narrow national interest-- usually at the expense of others, whose needs are entirely ignored. The United Nations, once the beacon of hope and a cradle of impartiality, is hopelessly corrupt and driven by a Security Council that is no longer representative of today's realities.

It's high time for a comprehensive change in our approach to foreign policy, and Roger Plunk, with great humility and sound reasoning, shows us the way. If you're concerned with where the world is heading, buy this book and give copies to your friends!

Roger Plunk began a lifetime of wandering as a child. He did stay put long enough as a young man to earn two law degrees, then he began working for the U.S. State Department. He learned that his calling was to be a mediator and that he had the ability and desire to work for peace one-on-one with world leaders.

The Dalai Lama was the first to utilize Plunk's special talents. In The Wandering Peacemaker, his first book, Plunk describes mediation efforts between Tibet and China. From there, he travels to India and Pakistan, Burma, and then to Afghanistan. He not only analyzes the political situation in each dispute, he describes the history of the area and the people involved. Readers get a clear understanding of both sides.

Plunk holds strong spiritual beliefs and says "the common thread running through the stories [in his book] is the dynamic relationship between government and spirituality." Plunk was guided by his belief that one person can make a difference. He says, "I was one person on a very low budget engaging in large international issues [and] I did manage to get my message across."

Is there a place for spiritual insight in the political arena? Plunk says yes, and his stories demonstrate the power of spiritual healing in international relations. Readers concerned with human problems and world peace will find The Wandering Peacemaker engrossing, and encouraging. Like a modern Johnny Appleseed, Roger Plunk is planting seeds of peace worldwide. One person can make a difference.

I love it, very enlightening, especially when Plunk writes about Afghanistan, his work with the Northern Alliance, and his captivating discussions with the Dalai Lama. Plunk writes with great clarity, about his journeys as an independent international mediator, venturing into some of the most complicated and violent political conflicts on the planet to connect directly with the leaders and people of Afghanistan and Tibet, to name just a few of his stops. The Wandering Peacemaker is written with a piercing intelligence and a poetic touch that comes staight from the heart as he shares insights from his own spiritual journey. The bowing gesture of devotion, with forehead to the ground, is a perfect metaphor for this book, as Plunk reminds us with every stop along his path to place the heart higher than the head in our common journey towards peace.

I've read political books written by famous radio personalities and other political commentators, but this one tops them all. Besides being well written , it is an enjoyable and easy read. Brett and S.C. do a terrific job of analyzing the political positions of the left in relationship to those on the right, and just knocking the stuffing out of the left. The two young authors have a great future in front of themselves.

With seemingly every pundit churning out mindless political drivel, Why You're Wrong is a breath of fresh air. While you might not agree with the political leaning of the book, you WILL find it refreshing that Cupp and Joshpe have decided to talk about themselves, and not attack others. Why You're wrong reminds you that stereotypes exists for all corners of society, and Republicans, just like other stereotyped groups, deserve the chance to dispel untruths.

Joshpe and Cupp do a great job breaking down the major stereotypes of conservatives and they do it in the most enjoyable way. They not only present facts (thoroughly!) but they also incorporate interviews and contributions from well-known athletes, musicians, writers and, of course, those involved in the political field. It's the most inventive and enjoyable take on the subject and couldn't put it down once I started reading. Definitely recommended!

Progress of any kind or political persuasion can't come from a denial of reality, a viewpoint shared by NYTimes columnists as well as Ayn Rand. Yet, pursuits of this noble goal often degenerate into simplistic name-calling, and a concomitant spiral into the world of straw-men-bashing and knee-jerk labeling.

Given the frightful prevalence of these narrow-minded specters populating any attempt at intellectual discourse, I was thrilled with S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe's attempt to clear some of the air. This book is well thought, well composed, and well researched. One enjoys a humorously enjoyable blend of pop-culture and Edmund Burke, all the while taking aim at those on the left who selectively deny the reality of the beliefs and character of Republicans.

As an Obama supporter, I am nonetheless happy to have read this book because of the broadened perspective it affords my understanding of American politics. If you truly believe that a sober assessment of "the other side" from a quality spokesperson is valuable, Cupp and Joshpe are very capable guides.

As Publications Chairman of the New York Young Republican Club, the largest, oldest, and most active Young Republican organization in the United States, "Why You're Wrong About the Right" has become a great ally in setting the record straight about the Republican Party. My liberal roommates, believe it or not, concede that they were mostly wrong about the Republican Party after reading it.

It is a book that everyone (from middle schoolers to retirees) should read to get around all the false inflammatory stereotypes and get the real scoop, for example, about how we "eco-destroying" Republicans are actually responsible for the EPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and more.

I cannot say enough about how effectively and humorously "Why You're Wrong..." turns the tables on what media stereotypes want you to believe. I'm passing copies to everyone I know and I'd recommend everyone doing the same. It's a great eye opening read.

I was one of those kids in Southwood. Wow does this book bring it back and now it all makes sense to me.

Christy Scheck did not have to die. The mental health system is getting better but there is so far to go. Especially in the eyes of the public. People with mental illness are not lepers, they just need medicine as a diabetic needs insulin. The general public is so ill-informed. This book is about this young girl who got caught up in the protocol of management and money and greed, and she did not have to die. There is hope and with movies like A Beautiful Mind and Girl, Interrupted and others, like Mike Wallace and Kim Basinger to bring mental health to the forefront of society, it will not hide behind the doors any longer, and will be dealt with in the dignified manner it deserves.

It's amazing and truly sad what greed and money does to people, at the expense of someone else's life and a families happiness.

i read an article in Roling stone.. it in first paragraph stated the parents took this kid out of soccer coed... or something of that nature.. mostlikely the parents have all to do more with the death as much as the hospitals who take advantage .
i happend to be a honors student in art school no drugs or alchol and recovering frm bulima when my father intended to keep me from school by trying to tell a doctor iwas ill.despite he was told to leave me alone .. the next fifteen years of my life were draged into hospitals on lies and hysteria. i was subject to for no reason .. ect. and drugs and i had nt even suffered depression i was a higly educated and adjsuted happy person till my father began to do this.. he admitted this to but not to doctors my father was a md so it was easy to get away with this . my fahter was also a food aholic and gamblerand sick.. see a movie called terror in the family it goes into the lies parents tell of children and who realy is the sick person...
my life was destroyed by these places and i saw first hand what goes on and parents who realy need the places not kids who ar exposed to sick families dysfunction who are basicly reacting to an illness.....
they realy need to have the parents admitted along side the kid id they do this ...
i was kept sick for 115 years and negelcted of anything i said that would have saved me . as a reslut my life suffered ill from truama.... i saved my own life when i escaped this cycle of doctors looking for insurance. butthe effects of damge it left on my life eventuly despite i live about four to five years very happy super healty like i was before this happened i will now die from thethings that were done to me inthe years i was [mistreated] by this system.....
parents have all todo with this kids death .. if they were functional parents they would not need a shrink . they mighttry communcation and being honest with them self.. somewhere they failed and it is not just the system...

Kafka lives and her name is Leon Bing. But the truly scary thing is that Bing's report on society - "A Wrongful Death: One Child's Fatal Encounter with Public Health and Private Greed" - is NON-FICTION. This could happen to any troubled teen - and it did. But what's even more interesting than how and why this 13 year old girl committed suicide while under professional medical care is how and why this book isn't getting reviewed! Attention authors and investigative journalists everywhere: you may have a story worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize - but how's it going to effect change if no one reads it?

I thought this book was pretty good, although I didn't learn as much as I thought I would. What I did learn was all very frightening indeed.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars isn't because I didn't learn something from every censored story, but rather that I felt there was a strong bias in this book. Clinton and Carter get off very easily, when compared to Reagan and Bush, who are attacked for verything they do. It's not that I believe they did nothing wrong, but I'm sure that Clinton and Carter weren't nearly as honest and forthright as this book makes them seem (in comparison to the Republican presidents).

You ever wonder if you are reading every news story or if some of the stories never make it to the paper? Do you ever wonder what you might be missing? Grab a copy of 20 Years of censored news and you'll be in for a surprise.

Carl Jensen takes you down the last twenty years with major headlines that were never seen. I was surprised and a little scared to think of what is held back from the public. I was amazed to see what was never told.

Proving the old adage "It's the media that control the people's thinking." This book certainly should wake you up to the fact that what you see isn't really what you get, because you get very little from the press.

I took just over two hours to complete the reading and I am very excited to read Censored 1999, to find out what I missed for the year. Overall this book will make a great gift for just about everyone - well done!

Never heard of East Timor until a few weeks ago? Well, you would have if the other news stories about East Timor over that past few years had made it into the mainstream news!

This book made me realize just how bad the situation is out there in the media. How controlled by corporate PR and government intervention our supposedly "free" media is. How could this happen in the United States of America?

I highly recommend this book to citizens who want to be better informed.

The news stories suppressed by Ronald Reagan (and his "administration") alone tell a horrifying story of how a politician tried to ram his agenda down our throats, without our knowing about it, so that we couldn't dissent or have opinions. And how he tried to censor everything he could, so the American public couldn't get any information about anything the government was doing.(Read Ch. 7, 1982, #6 "Ronald Reagan: America's Chief Censor".) There are also a multitude of stories censored by trans-global corporations what will scare you to death when you read them. What corporations will perpetrate on the public's health, just to continue making a buck, will shock you.

The orignial news stories are covered in summary form, the sources are cited, and there is usually an Update on what has happened since. Sometimes the update is more harrowing than the original!

It is your civic duty to read this book.

There is nothing more important to Freedom than a free, unbiased exchange of ideas. I now have a better idea of how "un-free" I am. Through reading this book, several layers of ignorance have been stripped away from my consciousness.

This is a scholarly, thoughtful dissertation encompassing not only issues of monopolization of the American press by huge multinational corporations, but many other issues ignored by mainstream media: environmentalism, nuclear power, government surveillance and other infringements on the civil rights of the world's citizens. This book is an essential collection of modern history so carefully hidden from the vast majority of Americans.

This is a great read. There are a great variety of stories (discounting the author's obsession with nuclear power) that should pique anyone's interest. Each of the year's stories provides interesting insights on what really happened that year (I found particularly enlightening the stories on the corporations, rich elite, and media empires that really rule American). This is a rare book that should be read by anyone who wants to be informed on current events. Rarely does such an important book come cloaked in such a simple cover.

Professor Farron's book is packed with real-life examples and official policies of how 'Affirmative Action'- or as it is called, cloaked in it's new moniker, 'Diversity'- has had discriminatory effects on people like me who happen not to be 'a person of color'. His clear descriptive quote on Diversity and its subsequent effect is so full of self evident truth that the quote alone is worth buying AND reading the whole book:

"Diversity is the most insidious and pernicious of all defenses of discrimination. The other justifications assume that discrimination is a necessary evil, a temporary expedient that is needed to produce a society in which race and ethnicity are irrelevant. Diversity assumes that discrimination is an unqualified good and that it should be perpetual."

I recommend this book to all, even 'people of color'- whatever that may mean!

A book of this quality and undoubted importance to society should be on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. Its author should be appearing on Meet the Press. Yet, I only heard of it through internet resources. The mainstream media's censorship of truth that doesn't portray women and minorities as victim is monolithic and to society's great detriment. Read this book.

Somewhere in Prof. Farina's book is a line running something like, "Most Americans know what affirmative action is, and most are against it. But very few understand how serious and deep-seated this problem is."

I am privileged to have read his monographs on institutionalized prejudice throughout the world, and on 20th century holocausts. I therefore expected the best from this book, but it turned out to far exceed my expectations.

As I do, Farron considers interracial animosity the world's greatest problem.

I have read quite a bit about the negative aspects of affirmative action policy, but this book goes into far more detail, and is far more convincing about the conspiracy of deceit, false innuendo, and misinformation put out by legislators, the media, and the universities.

I disagree with Prof. Farron as to the innate nature of the inferior IQs of nonwhite populations, and will send a 79-page word processor text file of my own theoretical and empirical reasons for doing so. I blame the schools, especially the first three years,and will send my unpublished manuscript as a free email attachment to anyone requestion one from me by email.

Farron is right that the only real way to achieve racial balance in schools and the work force would be with an outright quota system, even though this is impossible politically and constitutionally.

However, affirmative action is a horrible blight on a country, like ours, that is trying to sell "truth, justice, and the American" way to a world that is decreasingly impressed by our technological and manufacturing prowess.

This book is a must for anyone, of any race or political persuasion, who truly believes our grandchildren should be judged by the content of their characters rather than by the color of their skin.

The Affirmative Action Hoax: Diversity, The Importance Of Character And Other Lies by academician Steven Farron is an unapologetic, no-holds barred indictment of affirmative action especially in university admission, and also the less widely publicized practices of affirmative grading and graduation. Vehement in its denouncements, The Affirmative Action Hoax is unafraid to label defenses of affirmative action as "shameless frauds" and "blatant lies"; it declares, in unambiguous terms, that affirmative action is a blatant form of discrimination against white people and Asian people, and that if racial discrimination must be enacted then by far the most efficient and fair means is through quotas. Debunking the non-academic admissions criteria of "diversity", "importance of character", etc. often used to defend anti-white affirmative action by revealing that the same concepts were first introduced to discriminate in favor of white students who could not compete with the children of Jewish immigrants, The Affirmative Action Hoax is sharp-tongued yet serious minded in its call to reexamine a facet of university admissions policies all too easily taken for granted.

Steven Farron sets out to comprehensively document how affirmative action has changed and distorted our society from college admission, college grading, job applications, and job performance. His style is very readable and not at all pedantic. I started the book and couldn't put it down until it was finished. The subject is divided into various chapters, each relating to another form of affirmative action as applied by our federal and academic bureaucracies. The result is a thorough and informative recount of how affirmative action has changed the structure of our society, for good or evil. Farron is obviously on the side of less affirmative action but he gives his reasons for this stance and relates the price we all pay for our progressive social policies.
Mr. Farron's style is straight forward and easy to comprehend. Although he has done significant research into the numbers related to affirmative action the reader never gets inundated with cold facts.
His arguments are succinct and to the point, never verbose and obscure. I thoroughly enjoyed the book
And will use it as a road map as I navigate our new society.

You should read the book before this by Schwieckart titled Against Capitalism where is destroys any justification for capitalism and rips Mises' comment idea a new one. This book is just a shortened version as he states in the introduction. He criticizes every economic system predating the book. Both socialism and capitalism.

Though perhaps it significantly skewed my views to have been reading Schweickart following a close and careful reading of both Friedman's Capitalism & Freedom and Rawls' Theory of Justice, I feel that not only aided me tremendously in my understanding of the overall flow and goal of the text, but additionally, the overall experience gave me sufficient background in economics and the political interactions of economic theory, to properly appreciate the aims of the text. Many criticisms have been raised against both Friedman and Rawls and I count my own voice amongst those that would offer the critique of necessary but insufficient to both texts based on my limited but careful exposure to them. By this I mean that in reading both previous texts I was struck with the thought that although both theories are needed at least on a purely theoretical basis to provide a jumping off point for further socioeconomic exploration, neither sufficiently brings forth a theory that can be said to at once be necessary to our continuation in culture (and note that by this I mean the sort of culture to which we have grown accustomed), and at the same time be sufficient to meet the needs of a production and workable model of economic policy.
Schweickart, very much on the other hand of the discussion, seems to bring forth a theory that is both necessary and sufficient, both in providing a basis for understanding its own purpose and for meeting the needs of a culture that is heavily imbued in a single system that must be equaled or exceeded to be replaced. To my way of seeing, this system provides a basis for understanding its own purpose in that unlike Friedman and Rawls, Schweickart's system is not merely a position piece describing the merits of a system already extant (capitalism), or the creation of a theory that will help us to justify aspects of that system; rather, it is a complete system unto itself, at once a response to the existing system, while standing on it's own independent of said system and then becoming and remaining recognizable as a unique approach to socioeconomic aspects of government that instead of merely flowing behind existing structure, is itself the basis forming the structure that will arise out of it. I feel that, as I stated above, this system meets the needs of the culture to which it would be applied by replacing the existing system, not merely modifying or justifying the current one. We have in this text something simply not found in the other two and that is a presentation of a possibility that has existed all along, coming to fruition by being read now in an age of understanding, by individuals capable of taking the theories presented and applying them to actuality and not simply as a ponderable aspect of economic and political interest. This is the point that struck me most plainly about Schweickart's text that seems so vastly different if not blatantly superior to many other writings either in philosophy, or from my limited exposure to them, economics, and that is the actual applicability of the text and, building off that, the ease with which a transition could be made into such as system and the clear benefits of doing so are made remarkable clear without having to imagine anything besides the benefits to be gained and the struggle to be avoided.
Now, I realize, and it's necessary for this critique to understand that the goal of Schweickart indeed may not have been the goal of either Friedman or Rawls, but I additionally feel it to be of great import that while both previous texts made claims to improve conditions of our social reality through impacting an economic change, neither before Schweickart had either shown their theory capable of performing such a feat, or had the components in place to succeed in doing so. With Friedman the reader is asked to assume a version of an economic model that today hardly seems viable in the face of the massive structure and paradigm shifts that have occurred since it was penned. Likewise in Rawls, the reader is asked to assume a great deal not only about the world in which we live in terms of its actual workings and processes, but also to assume an unlikely if not impossible and implausible original position, and for the goal only of justifying a current system that has already been shown to be insufficient, leaving one wondering what the point in fact was and what impact it truly makes other than providing for a theoretical basis and thought experiment. In Schweickart, the reader is not asked to assume this or that, and no original position is called for, as the system argued against is that which is in place and the flaws are not only seen but felt by the reader as actuality, and not as some wild fiscal figment as in the previous two texts. We see the problem, and perhaps what we previously perceived to be a degree of inevitability, already in our daily lives and Schweickart brings forth an alternative that while not nearly as convoluted as either Freidman or Rawls is nonetheless exponentially more efficacious in theory and infinitely more believable without the crutch of assumption leaned on by his predecessors.
I enjoyed reading this book and while as I wrote above I felt that the texts read previously were necessary for a clearer understanding of this one, it was not until this point that I understood why they were read when this was out there to tie it all together.

I am very impressed with After Capitalism by Loyola University Professor David Schweickart. Both of my grandfathers were socialists and my father was a member of the Socialist Labor Party. When I grew up I was not merely indoctrinated in socialism I was marinated in it. Despite all of this I never really was given a plausible explanation how a socialist economy was supposed to work, or a plausible explanation how our society could make the transition from our very mature form of industrial capitalism to a socialist economy. After Capitalism provides a plausible explanation for both.

Interesting alternative to the current economic system. The book "After Capitalism" is not a technical book, but does flesh out enough of the economic system invisioned by Schweickart to make it worth reading and thinking about. Is there "no alternative" to capitalism? I am still not sure, but read this book and find out for your self. According to Mises, socialism cannot work, and this really must be the case with Schweikart, but I am not sure I could articulate a proof.
Also read "The Machinery of Freedom" by David Freidman, for another alternative: the real free market.

I just want to add my voice to those who have lauded this book. It is superb in every way. Also, I want to call attention to Morris Berman's work, especially to his last two books, "Wandering God," and "The Twilight of American Culture", which provide important supplements to Schweickart's analysis.

I don't want to waste anyones time from buying this book but I must say.......i'm only on chapter 2 and I am feeling and understanding more about life and spirituality than ever. BUY It,read it, LOVE IT!.

I stumbled upon this book when I needed to read it most, proving "of course", that there are no "coincidences!" Don't even open the cover until you have a highlighter in hand, as you will want to go back and read again - and again - and again...

Easy to read, very well organized, thought provoking. This is NOT a sad book, in spite of the title. Communicates a great understanding - makes sense of suffering - allows the reader to move on, and begin the "journey to wisdom."

Many of my books find their way, ultimately, to a second hand bookshop. Not this one... it has found a place on my permanent collection shelf. Thanks, Kathleen. Well done.

With this book, Kathleen Brehony has eloquently reminded us that through our suffering, we are sometimes given our most precious gifts. How we choose to deal with our grief makes all the difference; will we choose love over hate, wisdom over ignorance, compassion over bitterness, or life over death? Which will you choose? Read this book & share it with someone you love!

I read several books, all of which were helpful to me recently when I lost someone I loved. This book, however, stayed with me. I couldn't put it down and read it all within two nights, actually three, because I saved the last few pages until the third night (didn't want it to end). I had taken it out at the library, but after reading it decided to buy it from Amazon. Brehony incorporates all types of religious themes/spiritual themes into this book and really gave me a wonderful introduction to Budhism - which I have begun to practice after reading some of the stories and quotes in her book. She does not push any of the religions or spiritual teachings she uses, however, but she presents them in such a way that the reader is helped. I am still grieving and I plan on re-reading her book once I get it from Amazon. I have realized that nothing can truly take away the pain I have from my loss, but Kathleen's book has helped me to see that the best thing I can do is to feel how I feel, instead of figuring out how to run away from it. I recommend this book highly and if you are very open, you might try reading Walking in the Garden of Souls, by George Anderson, which also helped comfort me during this time (although some people may not be open to some of his ideas). At the very least, read Kathleen's book, I felt as if she was sitting next to me helping me through this difficult period of time. It helps because grieving can feel very lonely at times.

How is it that some people become bitter while others thrive as they live through difficult or painful experiences? What can we learn that will guide us through our own dark times to greet the dawn with brighter sight?

Most of us are taught to expect tough times - to suffer horribly. We expect to be diminished, to be tested & found wanting. Most of us think grieving is for wimps & the emotionally unstable. We are taught that control is all & surrender cowardly; that destiny rules our lives & choice is for the wealthy. Most of us have been taught poorly & After the Darkest Hour has a lot to help us re-teach ourselves so we may walk our path in our own shoes.

I really relished Dr. Brehony's Practical Suggestions & her stories as she recounts her insights from the lessons her clients & family taught her.

After the Darkest Hour is a rich & thoughtful read. While gently instructive, it does remind us, frequently, that we are not alone & that walking blindly through our lives will surely cause us to whack our shins on what we insist upon not seeing or believing that no one else, ever, has felt or known such misery. Do visit my site for my full review.

Chossudovski has gathered a tremendous body of literature to make his case against America's mythological war on terrorism.
Creating a myth is essential to manufacture consent and unity. Fear is more essential to manipulate the herd and take away their natural rights. Chossudovsky elucidates America's war on terrorism with overwhelming evidence that would leave the reader angry and flabbergasted.
This book is a must read for every citizen who is concerned about his country's affairs, and for every critical thinker who cares about the truth.

Michel Chossudovsky's ultimate goal is to serve World peace by revealing extensive war crimes behind the `War on Terror'. His picture of the world and the US is far from rosy. For him, the `War on Terror' is in fact a `War of Conquest'.
This is a very convincing but disturbing book pointing to the criminalization of upper echelons of the US State with the complicity of the media, which upholds the Bush administration's war agenda, camouflages war crimes, floods the world with blatantly distorted facts and disseminates fear amongst the population.
For the author, the US is on the brink of becoming an authoritarian state. Key decisions are taken behind closed doors at the intelligence headquarters and the Pentagon, with the US Congress as a façade and a president as a public relations figurehead. The military/intelligence establishment acts as a parallel government.
The `War on Terror' is used for the repeal of civil liberties and Constitutional government. New legitimacy emerged that undermines the judicial system (`Rule of Law') and that lays the foundation of a totalitarian state: emergency procedures can be used to usher Martial Law, leading to the suspension of Constitutional government.
In the US national budget, state resources are redirected towards financing the military-industrial complex and domestic security, while social programs have been slashed.

Internationally, the `War on Terror' is a pretext to conquer new economic frontiers, establish corporate controls (e.g. Iraq's oil), to encircle Russia (permanent military bases in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and in former USSR republics) or to prevent pipeline ventures with China and Iran.
The US continues to support Islamic fundamentalism (India, China, Chechnya) in order to weaken `enemies', or to disarm social movements against the US (e.g. with the Taliban they try to create a new Saudi Arabia in Afghanistan where the leader of the Northern Alliance backed by Russia, was killed).
Al Qaeda was heavily supported by the CIA and NATO in order to destabilize the Yugoslav federation.

With `private wealth is in fewer and fewer hands', the author sees an upcoming world dominated by big corporations (finance, energy, pharma) and the military/intelligence establishment with the media as their mouthpiece.

The author concludes with very disturbing facts about the London bombings which provided a new legitimacy to those who had ordered the illegal invasion of Iraq and which weakened significantly the antiwar and civil rights movements.

Michel Chossudovsky has written a dark and frightening book.
It is a must read for all those interested in the future of mankind.

I also recommend the works of W.G. Tarpley, W. Engdahl and N.M. Ahmed.

Chossudovsky is an economics professor and a staunch critic of the New World Order agenda and the ongoing lies and war profiteering connected to that agenda. This book is a well-documented analysis of how the imperial racketeers operate, with an extensive deconstruction of the official mythology of the 9/11 attacks. Chossudovsky makes a solid case that elements with the US Government and the associated military-industrial complex were involved in orchestrating the attacks, using their CIA-created Arab assets as patsies for the official story used to justify the planned wars and freedom repressing legislations such as the PATRIOT Act. Chossudovsky traces the workings of U.S. intelligence operations and policies for many years, showing how the idea that 9/11 was a "make it happen on purpose" affair is most logical and best supported by the evidence. He looks at the long term agenda being pursued and how it will affect us if it continues unchecked. This isn't a difficult book to read and comprehend but it may be difficult for those who have held faith in the government and media establishment to digest. Chossudovsky has studied this subject well and his materials have been available at www.globalresearch.ca for several years. Anyone wishing to learn about the topics of 9/11, American imperialism, and the role of wars in the move toward globalization, is encouraged to read this book.

Many of the facts mentioned in the book I knew already, but it was for the first time when my conclusions and assumptions were supported by facts, names and figures.

Michel Chossudovsky has been one of my favorite writers on issues like globalization and the bogus "war o'terror" for some time now. He elegantly documents his meticulous research simply and without sensationalized embellishment. Unlike many other writers, Chossudovsky isn't attempting to entertain you or sell books; rather, he is delineating critical information in a lucid and precise fashion that will make sense for even the most casual reader.

While I personally didn't necessarily glean a great deal of strikingly new information of which I wasn't at least partially previously aware, this book certainly helped me to put the puzzle pieces together and frame a better glimpse of the larger picture, outside of the perception management. It was nice to see this volume tie up loose ends and illustrate a time line of sorts. This is an especially great book for a new student of this topic.