Events Books

In the dangerous post 9/11 world we live in today, Giandomenico Picco's "Man without a Gun" should be a primer for anyone wanting to understand the complex intricacies of Middle East politics. "Man without a Gun" is an unique firsthand account of Mr. Picco's diplomatic experiences at the UN during the 1980s and early 1990s. The setting of "Man without a Gun" takes place in some of the most volatile areas of the world: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.

It is fascinating to read Mr. Picco's first hand account from someone who successfully negotiated some of the most intractable crisis of the late 20th century including: Afghanistan/ Soviet-Russia war, Iran/ Iraq war and the Lebanon hostage crisis. Very interesting for US readers is that Mr Picco as an Italian and a UN diplomat, provides an important outside the Beltway perspective that Americans need to hear. Too often the US views the world as black and white, this simplistic world view has been the cause of many misguided US policies, not the least was our myopic view of communism. Mr. Picco refers to this US narrow world view when he describes how the US continued to provide arms to the Afghanistan Mujahideen in violation of the peace treaty signed with Soviet Union in 1988. Ultimately, the US arms hasten the fall of the Afghanistan government in 1992 that led to more fighting and ultimately led to the notorious anti Western Taliban regime.

The highlight of the "Man without a Gun" is Mr. Picco's successful efforts to free the Western hostages based in Lebanon. Its a fascinating to learn about the behind the scenes intrigue and the Herculean efforts pursued by Mr Picco in the Middle East and beyond to free the hostages. At a great personal risk, Mr Picco describes how he made secret rendezvous with the hostage takers and gradually over time earned their trust that formed the basis of the successful negotiations to release the hostages.

Unlike so much of the disturbing news coming today from the Middle East tinderbox, during Mr. Picco's tenure at the UN there was a streak of successfully negotiations with this part of the world and there seemed to be genuine hope for deceleration of tension in the Mid East. "Man without a Gun" provides insightful lessons on how the West can co-exist with the Middle East regimes. It is a shame that Mr. Picco's book is currently out of print, "Man without a Gun" should be re-issued so that more readers can have access to Mr. Picco's vast experience and excellent analysis.

I recently happened on to this book and bought one used from Amazon. I found it to be an interesting and very personal account of dealing with Iran behind the scenes. I think it is helpful and very applicable to the current situation with Iran. I found it to also be a quick and easy read that kept my attention throughout. You will like it - enjoy!

Picco's vivid description of his courageous efforts to win the freedom of all persons (not just the Western hostages) who became involuntary pawns in the politics of Lebanon's civil war is fascinating indeed. The most remarkable aspect of Picco's work was his ability to gain and keep the trust of the kidnappers, despite the actions of the U.S. and Israeli governments which often undermined his efforts.

Picco is to be commended for risking his life on multiple occassions to save the lives of people whom he had never met. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Picco is a remarkable diplomat who simultaneously juggled the conflicting interests of the kidnappers, Iran, Israel, Syria and the United States.

This was definitely a story that needed to be told. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the now largely forgotten hostage crisis in Lebanon.

Thanks for enriching and inspiring us again with your views on the true art of diplomacy. This book represents the materialization of something we were all waiting for after your unforgettable lessons in Gorizia. Credibility's once again is what will ultimately make us succeed in achieving results, a notion that may go, as it is masterfully explained in this great book, as far as saving human lives. Ancora grazie!

I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. I went into it with a limited memory of what I had heard through the news of the time of the hostages and the Iran-Iraq war, but came out with a much deeper understanding - not only of the times, but also of the people, the real players. I have come to appreciate the work of the brave Mr. Picco and those who worked along with him, and I am grateful for their service to those who could not serve themselves.

First, Kropotkin discusses mutual aid among animals. His first point is that Darwin had nothing to do with Social Darwinianism. In fact, he quotes Darwin as saying, "Those communities which included the greatest number of the sympathetic members would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring."

He gives numerous examples. One of his examples is about the crested screamer, a bird species which holds massive song recitals. Would Lorenz agree that those birds are chirping merrily? Or would he insist that they are marking their territory?

Next, he discusses mutual aid among savages. Note that he uses a word which is scientifically unacceptable today.

Since K. cannot travel back in time, he surmises how our earliest ancestors lived by observing how isolated tribes today live--which is in clans. Although such tribes are still called "primitive," there is some question of whether or not these tribes live like our prehistoric ancestors did.

Since isolated tribes tend to live in clans, Kropotkin claims that the marital bond is not as strong as in the nuclear family system. In the appendix, he debates Westermarck on this matter.

Next, he discusses mutual aid among barbarians--another taboo word. According to K., there was a wave of migrations in ancient Europe, in which "races were mixing with races." The social institutions seemed to be wrecked as a result, but K. assures us that they instead "underwent the modification which was required by the new conditions of life."

Next, he discusses mutual aid in the medieval city. Now we are up to the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. Our next institution, then, is the professional guild.

Finally, he discusses mutual aid among ourselves. He sees a faint vestige of mutual aid today. K. sees the union as the successor of the clan, the village, and the guild, so he calls for more and better unions. K. also speaks highly of organizations with special interests, such as garden clubs and glee clubs.

However, K. cautions us against the "reckless individualism," or "the war of each against all," which he sees as prevailing today.

Kropotkin's discussion, persuasive as it is, can be counterbalanced with arguments in favor of individualism and competition. I wonder how Kropotkin would respond to the famous anecdote about the Jamestown colonists.

One can also question Kropotkin's claim that only the most sociable animal species prosper. The feline order is renowned for the aloofness of its members, and the lion has been dubbed "the king of the beasts."

I would like to close this report with an ad hominem attack against Kropotkin himself: If individualism is so reprehensible, what is he doing writing a book by himself and claiming credit for it by himself?

Anarchist classic, rooted in observation of natural phenomena and history. Challenges the conception that capitalism is a natural progression of Darwinism at work in the wild. The author cites numerous examples of compassion and innate goodness at work outside the bounds of a structured power-based society. The study covers cooperation among animals, instances of non-hierachical interactions from primitive tribes to mediaeval cities, and on to his contemporary labor unions. It has been some years since I read it and I plan to revisit this title soon.

This book, which appears to be about the only surviving scientific text from Kropotkin's work, is very interesting and insightful. The first two chapters which deal with animals I found most interesting, because they address the roots of the falsehood of social-darwinism. Kropotkin then proceeds to move through the different stages of human society and describes the mutual aid a compassion fetures therein. It is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. It is a scientific text, but it has major political implications and is very accessible.

Este libro es uno de los pilares fundamentales de la teoria del anarco comunismo tan desvirtuada por el imperialismo, y nos da la esencia que el anarquismo, lejos de lo que se cree comunmente es una doctrina que se basa en el amor y la ayuda mutua, quitando las barreras de desigualdad entre las personas y haciendo un recuento de cómo la ayuda mutua es un factor de evolución hcia una sociedad más justa.

Peter Kropotkin is one of the most noteworthy anarchist thinkers over the last two centuries. As with other political thinkers, so, too, with Kropotkin--his analy¬sis of human nature is critical for understanding his overall philosophical position. For his view of human nature, "Mutual Aid" is a key for understanding his views. His work is a harbinger of more recent studies of sociobiology, many of which explore the roots of altruism--human and otherwise.

Much of his thinking on the nature of society was formed when he was observing the behavior of animals in Siberia. While assigned to a Siberian regiment of the Russian military, Kropotkin did innovative original work on geography and geology as well as the study of animal behavior. His observation of animals led him to respond to Huxley's assertion that natural selection was based on keen com¬petition among animals with the following statement: ". . .wherever I saw animal life in abundance, as, for instance, on the lakes where scores of species and millions of individuals came together to rear their progeny; in the colonies of rodents; in the migration of birds which took place at that time on a truly American scale along the Usuri; and especially in a migration of fallow-deer which I witnessed on the Amur, and during which scores of thousands of these animals came together from an immense territory, flying before the coming snow, in order to cross the Amur where it is narrowest--in all these scenes of animal life which passed before my eyes, I saw Mutual Aid and Mutual Support carried on to an extent which made me suspect in it a feature of the greatest importance for the maintenance of life, the preservation of each species, and its further evolution."

He synthesized his observations of animals within a species cooperating with one another and concluded that, in the struggle for life, cooperation was at least as important as competition. Kropotkin did not argue that competition was unimportant in the natural selection process. However, he did emphasize that mutual aid was a factor that many Darwinists (although, as Kropotkin made clear, not Darwin himself) ignored. The data that Kropotkin utilized came from many different animal species.

Kropotkin goes on to speculate about the survival value of cooperative behavior. He states that: "Life in societies enables the feeblest insects, the feeblest birds, and the feeblest mammals to resist, or to protect themselves from, the most terrible birds and beasts of prey; it permits longevity; in enables the species to rear its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its numbers albeit a very slow birth rate; it enables the gregarious animals to migrate in search of new abodes. Furthermore, cooperation facilitates the development of intelligence, since that quality is so important for social life among animals."

Kropotkin is not content to rest his case at this point. He subsequently indicates the likely course of human evolution and the role played by cooperation. He adopts the method of using existing societies at differing levels of socio-cultural complexity to speculate about the course of human socio-cultural evolution. Kropotkin argues that, at each stage, mutual aid is apparent and important for humans. Even in the period dominated by the great states, the present for Kropotkin, mutual aid institutions still flourished despite the state's intimidating presence.

Thus, Kropotkin's view of human nature is, ultimately, that it is inherently good, i.e. cooperative toward his or her fellow. What of this assertion? Is Kropotkin's view of human nature completely inaccurate and confounded by the available evidence? That is where each reader must evaluate his or her view of humanity's nature and render a judgment on "the anarchist prince."

A return to savings. A tax cut is designed too encourage the rich too save. The rich create jobs and invest in ideas. The savings of the rich increase innovation by infusing money that produces products and services, in the economy. However, excessive governmental debt is the thief in the night destroying all wealth.

Banks use these savings too fund new corporate projects. The innovations attract foreign investment as they seek to profit from the new ideas. The stock market booms and jobs increase. Economic growth reaches an impass as government spending increases beyond a safe amount of government debt. Debt to finance rebuilding of natural disasters ($61 billion) and the Iraq war (est $200 billion). Perpetual debt, debt that can never be paid off. In 1990s, a $5.6 trillion surplus existed and by 2002, $4 trillion had been spent, and by 2005, -2 trillion was spent or borrowed. Debt is suppose to decrease during economic booms and the neoconomist are predicting future boom and future debt reduction. Debt slows down growth, as money becomes more difficult to risk and acquire. At the same time the government becomes increasingly burdened with the interest it must pay on the money borrowed.

The Fed attempts to slow inflation by increasing interest rates soaking up liquidity and cooling the economy. The Fed raises interest rates is hoped to keep inflation in check. High fuel costs threaten too increase inflation. The responds by raising interest rates and the rising interest rates have the affect of stifling corporate earnings and dampering Research and Development thereby slowing down innovation. The rising interest rates makes debt vehicles look more attractive increasing purchases of U.S treasuries.

As long as innovation remains strong investors will not flee from stocks because this sector represents growth. A tax cut on earnings increases the amount of money moving into the commerical sector. As money becomes tighter, companies cut back workforce, insert technology to increase production, and delay product introduction. What is expected is more with less. More productivity from less employees.

Investors become uncertain about stocks and seek refuge in Bonds or Commodities. The Fed attempt to quell fears in the bond market about rising inflation. If an investor believes the Fed has contain inflation than the investor will be more optimistic that growth and continue investing into the market.

If the economy is perceived to be slowing down that current bond prices go up. Economic slow downs hold longer-term interest rates down making existing bonds yields more attractive.

In a recession, government is expected to increase debt, spending more, in order, too stimulate growth. So during a boom the new revenue accumulates from taxes. Cut social program whenever possible. The government social machine is a false ideal and will not produce a greater society by spending tax money as its fuel to build infrastructure. The only hope is growth and innovation produced by private machinery.

However, if economic growth does not increase than government revenues will not increase. Economic growth is the key to government revenue. Government spending can not remain constant and perpetual without dramatic impacts on the economy. With $5.4 in surplus, the government believed it could afford a tax cut and spent $2 billion on debt reduction and $1.4 trillion too the emergency reserve.

The author presents an interesting question, "What happens when a country can not pay its interest payment?" The author briefly explains how these countries experience hyper inflation and destablized currencies. At $500 billion a year in interest payments pressure not to increase debt seems prudent, yet more debt continues to accumulate. I think this is the heart of the issue raise about the new economy, "Can it make its interest payments"?

Tax cuts were expected to generate revenue, however, heavy debt and inflation inhibit tax revenue generation because companies don't produce as much. Inflation means higher interest rates and higher taxes.

The following correlations are not true: 1. Unemployment decreases shortly after a tax cut 2. The poor will immediately spend their tax refund money. Most of the poor were discovered to save their tax money. 3. Research and Development will produce immediate innovation cash flows.

The rich save over 50 percent. The savings can be used to invest in company projects that stimulate economic growth . However, if the economy is contracting, company put off new project because money is hard to get.

Research and Development offer a marginal return on the investment. The biggest problem with R&D is that the innovations do not alway equate to profits, increased consumer demand, and immediate introduction in the market place.

How does the government eliminate Taxes over a trillion dollars in taxes? Getting rid of the capital gains tax, dividend tax, interest tax, and estate tax. Taxes targeted at the working class. Interestingly the author does not talk about the consumption tax that congress wants so desparately to pass into law.

How does the government raise money for government spending? U.S Treasuries which are considered the most stable security in the world. Are there any limits to how much money can be produced? A policy of a strong dollar means foreign investment finds favorable investments in dollar denominated securities. A strong dollar means U.S manufacturing production and profits go up and higher profits means more tax revenue.

The author points out that the Laffeur curve did not gain strength. The Laffeur curve suggested the same amount of tax revenue could be gain at a low tax rate verses a higher tax rate. By lower the tax, the consumer had more disposal money, and spent more and the increasing in spending produced tax revenue.

Individualized Social Security accounts may not mean investment profits. The stock market may become bearish and return to a mean of 15 PE causing billions in reduced equity. Fees associated with the broker, transaction, and maintenance will cut into investment profits. The assumption of 7 percent growth perpetually may not hold up.

Imagine it is 2012, what will the new economy look like? By neoconomist standards the economy will be a pulsating capitalist machine with individuals incomes surge higher and money being stashed away. Economic growth will exceed 4 percent. Tax collections will be growing, debt decreasing, and interest payment reducing. The government will defray its debt and long term interest rates will be decreasing. There will be no taxes on wealth and savings. Foreigners will see the U.S stock market attractive for investing. Even China and India will not be able match the high returns of U.S companies. Innovation will create and insatible demand for American Labor. The Unemployment rate will fall. Individualize Social Security accounts will pump billions of dollars into private companies. Senior Citizens will have a new level of disposal cash available. A new era of American economic supremcy, if it can become a reality.

"Neoconomy', along with `What's the Matter with Kansas' are probably the two most influential books I've read in the last five years. Forget all you know about Supply-Side Economics and Trickle Down Theory, Daniel Altman has written an easy to understand book on what the heck the Bush Administration is attempting with all those tax cuts and why they target the wealthy.

In a nutshell the Neoconomy is about reducing taxes on unearned income and savings in order to increase the accumulation of capital. This capital could be used to modernize, increase productivity and raise the holy grail of economics, the GDP. The country would theoretically attain more wealth, higher standards of living and a happy future for all. It's not an insane plan and it has the support of many well respected economists. The first problem with the plan is that it seems rather self serving. George W. Bush assembled a cabinet with an almost unprecedented cache of wealth. The author estimates their combined assets at between 3 and 30 times the value of the second Clinton administration. These are exactly the people who will benefit most from tax cuts on unearned income. They are also people who can afford to take considerable risks with our economy and still come out fine if things go sour.

The other larger problem is in the very nature of the leadership of George W. Bush. He surrounds himself with like minded people and gathered an economics team consisting almost entirely of supply-side adherents creating an echo chamber of ideas. These are people who have taken economics beyond mere theory into the realm of religious dogma. Unfortunately when tax cuts and growth are the only path to salvation everything else tends to get shortchanged. It has occurred to business owners that some of the things holding back growth include employee benefits, high American wages, regulations and assistance for the poor. The obsession with growth sometimes seems to reach the level of pathological and government finds itself ripping away at society's foundation in order to raise the tower higher. The author also points out that capital accumulation on its own is useless. You also need an educated society in order to both develop and use new technologies. Meanwhile the administration has consistently under funded education programs, worked to cut college grants and shown disdain for the scientific process (Read `The Republican War on Science' by Chris Mooney to see how bad it has gotten).

The last problem is that the Neoconomy may just flat out fail. Like the weather, economics can be affected dramatically by small unexpected perturbations. It's difficult to predict what will happen in six months or next month much less decades in the future. The Bush administration is treating economics like a hard science when in reality it's based on difficult to predictable human psychology. Changing the tax codes may have exactly the opposite intended effect. By reducing taxes on dividends people may actually begin to save less rather than more if they have specific retirement goals. Unfortunately Bush's extreme tax cuts are intended to handcuff lawmakers and force us down one path. The Republican groupthink is also the likely cause of the wildly optimistic (bordering on obscene) predictions about job creation that rivaled anything made in the run up to the Iraqi war. People forget now but the numbers being offered by the administration weren't just wrong they were `we have no idea what we are talking about' wrong. The scary thing is that these same people who were as wrong as wrong could be on job creation numbers seem to have absolutely confidence that they can precisely predict the effect of Social Security privatization decades in the future.

`Neoconomy' is Daniel Altman's first effort and he smacked this one out of the ballpark. Economics can be a rather dry and confusing subject but Mr. Altman manages to write a book that is lucid, informative and engaging. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the direction the United States is traveling.

Lets start out by saying this is book to bash president bush but rather it shows what the president and his economic advisors ideas and plans and what the effect and possible effects will be.
This should be another one of those books that should be red before the election because some of these ideas will be considered radical by some.

The main idea for the bush plan is to have the tax cuts and such to put more money out for companies to have pools to borrow from and this inturn will stimulate the ecomony. But this is an experiment could go wrong. This administration can afford to experiment because if it does go wrong bush and his cronies will probably lose some money but they will still have many millions to live on, it will really hurt the middle class on down.

It is no secret that most of the tax cuts have benefited the so called rich by cutting taxes on estates dividends and savings. All of these people get the most of their income from stocks and real estate. Yes these cuts are for everybody but how many people from the $40,000 level on down can save and invest to get these breaks. Would you not think that if the president really wanted to stimulate the economy he would gear cuts toward the majority. With the tax cuts bush signed into law in 2001 the book shows that for those making $50,000 or less the tax difference is less than a $1,000 compare that that make $500,000 or more they get breaks at least 10 times that amount don't you figure those on the lower end of the scale could use the money the most.

Another example is the estate tax cut while they figure if they cut the tax it will encourage more investment but in reality it has probably encouraged them to save more for there heirs because of course less tax.

Just like in the Reagen era alot of these cuts are based on future years where they figure the economy will be strong but what will the effect be if the economy is in a poor state as it is in now you do not have all the projected revenue and you have record debt that has to be paid sometime

This book is written so that it is pretty easy to understand on a subject that at times is dry and difficult.

We all know about the war on terrorism. And the war in Iraq. The debates about these things are fairly clear. Or at least ubiquitous.

And yet perhaps the Bush Administration's central and most groundbreaking effort has to do with none of these topics, but rather with the economy. The Administration is seeking to re-orient it from top to bottom. And there is little coverage of this in the news.

Daniel Altman explains it to me in crystal clear and easy prose. What I liked the most was the sort of intellectual history approach he takes, showing where the ideas for the "neoconomy" came from, as in what professors espoused them, who their students were, and how they came to positions of influence in Washington, and the responses over the years to their ideas. It's a fairly small group with a distinct lineage--think of the economists' equivalent to Wolfowitz and the Straussians.

One striking thing, if I read it right: the desired endpoint for the Neocons is a society in which only working people are taxed. A person who derived their income not from salaries, but entirely from stocks, bonds, and the like, would not be taxed at all.

The neoconomists' measures, supposedly undertaken for the bland and admirable goal of enhancing savings, inevitably end up being regressive.

Altman is quite rigorous and judicious, weighing the arguments on their own terms, following them to their logical conclusions, noting contradictions and inconsistencies in their own logic.

What's being touted is quite different from what's really going on, as the neoconomists themselves admit. It seems, apparently, that an attempted revolution is in the works, behind the scenes. This book peels back the veil and lets us know what is really going on.

I came away from this book with a better understanding of both basic economics and the real paradigm shift that is potentially underway in the largest economy on earth.

With presidential elections on our doorstep, Altman's 'Neoconomy' comes to bat with light to shed on future repercussions of the Bush Administration's economic plan. Altman's 'Neoconomy' is refreshingly un-biased allowing the reader, whether PH.D or undergrad, to determine what America's economic futrure holds in store.
Altman is charismatic, intelligent and makes his points fairly and concisely. I was thouroughly convinced of this after listening to him speak in San Francisco.

I was surprised at the largely positive reviews of this one, which is the reason I'm posting a review myself.

After reading the numerous glowing reviews here, I bought the book expecting a tightly woven, fast paced read, but found the book poorly organized, sprawling and fairly inconclusive on many points. The actual experience of reading the thing (which is quite short at less than 200 pages) was tedious for me, almost a chore. It really frustrated me, because the true telling of stolen law enforcement software, government lawsuits, CIA spook meddling and a murdered journalist should be anything but tedious.

And, I REALLY wanted to like it too! Unfortunately, important characters and events are given little in the way of introduction or explanation, the chapters (and content within) are muddled and disorganized, and the overall argument is dificult to decipher and supported only weakly.

The book could've benefited by better authors with a more competent grasp of structure and delivery (Yeah, there are typos), and a few hundred more pages of hard research and structured content. The case deserves better handling than this.

Still, I recommend it, as it's pretty much the only game in town. But treat it a primer or a guide, not as the thrilling read it fails to be.

5 stars for subject matter and noble aims, but 2 stars for execution. I give it a 3 on the whole.

...i've read numerous conspiracy books, but this one is certainly one of the better. very well written. ... good read.

Danny Casolaro was a relatively wealthy individual who decided he wanted to become a writer. He already had a few articles published in various magazines when he first learned about the PROMIS software. Basically, PROMIS is a database program with amazing flexibility and statistical abilities and can also be used to predict future trends, submarine locations, etc. This software was developed by private individuals with some help in funding by the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the government decided to [take] the program instead of paying for it and began to market it as their own. This information is widely known and well-accepted and much documentation of this exists (including a successful lawsuit by the software developers that was later overturned on the flimsiest of grounds through the interference of the powers that be). However, when Casolaro set out to write an article about the robbery of the PROMIS program by the government, potentially to sell it to a computer magazine, the deeper he dug, the more sinister things became.

First of all, he learned that the DOJ had a backdoor added into the program so that the U.S. could access the files of whoever they sold the PROMIS program to, including the governments of Israel and Canada. This led to further revelations and meetings with various informants that further revealed a complex web of deceit leading down some surprising avenues. Casolaro now changed his plans to writing a novel, perhaps even presenting it as fiction in order to avoid scaring off publishers. But before this happened, Casolaro was found dead from what was an obviously staged suicide and many of his notes disappeared.

This very well documented book (that also verifies and is verfied by information published elsewhere) chronicles Casolaro's story, citing many excellent sources, including court records and affidavits. It also attempts to recover and recount some of the information about the conspiracy Casolaro began to call "the Octopus" because of its many, long-reaching tendrils. While it is not always clear Casolaro was on the right track (Casolaro himself often took note of what information seemed manufactured to mislead and discredit him), it is clear he was onto something big given his subsequent murder and its sloppy coverup.

Casolaro might have led a comfortable life as a mediocre writer publishing the occassional article, but because of his sense of justice and the need he felt to uncover the truth, he was ruthlessly murdered. This book is a wonderful epitaph to two courageous men (including co-author Keith who mysteriously died from knee surgery).

...i've read numerous conspiracy books, watched the videos, et. cetera, but i dare say this is one of the better!!! certainly, a must read for any conspiracy bluff! go get 'em, tiger.

Kenn and Jim's magnum opus. (RIP, beloved friend to humankind.) This book is as scary as they come, and stranger than fiction. As a conspiracy writer, I found myself shaking while reading it. THEY are real, and THEY can do and have done horrifying things. The Octopus is the Matrix vivified.

This book is especially important for anyone who still naively believes "there are no conspiracies." The word "conspiracy" means "to breathe together." Only two people are needed to make a conspiracy, and this book will leave you breathless.

Danny Casolaro is a heroic figure who bravely and, perhaps, foolhardily attempted to foil the Octopus, whose tendons reach into the most intimate parts of all our lives. He should never be forgotten. Thank goodness for the valiant likes of Kenn Thomas and Jim Keith for telling his story. Movie studios should be clamoring for this highly untold story - but they are no doubt part of the Octopus. Danny, Kenn and Jim should be lauded for their audacity and courage in bringing forth this treacherous tale of murder and mayhem. Such valor is akin to that of Gary Webb in his expose of CIA drug-dealing.

Carry on, fellow warriors for truth.

Acharya S; Archaeologist, Historian, Mythologist, Linguist; Member, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece; Associate Director, Institute for Historical Accuracy; Director, Center of the Research and Study of Theology; Author, "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold"

As much as other reviewers were raving about this book, I thought I would like it just as much. I really thought it was a mediocre work of writing. It consisted of haphazardly organized observations about empire, presented with very little sense of coherence. The observations were often superficial and rarely put into context. It's like reading a collection of notes from a conference on globalization, mixed with a few writing exercises from a creative writing class.

This book would make good reading material for a coffee house. Read it where you don't care if you're interrupted. Read it where you'll get more insight out of the conversations it sparks with strangers and acquaintances.

I don't recommend reading this book unless you have at least a couple of semesters of Spanish on your high school or college transcript. The author writes a lot of the fictional (?) dialogue in a mixture of Spanish and English, and she doesn't always provide enough context clues to figure out the Spanish if you don't already have some education in the language. (Fortunately, I did.) The Spanish-English mixture really wasn't necessary for the book; it was more distracting than helpful, and at times it seemed to stereotype the speakers a little bit.

It would be difficult to add to the depth of insight other reviewers have already provided. Chellis' insight and passion are reinvigorating planetary healing on multiple levels. The best gage for this is the example of her own life. Read everything she writes. A modern visionary with a powerful and compelling voice.

What impact has three hundred years of Western imperialism had on the way we treat each other -- and the Earth -- today?

How is today's global economy simply our latest expression of colonization?

How can our personal woundings become doorways to self-healing and form the basis of a commitment to sustainable planetary culture?

In her new book, Off the Map (An Expedition Deep Into Imperialism, the Global Economy, and Other Earthly Whereabouts, Pulitzer-nominated author and psychologist Dr. Chellis Glendinning explores these themes with a directness, clarity and emotional intensity that awakens the reader to profound insight about the nature of today's world.

In a lyrical braiding of three stories, she weaves the threads of her personal story of sexual abuse in a European-American (and Anglophile) family in the 1950s, the history of the last three hundred years of Western imperialism and a present-day horseback ride through the recently colonized Chicano world of northern New Mexico, where she currently resides.

Glendinning sees Off the Map as a continuation of her past work. "My focus is always the relationship between the personal and the political," she notes. "This book is an effort to make clear that everyone on the Earth is still experiencing the legacies of the classical age of empire, that corporate globalization is just the latest expression of Western imperialism and that, ultimately, it cannot work."

Throughout the book, we follow Glendinning's story of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, through her healing to the reclamation of her essential self and her reconnection to the power of land and nature. We also follow the story of the land-based Chicano peoples of northern New Mexico, a story that goes to the heart of the unspoken wound of imperial systems: the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized.

Glendinning, a highly respected eco-psychologist, received a Pulitzer nomination for her book When Technology Wounds (William Morrow). Other earlier works include My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery From Western Civilization (Shambhala) and Waking Up in the Nuclear Age (William Morrow). Off the Map is a compelling look at the unexamined implications of our rapidly expanding global economy and, as such, should cause a great stir among economists, sociologists and all those concerned about the future of humanity -- and all of life -- on Earth.

To the thorough reviews below I'll just add:

It's nice to see someone in my field working for rather than against the social forces that oppose the conformity and imperialism that show up nowadays as well-marketed, hyperconvenient, quick-fix "psychotherapy" (or is that psycho therapy?). Listening to the soul of the world, Chellis Glendinning hears in it an anguish echoing her own--and acts bravely and actively on behalf of both.

There's an annoying idea at my school (Pacifica) that all such activism = acting out, a kind of puerile and heroic impulsiveness--whereas working the imaginal, perhaps from within a well-lighted office on convenient days, should be enough. The example of the author's way of being indicates otherwise. We certainly need to monitor our activism, lest it become just another kind of colonizing arrogance so characteristic of our empire-driven civilization; at the same time, to say and do nothing except in private is not enlightened or soulful, it is cowardly.

Good work, Dr. Glendinning!

Off The Maps: An Expedition Deep Into Empire And The Global Economy by psychologist, social activist, poet, and a pioneer in the field of ecopsychology Chellis Glendinning offers a unique look at globalization -- the modern-day alternative to the economic empires of European and Western history. Using maps as allegory, Off The Maps peers between the lines at the individual hopes and lives of workers and the working class at home and abroad as they struggle beneath the crushing spread of politically imperialistic, homogeneous mass-culture invasive, free-trade oriented, international corporation dominated, western-style consumerism. Off The Maps is a welcome and timely contribution which is very highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in international politics and economics.

This book has a lot of useful information and is a fun and easy read. It is a must for anyone looking to join the ever expanding right wing conspiracy lol. As a conservative I wish such a conspiracy exsisted. R. Reagon for 2008

The book is pretty similar to the 2006 and 2007 editions. The author provides some pretty solid refutation of the most common liberal arguments. But it is nowhere near as in depth and comprehensive as Gregg Jackson's "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies." Smith's answers are more tongue and cheek than Jackson's more thoroughly researched and documented responses. It's not a bad read though.

Have you ever had an epiphany and realized it was about how nasty the Democratic party is???? Well, this book will bring that realization to the front of your cranium, and give you a lot to think about!!! GET IT NOW!!!!

As always, The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy undeniably lives up to its title. Now in an updated 2008 Presidential Election Edition, The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy remains a solid block of strategies for debating with the extreme liberal left. Chapters attack and destroy the arguments supporting such left-wing causes as amnesty for illegal immigrants, giving constitutional rights to terrorism suspects, hysteria over global warming, unilaterally giving up in Iraq, using the Fairness Doctrine to censor conservative talk radio, "inside job" 9/11 conspiracy theories, same-sex marriage, and more. Liberals will also want to read The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, the better to understand and anticipate the counter-arguments that are coming, and moderates are sure to chuckle at Smith's tongue-in-cheek take on the issues regardless of personal political preference! "...welfare hurts the exact people it is meant to help. By paying people to remain unemployed and giving extra subsidies to non-working parents who had additional children, between the 1960s and the 1990s welfare policies perpetuated poverty by removing the incentive to work while adding to exploding rates of illegitimacy. Since Congress approved comprehensive welfare reform in 1996, however, we've seen dramatic improvements in child poverty and illegitimacy rates. What a surprise - when the government stops paying people to be unemployed and to have kids out of wedlock, people find more jobs and have less out-of-wedlock children. Who could have predicted that?"

A quick and fun read for anyone who is sick and tried of the baseless attacks from the vast left wing conspiracy. It provides clear cut answers to virtually all of the accusations of liberals. In the past I chose to not debate most of the topics in the book. Now I do not shy away from a discussion. It provides you with enough amunition to make a liberal stammer and stutter.

WOW... this book is AWESOME!! I am a police officer in upstate New York, and I am very impressed with John's way of telling his story. He gives great details, and it doesn't take much of an imagination to be taken away to the places in his book! I have always been interested in the New York State Police, and just wish I started my career earlier and became a Trooper!
I do wish I had the authors address, as I would very much like to contact him! [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed "One Cop's Story", John Briant showed me an 'inside look' at what life in the NY State Police was like in the middle of the 1900's when the State Police Barracks were called "Barracks" because that was actually where the troopers did most of there living. His portrail of this life in what now seems a by-gone age is a testament to the devotion and spirit of the troopers from the days of many years ago. And Mr. Briant doesn't sugar-coat any of it - he shares the good as well as the bad and together they weave into an excellent story of life on the Force. I truly enjoyed "one Cop's Story" and recommend it to all!

A candid portrayal of the author's 28 year career in the NYSP. A career often fraught with danger and full of personal obstacles but also a career of adventure, excitement and oftentimes humor. The reader will warm to John Briant's sincerity and warm personality. John Briant takes you on a tour of his life while modestly downplaying his often heroic achievements. I know because I worked with him. You will enjoy getting acquainted with this man who epitomizes your perception of what a Trooper should be. An enjoyable read.Wayne E. Beyea, author of "Fatal Impeachment."

One Cop's Story: A Life Remembered has reached and completed its fourth year on the market. It still is selling, especially to young men and women interested in the field of Law Enforcement. The book in its early publication almost made the national market, however it is still alive and well to those readers interested in the field and students participating in Criminal Justice Studies. Hardcovers and soft covers are still AVAILABLE.

Chalet Publishing announces the third printing of "One Cop's Story: A Life Remembered by John H. Briant. The book will be distributed by North Country Books, Utica, NY to regional booksellers. The book will be ready for sale in the middle of October. The reason for the reprinting is there have been numerous requests for this book.

Thank you,

The Publisher

This is an excellent book written by person who approaches poverty reduction through agricultural solutions for small farmers that are sustainable, practical and very attractive culturally and resource-wise to poor farmers. Some of the cases and anecdotes provide useful information for relief workers and donors seeking to alleviate the suffering of those who live in rural poverty by elevating their standard of living in a sustainable manner.

After several years of trying different ways to help people get out of poverty, what Paul Polak shares in this book is the most practical and comprehensive help and guidance that I have found. He is not a great writer, but the simplicity common sense findings brings us back to basics to help people in poverty earn their way out of it, in an unsubsidized and sustainable way.

A must read for every one with interests in this endeavor!

Javier Amarante

This book summarizes Mr. Polak's work with his company, IDE (International Development Enterprises), which focuses on creating affordable, useful products that can assist small-plot farmers in developing countries to increase their income. Throughout, he presents salient and frankly obvious points about the very poor and their needs that most aid organizations either ignore or just never thought to address. For instance, from his introduction: "The biggest reason most poor people are poor is because they don't have enough money." See? Obvious.

The point is, however, most aid organizations don't address this root problem, choosing instead to go for big, showy projects that cost a lot and sound really ambitious, but just don't do anything to benefit the average very poor family. Polak suggests a twelve point plan to create programs that can really benefit the very poor. These include things like talking to people with the problem you are interested in, and really listening to what they have to say about it; learning everything possible about the problem's specific context; thinking in terms of scalability; developing measurable outcomes; and designing to specific cost and price targets.

The book tells the story of how one family in Bangladesh was able to move from barely surviving on less than $1 a day and not having enough food to make it through the year to relative prosperity and a much more comfortable lifestyle. This was made possible in part by their access to affordable, small-scale irrigation equipment, allowing them to make more effective use of their other resources - their land and their physical labor. Polak points out that when families can earn more money, they almost automatically do things like improve their diets, further their education, seek better healthcare, and generally become more empowered to improve their lives in the ways they see fit, according to their own priorities.

It took some mental acrobatics for me to begin to accept the concept of dollar a day farmers as "consumers" rather than "aid recipients." But as a market this group has a huge, untapped potential. There are something like 800 million small farmers; the combined purchasing power (given the right products and a little access to credit) would be enormous. Overall, I found this book engaging and its message hopeful and practical. It certainly provides food for thought.

Paul Polak allows readers the privileged of a front row seat to his methods of successful innovation while addressing issues of poverty. Here is proof that real genius is in searching for the most direct solutions and insisting on effectiveness. Well worth studying in depth. My copy is now well marked for future application. Bravo Mr. Polak! Thank you for sharing your process.

An inspiring book that makes one think about the greater good that can come out of poverty eradication & how we can all be a part of it.

Criticism:

1. Author does not cover how he made the transition from being a psychiatrist to creating IDE. This makes it harder to understand how one can participate in this cause, even if one wanted to.

2. While the book is a great food for thought, it seems to be more focused on the destination rather than the journey. At times, it reads more like a journal which may be intentional, but this inconsistency gives the reader, a rather half baked impression.

3. Author's disagreement with major organizations such as the UN feel like a rant at times, as he only criticizes them without putting forth any concrete suggestions for bigger issues such as infrastructure (development of roads, bridges, dam development, power generation, healthcare & educational programs).

[...]

Rivers is a wonderful author and I expected these books to be as good as her Lineage of Grace series. They were not quite there...

When I was a child, I became an avid reader when I picked up my first secular novel, and I was particularly facinated by historical novels because of my love for history. When I became a Christian, I was in such love with my Savior Jesus Christ that I couldn't get enough of Christian literature. I put aside novels for years. I never thought that there were good Christian novels available, except for romances and the like which only seemed to arouse in me sinful passions and desires. I ran across Francine Rivers somewhat inadvertently. It had been so long since I read a novel that I decided to try once more with "The Prophet." I read it within a week and was rushing to order another one. I was overwhelmed by her skill of writing. She intrigued every facet of my interests, from a good story, to a historical drama, to a Biblical edification. The focus of this book from start to finish was the awesome glory of God. I was in tears often. As the book begins, God's glory is demonstrated in a somewhat allegorical format as we are led along with Amos in the pastures of Tekoa where he shephered his flock. I saw Psalm 23 come alive and was deeply impressed by the gracious patience of my own Good Shepherd as I saw the parallels between the sheep of Amos and myself, as well the actions of Amos to Jesus Christ. Following Amos further through his life exhaulted the long-suffering love of God in bearing with the obstinent sin of His people, and yet His perfect justice to deal with unrepentent rebellion. Rivers' novel brought the Biblical book of Amos to life, which I read in the Bible at the same time. I would highly recommend this book. It is the best novel I have read.

You did a good job in getting the book out fast and it was what I wanted. The book is like brand new.

Thank You

God Bless

Char

The Prophet (Sons of Encouragement)Even if you are an avid student of the Bible, most of us don't spend the time it took Francine Rivers to get to know the prophet Amos. We might study the words he wrote but Rivers has brought the man to life. I came away from this novelette with a new appreciation for the calling that God has on a man's life and what path that might lead one on. Just as Amos was compelled to walk the chosen way that God lead him - so are we. I thank Francine Rivers for reminding me that I too must walk in love and obedience - no matter what the personal cost.

This was a great book! I was in the middle of another book when I got it, so I didn't get to read it right away and my husband started reading it. He loved it so much and I had to wait until he was done before I could start on it! And he never reads my books! But he finished it quickly, so I didn't have to wait long. :-)

Gumbel has run over the history of American electoral fraud, starting as early as 1788 and running through extensive discussions of the 2000 and 2004 elections.

On the way we learn about a number of fascinating scandals of the past, now largely forgotten, along with some that haven't been, such as the famous Tammany Hall gang that dominated New York City for a decade. Gumbel shows that, while big-city corruption got the publicity, elections in many rural areas were equally dirty. He also show how periodic concerns over ballot box stuffing have resulted in a numbr of reforms that, by making voting harder, have effectively lowered participation, which was once at around 80% of eligible voters, and now is sometimes below 50%. For instance, the secret ballot, by replacing earlier party-distributed ballots that had shown, by color and logos, which party they represented, had the quite intentional effect of disenfranchising many illiterate immigrants and former slaves. The practice of denying the vote to convicted felons even after completion of their sentence was invented entirely to prevent former slaves from voting, and is used to disenfranchise blacks to this day, as notably happened in Florida 2000.

Gumbel's discussion of the Florida crisis is useful, although I thought a little too hard on Gore. His discussion of Ohio 2004, which he feels was clearly a legitimate victory, although he does show the strong evidence of illegitimate means used to suppress the Kerry vote, is obviously unconvincing for many of his readers here. (It's interesting to note that, although the book really works not to be a partisan tract, the reviewers on Amazon seem to be overwhelmingly Democrats.)

The extensive discussion in this book of touch screen voting shows clearly how flawed the technology is in current form. He also adds a fascinating historical perspective by showing how past changes, earlier voting machines and punch card ballots, were promoted in their time as technological wonders which would eliminate corruption and make voting easier.

One thing that is very convincing indeed in this section is the discussion of how professional election administrators have repeatedly ignored, downplayed, or just flat lied about the flaws in technology they have committed taxpayer money to, both with e-voting and with previous technologies. I used to think that the professionals who explained how my fears of touch screen voting were groundless probably knew what they were talking about, since they worked with the systems so closely. I won't ever trust those quotes again after reading this book.

Gumbel's discussion of touch screen voting in other countries is also interesting, both for how he shows that such advanced nations as Venezuela do far better than the US at holding clean and reliable elections, as well as some anecdotes showing that American voting equipment companies have just as doubtful a record overseas as they do at home. This section will give you the mild relief of knowing that the way they're screwing up our elections is (probably) more a matter of corporate greed and incompetence than a deep conspiracy to install permanent right-wing government by fixing elections.

Steal This Vote is a fascinating book whose interesting premise is unfortunately marred by a boring and choppy writing style. Gumbel's accusations, arguments and images are stirring and rather frightening; the fact that elections have been stolen for the last two hundred years isn't exactly encouraging to those supporting election reform. He paints a very clear picture of each point in election-stealing history, from the early days of the Republic to Chicago's Daley machine to the 2000 and 2004 debacles. Each shocking detail comes out fast and harsh, which is alarming (as it should be) for the first few chapters, but then soon becomes repetitive and tiring. That doesn't keep the whole story from enlightening the reader, however. Even if I struggled to get through this book, I learned the history of elections in this country and how they are taken for granted and are almost never clean. And though I am constantly distressed by the American population's election habits, Gumbel's suggestions for reform are reasonable goals for which I will fight to the end. With some more editing, perhaps a new edition of this book could be more easily read, and I think it should be read. This population is too ignorant of its system's workings; if the people knew that their perfect democracy is not so perfect, there would be hell to pay, and then there may at last be change.

One would have thought that of all the boring topics that an author could select, the mechanics and history of the secret ballot in the world's pre-eminent democracy should have been close to the top. But far from it, Mr Gumbel has documented and told a quite extraordinary and at times amazing tale. Whether he is right in every detail I have no idea but either way it ought to have every US citizen asking some very tough questions. Politics can be a venal game but surely the actual electoral process itself ought to be above question. Sadly it seems in the USA it's not.

I was really impressed with this book. This is an incredibly important topic, and the author is so immensely knowledgeable, and his handling of the material is so comprehensive and fair, that by the end, I felt closer to grasping what's been going on with American politics than ever before. It turned my perception of the whole voting process in America completely around (I really never suspected it was THIS bad). If you have any interest at all in politics (and if you don't, well, you might be past saving), you should read this, and pass it along, and talk about it. It's an eye-opener. And so entertaining! I laughed out loud several times, and throughout, I felt that the author was presenting really substantial, weighty information in an appealing, witty style. (It's a fun book to cart around, too -- about 15 people stopped me and asked me about the book after glimpsing the title.)

The election travesties of 2000 and 2004 left me angry and disgusted. I'm still angry and disgusted about those events and their conduct, but after reading Gumbel's book, I've softened my impressions a bit and redirected the focus of my ire and disgust. It's clear to me now that no American political party has ever seriously objected to election theft as long as the result was victory. Since achieving honest elections has never been an honest goal (except temporarily for the losers), a party in power has never had genuine interest in realizing honest results! So, here we are.
I shouldn't be surprised at all that, but Gumbel's detail, clarity and focus make me wonder why I'm so late coming to the full realization table.
Gumbel provides clear insight. Nevertheless, the reader is left to judge for himself what all this says about the alleged state of democracy in the U.S.A., past and present.