New Book Review

The Litigators [Hardcover]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:05:00 +0000

The Litigators [Hardcover]
John Grisham (Author)

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

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Mockingjay (The Final Book of the Hunger Games) - Audio [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Mockingjay (The Final Book of the Hunger Games) - Audio [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]
Suzanne Collins (Author), Carolyn McCormick (Reader)

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

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Entangled (Volume 1) [Paperback]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:12:00 +0000

Entangled (Volume 1) [Paperback]
Barbara Ellen Brink (Author)

One lost summer is time best left forgotten... When Minneapolis divorce attorney, Billie Fredrickson, inherits her uncle's small California winery, she has no intention of actually moving to the west coast and starting a new life. Her only thought is to get it off her hands as quickly as possible. But her return to the winery after an absence of twenty years opens up more than the reading of her uncle's will. Childhood memories, long-buried, begin to surface, prompting more questions than anyone is able or willing to answer. A late night prowler, a break-in at the winery, and an unearthed box of shocking photographs is someone's way of pulling the Welcome mat out from under Billie's feet, but it only makes her dig her heels in deeper. More secrets lie buried beneath Fredrickson Winery's innocent facade and Billie intends to get to the root. But disturbing the past lays bare the skeletons of others, including her mother's. Can she live with the consequences of full disclosure or will she run home where everyone is Minnesota Nice?

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The Hunger Games: Catching fire [Paperback]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:34:00 +0000

The Hunger Games: Catching fire [Paperback]
Suzanne Collins (Author)

Biography
Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.

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Steve Jobs [Hardcover]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Steve Jobs [Hardcover]
Walter Isaacson (Author)

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

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The Hunger Games [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:32:00 +0000

The Hunger Games [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]
Suzanne Collins (Author), Carolyn McCormick (Reader)

Starred Review. Reviewed by Megan Whalen Turner
If there really are only seven original plots in the world, it's odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less 1984 and rather more Death Race 2000, hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins's skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem—which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent—may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time. What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins's world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch. Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.
Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book The Thief and its sequels, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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State vs. Defense: The Battle to Define America's Empire [Hardcover]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:46:00 +0000

State vs. Defense: The Battle to Define America's Empire [Hardcover]
Stephen Glain

"In crisp, authoritative writing, the author sets down some scathing portraits, from MacArthur to Rumsfeld, and in a powerful conclusion, exposes the disequilibrium between the U.S. civilian versus military resources throughout the world and the continued “appeasement” by President Obama to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A work of smoldering focus and marshaled evidence."--Kirkus Reviews

"Stephen Glain has written and important and thought-provoking book on the growing militarizing of our foreign policy. It is a hot issue that is getting a great deal of attention in Washington. Steve has done a masterful job of researching ths subject and presenting a compelling case. State vs. Defense is a must-read for all those developing our foreign policy and for those who are interested in this critical issue."--Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Retired)

"The United States remains committed to a mindless pursuit of military supresmacy, regardless of cost or consequences. Stephen Glain has got the goods on the militarists who spooked and stampeded the American pople into supporting this bizarre enterprise. His is an urgently important tale, vividly told."--Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War

“Stephen Glain's State vs. Defense enters the battle as a battering ram at the Pentagon's gates.”--The Wall Street Journal

About the Author
Stephen Glain has been a journalist for twenty years. He spent four years in Hong Kong writing for the local South China Morning Post before joining the Wall Street Journal in 1991 with stints in Tokyo, Seoul, and then Tel Aviv and Amman. His book Mullahs, Merchants, and Militants was named the best book of 2004 by online magazine The Globalist. His articles on U.S. foreign policy, East Asia, and the Arab world have appeared in The New Republic, The Atlantic, The Nation, the Financial Times, Gourmet, Smithsonian, Newsweek, The National, and elsewhere. Visit his website at www.StephenGlain.com.

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Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine [Paperback]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:43:00 +0000

Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine [Paperback]
Thomas Paine

Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine written by legendary author Thomas Paine is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Thomas Paine is highly recommended. Published by Classic House Books and beautifully produced, Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

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The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:58:00 +0000

The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions) [Paperback]
Niccolò Machiavelli (Author), N. H. Thompson (Author)

Classic guide to acquiring and maintaining political power is refreshing in its directness, yet often disturbing in its cold practicality. Starkly relevant to the political upheavals of the 20th century, this calculating prescription for power remains today, nearly 500 years after it was written, a timely and startling lesson in the practice of autocratic rule that continues to be much read and studied by students, scholars and general readers. Introductory note.

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Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:42:00 +0000

Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party [Paperback]
Max Blumenthal (Author)

Journalist Blumenthal documents the movement of conservative evangelicals from the political wings to center stage, delving into the psyches of those who now lead a Republican Party "fixated on abortion, homosexuality and abstinence education; resentful and angry." Guided by Eric Hoffer's 1951 cult classic The True Believer ("Faith in a holy cause, is to some extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves,") and Eric Fromm's 1941 psychoanalytical study of the Nazi movement (Escape from Freedom), Blumnthal suggests that childhood abuse has shaped the personalities of key leaders, including Focus on the Family guru James Dobson. Blumenthal is at his best examining these characters up close, including presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and his born-again conversion; John Hagee, a Pentecostal pastor who lauded Hitler for "forcing the Jews to Israel"; Sarah Palin, whose political aspirations first came to her as part of a religious conversion; and evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, a self-proclaimed spiritual warrior caught in a relationship with a male prostitute. For those who enjoyed Jeff Sharlet's Capitol Hill exposé The Family, this makes a spicy follow-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges (with InfoTrac and CD-ROM)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges (with InfoTrac and CD-ROM) [Paperback]
Charles Hauss (Author)

Balancing theory and application, this comprehensive text uses a unique theme to engage students in thinking and discussing comparative politics--the theme of domestic responses to global challenges. COMPARATIVE POLITICS introduces the key concepts and examines the growing interdependence among strong and weak states through the discussion of 12 countries, including the U.S. and the European community. The countries discussed are categorized by economic development, helping students develop their skills of comparison, synthesis and interpretation amongst countries of similar economic status. Students will gain an understanding of some of the most important general trends, an exposure to politics in a number of countries, and a desire to dig more deeply into this fascinating and exciting field of comparative politics.

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How Democratic is the American Constitution? Second Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:17:00 +0000

How Democratic is the American Constitution? Second Edition [Paperback]
Professor Robert A. Dahl (Author)

"A devastating attack on the undemocratic character of the American Constitution." Gordon S. Wood, New York Review of Books "Robert A Dahl is about as covered in honors as a scholar can be... He knows what he is talking about. And he thinks that the Constitution has something the matter with it." Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker

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History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy From the Earliest Times to the Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:42:00 +0000

History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy From the Earliest Times to the Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent [Kindle Edition]
Niccolo Machiavelli (Author)

By the author of "The Prince" and "The Discourses", classic works of political science. From the Introduction: "Niccolo Machiavelli, the first great Italian historian, and one of the most eminent political writers of any age or country, was born at Florence, May 3, 1469. He was of an old though not wealthy Tuscan family, his father, who was a jurist, dying when Niccolo was sixteen years old. We know nothing of Machiavelli's youth and little about

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The Age of Reason

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:41:00 +0000

The Age of Reason [Kindle Edition]
Thomas Paine (Author)

Classic work of political science. According to Wikipedia: "Thomas Paine (Thetford, England, 29 January 1737 - 8 June 1809, New York City, U.S.) was an English pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, classical liberal, inventor and intellectual. He lived and worked in Britain until the age of 37, when he migrated to the American colonies just in time to take part in the American Revolution. His main contribution was as the author of the powerful, widely read pamphlet, Common Sense (1776), advocating independence for the American Colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and of The American Crisis, supporting the Revolution."

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Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Political Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:32:00 +0000

Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Political Issues [Paperback]
George McKenna (Author), Stanley Feingold (Author)

Taking Sides volumes present current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript or challenge questions. Taking Sides readers feature an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites. An online Instructor’s Resource Guide with testing material is available for each volume. Using Taking Sides in the Classroom is also an excellent instructor resource.

About the Author
McKenna received his Ph.D. at Fordham University. He has taught for 30 years at The City College of New York. He is the coeditor of two books in our Dushkin Taking Sides series: Taking Sides on social issues and on political issues. He has led local civic and environmental groups in New York and New Jersey.

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Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:08:00 +0000

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East [Paperback]
Michael B. Oren (Author)

In perhaps one of the most valuable recent works on this subject, Oren, a scholar and Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center, Jerusalem, details events from the Six Day War known in the Arab world as Al-Naksah (the setback) or simply the June war. The book's value lies in its focus and extensive documentation of multilingual resources, including archives, newspapers, reports, books, interviews, and Internet sites. In addition, Oren covers the international, regional, and domestic implications of the war and uses maps to illustrate the geographical changes and military strategies. Many books, e.g., Ahron Bregman's Israel's War: 1947-1993, Tibi Bassam's Conflict and War in the Middle East, 1967-91, and Eric Hammel's Six Days in June, cover a broader period, rely heavily on analysis, or fall short of objectivity. While Oren also recounts some necessary historical context for understanding the war's catalysts and discussing its aftermath, he primarily focuses on the pivotal six days of conflict, dedicating a full chapter for each day. Predictably, the most controversial information is his new findings on an Egyptian top-secret plan that came very close to eradicating Israel's army and nuclear power plant. While this is an essential addition for academic libraries, the book's exhaustive documentary style makes it a lesser candidate for public libraries. Ethan Pullman, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Essential Readings in World Politics (Third Edition) (The Norton Series in World Politics)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:21:00 +0000

Essential Readings in World Politics (Third Edition) (The Norton Series in World Politics) [Paperback]
Karen A. Mingst (Editor), Jack L. Snyder (Editor)

Essential Readings in World Politics introduces students to key literature on international relations—from classics in the field to contemporary debates among scholars today. Twenty-five new readings for this edition offer diverse perspectives on current topics such as Iran's nuclear ambitions, global health threats like avian flu, and the international reach of political Islam.

About the Author
Karen A. Mingst is Lockwood Chair Professor at the Paterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. A specialist in international organization, international law, and international political economy, Professor Mingst has written a number of books and articles and has conducted research in Western Europe, West Africa, and Yugoslavia. She has frequently taught the introductory international relations course.

Jack L. Snyder is Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, writes on international security, international relations theory, and post-Soviet affairs, and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on nationalism, comparative methods, and grand strategy. His books include The Ideology of the Offensive (Cornell University Press, 1984) and Myths of Empire (Cornell, 1991). He is the General Editor of the Norton Series in World Politics.

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Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality [Paperback]
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Author)

In Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Rousseau argues that inequalities of rank, wealth, and power are the inevitable result of the civilizing process. His sweeping account of humanity's social and political development epitomizes the innovative boldness of the Enlightenment, and it is one of the most provocative and influential works of the eighteenth century. This new translation by prize-winning translator Franklin Philip includes all of Rousseau's own notes, and Patrick Coleman's introduction builds on recent key scholarship, considering particularly the relationship between political and aesthetic thought.

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Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (The Institution for Social and Policy St)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:52:00 +0000

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (The Institution for Social and Policy St) [Paperback]
Professor James C. Scott (Author)

James C. Scott's research for this book began with an examination of the tensions between state authorities and various "unstable" individuals throughout history, from hunter-gatherer tribes to Gypsies to the homeless. He soon became fascinated, however, by the recurring patterns of failure and authoritarianism in certain social engineering programs aimed at bringing such people fully into the state's fold. Soviet collectivization, the Maoist Great Leap Forward, the precisely planned city of Brasilia--these and other projects around the world, while deeply ambitious, extracted immeasurable tolls on the people they were designed to help.

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The New Atlantis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:01:00 +0000

The New Atlantis (Kindle Edition)
by Francis Bacon (Author), Brad K. Berner (Editor)

The Philosophical Research Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 for the purpose of assisting thoughtful persons to live more graciously and constructively in a confused and troubled world. The Society is entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control. Dedicated to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems, the Society's program stresses the need for the integration of religion, philosophy, and the science of psychology into one system of instruction. The goal of this instruction is to enable the individual to develop a mature philosophy of life, to recognize his proper responsibilities and opportunities, and to understand and appreciate his place in the unfolding universal pattern.

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Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography (Books That Changed the World)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:12:00 +0000

Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography (Books That Changed the World) [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]
Christopher Hitchens (Author)

Hitchens' sprightly Books That Changed the World volume arrives fortuitously, while his atheist screed God Is Not Great (2007) rides high on American best-seller lists. For Paine, though not precisely atheist (he was a deist), contributed vitally to nonbelief through his logical, materialist rejection of biblical literalism. Hitchens inserts scraps of Paine's religious criticism into an appreciation that primarily stresses Paine's advocacy of antimonarchical revolution and constitutional republicanism. Paine's most practically influential writing was the pamphlet Common Sense (1776), which inspired the American Revolution, but Rights of Man (1791–92) is his greatest work. It is largely a reply to Edmund Burke's severely critical Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), and Hitchens discusses it as such, giving Burke his due but affirming Paine's greater liberalism and demonstrating his more accessible and engaging literary style. Though Hitchens eschews discussion of rights per se, including Paine's definition of them, he refreshingly notes his hero's great shortcoming: he didn't see that ideologically driven revolution would lead to tyranny. Olson, Ray

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Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics (Agora Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics (Agora Series) [Paperback]
William Bonner (Author), Lila Rajiva (Author)

"…extremely timely…irreverent but thought-provoking examination of the goings on in international finance today… packs a serious punch." (The Independent)

"To say that this book is skeptical or contrarian is like saying Warren Buffett has money....entertaining criticism of anything and everything...I read the full 400 pages in just a few days.."-Rob May at Business Pundit (Top 10 business site) http://www.businesspundit.com/50226711/mobs_messiahs_and_markets.php(Nov. 2007)

"Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets by William Bonner and Lila Rajiva is a fascinating work....downright hilarious...a serious look at an important phenomenon in the human condition."- Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty of the highly rated philosophy site, Radical Academy (Oct. 2007)

"a sharp-witted jaunt through the mass hysteria that’s defined markets and people through the ages" -Money Week (Sept. 2007)

"William Bonner and Lila Rajiva provide the answers in this exhilarating -- if somewhat depressing -- book. Although their insights will often make readers laugh out loud, they will also find themselves wriggling uncomfortably at the manifold idiocies of human behaviour." -The National Post, Canada (Nov. 07)

"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay would be a better choice to begin. Without that context for this book, you'll find yourself gobbling caviar without knowing what it is." - Donald Mitchell, author of The 2000 Percent Solution, December 18, 2007

"A fascinating book," - Alan Caruba in Book Views, December, 2007

"Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets is a tragi-comedy, full of sharp observations, delivered with equally sharp wit. This book's dark and disturbing revelations could leave one depressed and disillusioned, were it not so damn funny." -- Abram Bergen at Blog Critics, December 31, 2007 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Leviathan (Oxford World's Classics)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Leviathan (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]
Thomas Hobbes (Author), J. C. A. Gaskin (Editor)

Leviathan is both a magnificent literary achievement and the greatest work of political philosophy in the English language. Permanently challenging, it has found new applications and new refutations in every generation. This new edition reproduces the first printed text, retaining the original punctuation but modernizing the spelling. It offers exceptionally thorough and useful annotation, an introduction that guides the reader through the complexities of Hobbes's arguments, and a substantial index.

About the Author
John Gaskin is Professor, Chair, and Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. He is the editor of Hobbes and Hume in World's Classics.

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The Predictioneer's Game: Using the Logic of Brazen Self-Interest to See and Shape the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:00:00 +0000

The Predictioneer's Game: Using the Logic of Brazen Self-Interest to See and Shape the Future [Hardcover]
Bruce Bueno De Mesquita (Author)

Mesquita (The Strategy of Campaigning) purports to show how we can predict... and engineer the future� with applied game theory in this provocative tutorial. Mesquita has spent 30 years refining his approach to the science of predictioneering,� and claims a 90% accuracy rate for his mathematical model that predicts choices based on the self-interest of decision makers. Although he argues that accurate prediction relies on science,� he cannot escape the reality that the numbers in his model are based on human, i.e., fallible, assumptions and estimates. The author admits to a few mistakes—he predicted that former first lady Hillary Clinton's health-care reform would become law—but blames any missteps on unforeseen events and uses his model to boldly predict that President Obama is unlikely to quash the terrorist influence in Pakistan and that global warming will prove immune to government prescriptions but will produce its own solutions.� Mesquita claims perhaps too much for his game theory model, but his cogently argued and fascinating brief will appeal to anyone interested in complex national-security issues. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Just and Unjust Wars A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations (Basic Books Classics)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:44:00 +0000

Just and Unjust Wars A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations (Basic Books Classics) [Bargain Price] [Paperback]
Michael Walzer (Author)

This classic work examines the issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war from the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai massacre. A revised and updated classic treatment of the morality of war written by one of our country's leading philosophers. Just and Unjust Wars examines a variety of conflicts in order to understand exactly why, according to Walzer, "the argument about war and justice is still a political and moral necessity." Walzer's classic work draws on historical illustrations that range all the way from the Athenian attack on Melos to this morning's headlines, and uses the testimony of participants-decision makers and victims alike-to examine the moral issues of warfare.

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