Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business

Book Description

An inside look at a cable titan and his industry
John Malone, hailed as one of the great unsung heroes of our age by some and reviled by others as a ruthless robber baron, is revealed as a bit of both in Cable Cowboy. For more than twenty-five years, Malone has dominated the cable television industry, shaping the world of entertainment and communications, first with his cable company TCI and later with Liberty Media. Written with Malone's unprecedented cooperation, the engaging narrative brings this controversial capitalist and businessman to life. Cable Cowboy is at once a penetrating portrait of Malone's complex persona, and a captivating history of the cable TV industry. Told in a lively style with exclusive details, the book shows how an unassuming copper strand started as a backwoods antenna service and became the digital nervous system of the U.S., an evolution that gave U.S. consumers the fastest route to the Internet. Cable Cowboy reveals the forces that propelled this pioneer to such great heights, and captures the immovable conviction and quicksilver mind that have defined John Malone throughout his career.

Customer Reviews:

Cowboy Malone.......2007-09-17

I liked the way it was written. It gives you a broad idea of how the cable industry developed over the years. Goes in to details of specific deals that gives you a better feeling of how the industry dealt with growth, changes in technology, competition, content suppliers, etc.

An insider's view.......2005-08-02

A great inside look at one of the most powerful players in media. Cable Cowboy tells the great story of how Malone built his emprier and -- for better or worse -- how he used that power. A great read.

Slick; Totally One-Sided, No Real Analysis.......2005-06-24

What this book is really about is how during the last 1/4 of the 20th Century, our governments allowed a few rough and tough businessmen to carve out the new American technologies, with little or no regards to any public interest. First of all, the entire satelitte technology came out of Naval communications and had been paid for already by Federal taxpayers. Then the cable cowboys were able to string their lines along the regulated telephone lines and telephone poles, which had already been paid for also by everyone in their phone bills. There is nothing in the book about this reality, and only a little on what happened to those who tried to question these things and were slammed along the way. Yet, Mr. Malone seems to despise Al Gore and the Federal Government and wonders why anyone has the right to question his motives or actions.

Why is there no real competition? Even with satelitte tv, cable still represents at least 3 separage monopolies. Try to guess why the politicians gave away the monopolies and anyone who questioned this became the target of personal and viscous attacks, if not more. Where were the regulators? There is no other comparable monopoly in America, with the average citizen's 4th or 5th largest expenditure each month going to cable tv and/or cable hi-speed internet.

Who makes the decisions as to what channels are broadcast? Only in America would we turn over these kinds of decision to nameless businessmen, hiding behind huge corporations and limited partnerships. In my own community, on the "local government channel", the elected and appointed politicians from one political party appear almost daily. Those persons from the other major party do not appear at all. The perfect alliance: local government, a faceless corporation or limited partnership and monopoly rates.

This is the real scenario of a big part of cable tv and there is really nothing on the book on these kinds of things. One should read the Stephen Keating book, "Cutthroat: High Stakes and Killer Moves on the Electronic Frontier" to get better insight as to the reality of cable-tv development.

The Godfather.......2005-04-13

An engaging and accessible account of one of America's great business leaders and a complicated industry. Whether your interest is the cable industry, general business, leadership or free enterprise, this is the book for you!

Excellent read!.......2003-01-30

Fun, interesting, and insightful read. Provides clear explanation of the financial transactions utilized to help Malone build his cable empire.

Book Description

When Bill Clinton, flanked by Presidents Bush past and present, stood in the rain in Little Rock to open his presidential library, the moment seemed to transcend the partisan fray. The imposing structure itself was carefully crafted to play up Clinton's accomplishments and legacy, while downplaying the impeachment affair that shadowed his second term. That focus-on the higher purposes, meanings, and accomplishments of a particular presidency-also deeply reflected the spirit of most other presidential libraries and memorials.

Expanding on this essential theme, Benjamin Hufbauer explores the visual and material cultures of presidential commemoration--memorials and monuments, libraries and archives--and the problematic ways in which presidents themselves have largely taken over their own commemoration. Describing how presidential commemoration has evolved over the past century, Hufbauer reviews the making and meaning of the Lincoln Memorial, the development of Franklin Roosevelt's archives into the first federal presidential library and museum, and the imperial implications of LBJ's truly monumental library in Austin. He contrasts the recent $20 million reinvention of the Truman Library, designed to boldly tackle controversial issues related to racism, McCarthyism, and nuclear anxiety, with the Nixon Library's and Reagan Library's efforts to minimize fallout from the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals. He also provides the first detailed study of the meaning and influence of the Smithsonian's popular First Ladies exhibit.

Hufbauer sees these various commemorative sites as playing a key role in the construction of our collective political and cultural self-images and as another sign of our preoccupation with celebrity culture. Ultimately, he contends, these presidential temples reflect not only our civil religion but also the extraordinary expansion of executive authority--and presidential self-commemoration--since FDR.

While presidential libraries and memorials have also become media-driven attractions that often contribute significantly to the economies of their home cities, Hufbauer shows that their primary function remains the transformation of presidential history into presidential myth for the general public.

This book is part of the CultureAmerica series.

Customer Reviews:

A Perceptive New Take on Presidential Power........2006-01-19

Remember those true presidential giants? FDR, Harry Truman, and LBJ--and larger-than-life Bill Clinton. Did you know that FDR was his own architect for his presidential library at Hyde Park? Jefferson wasn't the only architect-president. But most fun of all is to get another look in the imperial-yet-downhome machinations of Lyndon Johnson as he strove create a library that rivaled the Egyptian tombs. OK, so it looks like a scholarly book--and it is, but there is a lot of good reading here. Hufbauer is too polite to employ his scholarship to point out what intellectual pygmies some of our leaders are, and now more than ever, it is important to understand the significance of memory in national life.

Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory.(Book review): An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly

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Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory.(Book review): An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly
Michael E. Long
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1000 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory.(Book review)
Author: Michael E. Long
Publication: Presidential Studies Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Page: 176(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory

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Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory
Benjamin Hufbauer
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUDJPG

Book Description

Trouble in a tutu

When Bootsie Barker shows up at Bernie and Lisa's ballet class, the trouble begins. "I hate ballet!" Bootsie yells. "I hate boys even more!" And she means it! Bootsie's pliÉs and pirouettes keep knocking Bernie down, but Madame blames Bernie.

Can Bernie and Lisa figure out a way to get Bootsie Barker off their backs?

Customer Reviews:

Poor Bootsie?.......2000-10-24

I enjoyed Bootsie Barker Bites and thought it genuinely clever; however, Bootsie Barker Ballerina is simply too agressive--and I do not generally consider myself to be politically correct about these things. Bootsie is mean to others and they are mean to her, which doesn't really teach positive moral values. And while morality isn't everything, the book lacks the spark that Bootsie Barker Bites had.

Customer Reviews:

Loved it!.......2004-05-11

I highly recommend this book - it will totally change the way you look at life.

Powerful!.......2004-01-15

This is probably one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time. It really encourages a person dealing with difficult circumstances to "rise above."

I love the upfront / honest sytle of writing - no excuses for laying around in a pity party.

Truly this book is inspired.

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AFTER THE GOLD RUSH: Birds; Cripple Creek Ferry; Don't Let It Bring You Down; I Believe in You; Oh Lonesome Me; Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Southern Man; Tell Me Why; Till the Morning Comes; and When You Dance I Can Really Love
Neil Young
Manufacturer: Warner Brothers Music Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GW67RC

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Allan Sherman's I Can't Dance

Manufacturer: Harper & Row, Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I3JI8Y

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But I Can Still Dance: A Caregiver's Personal Story and Survival Guide
Carleen Breskin Clarke
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
General | Nursing | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Caregiving | Physician & Patient | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595281621

Book Description

But I Can Still Dance offers a refreshing approach to caregiving. Portrayed is Carleen Breskin ClarkeÂ's own story along with her solutions for caregiving issues often skirted over in print. Loneliness, sex problems, money, guilt, and feelings of entrapment are discussed candidly in ways which all caregivers can identify and understand.

While learning to live a more positive and quality-filled life, you will discover a world infused by the sweetness and joy that the gift of giving to a loved one can bring. Ms. Clarke writes,Â“the richest rewards of life are sprinkled along the way of the journey and not found at the end of the rainbow.Â”

But I Can Still Dance can change your life. You will learn to have more fun and have a life worth living. Resentment, bitterness, and anger will be part of your past, and you will be set emotionally free.

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I can dance
Brian Bullard
Manufacturer: Perigee Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399505717

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I Can Only Dance with You
J. Webster
Manufacturer: Robert Hale Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0709039824

I Can Play That!: Viennese Waltzes (I Can Play That)

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I Can Play That!: Viennese Waltzes (I Can Play That)
Music Sales Corporation
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

I Can Sing, Dance, Rollerskate and Other Stories by Scottish Writers 1988

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I Can Sing, Dance, Rollerskate and Other Stories by Scottish Writers 1988

Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0002233940

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"I Can Sing, Dance, Rollerskate" and Other Stories by Scottish Writers 1988

Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0002233932

Book Description

More and more people believe we must quickly wean ourselves from fossil fuels - oil, natural gas and coal - to save the planet from environmental catastrophe, wars and economic collapse. Professor Jaccard argues that this view is misguided. We have the technological capability to use fossil fuels without emitting climate-threatening greenhouse gases or other pollutants. The transition from conventional oil and gas to their unconventional sources including coal for producing electricity, hydrogen and cleaner-burning fuels will decrease energy dependence on politically unstable regions. In addition, our vast fossil fuel resources will be the cheapest source of clean energy for the next century and perhaps longer, which is critical for the economic and social development of the world's poorer countries. By buying time for increasing energy efficiency, developing renewable energy technologies and making nuclear power more attractive, fossil fuels will play a key role in humanity's quest for a sustainable energy system.

Customer Reviews:

Why the solution to energy consumption is not limited to finding an alternative to fossil fuels.......2006-08-09

"Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy" tackles the task of explaining why the solution to energy consumption is not limited to finding an alternative to fossil fuels. The author argues that there is evidence that the world has untapped resources and an energy reserve supply of fossil fuels to last perhaps 800 years (for gas and coal), and that rising prices of precious fuel resources should not be assumed to mean the end of stored fossil fuel energy is imminent. Considering the options of renewable energy, nuclear power, and energy efficiency, the author states:" The end (goal) is a low impact and low risk energy system that can meet expanded human energy needs indefinitely and do this as inexpensively as possible, without succumbing to cataclysmic forces at some future time...it is unjustifiable to rule out fossil fuels in advance of a holistic comparison that considers critical decision factors. These factors include cost... the human desire to minimize the risk of extreme events...to ensure adequate and reliable energy supplies free from geopolitical turmoil, and to sustain values, institutions and lifestyles (p. 355)." Jaccard believes that fossil fuels are likely to continue to provide a significant resource to the global energy system during a gradual transition to a sustainable global energy system, perhaps over a period of more than a century. "Sustainable Fossil Fuels" makes a convincing argument for thorough review of the cost of energy sustainability, leading to an unprejudiced reconsideration of continuing the mixed use of fossil fuels. A handy chapter reading guide suggests the best way to read the book, considering the following key questions: What is energy sustainability (Chapter 1)? Is our current energy path sustainable (chapter 2)? Chapter 3: The prospects for clean, secondary energy, Chapter 4: The usual suspects: efficiency, nuclear and renewables, Chapter 5: The unusual suspect: how long can fossil fuels last - and does it mater? Chapter 6: Can we use fossil fuels cleanly - and what might it cost? and last, Chapter 7: Sustainable energy choices: comparing the options. "Sustainable Fossil Fuels" is a convincing argument for the continued judicious planned use of fossil fuels while seeking alternative sustainable energy choices. It is enhanced by a bibliography of 22 pages and many graphs and charts and footnotes. References are made to pertinent web sites for further information as well.

Clean fossil fuel - an oxymoron?.......2006-05-18

Given all the talk of "peak oil" in the media, it appears that the public has accepted the message that we are running out of all manner of fossil fuels. Regardless, high pump prices aren't viewed as signs of increasing scarcity, but rather of increased collusion among big oil companies.

This book provides a very useful compendium of energy industry information, and argues convincingly that fossil fuels will not run out for quite some time. The information the book contains would go far to dispelling a lot of fossil fuel "urban myths" if energy consumers took the time to read it.

Other recently released books on energy and climate change encourage readers to "stick it" to big oil and big coal by going "off-grid", etc., and don't sufficiently explore how these same companies can play a role in a more sustainable energy future.

While fossil fuels may never be viewed as "clean" by the public, they will certainly endure for centuries as Jaccard attests. This book is a useful read for those interested in learning how to make fossil fuel-based economies more sustainable, using more facts and less media hyperbole.

Extraordinary tour of our imminent choices.......2006-03-08

Complete. Here and now. Solid. It takes the reader on a 360 degree loop, at least for the next 100 years. Professor Jaccard evidently knows how to deliver a class. Good economic analysis, just three things I wanted to mention:

1. The book needs a relative sense of the urgency for policy that fosters carbon capture -with its corresponding research of possible CO2 leaks- a starting point, if not the cornerstone of his proposal.
2. Idem 1 but for legislation that promotes the adaptation of new technologies (ingenuity) to replace the vanishing fossil fuels. These technologies are intrinsically linked to the success of the proposal as a whole.
3. I wasn't very convinced on the transportation front. If combustion from "Status Enhancement Vehicles" represents almost half of the total anthropogenic-related pollution, shouldn't we be focusing more on them? The current technologies are mentioned and explained, but transportation is key in our urban societies and needs a push from governments if a transition is to take place in the short run. Taxing private vehicle owners (Yes, like smokers!)could be a means to promote and build alternative clean transportation and at the same time curb driving.

I understand that the book cannot cover all the issues at hand. In 361 pages, it addresses and explains with surprising clarity our current situation and possible solutions. Worth every page.

Unsustainable sustainability.......2006-02-18

Jaccard's book is a good survey of many of the issues and problems surrounding energy use. But he pays lip service to some critically important issues.

Despite a few brief glimpses outside, Jaccard takes the usual economist's "closed system" approach and couples it with the usual technotopian idea that humans have the ingenuity to find technological fixes for virtually any problem. In talking about the future impact of human activity on the natural world, Jaccard comments that "any individual unavoidable hazards can be ones from which the system could recover within a reasonable time, either from natural processes alone or in concert with human remediation efforts" (p. 355)

A BBC News report that states that, due to human activity, "organisms are disappearing at something like 100 to 1,000 times the background levels' seen in the fossil record." ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4563499.stm ) This loss of biodiversity has a direct impact on human health and wealth. To date, "natural processes" and "human remediation efforts" have not managed to bring back any extinct species.

Jaccard promotes the idea of "zero emission" fossil fuels at the point of use, but neglects the fact that large quantities of fossil fuels and resources are required by the operation of, and even production of, the machinery and infrastructure required to produce those fuels. He talks about the expansion of "clean" nuclear energy, but again neglects the emissions from mining, processing, and transporting fuel, storing and safeguarding spent fuel, and the construction of power plants and machinery. More importantly, Jaccard fails to mention the social irresponsibility of leaving behind toxic mine tailings and wastewater, spent fuel, and power plants that are decommissioned after their relatively short life span. Despite protocols and regulations, these will pose a hazard to future generations for thousands of years.

As a further example of "closed system" thinking, Jaccard talks about the expansion of "renewables," including solar and wind power, again without mentioning how dependent upon fossil fuels these energy sources are t present, for materials, production, and maintenance.

Finally, Jaccard neglects to mention that the growth he predicts depends heavily upon so many other resources, many of which are becoming increasingly scarce, and which rely on the current relatively cheap and abundant fossil fuels for extraction, processing, and production.

Despite the title of his book, Jaccard does briefly acknowledge that fossil fuel use, even in the manner he promotes, is not indefinitely sustainable, and would require enormous efforts and will to reduce GHG emissions, let alone solve all the other waste stream and resource issues. Indeed, almost appearing as repentance at the last minute, Jaccard's very last sentence acknowledges that a "sustainable fossil fuel future does not guarantee a sustainable human presence on this shrinking planet." (p. 361)

So much for sustainability.

Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspects in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy.(Book review): An article from: The Energy Journal

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Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspects in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy.(Book review): An article from: The Energy Journal
Richard L. Gordon
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RZAC4W
Release Date: 2007-10-02

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Energy Journal, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1249 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspects in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy.(Book review)
Author: Richard L. Gordon
Publication: The Energy Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 28 Issue: 3 Page: 189(4)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Sustainable Fossil Fuels.(Book review): An article from: Reviewer's Bookwatch

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Sustainable Fossil Fuels.(Book review): An article from: Reviewer's Bookwatch
Michael J. Carson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000HXDDZY
Release Date: 2007-07-11

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Reviewer's Bookwatch, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 430 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Sustainable Fossil Fuels.(Book review)
Author: Michael J. Carson
Publication: Reviewer's Bookwatch (Newsletter)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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