Book Description
Friedrich A. Hayek is regarded as one of the preeminent economic theorists of the twentieth century, as much for his work outside of economics as for his work within it. During a career spanning several decades, he made contributions in fields as diverse as psychology, political philosophy, the history of ideas, and the methodology of the social sciences. Bruce Caldwell—editor of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek—understands Hayek's thought like few others, and with this book he offers us the first full intellectual biography of this pivotal social theorist.
Caldwell begins by providing the necessary background for understanding Hayek's thought, tracing the emergence, in fin-de-siècle Vienna, of the Austrian school of economics—a distinctive analysis forged in the midst of contending schools of thought. In the second part of the book, Caldwell follows the path by which Hayek, beginning from the standard Austrian assumptions, gradually developed his unique perspective on not only economics but a broad range of social phenomena. In the third part, Caldwell offers both an assessment of Hayek's arguments and, in an epilogue, an insightful estimation of how Hayek's insights can help us to clarify and reexamine changes in the field of economics during the twentieth century.
As Hayek's ideas matured, he became increasingly critical of developments within mainstream economics: his works grew increasingly contrarian and evolved in striking—and sometimes seemingly contradictory—ways. Caldwell is ideally suited to explain the complex evolution of Hayek's thought, and his analysis here is nothing short of brilliant, impressively situating Hayek in a broader intellectual context, unpacking the often difficult turns in his thinking, and showing how his economic ideas came to inform his ideas on the other social sciences.
Hayek's Challenge will be received as one of the most important works published on this thinker in recent decades.
Customer Reviews:
Wide Ranging, Lively and Clear.......2006-05-21
This is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time. I have no idea how I came to buy this - I rarely read biographies, consider myself left-wing, am a computer programmer who was educated as a physicist (so have no background in economics), and only vaguely recognise his name - so must assume someone recommended it to me. Whoever that person was: Thank-you!
I think there are two things that makes this such a good read. Most important is the subject matter - Hayek seems to have been a pretty smart chap who was interested by, and contributed to, a wide range of subjects, at a time (the latter 2/3s of the twentieth century) when a lot was happening. And because he kept shifting fields and, to some extent, revising his opinions, you get to watch the evolution of a wide range of disciplines.
So this book touches on subjects like scientific methodology; emergent behaviours; how money acts as a way to signal information; the foundations of economics (do you have to assume everyone is "perfectly greedy", for example?); models of consciousness; evolutionary biology and group selection - interesting problems that are relevant today, presented in a historical context that is extremely helpful in understanding their peculiarities. Maybe it sounds crazy (or stupid), but until I read this book I had no idea how history could be so useful, relevant and informative.
Much credit must also go (my "second reason") to the author - I think this is impressively well written. Caldwell is a very careful guide who takes pains not only to justify what he says, but also gently directs you through what could be a terribly confusing and complex journey by identifying common threads, summarizing discussions, and repeatedly placing everything within its proper context. Please write another book (how about Popper?)!
Are we having fun yet? .......2006-01-22
I do not know who the target audience was here, but it certainly was not me, and I am a big Hayek fan. This book is way over my head. Perhaps a doctorate in economics or philosophy would make this work easier to read, but I don't think the average intelligent, interested reader will want to struggle though this material. It never comes up for air.
An other opinion heard from.......2005-08-29
First off, I want to echo the other reviewers in my praise for the book. The background in economic history was valuable to me and helps put the work that Hayek did into perspective. Though it may be "academic" (any look at the philosophy behind economics is probably not for the same audience as more instrumental books -- like "How to be successful" or whatever). That being said the book is well written and if anyone is interested in the influence of positivism on economics, the division of psychology and economics into separate disciplines, the roots of socialism and other foundational material, this book presents that information in a logical, clear way.
It cautions at the beginning that Hayek's work was complex and interdependent. There is a tendancy to take a paragraph by Hayek from one place and use it as a representation of the whole, like the blind men and the elephant. I would suggest strongly that to call him foundational in the current US conversativism is probably wrong. One clue is that as an extra to the "Constitution of Liberty" there is an essay by Hayek called "Why I am not a conservative."
Hayek was fascinated with "knowledge" in the sense that somehow humans manage to coordiante activity and believe that we share knowledge, but in reality it is not possible. Each of sees what we see and we do not see what others see. Somehow, unconsciously, we have evolved a way of being able to use the knowledge of others as well as our own.
His argument against socialism was basically that it breaks some of the ways of knowing what others are doing. A standard definition of Economics is that it is about how people make decisions in conditions of scarcity. In other words, there is an assumption that there is never enough to go around. If you think about it, even people with virtually unlimited amounts of money still compete with each other for status and other such things. We are all often in a position that if we choose X, then we cannot have Y.
Hayek thinks that that decision should be left up to the individual. He says that the mistake that people who believe that scientific central planning make is that they believe there is more of a consensus that there is. Someone's choices wind up overriding other's choices. There is more to it than this, but this is the basis of the argument. It is simple and not really one that falls easily on a liberal/conservative spectrum.
It is, however, probably the source of the claim that he is "conservative." Maggie Thatcher was a fan of Hayek as was, apparently, Ronald Reagan. It can be construed that the opposite of governments actively trying manage economies is lazie fare, hands off, anything goes conservativism. But that would be a misreading of Hayek and simply because a conservative likes Hayek's arguments about one topic does not make Hayek a conservative.
There is another point where Hayek would probably diverge widely from current "conservatives." By popular demand the borders in the US are getting tighter. For instance, it is now difficult to come back and forth from Canada, foreign graduate students are looking elsewhere, the "conservative" governor of California (himself an Austrian and alledgedly a fan of Hayek) is supporting vigilanties to prevent border crossings from Mexico. It does not seem that this is condusive to "knowledge" in the sense that Hayek uses it, as something that is distributed throughout humanity.
Hayek's greatest interest was in how we each take our little snapshot of the world and interact with others to build stable social structures without any direction. It is not that someone decides that we should have a structure like such and such, we find that these structures are there and we can all recognize them. In a way, he is talking about the "invisible hand" of Adam Smith. Somehow we coordinate activity so that I can be writing this right now on a computer I got somewhere, a DSL connection and so on and I have not talked to the people involved with making it happen, they have not talked to each other and no one directed them to do it.
Hayek is interested in the rules that make that happen. Now we talk of complex adaptive systems and the idea of "spontaneous order" is widely studied to day. Current work on "connectionist networks" now mention Hayek. He was way ahead of his time.
I also want to point out that even though some call him "the father of libertarianism" he was not against governments making rules that cause markets to function better, for instance, regulation against monopoly. Libertarians were up in arms against the threatened breakup of Microsoft, something Hayek would not have been against in principle.
I hope more people will read this book. It is remarkable how many ideas we think are brand new have been around for a while. This book helped me understand how they got sidelined. It is really a lively book, filled with people as well as ideas, which is important, because sometimes politics trumps insight. Hayek's remarkable ideas are just beginning to be widely noticed and recognizing what is happening is an exciting benefit of this book.
Amazing bio of an amazing thinker!.......2004-05-14
Tasked with the need to understand a contemporary, conservative thinker in a doctoral course on social justice, I was enriched by the professor's suggestion that I focus on Hayek. In due course I came upon this book by Caldwell. I wish to echo the earlier reviewers praise - this book is everything an intellectual history should be. The reader will become intimately familiar with the historical antecedents to Hayek, the academic, cultural, and historical milieu in which he worked, and the likely future his ideas will have.
I approached this book as a complete novice. I had never heard of Hayek, and frankly, reading this book stretched my 18 hours of undergraduate economics about as far as they could be stretched, but I was left with an astonishing respect for this economist turned political theorist. How is it possible that Hayek could have escaped my notice for 50 years?
One hundred and thirty pages are devoted, not to Hayek, but to Austrian school economics (i.e. - subjective value, marginalism, entrepreneurship) and its founder Carl Menger. Caldwell introduces key figures in the Austrian school at length (Bohm-Bawerk, Wieser, and Mises) as well as the chief protagonists of the school (German historical, socialism).
Into this fray comes Hayek, an ambitious but not a particularly aggressive academic. Any attempt at summarizing Hayek's thought is easily criticized, but from my personal perspective, Hayek seems to have been a master at synthesis. He linked what today would be called cognitive psychology with philosophy to produce an epistemology that is foundational to all his subsequent work. Further, he linked this epistemology with social evolution to explain social advance, social stability, and social institutions and values.
Epistemologically, Hayek understood human beings to possess a subjective ignorance. He denounced the "rational economic man" as a fiction, but asserted the importance of the free market supply/demand pricing mechanism. Without this pricing mechanism, economic planning was doomed to inefficiency and competitive disadvantage while the individual was cast adrift without any objective anchors with which to make decisions. Without the freedom to pursue subjective goals, however ignorant, there was no individual liberty.
It was from the random and chaotic subjectively ignorant decisions of the individual that social institutions evolved (i.e. - order out of chaos). The fittest of these social constructs prevail over time and form the framework of stability essential for the maintenance of a free marketplace and for the subjective projection of future value.
Hayek was awarded a Nobel Prize for economics in 1974 and the American Medal of Freedom in 1992 by then president George Bush, Sr. After spending a semester reading about this man and his ideas, I have become convinced that Hayek is a foundational thinker undergirding the conservative resurgence in America during the past 40 years. It is unlikely that there will ever be a finer intellectual biography than that provided by Caldwell. Everyone interested in social policy, social justice, and contemporary trends should become familiar with this book.
One last warning, Caldwell writes as an academic for academics. Footnotes abound, and there are four appendices directed at specialists. A lay reader will frequently realize that he cannot appreciate all of the subtle points that Caldwell is making. Despite these facts, this is a readable book worth the effort.
Caldwell, B. Hayek's Challenge.......2003-12-08
On the plane to and from the Southern Economic Association meetings in San Antonio (including a 3 hour delay in Dallas on the way home) in November I had the opportunity to read the best book written in Austrian economics in a generation -- Bruce Caldwell's Hayek's Challenge (University of Chicago Press, 2003). Caldwell, as to be expected, is a master historian of thought and constructs a narrative of Hayek's evolution of as a thinker that is simply better than any alternative account. And, in the process, Caldwell tells the story of the development of Austrian economics from Menger to today better than I have ever seen. This is a phenomenal work of scholarship and a beautifully written book. The book represents the history of economics as it should be written --- a subtle treatment of economic doctrine, contextualization of the evolution of argument within its broader history of philosophical, political and economic debates, and engagingly written. As far as economics goes, this book is a page turner. It is nothing short of a brilliant. Bruce Caldwell has written, in my opinion, the best book in economics for 2003.
Book Description
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This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 988 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: Caldwell, Bruce. Hayek's Challenge: an Intellectual Biography of F. A. Hayek.(Book Review)
Author: Leonard P. Liggio
Publication:
The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: 58
Issue: 2
Page: 427(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- A boring love sonnet to Isiah Thomas
- A Great Book on Isiah
- Excellent biography of Isiah.
- very well written it tells of both the good and bad of a sup
- Very realistic presentation of Isiah Thomas
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The Book of Isiah: The Rise of a Basketball Legend
Paul C. Challen
Manufacturer: ECW Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1550223003 |
Book Description
In The Book of Isiah, the career of the NBA's most successful player-turned-basketball-executive comes to life. From Thomas' early years as a member of a close-knit family trying to survive on Chicago's mean streets, to his years at Indiana University under the stern tutelage of the legendary Bobby Knight, to his stellar seasons with the "Bad Boys" of the Pistons, Thomas' devotion to the game of basketball is chronicled, as is the development of his canny sense of timing both on and off the court. With the newest chapter being written in the boardrooms of the Toronto Raptors, The Book of Isiah details every aspect of big-time hoops for fans of all ages.
Customer Reviews:
A boring love sonnet to Isiah Thomas.......2007-05-07
I knew it was a bad sign when in chapter one, I was wishing I was through with the book. I always want to finish books, for the sense of accomplishment and to acquire knowledge, but this was different: I wanted to be done because I wanted to move on to a good book.
I picked up the book because I enjoy reading the late 80s Pistons. Thomas is indisputably one of the 5 greatest point guards in history (along with Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, and John Stockton). He won a NCAA championship, and 2 NBA championships, and was named to the 1980 Olympic team. That alone makes his life interesting. Toss in the amazing performances (16 points in 91 seconds, 1990 Finals MVP, etc), controversy (Larry Bird was only good because he's white), and the jobs (NBA legend on the court, GM of the Raptors), and I was looking forward to jumping in. So what went wrong?
First, this is not a biography, it is an homage, practically a love sonnet. It is written by a guy who sees no fault in Thomas. I believe the author is a Toronto journalist, and obviously a Raptors fan. The book was written right before the Raptors' 2nd season. In jocking the Raptors, Challen has to jock the man who runs the team. Look at the book's subtitle: "The Rise of a Basketball Legend." At the time the book was published, Thomas already was a basketball legend. Challen is trying to paint him to be the next Jerry West and Red Auerbach of the front office after a mediocre season on the job.
The first problem is that the book is incomplete. Challen lightly glosses over Thomas' first 7 NBA seasons, and really only spends significant time on the 1989 season. After a little more glossing, he jumps to Thomas' tenure with the Raptors. He never mentions any of his legendary scoring bursts, such as the 16 points in 91 seconds at the end of regulation of the deciding playoff game in the New York playoff series in 1984. He does go over the Larry Bird controversy and the all-star freeze out of Michael Jordan that Thomas orchestrated, and he mentions the 1992 Olympic snub, but never really dwells much on the background. He also never mentions how Thomas blocked the pay-per-view game between Jordan and Johnson, and how that came back to bite him in the Olympics.
Challen praises Thomas' every decision as Raptors' GM without stating the obvious: he screwed up on the hiring of Brenden Malone as coach. Had he spent more time interviewing Malone, then he would have learned that Malone did not share his vision on how to coach an expansion team. He never chastises Thomas on his blatant favoritism towards all-things Pistons, even when the people were unqualified. Because Thomas had a couple of endorsements, he makes it sound like Thomas was a savvy businessman ready to move into a GM role, rather than state the obvious: the owner went to Indiana University with Thomas and was star struck. It gets funnier in retrospect, as you see Thomas consistent failures since the book was written: he bankrupted the Continental Basketball Association after he purchased it. He failed as coach of the Pistons and Knicks and was a disaster as GM of the Knicks. His failures are so legendary that a satire website (sportspickle) wrote a story that George W. Bush had named Thomas as Michael Brown's replacement to head F.E.M.A. It is obvious that Thomas had done nothing to earn the responsibility to run a franchise, but Challen never ever considers this. (The parallels between Thomas and Jordan are eerily similar, and both were miserable failures in the front office.)
The next problem with the book is the editing. I assume "paycheque" is a Canadian spelling, and that is fine, but the book is full of editing errors and Challen cannot spell "offense" and "defense." Perhaps this is because he is the guy who holds the picket fence at the games.
It is obvious that Challen is no basketball expert. He says that Thomas played in the Big 10 conference and then adds it is now known as the "Big 12". Um.... no. He says that Thomas was named NBA MVP three times. He was never MVP. He writes the book in such simplistic terms that it seems as if his audience has no clue about basketball, which maybe true -- I am guessing it was written for Canadians who are not familiar with basketball, as a way of selling the Raptors to the public. Furthermore, by deifying the head man of the Raptors, the sell becomes easier. If this was his purpose, I hoped he succeeded, because beyond that context, the book is an unbelievable bore.
A Great Book on Isiah.......2000-07-25
I have always dug Isiah Thomas.The Brother overcame alot of Obstacles&still does to this day.he doesn't always get the Credit&Love he so deserves.He was a Great Player.I Loved it when He&The Pistons Beat The Over-Inflated Bulls.ZEKE was always the man.He Played with So Much Heart&Determanation.Now as Coach of The Pacers it will be Interesting to see where the Next Journey Takes Him.I Really Dig the Fact that he is about Black Ownership.it's Time to have a Say on&Off The Court.He has had his Ups&Downs but has still Remained a Class Act.this Book Reflects so Much About this Man.
Excellent biography of Isiah........2000-06-04
I have been a fan of Isiah and the Pistons for a long time now. This was the first biography of Isiah that I have read and I enjoyed it very much. I knew a lot about Isiahs childhood but also found out a lot more reading this book. The writer seems to spend a lot of time discussing Isiahs time with the Raptors, I would have liked to read more about his time with the Pistons. I also would have liked to see a mention of the 70+ students that Isiah put through college out of his own pocket. Overall I really enjoyed this book, if your an Isiah fan you need to pick this one up.
very well written it tells of both the good and bad of a sup.......1999-07-10
I thought the book was very well written. It allowed the reader to see that Isiah is a superstar that pulled himself up out of poverty and despair, but he is also a human being (which we sometimes forget about star atheletes) with human failings, fears, and needs. I is the best 20 bucks I have spent in a long time. I would suggest to anyone who has ever looked at athletes in a negative light to read this book it details the life of growing up poor and not allowing it to rule your life. Isiah, like so many of our black males in America grew up poor and without his father, but he did not allow himself to wallow in it, and that is a lesson that many of young people need to adhere to.
Tamara Randolph, Rich, Va.
Very realistic presentation of Isiah Thomas.......1998-02-04
I found the book very realistic and accurate display of Isiah Thomas. It chronicles the life of Isiah Thomas, documenting the good and the bad of Isiah Thomas. I'm a Detroit Pistons fan, and was glad to see the author and the publisher didn't present a sugar-coated version of his life, which isn't what I can't say sadly for Bob Greene's Rebound, which is a biography on Michael Jordan. This biography covers the part of Jordan's life when he was away from basketball and in baseball. I felt I should mention the Jordan book, since they were rivals for a long time, but it appears they have buried the hatchet. It should be interesting to read now, considering that he is no longer the Raptors' GM, and is currently works for NBC as a color commentator. Thanks to Paul Challen and ECW Press for taking the high road and presenting something that is actually worthy of reading from cover to cover, unlike the Greene schlock book on Jordan, which never criticizes him at any point from what I can see. I hope ECW Press continues to present sports biographies like this in a realistic portrayal. The Greene biography looked at Jordan's problems always with a positive light on Jordan, and don't talk about his gambling. I found the reading about how Isiah's brothers could have been NBA stars interesting reading, especially the one brother, Henry Lord, who was supposed to possess outstanding ability. It was interesting to see how Isiah overcame many odds to get to where he was, and it perhaps it helps understand why he is the person he is today.
Book Description
Allied Artists Pictures Corporation was formed in November 1946 by Monogram Pictures Corporation as a wholly-owned subsidiary to handle production and distribution of the high budget films. This is a complete filmography of Allied Artists' 452 feature films and short subjects. Each entry gives date of release, running time, genre (western, war, drama, mystery, etc.), production credits, cast, a brief plot synopsis, and a notes section showing items of special interest. Thoroughly indexed.
Book Description
The third of Russ Kick's bestselling Disinformation Guides gathers another all-star line-up of exposes.
Juries have ruled in recent trials that Watergate was really about a Democratic Party prostitution ring.
Ignored in the U.S. and distorted elsewhere, the Milosevic tribunal hasn't gone the way authorities were anticipating. (We present exclusive first-hand reporting from the trial).
Most theologians don't believe in the physical Resurrection of Jesus.
In 2001, the U.S. uncovered the biggest spy ring in the country since WWII, yet most people never heard about it.
The U.S. is engaging in bioweapons research that violates international treaties and federal law. (The New York Times knows about this but refuses to report it).
Teddy Roosevelt and Wall Street created Panama for profit.
Gandhi wasn't so wonderful, after all.
These are just some of the revelations in the third of our all-star anthologies. Following up on bestsellers You Are Being Lied To and Everything You Know Is Wrong, editor Russ Kick has again assembled a line-up of leading investigative journalists, academics, activists, commentators, and independent researchers, covering CIA assassinations, the anthrax attacks, fluoride, TWA 800, Abraham Lincoln, child protective services, the tobacco industry, forgotten uprisings, the government's missing trillions, even more revelations about 9/11 and much more.
Contributors include Gary Webb, Greg Palast, Noreena Hertz, Howard Zinn, Douglas Valentine, Jim Hougan, Kristina Borjesson, Arianna Huffington and many more well-known writers-some of whom you'll be extremely surprised to see in these pages!
Russ Kick will once again be booked on multiple talk radio shows.
Customer Reviews:
Should Be Titled "Abuse Your Intellect".......2004-06-22
If a collection of essays can be judged by a single essay within the collection, then this book must be awful. I only read one of the essays, but it was enough to make me put the book down forever.
Often informative, but more uneven than previous books.......2003-09-30
I love the Disinformation series, but this most recent effort isn't nearly as intriguing as their previous anthologies. Both "Everything You Know Is Wrong" and "You Are Being Lied To" had more page-turning value than this edition. Still, there is interesting ground to be covered here, and in a familiar vein.
Received opinion is demolished in some cases (the Wayne Williams serial murders, Watergate), while glaring light is shed on sound but unpopular arguments unfamiliar to the mainstream reader (i.e., the Drug War - a Disinfo favorite topic). Elsewhere, an expose' of racial profiling provides ample grist for the proverbial liberal mill, and the editor's compiliation of 9/11 non-topics provide disquieting food for thought.
The beauty of the Disinfo series of books is that they challenge the acceptance of mainstream media dogma as fact, without regard for political ideology. If there is a liberal element to the writing, it is largely because the authors are often disenfranchised journalists and social commentators working from the fringe. Some reviewers insinuate that this creates a safe haven for crackpots, but that consensus is far too exclusionary and only logical if you share the mainstream media arrogance that only THEY are above the fray. Clearly, they are not. In "Abuse Your Illusions", as in previous Disinfo offerings, even the "crackpots" make relevant arguments at some level. A few pundits have misconstrued the inclusion of contradictory articles as a lack of focus on the part of the editor, but in fact it's - surprise! - fair and balanced coverage. In these times, such non-partisan discourse should truly be encouraged. And $upported, if you know what I mean...
So, although an uneven bag this time around, anyone wondering "Dude, where's my country?" is encouraged to read this book. Rest assured, there are still some courageous, principled souls looking out for us. And even a few journalists.
Third Disinfo collection is a mixed bag.......2003-08-22
They're back... Disinformation Press continues its crusade against cooperate media bias and establishment deceit in Abuse Your Illusions, its third collection of exposés. Like its predecessors, the fairly-interesting You Are Being Lied To and the absolute-must read Everything You Know Is Wrong, Abuse Your Illusions gathers a plethora of experts, insiders, academics and journalists unafraid to ask the tough questions on everything from the war on terror to the Virgin of Medjugorje.
At its best, Abuse Your Illusions offers some of the best investigative reporting available. Intelligence Online's Wayne Madsen explores the 2001 death of leading microbiologist, Don Wiley, finding what is almost certainly cover-up. Religion journalist, Richard Abanes, exposes a disgusting strain of racism in the history of Mormonism. The Sunshine Project, a think-tank opposing the development of chemical weapons, uncovers the Pentagon's treaty-breaking research into germ warfare. And investigative reporter, Diane Petryk-Bloom examines the self-serving abuses of power of child protection agencies and the terrible harm it is causing families. It would be worthwhile for every parent in America to read Petryk-Bloom's alarming piece.
But Abuse Your Illusions' crown jewel is a tally of new revelations, unanswered questions and stories that do not add up concerning the September 11th attacks, compiled by Russ Kick, the editor of this volume and its forerunners. From the missing videos of the Pentagon collision to the White House's efforts to block a Congressional investigation into the attacks to the unlikely emergence of a hijacker's luggage and its even more unlikely contents, Kick's facts will make the reader seriously question the official version of the tragedy. It is articles like this that make Disinformation's collections so valuable.
Unfortunately not all articles are as hard-hitting and on-target as the aforementioned. In fact, out of all of the Disinfo volumes, Abuse Your Illusions makes the most missteps.
Many of the pieces are obvious, trivial or not-fully-substantiated. Dissident historian, Howard Zinn's grisly accounts of innocent causalities in the US military campaign in Afghanistan are certainly affecting, but would only be shocking to someone to whom warfare is a completely alien concept. Investigative reporter, Jim Hougan's defense of the theory that investigation into a Democratic call-girl ring begat Watergate states nothing more than such a theory is possible. And alternative journalist, Paul Krassner's article theorizing that Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Manson were brain-washed by scientologists screams crack pot.
Another mistake is the inclusion of articles that seem, ironically enough, biased. Articles concerning media controversies, written by people involved, seem like axe-grinding sessions. Shouldn't the most accurate and unbiased views on CNN's Operation Tailwind story, the leaking of the Pentagon Papers and James Bacque's research pointing to Allies mistreatment of German POWs in World War II be written by people other than those who have much at stake in them?
There are many instances in Abuse Your Illusions in which Disinformation proves itself a relevant and enlightening institute. But one should look to the previous two volumes to see the group at its best before reading this utterly uneven collection.
The Finger-Pointing Self-Aggrandizement Club.......2003-07-10
We have reached the bottom of the Disinformation barrel. While editor Russ Kick says in this book's intro that it's easy to locate enough covered-up stories to fill out these compilations for years to come, I beg to differ. I am a big fan of the Disinfo team and all their efforts to bring the necessary attention to issues that have been whitewashed by the establishment. That makes this whiny and sarcastic collection all the more disappointing. To show I'm not a reactionary who automatically disagrees with the Disinfo political stance, you can see my reviews for this book's two superior predecessors: You Are Being Lied To (four stars on 01/01/02) and Everything You Know Is Wrong (five stars on 10/27/02).
This volume does bring to light many important issues, but articles that are not sunk by pretentious or self-aggrandizing writing are few and far between. Some of the best levelheaded entries here include "US Homeland Security..." by Ritt Goldstein, "The Lilly Suicides" by Richard DeGrandpre, or "The Flouridation Fraud" by Robert Sterling. Sadly, there are a great many articles that deal with incredibly important topics but lose their impact with atrocious writing. The terrifying "Invasion of the Child Snatchers" is sunk by Diane Petryk Bloom's sarcastic implications that the entire child protection establishment is corrupt, while most of the entries in the *Not on the Nightly News* section are swamped by flimsy conspiracy theories that could be debunked by a preschooler. This is a depressingly common pattern in this book, indicating a lazy selection process by the Disinfo folks.
By far the most annoying articles here are from writers complaining about how their books or essays have been rejected by major publishers, with the predictable conspiracy claims followed by sales pitches. A horrific example is "Unanswered Letters..." by April Oliver, who courageously revealed Operation Tailwind from the Vietnam War era, but here complains about her letters on the subject not being answered by major newspapers. Daniel Ellsberg, who was greatly persecuted after his hugely important reporting on the Pentagon Papers 30 years ago, is still complaining about it in two different articles here. Then there are some articles that make so little sense that they appear to be merely filler, like "Inside Science's Closet" by Richard Zacks, and the useless conspiracy theory attempt "How I Crashed a Chinese Arms Bazaar..." by Jakob Boeskov. And at all costs avoid the insulting "The Man Who Invented Normal" by Lucy Gwin, who claims that the battle against human disease is a forced conformity project by white males, and that Dr. Kevorkian (regardless of his other questionable ethics) is a eugenicist.
If you've enjoyed the previous compendiums by the Disinformation folks, there are still very important issues covered here, but these writers usually sink their own efforts. A bigger crowd of self-important and sarcastic finger-pointers will be hard to find. It's time for Disinfo to end this book series or get new editors.
The other side of the story - the part you weren't told.......2003-06-12
Similar to their previous publications "Abuse Your Illusions" by The Disinformation Company, Ltd. is a collection of articles from various sources. Each source is well documented as to their background and why their information and opinion should be seriously considered. Although it follows quickly on the heels of "You are Being Lied To", which we gave a high recommendation last year, this book far better. It contains much better written articles with a great deal more evidentiary matter presented for each article.
A fine example is the article "Pieces of the 9/11 Puzzle". While it does not attempt to reach a conclusion, it does point out several very interesting facts that have generally not been released to the public. There are so many strange coincidences that it caused Senator Richard Shelby to remark in November of 2002 that "The American people must know the full story has yet to be told". The article includes photographs from CNN of WTC Building 6 that appears to explode before the twin towers fell on it. The photograph of it afterwards also shows that it blew apart in the middle and apparently did not collapse as the result of the Twin Towers debris falling on it. The author also brings up the myriad problems with Mohamed Atta's luggage, the request by President Bush to Tom Daschele to limit the investigation into September 11, the lack of black boxes from the planes, the fact that for a few weeks before September 11 the employees of the towers were evacuated several times, the fact that the head of the independent probe, Thomas Kean, has had many business deals with Osama bin Laden's brother in law, Khalid bin Mahfouz who is suspected of financing al Qaeda, and many other problems.
The articles are sometimes very conservative and sometimes quite liberal, but they are all interesting and pose many, many questions about dozens of media mirages and official establishment positions. Some articles may go too far with a sort of conspiracy theory approach, but most of them present solid evidence complete with thorough documentation. While you will probably not agree with the positions of some of the authors, you can't take an informed position without at least being aware of the information presented in this book. For those who want to know the other side of the story so you can get a whole picture it is a highly recommended read.
Book Description
Enhance wearing apparel, table linen, boxes, and other items with this decorative collection of 21 lovely designs, accompanied by floral accents.
Book Description
A comprehensive, convenient overview for investors.
The only authoritative, concise guide to investing in annuities, this completely up-to-date book includes detailed information on every kind of annuity instrument available to the general investor, including extensive information on the hottest, most controversial category—variable annuities. Written in clear, accessible language, this is the ideal reference guide to this growing investment option.
• Written by an expert in the field of personal investment and a seasoned writer/journalist on the subject
• Includes a variety of actuary and investment tables to help you understand how your investments in annuities will perform
Customer Reviews:
Good but basic.......2007-04-08
I was a little disappointed in this book. It is quite well written but most of the information in it is available free through internet searches.
I was looking for detailed information on the tax impact of inherited annuities, and it is not here. This book is a very basic consumer guide, not really a thorough guide for investors.
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