Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

All That We Say Is Ours: Guujaaw and the Reawakening of the Haida Nation Review

All That We Say Is Ours: Guujaaw and the Reawakening of the Haida Nation
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All That We Say Is Ours: Guujaaw and the Reawakening of the Haida Nation ReviewMy daughter-in-law sent me this book to read. It's about the people of Haida Gwaii and their determination to preserve what's theirs. Haida Gwaii is sometimes referred to as Canada's Galapagos, famous for its wild beauty. It is also the ancient home of the Haida peoples. For years they have fought for what they rightfully own.
I started the book and finished it the next day. It was so interesting, I couldn't put it down.
It was also very informative and enlightening. I gained a lot of insight into Haida culture and what they are all fighting for.
I love nature & trees and the Haida saying "Yahguudang--respect for all living things" really resonated with me. I believe we should respect the land and everything on it that we are given.
When I read the quote made by Guujaaw (president of the council of the Haida Nation and advocate) that "every tree removed erases traces of the existence of our people" it made me sad and angry that so many trees have already been cut down and logged over the past years.
I hope that all the trees that the Haida people cherish will never be cut down again and will stand tall and proud as a testament to the Haida people.All That We Say Is Ours: Guujaaw and the Reawakening of the Haida Nation Overview

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Terrorism on American Soil: A Concise History of Plots and Perpetrators from the Famous to the Forgotten Review

Terrorism on American Soil: A Concise History of Plots and Perpetrators from the Famous to the Forgotten
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Terrorism on American Soil: A Concise History of Plots and Perpetrators from the Famous to the Forgotten ReviewDeftly chronicling over three dozen cases from the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the anthrax mail attacks that rocked the nation in 2001, this unique book places "9-11" and the modern threat of terrorism in appropriate historical and cultural perspective. A compelling and fascinating blend of history and psychology, Terrorism on American Soil is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the historical antecedents and causes of the terror threat America faces today. McCann's thorough, lucid and exceptionally well-reasoned historical analysis of terrorism in the United States gives new and urgent meaning to the old adage that those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.Terrorism on American Soil: A Concise History of Plots and Perpetrators from the Famous to the Forgotten Overview

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Inside the Fed: Monetary Policy and Its Management, Martin through Greenspan to Bernanke Review

Inside the Fed: Monetary Policy and Its Management, Martin through Greenspan to Bernanke
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Inside the Fed: Monetary Policy and Its Management, Martin through Greenspan to Bernanke ReviewAxilrod's second edition of Inside the Fed provides an illuminating view of the Federal Reserve with especially good coverage of the Great Inflation era of the 1970s to early 1980s. The best aspect of this book is the insight into the individuals who made monetary policy decisions and the view of insider's on the practical limits of the Fed's power. While this second edition discusses the Great Recession and the events leading up to it, this section does not benefit from Axilrod's intimate, day-to-day knowledge of the key players.
A few areas of the book appeared underdeveloped. A more critical view of the Fed and its role would have been beneficial to the reader. Axilrod's criticisms, to the extent they are present, are generally in the vein of "the Fed should have done more" when many of the criticisms are directed from the angle of the Fed's intervention causing the problems that it then sets out to solve. Second, there is almost no critical examination of the efficacy of combining monetary policy with the regulatory enforcement fuction of the Federal Reserve. Many of the arguments in favor of having an independent monetary policy entity (e.g., to avoid the pressure of the electoral cycle) are completely contrary to the notion of a transparent administrative agency.Inside the Fed: Monetary Policy and Its Management, Martin through Greenspan to Bernanke Overview

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Skin in the Game: How Putting Yourself First Today Will Revolutionize Health Care Tomorrow Review

Skin in the Game: How Putting Yourself First Today Will Revolutionize Health Care Tomorrow
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Skin in the Game: How Putting Yourself First Today Will Revolutionize Health Care Tomorrow ReviewAs Chairman, President and CEO of McKesson Corp., the largest provider of health care supply and information management services in the U.S. and the "largest company that you've never heard of," John Hammergren is uniquely qualified in his understanding of the front and back office workings of the health care industry. In "Skin in the Game," Hammergren talks about what works, what doesn't, and what opportunities exist to make the health care system work like it should.
Hammergren's angle is that health care is a marketplace and as such should be driven by demand. However, as the book details, the health care industry does not work effectively as a marketplace for several reasons. Customers don't always have choice of providers or treatments. Pricing, which is often hidden from the customer altogether, is usually driven by things totally outside of the customers' control. Information management is behind the times; this makes errors more likely and industry-standard care difficult to deliver on a consistent basis. And, of course, many of us have a hard time getting the health care that we need at all due to the way that insurance has become so integrated into employee benefits packages and prohibitively priced elsewhere. All of these elements combine to make health care inefficient and to drive up costs all around the industry.
Hammergren's solution to this, his vision for giving a streamlined and effective health care market to the consumers, is for private industry -- not the government -- to nationalize the system with shared information, leading-edge technology, algorithmic best-practice standardization, process improvement, emphasis on preventive care, and standardized individual coverage being offered independent of workplace benefits. Under this new paradigm, says Hammergren, all of us will have choice and opportunity within the system. While Hammergren does not downplay the current problems with health care in the U.S, he also paints an optimistic and empowering view of the future if private industry does the right things as he describes them and if the individual consumer steps up to put his or her own "skin in the game" with regards to controlling their own health care future.
In describing the present state of health care and its possible future, Hammergren also gives a great deal of historical information about hospitals, doctors, pharmaceuticals, and distributors in the U.S., and he describes in detail some of the nascent technologies and initiatives that he says will revolutionize health care. All of this information is presented in a user-friendly manner and contributes directly to the vision that the book generates. Since McKesson Corp. is a 175 year-old company whose history has mirrored that of health care in the United States, the company is frequently mentioned in context throughout the book but it is not the primary subject.
Obviously, health care is a hot-button issue in the United States and many people won't agree with all of this material. Still, Hammergren and co-author Phil Harkin have done a good job in making this book an informational, surprisingly easy, and non-polemic read. No matter what your political or personal opinion, this book will probably teach you something new and help you to better understand all the options that individuals, industry leaders and the government have to make this system work for all of us. In addition, the Appendix contains resources that you can use to understand and navigate the here-and-now world of personal health care in the United States, and that alone is worth the price of this book. Highly recommended.Skin in the Game: How Putting Yourself First Today Will Revolutionize Health Care Tomorrow Overview

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The Performance of Politics: Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power Review

The Performance of Politics: Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power
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The Performance of Politics: Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power ReviewAlexander's book is a very special one. There is plenty of books on presidential campaigns, and even more on electoral campaigns in general. The analogy between campaigns and shows is also well-known: the social world is a theater, and politicians are often thought to be actors (not to mention those who have been previously movie stars ;-)). Alexander's approach, however, is radically new. In other books, these kind of performances are usually thought of as mere decoys, while the 'real' 'actual' politics is taken to be primarily a matter of power, of money, of deceit.
Alexander is not naive, and he takes into consideration quite well the reality of power. But he is also able to understand that democratic politics is not only about power, but also about meaning. Political campaigns do indeed select the elites. But they also re-enact and re-fresh a strong cultural understanding of the polity. Voters do not follow only their interests, but also their values, their vision of what they are and what they would like to be. Alexander's book provides a quite innovative analysis of the cultural dimension of politics, and his arguments are likely to be important both for scholars and for activists.The Performance of Politics: Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power Overview

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Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers Review

Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers
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Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers ReviewMood Matters is great fun to read as Casti's writing throughout is smooth, intelligent and humorous. The message of the book - that the mood of a society dictates what will happen rather than the reverse - is counterintuitive at first sight, but supported by many quite surprising and convincing examples. Using various indicators, in particular stock-market prices, to measure the mood of a society, Casti explores the correlation between the "mood of the crowd" and a range of other trends (skirtlengths, car colour - sounds bizarre but is actually remarkable!) and events, including the fall of nations and the outbreak of war. It is a hugely interesting and wide-ranging study. As someone with only a moderate interest in economics, I read this book for stimulation and entertainment. For those involved in assessing trends and in predicting future events, whether social, political or economic, this book might just change the whole way they ply their trade.Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers Overview

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Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink (Council on Foreign Relations Books) Review

Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink (Council on Foreign Relations Books)
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Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink (Council on Foreign Relations Books) ReviewFormer Bush U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell provides an expert, important and fascinating account of why we should care that Africa's most populous and strategically vital nation risks political collapse. The book's text is concise enough at 146 pages to appeal to a general reader, with extensive footnotes for those who want more. The author effectively weaves his high-level experiences (including 32 years at the U.S. State Department) and impressions into a illuminating overview of Nigeria's history and current situation.
More generally, we as readers benefit by understanding major international problems before they happen, not just afterward as so often the case (including in the current North Africa and Mideast uprisings). Since book publication, Campbell has been calling for international pressure to ensure that Nigeria conducts its April 2011 Presidential elections fairly. "The April elections have the potential to exacerbate the country's problems if they are not free, fair and credible," he says. "But, if the elections do command popular legitimacy, there is the opportunity to reverse Nigeria's downward spiral. So, the stakes are high."
Campbell, currently a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, appeared March 17 with this message on the "Washington Update," a public affairs radio show that I co-host on the My Technology Lawyer network. His expertise and passion for this topic are available worldwide by archive beginning 17 minutes past the hour: [...]. I've had the privilege of hosting many prominent authors (among others) during my five years with the radio show. This is the first time I've mentioned one in this way, and I hope it adds a useful dimension to my fellow Amazon.com users.Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink (Council on Foreign Relations Books) Overview

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Black Tide: The Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill Review

Black Tide: The Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill
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Black Tide: The Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill ReviewAntonia Juhasz really knows her stuff. In this book, she ensures that the effects of this disaster are known to the world. She provides an outlet for those impacted to share their stories, the real stories that you don't necessarily hear or read in the news, and you are left with a much more thorough understanding about the environmental damage that occurred. If you want to know what REALLY happened in regards to the Gulf oil spill, read this book.Black Tide: The Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill Overview

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The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel Review

The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel
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The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel ReviewI took the book on my two week vacation hoping that I would get a chance to read it between other activities. When I started to read it, I found that I could not put it down! I began looking for places to read where I would not be disturbed. I am still on vacation, but I finished the book in record time -- now I am looking for another book. I was impressed by the dedication to duty by the team in the face of real and present danger. I was also impressed by the creativity of Mazur and the rest of the team. I was extremely disappointed by the lack of support provided by our government agencies, even to the extent of putting Mazur and team in danger of being killed. You will find it hard to believe that it is NOT fiction. Thank You, Robert, for sharing these experiences with me.
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The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade Review

The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade
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The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade ReviewJust got done with the book and I simply can't comprehend the extent of corruption related to this trade. It is amazing that despite the trove of evidence cited in the book and how brazen and complete the violations are, nothing meaningful has been done to-date to stop these crimes. It's mind boggling to read about the radar equipment sold to Tanzanian air force that has 8 planes at cost equivalent to the amount spent on health or how South Africa is paying for planes it didn't want or need in the first place. After Daniel Yergin's book on Oil, this is one of the most comprehensively researched book that I've read. Amazing job by the Author who am sure is risking a lot by exposing these corrupt regimes and corporations around the world. Great job and I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading about this truly shadowy world of Global Arms Trade. Simply amazing book and yet another example of the power of corruption.
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The Churchills: In Love and War Review

The Churchills: In Love and War
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The Churchills: In Love and War Review"The Churchills" captures the complex and intense family relationships that nurtured, shaped, inspired and burdened the greatest Briton to ever live. For the reader, like myself, who has read their share of Churchill biographies, and many of the books that he authored himself, you will find Lovell's book to be a must read. Lovell offers facts, anecdotes, and details on family relationships that constitute the landscape of Winston S. Churchill's life, as well as, the exceptional and, at times, outrageous extended family of Churchills by birth and marriage. The crush of debt, spendthrift extravagance, mental depression, suicides, inspired brilliance, career ending misjudgments, infidelities, divorces, religious conversions, extreme political views, and enduring love affairs make up the story of this family, as told by Lovell. Like Churchill himself, the family is larger than life and its story reads like an amazing novel. The reality of this family's story is simply too exceptional to be accepted as plausible fiction. It spans and fully engages every significant event from the age of Victoria to the passing of Kennedy's Camelot. A number of leading personalities and families of Britain, Continental Europe, and America are entwined with the Churchill family in a churning array of in-laws, paramours, and confidants. On that point, I would offer my only criticism. The family relationships, friendships, and multi-generational complexity of names, titles, and divorces would benefit from a more extensive family tree or list of key personalities. The use of first names, nicknames, and titles in the text did send me to the index a number of times to confirm the identity and relationships of the person being referenced. That is a minor complaint and, perhaps, illustrates the detailed and comprehensive history presented by the book. For anyone who enjoyed the movie "The King's Speech" or was fascinated by the recent royal wedding, you will be absorbed by this book in the first chapter. It is akin to the kind of entertaining insight offered of the aristocracy by the TV series Upstairs Downstairs. Of course, the families, traditions and personalities that shaped Churchill's character are now represented by a new generation of aristocracy. Like in the age of Winston, this new generation recently filled Westminster Abbey for the pomp of the latest royal wedding. After reading Lovell's book you may, indeed, appreciate how history repeated itself in the Churchill family. The book may also prompt a prayer of "God save Kate Middleton Windsor".The Churchills: In Love and War Overview

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More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues Review

More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues
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More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues ReviewI didn't read the first Damned Lies, but the author says that he is making the same points but organizing the information differently for this follow-up. This is one of those books that has the potential to radically alter how we look at numbers. Best shows the reader how a data set can be manipulated to give a desired result.
Best is careful not to single out one side of the political spectrum when making his points. Says the author: "I don't believe that any particular group, faction, or ideology holds a monopoly on poor statistical reasoning." Rather than wallowing in this often-debated territory, the author turns to spheres of academia and the sciences, where radical-sounding results lead to more and more publications and grant dollars. This is a world not seen by most pundits and commentators.
When the issue of school shootings was sensationalized during the late 1990s and early 2000s, accounts in the popular media left out statistics that showed school crime had actually fallen over the past decade. The author calls this omission "missing numbers." Given what looked like a spike in shootings from around 1997 to 2001, few would believe, without seeing those numbers, that there was a clear, growing problem in our schools.
In his chapter, "Confusing Numbers," Best shows how figures can be reported, sometimes in a disingenuous manner, to make them sound better than they are. A good example of this is cited when the author turns to the Bush tax cuts of 2001. The administration claimed that their package would reduce the average family's taxes by over $1,000. Opponents shot back that half of all families would see less $100 of relief. Clearly, this is a case in which averaging wildly lopsided numbers doesn't tell the whole story.
The subject here isn't an exciting one, but given the author's ability to use highly relevant examples and his penchant for fair-mindedness, I was able to work through most of this one. Recommended for those interested in research, public policy, or statistics.More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues Overview

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