 
# Catfish

# Volumes 36-40

# ©2015

# Andrew Bushard

Catfish 36

Andrew Bushard

Greetings Catfish readers! It's good to see you once again.

Send me lots of intriguing post office mail.

Start chapters of the Autonomy Party and Free Press Media.

Visit: http://www.freepressmedia.org

http://www.autonomyparty.com

Take care.

Reviews

Audio

The 10 Qualities of Charismatic People, Secrets of Personal Magnetism, Tony Alessandra, PhD, Nightingale-Conant Corporation, 2000.

It's good I didn't expect too much more out of this because it would have really let me down. This was a waste of an interlibrary loan. It's regrettable that I had to have the library do all this work to obtain Alessandra's cd, a cd which seemed to have taken longer than the average interlibrary loan too. Not worth the cd it was manufactured on. Tony seems to believe that "if you are a good person who is nice and kind and you follow current social norms, you will succeed." That's, of course, rubbish as Hitler proves the opposite positive. Even the parts that were pretty solid advice, I've heard before. Thus there was not much value in this listening to this cd for me.

The Joy of Creating: the Golden Era Musicians and Friends Play L. Ron Hubbard, L. Ron Hubbard Library, 2001.

During fwt's Scientology talker, the speaker generously gave me this cd. I wonder if all the "Golden Era Musicians" are Scientologists. They play a variety of music styles including rap to various songs. The song "Joy of Creating" is done six different ways. I do like the poem "Joy of Creating" a whole lot, in fact I once had it hanging up on my room door. I don't know whether the fact this album has all the different versions of "The Joy of Creating" is a virtue or a vice. It seems to be a virtue because it neat to see all the different ways they can do it, and a vice because it's very repetitive. I should have the poem "The Joy of Creating" memorized. The song "We're Going Up While the World Goes Down" sounds like some popular rap song. Maybe it is.

The Beatles Connection, the King's Singers, EMI Records, 1986.

I don't know if there should be Beatles cover albums since the original is probably as good as it gets and I don't believe others can improve on it. This music seemed to be barbershop quartette. Or some other acapella type music. It was innovative, I'll give them that. The Beatles songs were just better being rock songs. Their version "Eleanor Rigby" sounds fairly close to the original, probably since the song is more mellow than most. I didn't think cds were quite out in 1986, but apparently they were.

Past Masters: Volume Two, The Beatles, EMI Records, 1988.

Good songs to be sure. But this album didn't really have much extra to offer than did other Beatles collections. "Revolution" doesn't seem to be included on every Beatles album, thus it was nice to be here.

1, The Beatles, Capitol Records, 2000.

They filled this cd with fabulous music! The Beatles have the skill of creating songs which seem instantly catchy. Other musicians, you often have to listen a bit before the music catches you, but with the Beatles, it seems to happen immediately. Wonderful melodies I want to hear over and over again.

Child of Fortune: A Correspondent's Report on the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution & the Battle for a Bill of Rights, Jeffery St. John, read by Jeff Riggenbach, Blackstone Audio Books, 1999.

This book stimulated my interest about Patrick Henry. I find it funny when he talks about "George Clinton" because I can't help but think about another George Clinton. The author mentions the use of his "correspondent style" as to enhance the work, but I do not believe it was even necessary, he invoked it a bit too rarely, and didn't even add much, maybe even detracting from the flow. But other than the "correspondent style" , the book was informative and interesting.

Finders Keepers: the Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million, Mark Bowden, Simon and Schuster Audio, 2002.

It started off real good but the excitement tapered off towards the end. All in all, it was worthwhile and I'm glad the library had a book along these lines on their shelves.

Jefferson: The President: First Term 1801-1805, Volume IV, Dumas Malone, read by Anna Fields, Blackstone Audio Books, 1998.

It is quite clear that Dumas Malone really admires Jefferson, and surely he tried to portray Jefferson in a very good light. Ironically for him, Jefferson lowered in my estimation due to the portrayal in this book. Jefferson is just too dogmatically democratic for me. This is now probably the longest audio book I ever listened. If I ever get to read this whole series of audio books, that would be amazing. At the very least, I was able to listen to this one long volume.

Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation, Joseph J. Ellis, narrated by Nelson Runger, Recorded Books, 2001.

To top off the good book, they had the not too common feature of interviewing Mr. Ellis, his insight in history springing from his book, added much indeed.

Not Without My Daughter: A Harrowing True Story of a Mother's Courage, Betty Mahmoody with William Hoffer, read by Julie Just, Audio Renaissance Tapes, 1991.

This book was superb for two reasons: it's about a very fascinating country: Iran and also there is incredible exciting suspense. A winner all the way.

Rumpole's Last Case, John Mortimer, read by Leo McKern, Durkin Hayes Publishing, Ltd., 1993.

I can't believe Rumpole has such a sassy mouth! Some parts are a little dry, maybe I'm not used to its pace, but other parts are more interesting.

Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery, performance by Megan Follows, Bantam Audio, 1990.

I listened to this on my way up to Canada, funny, because the book takes place in Canada (far away from where I went though, but still in Canada). I dig novels involving Canada because they seem to be cool. Back in my high school days, I read "Anne of Green Gables". Back then I didn't find it extraordinary, but now I like it much more. I wish I could read more in the series. I like the way the author names the books "Anne of Green Gables", "Anne of the Island" continuing on. It seems the titles reflect Anne's moving up in the world as she travels to bigger places and gains new identities based on her location.

Osgood on Speaking, Author/Reader: Charles Osgood, Dove Audio, 1988.

Most of the info I already knew, but there were a couple of extra pointers that could be helpful to me. Some advice I don't agree with. I would not make Osgood second in command for the Autonomy Party.

Hit the Ground Running, Author/ Reader: Mark H. McCormack, Dove Audio, 1994.

Looking at the title, I had no real idea what the tape was about, I was pleasantly surprised. Although McCormack is stiff and rigid in the business world way, he has some good suggestions and some interesting information about traveling.

Don't Take it Personally, Author/Reader: Susan Granger, Dove Audio, 1994.

Some right points, but I do believe that sometimes you SHOULD "Take it personally."

Den of Thieves, James B Stewart, read by John Hockenberry, Simon and Schuster Audio, 1991.

A good find from our public library audio tapes which is increasingly seeming to be a dry well. It is surely good that some of these "thieves" got prison time. I hope other, maybe more contemporary corporate criminals get prison time too.

Hit the Ground Running: The Insider's Guide to Executive Travel, Unabridged, Mark H. McCormack, Dove Audio, 1994.

If you're really paying attention, you may notice that it looks like I have reviewed the same audio book twice. Not really the case. The one above was an abridged version, while this one is unabridged. It worked out real well because after listening to the abridged version, I was definitely craving more. Although I am not nor probably ever will be an "executive traveler" I sure hope to travel on behalf of the revolution (as I already have in a limited sense). Thus advice here can serve me well, all I have to do is replace "executive traveler" with "revolutionary". Although this audio tape series was of course much longer than the single audio tape with the same title reviewed above, I was amazed at how much they packed on the abridged version. Alot of this is geared towards airplanes and hotels. My plan is usually buses and hostels or other very cheap if not free accommodations. Surely a motley crew is found on Greyhound buses, but not usually business people. Towards the end a female voice did some narrating, but in no obvious place did they list her name as doing that. I find traveling interesting, thus this audio book was terrific to listen to even though I cannot apply all of it.

500 Year Delta: What Happens After What Comes Next, Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker with Howard Means, read by Watts Wacker, Harper Audio, 1997.

Watts does not seem like it is a very popular first name. This work is quite sociological, probably more than I expected. This work sounds like what we discuss in my sociology classes (is that good or bad?) Listening to this work, makes me realize that in some ways, I am a defender of the old world.

This is Me..Then, Jennifer Lopez, Sony Music, 2002.

She does have a wonderful voice. Jennifer Lopez is the type of woman who looks better in sweat pants or jeans than she does in a dress. I loved "Jenny From the Block". That song rocked. "Dear Ben" is a very beautiful song. Ben is lucky to have someone like her. Many of the songs are a bit slow for me, but it was good to listen.

Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun, Wess Roberts, PhD, read by Wess Roberts and Ernest Aruba, Bantam Audio, 1993.

I entirely agree with the author's premise than even figures who may do some bad deeds can be excellent leaders, thus offering us something. It seems as if the author intended the book to be instructional about morals, but in reality I don't think the value of this book is in offering insights into morality. The moral lessons given here should be evident and basic. The shining glory of this book is however, its inspirational value. It really excels that way.

Chinese Secrets of Health and Longevity, Bob Flaws, Sounds True Audio, 1996.

Bob "Flaws" is right because I believe this way has some flaws. This contains a good deal of what I don't like about the eastern approach to life. Chinese Medicine is not for me. It's too restrictive for not enough good ends. I'll take Natural Hygiene instead. The big reason I checked this out from the library is because there really wasn't anything else to check out. Way too much of this contained his instructions for silly meditations and exercises, (one example is squeezing your testicles: if he wants to do that fine, but don't make it sound so lofty by attributing Chinese health principles to it.)

Christina Aguilera, Christina Aguilera, BMG Entertainment, 2000.

Personally, I don't prefer this look of hers the best. Her hair is too short and his lips are loaded with lipstick. (Way too much lipstick) (You could probably cut the lip stick with a knife without cutting Christina). The slow songs don't touch me at all. The more fast paced songs were more catchy. "Genie in a Bottle" is probably the best track of the lot.

Y2K: A Sunset Production with Music, Jason Kelly, Sunset Productions, 1998.

I found it interesting that this work was shelved under "Fiction". I wonder if the author at the time intended it to be fiction or his honest belief into the future. Even if a person found Y2K plausible, the series of events on this tape seem too drastic to actually have occurred the way they did. For example, I find it unlikely that only 30 minutes after the year 2000 came there would be riots in Los Angeles. I think it would take at least a little bit longer for that to happen. I did dig the part where one family after having bonded due to the Y2K crisis, decided to break and throw out their television set after the electricity came back on again. At least the predictions made by Kelly were not as grim as some. Overall his predictions did coincide real well with general Y2K myth predictions.

A Guide to Success, Failing That, Happiness, Al Franken, read by the author, High Bridge, 2002.

I will say Al Franken can be quite witty. In a couple of places he is banal and too crude. Although cynicism and satire seem to go hand in hand, Al Franken seems a bit too cynical.

The Giants of Philosophy: Plato Aristotle, featuring Charlton Heston, Simon and Schuster, Inc, 1998.

A couple of holidays ago, my mother gave this to me. It languished in my boxes without me listening to it, until now. Oddly, my friend Tim's mother also gave him this tape. Tim said "Charlton Heston's voice got grating after awhile." I did not feel that was the case. In Philosophy class, Professor Herman said "Aristotle is one of the most boring philosophers." Indeed, the section about Aristotle wasn't all that interesting; the section about Plato was much better. Instead of talking about Aristotle, they might have done the whole tape on Plato. I wonder if Charlton Heston came to gun rights through philosophizing about the nature of life. I wonder if Plato and Aristotle would join the NRA with Charlton Heston, if they were alive today.

California Characters: An Array of Amazing People, Charles Hillinger, read by Dennis McKee, Blackstone Audio Books, 2001.

Awesome concept. Sticking to just the state of California can be considered both a plus and a negative, depending. Personally I would have emphasized different types of people and not belaboring some types of folks, but overall it was a positive listening experience.

Def Leppard, Adrenalize, Bludgeon Riffola, 1992.

Not quite as catchy and powerful as I remembered Def Leppard. It disappointed me a little. The song "personal property" is horrible, horrible. The lyrics are appalling. I couldn't listen to much more than a minute of the song. Mumia Abu Jamal has a commentary about a song with similar lyrics by R. Kelly. in the commentary, Mumia is very right is criticizing it. Similarly, I am right in criticizing Def Leppard's song.

Books

The Last Frontiers on Earth, Jon Fisher, Loompanics Unlimited, 1985.

Swell premise. A bit more dry than I may have expected, but overall a neat book. It's good that later on, he provides a "1985 update" but of course, since it's almost 20 years later, another update is in order if Mr. Fisher is still alive. Some of the ideas, I have heard before (and covered in more detail in other places), and thus weren't all that novel to read. It was good for the author to fairly briefly discuss each option to get our mind's stimulated about different ways. In the end, I am glad I read this work.

Lyndon LaRouche and the New American Fascism, Dennis King, Doubleday, 1989.

In Barbara Scher's book she recommends writing to people you admire. I wrote to a bunch of strong leaders I admired. I really got only two responses. The best response was a personal handwritten reply from Pat Buchanan. The other reply was a phone call from a Lyndon LaRouche committee center. I was let down because I wanted to get a reply from Lyndon himself not his followers. His followers ended up being very persistent and overbearing by calling too much. I also remember some LaRouche followers coming to my alma mater of UW-Stevens Point to get LaRouche on the ballot. They did seem focused and even passionate. Dennis obviously does not like LaRouche very much, thus the work is a chronicle of what Dennis believes are LaRouche's flaws and failings. I wonder what a more complementary writer would have said. I wonder if Dennis is right or LaRouche is right. Even though it was biased against LaRouche, it was the type of reading I dig, because I dig reading biographies about interesting people. Though in this case, what LaRouche does is probably more interesting that what he writes (from what Dennis says and from the literature I have read).

Countries of the World: Iran, Maria O'Shea, Times Media Private Limited, 2000.

A book I liked reading. I enjoy learning about other countries and I must say this book did a fine job teaching.

Countries of the World: Pakistan, Jameel Haque, Times Media Limited, 2002.

It was great that this book is very current, that is especially important with a country like Pakistan. There were lots of picture captions and short sidebars, which although interesting, seem to distract the reader and get one out of a continuous flow of reading. Through this book, I acquired a greater interest in Musharaaf, their current leader.

"I": The Creation of a Serial Killer, Jack Olsen, St. Martin's Press, 2002.

Very short chapters. Lots of blank spots and blank pages. The author could have perhaps reduced the size of the bulky book, with less blank spots and pages. But that's really minor, and the book was interesting but sick to read.

Care and Feeding of Tenants, Andy Kane, Paladin Press, 1981.

I do like Kane's writing style, even if it is caustic. I doubt if the vast majority of books written about tenants are this readable. On page 7, he asks "Have you ever heard of a landlord killing a tenant?" I must answer "Yes". In fact, one day while looking for my name "Andrew Bushard" on the internet, I saw a blurb from a site which reported a dude named Andrew Bushard in Australia, faced the most unfortunate circumstance of having a landlord shoot a gun at him, thus ending his life. I hope no one reads that and get worried about me. Renting has surely changed as Kane talks about renting by the month, but I rarely hear about that type of renting anymore.

Prison or Paradise: The New Religious Cults, James and Marcia Rudin, Fortress Press, 1980.

Serious updating is needed, but the book is still valuable. I believe some of their generalizations are wrong though. probably the most interesting cult they described was the Church of Scientology. They communicate good insight without becoming a stifling academic writer.

Myth Information: An Extraordinary Collection of 590 Popular Misconceptions, Fallacies, and Misbeliefs, J. Allen Varasdi, Ballatine Books, 1989.

This book could just as well be called "Hair Splitting" since that's what the lot of it is. Of course, sometimes hair splitting can be interesting. If this book was more out there, it might include George Smith's differentiation between Atheists and Agnostics. In a mainstream sense, the book is full of such distinctions. One philosophy professor uttered the phrase "the fussiness of a philosopher". That type of attitude is behind this book. I imagine the author, in conversation, often saying "Technically....." I do like trivia and the book was good for that.

29 Reasons Not to Go to Law School, Third edition with Six Bonus Reasons, Ralph Warner & Toni Ihara, illustrated by Mari Stein, Nolo Press/ Folk Law, 1987.

Quality satire. They have the most cynical view on law school. I once considered law school. After some thought, I decided grad school was the better option for me. One manual for law students to be, extinguished many of the flames of my desire to attend law school that were left. This book's view of law school seems to coincide with the more serious in tone, One L. It's good they are not afraid to mince words, because they provide us with some good insight while creating a wonderful piece of satire in the process.

The Incomplete Book of Failures: the Official Handbook of the Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain, Stephen Pile, E.P Dutton, 1979.

The book is almost as old as I am. They have a good sense of humour. They should be careful about claiming certain events or situations are "the greatest", or "worst" because it seems there have been better or worse examples of that. Some of their "best"s or "worst"s seem awfully subjective and in a few cases not all that bad.

Fool's Names, Fool's Faces, Andrew Ferguson, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1996.

Not quite as good as it looked. He did have some keen observations about society that seem to exceed many ordinary writers. It did seem as if he often had the right targets, but his accuracy was a little off, he was aiming at not the bullseye. His comments on online services don't seem to apply anymore.

Life Story: Avril, Bauer Publishing, 2003.

Absolutely incredible. Both the subject matter and the classy way it was done. Layout, flow and style were all stellar. The photography was gorgeous, the writing was phenomenal. It was a fab overview of a very fab woman. This publication entranced me into an admiring state. I want to hang up these wonderful posters in the back. I also don't want to besmirch the publication. I'm in a bind. About this publication, I say: What a great concept! A publication solely dedicated to praising Avril is perfectly in order. Success!

Felton and Fowler's Best, Worst and Most Unusual: A fascinating miscellany of achievements, blunders, oddities and curiosities to captivate readers young and old, Bruce Felton and Mark Fowler, Information House Books, 1975.

A more dynamic version of the premise of the above reviewed "Incomplete Book of Failures". The book is way too old though, but still good. Their "worst office building" is the World Trade Center, which now in retrospective is a very tasteless comment. Of course, they had no clue that this buildings would be brought down by terrorists and consequently become a very strong American symbol. Some books are interesting and some books are super interesting. This book falls in the latter category.

Waitress: America's Unsung Heroine, Leon Elder and Lin Rogers, Capra Press, 1985.

Excellent, classy and insightfully tender. This book surely is needed. I agree with the author's premise that's important to praise and uplift waitress (and many other unrecognized jobs) too. Many of the waitress interviewed in here prefer waiting on men to females. One waitress said something to the effect "Some people find waitressing degrading. But why should they? It's honest work" She is right that we shouldn't look down at those who do jobs society doesn't always elevate. However, her statement doesn't apply to every waitress in the book, since a fair number of them are bartenders, thus not engaging in honest work, thus not worthy of our respect. I wish this book was more current, because people in the 80's looked different it does seems. After all, the male author did say he finds some waitresses attractive, thus I would have preferred to see waitresses of the current day, but of course, the authors cannot be blamed for that! Enjoyable to the max. I sure dug getting the waitresses perspective.

Blood in the Face: Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads and the Rise of a New White Culture, James Ridgeway, Thunder's Mouth Press, 1990.

One of my favorite topics, thus I liked the book. Although, many people would praise the author for including primary sources of information (in long sidebars), I actually didn't like it as it took away from the flow of the text and some were at least a little hard to read. He does a good job not being too biased and he does give a good overview. A longer book may have been nice, because some of the more interesting groups profiled therein, could possibly warrant a whole book to themselves.

Center Stage: Cyndi Lauper, William Sanford and Carl Green, edited by Dr. Howard Schroeder of Mankato State University, Crestwood House, 1986.

I see from the book that this was published in Mankato. I don't see that everyday. That's for sure. I don't hear much about Cyndi Lauper. This book appears to be for the younger audience and for that it seems very motivational the way it tells Cyndi's rise. I believe I've only remember hearing her real famous song, maybe I've heard others. The book portrays her as someone cool. That's cool.

Rumor!, Hal Morgan and Kerry Tucker, Penguin Books, 1987.

Another in the line of marvelous trivia books.

Beetle Bailey: Flying High, Mort Walker, Tom Doherty Associates, 1982.

I was looking for some mental relief and what I got was a comic that was more insipid than I thought it would be. The stories were fairly dull, duller than I remembered Beetle Bailey to be. Sometimes comics hit the spot just right, other times they leave something to be desired.

How to Win Jury Trials: Building Credibility with Judges and Jurors, Stephen D. Easton, American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education, 1998.

It felt cool to read material intended for lawyers only. I believe I can do most of what they do anyways. The book was both an enjoyable read and very valuable for the case. The only drawback was the book focused on the "credibility" part of trials. Although this part seems very important, as the author suggests, I would have liked to see the other aspects discussed. Legal writers are often criticized for their verbosity and high faluten language, but this book was written quite simply, and I liked that.

Heathcliff and the Good Life, Healthcliff: Specialties on the House, Geo Gately, McNaught Syndicate, 1981.

It was good how they broke up the comic strips with their "kitty korner" profiling the antics of real life cats, one even featuring a cat from Rockford, IL!

Beetle Bailey: Hey There, Mort Walker, Tom Doherty Associates, 1982.

For some reason, this collection entertained me more than did the other Beetle Bailey book reviewed above. On the cover is a picture of Sarge's dog Otto, but I don't remember reading any comic in here having Otto as a character. Beetle Bailey is good.

Hi and Lois: Dishwasher, Lawnmower or Snow Plow?, Mort Walker and Dik Browne, Tom Doherty Associates, 1983.

Although the book is published in 1983, many of the comics in here are from the late 60's and especially the 70's. It was neat to get a comic view of those eras. The references to spanking probably would antiquated to many, now. The characters are very likable.

Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare and Try a Winning Case, 2nd edition, Paul Bergman and Sara J. Bergman-Barrett, Nolo Press, 1998.

Nolo Press is cool! Unfortunately this book is not about representing oneself in criminal court, but in civil court. I prefer a criminal court self representation manual but none seem available. A book on self representation in criminal trials is definitely needed thus the lack of any is sad. Nolo advises against that which is maybe why they don't have one. Nevertheless, the information in here is often useful for criminal trials, and that is what I used it for. The book although being exceptional was not quite as inviting as the book Criminal Law Handbook written by the same authors. Maybe this is because the two books serve different purposes. Extremely useful, very through, with fab examples and it is easy to write. It is written well, very informative and wonderful!

People Weekly Celebrates People: The Best of 1974-1996, Time Inc, 1996.

Although People magazine is ultra trendy, there is something very classy about the magazine. The photography in this volume is 1st rate. These types of books are good keepsakes, excellent at recapping experiences of the years.

Enchantment of the World: Singapore, Marion Marsh Brown, Children's Press, 1989.

Although these books are almost always interesting, this book didn't cover as much of the most interesting part of Singapore, which is the strictness of the social control.

War on Terrorism: Osama Bin Laden, Nancy Louis, Abdo Publishing, 2002.

To the point. I really didn't learn much new since this covered just the most basic foundation.

Military Police, Michael Green, Capstone Press, 2000.

Big words in a small book lead to not much being there. The pictures are helpful and I'm sure this could be useful to some people.

Holocaust Biographies: Joseph Goebbels: Nazi Propaganda Minister, Jeremy Roberts, Rosen Publishing Group, 2000.

The description of Joseph Goebbels was slightly different than other portraits. Maybe it was just the style. Since Joseph Goebbels in particular and the Nazis in general are very interesting, a longer work would have been nice.

The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS: How a Tragedy Has Been Distorted By the Media and Partisan Politics, Michael Fumento, Basic Books, 1990.

I'm persuaded. Even before reading this book, AIDS never struck a chord in me, it never really prompted me towards activism. A big reason is because I don't feel passionate about it. Part of my passion stems from logic. I believe that if all else equal, the cause(s) you pursue should be some of the more deadly in numbers causes. Fumento sticks it to liberals and conservatives. That type of fair minded eclecticism suits me just right! The documentation is very thoroughly for what seems to be a popular and not academic book! It like it how he makes it clear that he is not a homophobic person (as I thought one might be with the title like that), but instead someone dedicated to what's right. He's gutsy to criticize the homosexual movement, gusty because it's very un p.c. to do that. It's good that he does it because from this book it looks like his criticisms of the homosexual movement are very valid. He was successful with me because he swayed me to rethink what I have heard over the years.

Ask Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies: How to Survive Being Interviewed, Interrogated, Questioned, Quizzed, Sweated, Grilled....., Jack Luger, Loompanics, 1991.

I made a smart move by reserving this fine book by interlibrary loan. Interesting information that has great practical use (though I already knew some of it). I love reading books that empower you and this book excels at empowerment. You too make a smart move and read it, it will help you out!

Dirty Tricks Cops Use and Why They Use Them, Bart Rommel, Loompanics Unlimited, 1993.

This book was just not as informative as I thought it would be. Also, I was surprised to discover the book seemed to be defending the "dirty tricks" of police officers. I expected the book to criticize the "dirty tricks" as advertisements for the books intended to convey to me. Most of the useful information in here was covered better in the above reviewed book by Jack Luger. This book did excel at telling stories to help make points clear and real.

Renter's Rights: The Basics, Janet Portman and Marcia Stewart, Nolo Press, 2000.

Note it's 'Marcia Stewart' not 'Martha Stewart'. Throughout the book, they discuss how the book "The Every Tenant's Legal Guide" is basically an unabridged version of this book, and that it is recommended. That made me wish I had read the other book instead. Nevertheless, I found the book good, good, good. More importantly, I now feel more aware of the tenancy process, something before I just went through the motions with.

Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History, Charles M.Sevilla, illustrated by Lee Lorenz, W.W. Norton, 1992.

You can't get much better than this: a very very humorous book about trials that is also very fascinating. I read a lot of this during a Federation Without Television booth. I sure laughed a lot and due to social conventions, I felt compelled to cover my mouth. I hope to get the author's other book on court follies. As I said, you can't get much better than this!

Politically Correct Bedroom Stories, James Finn Garner, Macmillan, 1994.

Unlike, the above book Disorder in the Court, I was not laughing out loud about this book. It was a very good political satire. Perhaps this is the paradigm satire about the great extreme of political correctness.

Once Upon an Enlightened Time: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, James Finn Garner, Macmillan, 1995.

Although this book was the sequel to the first book, I read it before the first book. It basically the same book. Thus the above comments apply here too.

The New Thought Police: Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds, Tammy Bruce, Prima Publishing, 2001.

Kudos to the author for being very open minded. She truly is that, and that is refreshing. I loved how she socked it to lots of people who deserved. I agree with her defense of Dr. Laura. Before reading this, I observed how people exaggerate Dr. Laura's views; I having read her work, declared her sensible in spite of all the condemnation. You can't even say Dr. Laura's name without people shrieking. It's too bad; it's a shame. Bruce's comments on academia are right on, I can attest to that as someone who has been a university student for the past 6 years. Overall, swell.

Winning an Appeal: Third Edition, Myron Moskovitz, Lexis Nexis, 1995.

It's very empowering to realize that I can read material intended for lawyers and understand it very much. I even get extra credit because I read the criminal brief which was part of the appendix :) You can do it too! The author mentioned that the book was geared towards not the mechanics of briefs, but "successful brief writing". More emphasis on the mechanics may have been nice. Shall I need this valuable information, I am now prepared.

Trail, Tom Hayden, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.

I am fascinated in the Chicago Seven Trial. It was good to get Senator Hayden's take on it. Many people probably applauded him for not merely describing the trial, but putting the trial in context of the era. Indeed this is important. His analysis is interesting and he is one thoughtful man. he even branched out to discuss the pressing issues of the day. The bits about the pressing issues were quality, but I did not read the book for this. His insights are creative and astute.

MOVE, May 13, 1985 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: An Avoidable Disaster. Allen Garber, A report Presented in Public Administration 694(2) Alternative Plan Paper, MSU-Mankato, 1991.

These alternative plan papers usually sound easier than a thesis, but in reality, some theses are almost as short. It does seem that theses usually have more theory in them. This paper took me for a little spin. A first I think it would be a pro-MOVE or at least supporting their rights. Then I realized the author was critical of MOVE. But I finally learned the author believed the city did a rotten job with the whole affair. It was interesting, but I don't like to read all this staunchly anti MOVE works.

Mad at Your Lawyer: What to Do When You're Overcharged, Ignored, Betrayed or a Victim of Malpractice, Attorney Tanya Starnes, Nolo Press, 1996.

I'm so mad at lawyers, I hope I'm capable enough to never have to hire one. Thus hopefully, the contents of this book won't be needed for me. I do like to learn as much as I can, thus I go for this book. Very informative. Only complainant is the small print. They should have opted for a thicker book with larger print instead of a thinner book with smaller print. Print size is not the end of the world, but to me it makes a difference.

Trialbook: Second Edition, John Sonsteng and Roger Haydock, West Publishing Company, 1995.

This book excels at covering all the bases of a court trial. Unfortunately, although it does that, it is rather laconic with each point. The format seems as if someone is publishing their notes from a legal seminar or a law class. If it was written more like a book instead of an outline it would have been easier to digest.

The Wit and Wisdom of Jesse "the Body the Mind" Ventura, Jessica Allen, William Morrow, 1999.

This seems like the type of book which is not authorized or totally official. Substantial portions of this work are taken from Jesse Ventura's book. Thus for me it was a redundant repeat to read. Though are some other bits, but not all that much.

Inside the Ropes With Jesse Ventura, Tom Hauser, University of Minnesota Press, 2002.

The moments of Jesse Ventura's governorship had me laughing alot and page turning tons. Tom Hauser's point seemed to be to show Jesse's negative side. Although this book covered tons of Jesse's governorship, perhaps, he should have waited just a little bit longer to have been able to write about it all. In the last several months, significant events happened. At first I thought this book was by Jesse, but soon after starting to read it, I realize that was not the case. This book is a good time, even if Tom Hauser is too harsh on Jesse.

Contempt: Transcript of the Contempt Citations, Sentences, and Responses of the Chicago Conspiracy 10, Swallow Press International, 1970.

Among the coolest the cool books. It feels excellent to read original transcripts. These transcripts are rarely if ever boring, and usually extremely interesting. In the introduction, the publisher tried to make the point that although Judge Hoffman's behavior was not the best, some fault needs to be put on the defendants. Through reading this, I actually came to accept this view. Except for Bobby Seale. Ironically, I felt his behavior was justified, right and even admirable. The Judge made a good point, when he said something along the lines, "Even if a defendant is accused of murder but innocent which does happen, the defendant still has to respect the court procedures." The fact that he is willing to admit that there are sometimes innocent defendants, might suggest he's not completely rotten, as some fools are myopic enough to believe anyone who is accused is guilty.

Censored, Mumia Abu Jamal, edited by Noelle Hanrahan, Seven Stories Press, 2000.

I love reading Mumia. Thus I was glad to get plenty of his writings. Some writings I read before, but not too many. I especially liked his writings about illegal drugs versus legal drugs.

It is Illegal to Quack like a Duck and Other Freaky Laws, Barbara Suelling, illustrated by Gwen Suelling, Lodestar Books, 1988.

Another good book. Some different material than similar books. You should read books like these especially if you are overly authoritarian about our government.

Burning Down the House: MOVE and the Tragedy of Philadelphia, John Anderson and Hillary Hevenor, W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 1987.

Unfortunately this book portrayed MOVE negatively. There was pain staking detail about the incident itself on May 13, 1985. Probably necessary, but it got tedious. What I really liked was reading about MOVE themselves. They are the ones that interest me. Inspiration value was obtained from reading about Ramona Africa defending herself at trial. Her words to the court are beautiful. The authors try to make MOVE look bad. Of course, they likely take MOVE's words and doing out of context. Furthermore, I emphasize with if anyone from MOVE is defensive or angry (thus maybe appearing to have a chip on their shoulder to those who judge without seeing the true MOVE) because I too get fed up with people, get tired of the same old garbage, thus I too sometimes find it difficult to be pleasant. MOVE is great in my book. It's too bad they are not in the author's book.

On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left, Dennis Tourish and Tim Wohlforth, M.E. Sharpe, Inc, 2000.

I wonder about this authors. They criticize alot about the "cults". They point out endless negatives, and few if any positives. They tell us cult leaders are wrong because they want attention and recognition, but so do the authors. The authors want lots of people to buy their books, and I imagine they want to be recognized for their work. The authors strongly condemn authoritarianism, but they should realize that it can be a very positive force, a force that is in our society. For example, the military is authoritarian; would the authors call the military a cult? I sure hope not, and if they do, I side with the military. An interesting, but closed minded work.

Periodicals

Royalty Monthly, www.royalty-magazine.com.

When I was visiting Canada for a race, I found this magazine at a bookstore. I never saw a magazine like this in the US, it's probably due to the fact that Canada still honors the Queen of England. At first glance, I thought it might be tabloidesque, but it is surely more classy than that! The pictures were well done and the articles were often brief, but interesting. Their emphasis is on the British royal family, which seems natural. They also do a good job covering the more obscure royal families out there. I just wish it wasn't so expensive because I want to learn more about these contemporary royal figures. I do some calculations, and it seems that I saved some money since I bought this in Canada rather than the US, because the US price is not the same ratio to the Canadian price as the conversion rate.

BriarPatch: a Progressive Canadian Newsmagazine, Huston House, 2138 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R7.

It is interesting to read Canada's take on the US. It's also surprising almost how much they focus on the US's doings. I like alternative magazines, because I hate the mainstream media. Not too expensive. Nothing out of the ordinary nor nothing incredibly novel or trendsetting, but still nice too read.

Betty and Veronica Double Digest, Archie Comics Publications, 325 Lafayette Ave, Mamaroneck, NY, 10543.

Yes, I have reviewed Archie comics before, but this spin off is slightly different, thus in my mind it warrants a review of its own. It's really the same comic with the center of attention more on these two girls than on Archie. I wish Betty and Veronica were real people. I wish Archie could hook up with Betty instead of Veronica (who he hooks up with most of the time).

Archie's Pal: Jughead Comics, Archie Comics Publications, 325 Lafayette Ave, Mamaroneck, NY, 10543.

Archie comics is not as sophisticated as Mad magazine or the Simpsons, and in a sense it leaves you feeling a little empty. Though still I think it's a cute little strip. Some of the joke schemes are banal, but I like Archie's characters, so that may override any banality. Jughead reminds me of that dude in Popeye who likes hamburgers. Why do dudes who wear crowns like food so much? I hope to read more Archie in the future.

The Talkative Breast (issue subtitle: The Breast Hangs With the Crowd), PO Box 521611 Salt Lake Utah 84106.

I haven't gotten many zines at all, since I've moved to Mankato, thus getting this one was a nice change. Also since being in Mankato, I haven't been around the feminist crowd that I was around in Stevens Point, maybe this zine is thus good. The style is good. The comments about nipple piercing were fantastic. Not enough people oppose the practice of piercing. Furthermore, her reasons are new to me, thus it's all the more powerful. She is incredibly right in her support of breastfeeding. I dig her giving props to that. She includes this piece of satire, which is a mock movie poster saying "The Birth of Feminism, starring Pamela Anderson as Gloria Steinem ........" It's very effective satire! Quality poems. Excellent variety!

My fellow sociology grad student Mike once said "George Ritzer always says every sociologist is the most important sociology of the day." thus:

We the following join Zsa Zsa Gabor's call for the Governor of Maryland to immediately pardon George Ritzer, PhD., who is currently on death row for the crimes of forgery and bigamy:

Dr. Ritzer is an indispensable asset to the world of sociology. If he dies, sociology itself will die.

Furthermore, George Ritzer is a really cool dude and it would seriously cramp the cool world if George was taken from it.

Immediately release George Ritzer from prison NOW!

Paul Newman

Ed Asner

Michael Moore

John Elway

Warren Buffett

Tiger Woods

Larry Bird

Wayne Gretsky

Jessica Simpson

Winona Ryder

Bobby Seale

N Sync

Justin Timberlake

Tim Pawlenty

Jessie Ventura

Bernie Sanders

Rush Limbaugh

Howard Stern

Dave Coulier

John Stamos

Art Linkletter

Yassar Arafat

Pauly Shore

Lyndon LaRouche

Patrick Buchanan

John Tesh

Michael Bolton

Mr. T

C. Colin Campbell

Jacques Cousteau

Debbie Gibson

Terry Bradshaw

Patrick Robertson

C. Delores Tucker

Clive Cussler

John Cougar Mellencamp

Marilyn Manson

King Fahd

Jeff Foxworthy

George Carlin

Michael Eisner

James Brown

Phil Knight

President George W. Bush

President of the US Emeritus William Jefferson Clinton

Representative Tom Hastings

Senator Edward Kennedy

Bill O'Reilly

Stephen King

Catfish 37

Andrew Bushard

I am writing to you from election year 2004. Whatever you do, don't vote for the Republicans OR the Democrats.

It appears I am beginning to see the beginning of the end in regard to my thesis. Shall I complete it, as I am earnestly attempting to do, it shall be a wonderful accomplishment, that I will likely be elated about!

I am also despite this major task, still finding time to advance the Revolution, in its many facets. I am still writing. I am still advancing Federation Without Television and the Autonomy Party. Additionally, I am being revolutionary in the other possible ways. The Revolution is great. I strongly encourage you to become part of it.

Always remember my other two zines, Green Jean Humor and Art, Humor and Hate.

Have a great day, everyone!

Long live the Revolution!

Michael Moore and Voting

I have mixed feelings about Michael Moore. On one hand, I admire his boldness and his courage to stand up for what's right. I also like his analysis, cleverness and wit. On the other hand, it saddens me to see him become such an enthusiastic supporter of the Democratic Party. On his page, http://www.michaelmoore.com, he claims he will support any Democratic Nominee except Liebermann. (At least he has some standards :( ) Come on! What this country coming, that we hate Bush so much that ANYONE besides him will do? It's not right, folks. It's not right. Just think, in his book, he mentioned strongly supporting Nader even though Nader fired him in the past. Doesn't anyone get it? The Democrats suck too! Even if you are a leftist. Folks like Moore are killing third parties. I don't think Bush is that bad, that anyone but Bush is worth voting for.

People need to get use to losing. People are too weak to be able to lose. But sometimes, you got to lose. Sometimes, you got to lose for what is right. America needs third parties.

Lots of people blame Nader voters for Bush winning the election. But it wasn't Nader's fault, it was all the people who are of leftist persuasion who sat home when they knew an election was going on! For all you people who don't vote, I point the figure at you! Voting is not difficult. Lousy candidates are no excuse; write someone in or run yourself. I ran myself and I have written myself in. You can do that.

What's this country coming to?

The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is like a loaf of moldy bread. The question is when do you throw away this moldy piece of bread? If there is a spec of mold, I cut the spec off or throw that part of the bread away. But if there is a lot of mold, there is no point in eating the bread; it is corrupted the whole way. The Democratic Party has become more mold than bread, yet some people cling to it just because there is a spec of bread. Times like these, it's not only lonely to be a long distance runner (as the movie title goes), but also lonely to be a radical. I'm about the last radical left!

Am I the only radical left these days?

It seems as if I'm about the only radical left these days. Virtually no one seems to be wanting to vote for the third parties except the beloved loyalists. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have little to offer me. I went to the official campaign pages of the Democratic Candidates. Almost nothing impressed me. In fact oddly, the candidate I found most impressive was Al Sharpton !

Let's not kill the third parties this year. I love third parties. I cannot in good conscience vote for either the Democrats or the Republicans. Only five or six issues seem to ever concern these parties, issues that I do not find the most significant and relevant.

Like other radicals, I as a radical I say: The current system does not offer me enough, we need to change it.

This mindset of "Anyone but Bush" is very dangerous!

Radicals do not vote Democrat.

Folks, there are a wide variety of third parties, which correspond to wherever you stand on the ideological spectrum. You can find one to vote for.

Reviews

Books

The Cult Awareness Network: Anatomy of a Hate Group: An Analysis of Violence and Crime Incited by the Cult Awareness Network, Freedom Magazine.

At first, I wondered who would write a book of this nature, since its take was unusual. Then I found out that it was created by Freedom Magazine, loosely affiliated with The Church of Scientology. Additionally, once inside, I discovered the font was the familiar Scientology font. Scientology gets a lot of criticism but I believe they and their affiliates do some good work. This book is a prime example. A person is liable to say, of course Scientology would be blasting Cult Awareness Network, so we should not put much into what they say. Although this assessment is often sensible in regard to similar works, it is a different case here. Of course, Scientology has a vested interest in discrediting the Cult Awareness Network, but their arguments, rationale, reasoning and presentation is very sound, because they don't merely argue their opinion or exaggerate; this work is down to earth. A person may say "I bet they are distorting matters." But they have an excellent section called "Documentation" which has tons of documents to support the truth of their claims. I found the Documentation section impressive. Furthermore, I'm starting to dislike these anti-cult people, and thus this works fuels the fire of my dislike.

Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family, Jess Walter, Regan Books, 2002

He did seem to try to be a balanced reporter and he did better than lots of others have done. Although, Walter is not Pro-Weaver, I did leave the book with the impression that the government was wrong in this situation and Randy Weaver and his family did indeed suffer an injustice. It was a sad, sad story. The parts he wrote about Weaver's lawyer, Gerry Spence, had me laughing, laughing, laughing. I listened to the audio tape of Spence's, but sometimes, you don't realize how interesting someone is from just reading their work, sometimes, you just need to read an observer's take on them.

50 Save Ways to Save Your Life, Faculty of the UCLA School of Public Health, Earth Works Press, 1992.

Rocking format plus essential vital content. I find reading about health promotion to be inspiring. These suggestions are great. I knew about most of them, and follow a good deal of them, but sometimes you need the extra motivation.

With Justice for None, Gerry Spence, Penguin Books, 1989.

With school having started and being going for quite awhile as of this writing, I find it hard to get through leisure books. But I am happy to say I got through this book. The progress was slow but steady. Another book which I read.

Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion, Joseph M. Scheidler, Regnery Books, 1985.

I wish there were more exciting books like this out there. I had to get this awesome tome by interlibrary loan. Joe Schiedler is a marvelous writer, who has a wonderful story to tell. I admire him. He discusses the Defense of Necessity, which states it's okay to commit some crimes if in the process you are saving life or property. He even gives court cases where the judges have ruled that it's okay to stop abortion clinics due to the Defense of Necessity. This is great to keep to mind; it also demonstrates how deeply he is thinking about being an effective activist. In here, he says he has been attacked by the abortionists a number of time. Why do people have to do that? He appears very certain of his case. His philosophy of abortion and approach to activism is right on target. On the back of that book, the description of the author is a bit much. It says "Mr. Schiedler works out of a four room office filled with pictures of Jesus Christ and his family " (by the way this is probably the only critical comment I can render towards the book). This book appears to be a very specific application of the aims of general books like Out of Business. I disagree with him mentioning "pro life cops" because pro life cops are really an oxymoron. I was amazed reading about "online services" in a book written in 1985. I imagine today there are even more ways to fight abortion. Down to earth, touching, clever and necessary. This book certainly persuades me about the horror that is abortion.

The War of 1812, Richard B. Morris, illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher, Lerner Publications, 1985.

Since I have a Commodore Perry flag I wanted to learn more about the legendary war that inspired it. The I did learn a little bit from reading this book. The author used some very colorfully subjective words which seemed to be not as common in most historical works I have read. Indeed it appears as if the War of 1812 was an extremely significant war in shaping American history. Surely it has provided us with some awesome likely never to be forgotten memories.

Pro-Life Feminism, edited by Gail Grenier Sweet, Life Cycle Books, 1985.

This book is so beautiful it makes me want to weep. At our library I was looking for pro life books, pro pro life books appeared to be rare in our library. Anti pro life books were not however. Although I couldn't find too many pro life books, I found this one, which is probably among the best pro-life books out there. These people think so much like me on this topic, it's incredibly amazing! "Pro Life Feminist" describes me perfectly well. I might even fit in with such a group! These essays were both persuasive and heartfelt. They offered some very wise reasons, that I had not thought of, why abortion is wrong from a feminist perspective. They provided me with some awesome new arguments against abortion. Toward the middle they had some general feminist essays, which at first seemed maybe out of place with the theme of the book, but perhaps they were trying to demonstrate the larger context of it all. These pro life feminists emphasis their dynamic nature and how they transcend traditional categories. Since being dynamic and transcending traditional categories is what I'm all about, this book hit the spot. Right on, right on, right on, all the way!

Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error, Steve Rendall, Jim Naureckas, and Jeff Cohen, New Press, 1995.

I'm all for books which condemn Rush Limbaugh because I don't like the guy. My concern is that someday someone else may write a similar book about me, since we all make mistakes. In a sense, this book is ruthless because it attacks every last mistake Limbaugh makes. I sure wouldn't want someone doing that to me. Other than that, they did an excellent job at finding errors, if this type of nit picky activity is desired. The book was great to read, but I wonder how productive such a tactic is.

Them: Adventures with Extremists, Jon Ronson, 2002.

Just what the doctor ordered! The best chapter was either the chapter on the Islamic Extremist or the one on Ruby Ridge. I was very curious as to what's up with Randy Weaver and his family today, which was many years after the event. Having "adventures with extremists" is just ideal! I loved it!

Letters from a Nut, Ted L. Nancy, Avon Books, 1997.

It sure seems that some of the best books out there are those which consisted almost primarily of letters. Of course, as the author tells us these are no ordinary letters, thus even more is added to the package. I went through the book quite quickly because it was totally my type of book. I love to see someone like Mr. Nancy writing unusual letters, what is also very interesting is to see how ordinary people expecting ordinary letters react. Authors, out there, bring us more of this type of book!

Waves of Rancor, Robert Hilliard and Michael C. Keith, M.E. Sharpe, 1999.

Content wise, they picked a very interesting subject. The book was definitely not objective. You could see their liberal bias, especially through word choice. Just look at the title. I had a feeling they were of the Anti Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center, and then later in the book I noticed that they did indeed reference these two groups. I have reservations about the type of liberalism espoused by the ADL and SPLC. The topic itself, was splendid, I could have done without the judgmental editorializing.

Snow, Robert.

1999: The Militia Threat. New York: Plenum Publishing Company.

I swear often the best books to get juicy information about militias are from critics. I know these critics of militias intend to turn us off by relaying juicy tales about militias, but it causes me to be turned on. The information provided was top rate. The problem with the book was the attitude, tone and view presented by the author. He often discussed his cop point of view, which was clear in his condemnation of militias. Personally, if it's between the cops and militias, I think I'll take the militia side. I don't imagine many cops writing a book like this. I must say I was surprised at how fair he was in treating subject matter of the Ruby Ridge standoff, particularly surprising was his condemnation of the law enforcement agents involved. Though he did not condemn them for tyranny, but instead for more tactical mistakes they made. They need to be condemned for tyranny. Cool in the interesting way, it sucks it had to give us a cop's anti militia point of view (No objectivity here!). Maybe some day we'll have a pro militia book with plenty of fascinating tales that are now currently most provided by the anti militia camp.

Garner, James Finn.

1995. Politically Correct Holiday Stories. New York: Simon and Schuster Macmillian Company.

Quality satire. Not quite as superb as his other politically correct story collections. So much emphasis on the Scrooge story was a bit misdirected in my opinion. This is needed surely.

Allen, Steve.

2001. Vulgarians at the Gate: Trash TV and Raunch Radio. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.

I have mixed feelings about this work. On one hand, I, of course, am happy to see someone trashing mainstream radio and television. On the other hand, I think his comprehension of popular culture is severely lacking. I don't think I like his approach to dealing with popular culture. I greatly relished the fact that he was to condemn Howard Stern, a person I detest. Sadly, his section on Howard Stern, seem to only mention Stern a little, almost parenthetically. I like big printing, but the printing of this book was a bit too big. I think this thick tome could have been much thinner if they reduced the font just a bit in size. I like what he is saying, and yet I also dislike what he is saying.

Eagan, Tim.

2003. Serious Farm. Boston: Houghlin Mifflin Company.

It had bold pictures that were a pleasure to look at. The book was too short, but for a children's book, I guess you can't expect long books. Some animal rights philosophers are critical when books anthromorphize animals. Personally, I really like it when author anthromorphize animals. I wish animals were humans in animal bodies instead of animals in animals bodies.

Chepesiuk, Ron.

1995. Sixties Radicals, Then and Now: Candid Conversations with Those Who Shaped the Era. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company.

I have pondered quite a bit about the old notion that many radicals become less radical over time, thus this book goes a long way in answering that question. It does appear that most of the radicals interviewed stayed in the same spirit they were once upon a time. Most of them, evolved and changed in some way, but their basic outlook and desire for life stayed the same. I got seriously annoyed and sickened by the author's continuous reference to how the Clinton Presidency offered hope. Clinton sucked and he sucked before he even got into office. Some of these people to me, were not the most interesting people innately, but the interview format made them sound a lot more interesting sounding. I think interviews tend to do that, which is one reason I find interview books real readable.

Welch, Robert.

1970: What is the John Birch Society. Belmont, MA: American Opinion.

I swear in some ways the John Birch Society is my complete opposite. They seemed to be the type of folks I call status quonarians, who defend the status quo always, no matter what. I just can't understand their views in here which suggest demonstrations are always wrong. This type of authoritarianism drives me bonkers. They are so off the mark that they opposed the civil rights movement. If any of the John Birch society members claim that they liked the civil rights movement today, since it is very fashionable to do that today, we have this document to prove their cowardly opinion. They did have a good opinion about the virtues of republics over democracies. Their anti UN views are worth exploring. Reading this book is like going on a moderately fast Ferris wheel merry go around combination with Robert Welch rallying in your ear.

Epstein, Benjamin and Arnold Forster.

1966: Report on the John Birth Society 1966. New York: Vintage Books.

A testament of how fair minded I am is the fact I above reviewed a book written by the John Birch Society and here review a book written by their opponents at the Anti Defamation League. One would expect reading a book from the John Birch Society would tend to give one a better impression of them than a book written by their opponents, but actually this was the opposite case. These criticisms in this book caused my estimation of the John Birch Society to rise. These authors try to appear objective, but it's clear they are not objective. These expose type of books are becoming some of my favorite type of books to read.

Benedict, Jeff and Don Yaeger.

1998: Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL. New York: Warner Books.

One of the authors has quite the cranky scowl in his picture in the back of the book. The book sometimes seemed to reflect this scowl. Although, I haven't been a football fan for probably over a decade, this page turning book absorbed me. I'm interested in crime and this book illustrated an important but not often enough mentioned trend. This book is an eye opener which will also make you sick, if you have standards and morals. I don't care too much about watching football itself, but reading books about the social issues of the game is indeed intriguing.

Hamilton, Holman.

1958: White House Images and Realities. Jacksonville, FL: University of Florida Press.

At first, I was a bit wary of the age of this book. It, after all, was written 20 years before I was born. The style and the format were just fine, the age didn't matter. Of course, in the realm of Presidents a lot has happened in the last 45 years. Much of those happenings were very significant, but for its time, this book was fairly quality.

Smiley, Tavis.

1996: Hard Left: Straight Talks about the Wrongs of the Right. New York: Anchor Books.

We don't see many authors with the name of Tavis these days. Although some of the examples and evidence were new, this book offered little original to the viewpoint of the left. It seems just like any other political book written about liberalism. I don't want Tavis Smiley to be president.

Broyles, J. Allen.

1966: The John Birch Society: Anatomy of a Protest. Boston: Beacon Press.

The reader should take note that in this volume this is the third book regarding the John Birch Society I have reviewed. Each book takes a different angle and a different writing style, thus it all adds something. The author says this book was previously in a form of a dissertation. I don't know how much he changed from the dissertation to this popular book. But if the writing is virtually in tact from the dissertation, then I must say his style is much different than what I have been taught in grad school. In grad school, my professors generally have taught me to make research as objective as possible, avoiding personal opinion and bias. But this work is chock full of subjective opinion and criticism of the John Birch Society. Regardless of his research methodology, his writing style revealed a fascinating portrayal of the John Birch Society. I liked how he personally observed the John Birch Society in action, which adds much to approaches similar to the above book which primarily reviewed John Birch Society literature and public statements. Even though I read three books on the John Birch Society, I might want to read more yet!

Fleming, Thomas and Paul Gottfried.

1988: The Conservative Movement. Boston: Twayne Publishers.

Scholarly and also very readable. I love books like this which are full of substance and written in an understandable way. The back cover suggested they "clearly distinguish", "between the old right, the religious right, the New Right, libertarians and neoconservatives". In one regard they did exactly this by giving examples of the personalities and organizations of each branch of the movement and describing what these figures and organization have done. I would have liked a very explicit mention of the definition of each of these subelements of conservatives. I did not see clear cut definitions proposed. I love distinctions and I must say the book did as the back cover "clearly distinguish", without providing definitions. Though distinctions can lead one to form their own definitions As a sociologist, I was quite surprised to learn that Peter Berger is a conservative scholar. He is well known for his work "the Social Construction of Reality" which appears to me to be some type of precursor to Post modernism, which is far away from being conservative in my mind. Social scientists differentiate between the normative and the descriptive. Though perhaps we can say the Berger's social constructionism model fits into the descriptive category, which could certainly be an approach a conservative would take. Of course, a lot has happened in the intervening 16 years, thus it would be nice to see how it has changed. Through recommendations give by a member of a Paleoconservative online community and through reading this book, I now seek to use terms as precisely as possible when describing conservatives. This work is generally descriptive of the movement, but in the end it makes some subjective recommends for conservatives which I consider good ones. As a historical work of a subject sometimes perhaps lacking detailed historical analysis, this book is stellar.

Rapp, Burt.

1986: Undercover Work: A Complete Handbook. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited

It's great to find Loompanics books at your library. Finding a Loompanics book is fairly rare, thus it's truly a special treat. Loompanics fills their niche quite well. This spectacular work is typical of the fine line of books offered by this company.

Williams, Terry.

1992: Crackhouse: Notes from the End of the Line. Bedford, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Group.

The title of this book alone provoked a snicker like response from one of my peers. In the beginning, the author mentioned the word "Ethnography". This scared me a little because I was afraid the book would thus be more difficult to read. I intended to read this book as a leisure book not a book for school. But fortunately, the book wasn't written in an overly academic style. This book provides reinforcement for one to avoid drugs. There appears to be nothing desirable about addiction to a drug as dangerous as crack. The author does a good job explaining the different angles of the crackhouse without being overly technical, though a crackhouse does not appear to be a very dynamic place. At first, I was fascinated with this book, then the fascination tapered off; I slugged through it. I picked up again and get through it.

Franken, Al.

2003: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. New York, NY: Dutton.

What folks on the left, such as Al Franken and Michael Moore posses what too many on the right lack is a sense of humor. I've listened to the words of O'Reilly and Coulter and find virtually no sense of humor among them. I love how Al Franken takes shots at the fools on the right. Especially delicious were his attacks on Ann Coulter (which were mostly justified). Franken jokes around so much, sometimes it's hard to tell when he's serious. He will say something outrageous, then say "just kidding". I am saddened that Franken is essentially a Democratic Party apologist. Yes, I do remember him coming to my college campaigning with Al Gore, but I do not know the extent of him being a Democrat Party apologist. As in other cases, these exposes books can have the effect of actually causing me to respect the target of the expose. Generally, with this book I began to dislike the targets more, but I respected Pat Buchanan more when Al Franken informed me that Buchanan "is an avid jogger". Franken considered Buchanan a "Chickenhawk" which makes me wonder, because Buchanan has been a severe critic of the Iraq War. He's not a hawk. I am hoping Al Franken will devote a whole book attacking Ann Coulter as he did with Rush Limbaugh.

Depew, Ellen: Illustrated by Carol Clemons.

2003: Your Handy Dandy Pocket Guide to Sex and Love. Niagara Falls, NY: Life Cycle Books.

Is this a book or is it more of a pamphlet? It appears to be more of a pamphlet than a book to me. I must say the advice is very sound. It's practical without being too Christian. They have one column entitled "Once Pregnant Your Options Are Limited" which lists the pros and cons of 3 main options: adoption, parenting and abortion. They seem to suggest by the sheer number of pros, adoption is best, abortion is second, parenting is third. While in regard to sheer number of cons, they seem to again suggest adoption is best, abortion is second and parenting is third. I would contend that abortion would certainly be the least desirable while adoption is second desirable and parenting is most desirable if pregnancy occurs. I enjoyed "16 Types to Avoid". This column especially and the rest of it too, appears very similar to Matt Groening's Life in Hell books. I can't say for certain they misappropriated Groening's themes, but I hear misappropriating themes is more nebulous an area than misappropriating actual text. Certainly lots have misappropriated themes, thus I do wonder about this, but I'll try not to jump to any conclusions. According to Pear and Martin, Beck the therapist recommends this and might be proud of me. The cartoon style makes it fun. This pamphlet is wise, but I'm sure many liberals and cocky youth will dismiss it as irrelevant. It's a pity they would.

Buchanan, Patrick J.

1999: A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny. Washington, D.C.: Regency Publishing, Inc.

His argument was a bit more subtle than I expected. This book reads almost like a history book focused exclusively on war, specifically interventionism. I was impressed and amazed how he predicted the Iraq War and even the Afghanistan which respectively 4 and 2 years after this book was published. It takes incredible insight to make accurate prophecies of these nature. I was disappointed to see almost no mention of Israel, I would think it would have been a key concern, but this book appears to be concerned with the history of interventionism than the present. I also thought mention of Vietnam was laconic, especially considering its great role in American History. Right now, I am consequently trying to decide in my mind what makes a war justifiable and what does not. Buchanan's argument of a justifiable war being one which "advances American National Interest" deserves due consideration. I don't think this alone should be the sole factor, but it should a major factor. This is a book our society needs to read! Read it folks!

Colford, Paul D.

1993: The Rush Limbaugh Story: Talent on Loan from God: the Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Reading this book made me realize how long Limbaugh has been around. I don't think he's conservative actually, read a couple of Autonomy Party position papers to find out exactly why. An updated version of Limbaugh's life is in order since a lot of time has elapsed since 1993. In 1993, I was 15. In some places, the details about radio station mergers and hirings were too much, I'm more interested into the political side of Limbaugh.

Coppola, Vincent.

1996: Dragons of God. Marietta, GA: Cox Enterprises, Inc.

I have been reading both primary and secondary sources about the far right for a long while now, and it never seems to get uninteresting. Copolla's distaste for the far right is evident by the derisive remarks he slips in. The chapters provided a snapshot of some far right personality and/ or organization; I think he could have expanded each chapter as he seemed too brief in his coverage. A book I got through fast because the writing and the subject matter was first rate.

Simmons, Rachel

2002: Odd Girl Out: the Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. New York: Harcourt, Inc.

This book appeared to be a balance of sophisticated social theory with layperson explanation of what the author considers a common but much unaddressed problem of young females bullying each other by non physical acts. It was not quite as good as I thought it might be, but still it served an important purpose.

Audio

One, Bob Marley, Creative Sounds, Ltd.

The sound quality is not the greatest here. "One Love", one of his big hits sounds funky here, because it is somehow much faster than the usual renditions. Some songs, I haven't heard before, but I wish the tape was better quality so I could dig it more. It was also too short.

Creating Equal: My Fight Against Race Preferences, Unabridged, Ward Connerly, unabridged, Blackstone Audio Books, 2000.

I was moved. A swell combination of emotion and logic! What a fabulous storyteller!

Constitutional Journal: A Correspondent's Report From the Convention of 1787, Unabridged, Jeffery St. John, read by Jeff Riggenbach, Blackstone Audio Books, 1999.

Now I have the satisfaction of saying I'm listened to all 3 of these books in the set. I remember listening to the first, it took me awhile to get into that, but this one, seemed too fast as it ended too soon. I crave to learn more about our country's founding after listening to this.

Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes, Christopher Hibbert, read by David Chase, Unabridged, Books on Tape, 2000.

The American Revolution is of course, one of the most interesting events in history, yet somehow this book is not that interesting. I heard the book, but you'd be hard press to say I listened to it. It was hard to follow. The author provided way too much biography of obscure Britons (at least to me) who weren't all that interesting. Besides, tape 10 didn't work. At least, I don't think there was much left on it, anyways. Furthermore, I must say the British were wrong in the Revolutionary War. I don't really think their view has validity.

Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation, Richard Norton Smith, narrated by Nelson Runger, Recorded Books, 1994.

No longer am I really thinking that over 10 tape audio books are long. They included 14 tapes, but it appears the book only took 13 tapes to be read. Tape 14th appears to be an error, a repeat of some matter from other chapters. This book did what it set out to do. I saw parts of Washington I did not see in other places, which was nice and enriching. I'm amazed at how the everyday language of yesterday, which the author quotes Washington as using, is much more sophisticated and even formal than the everyday language of today. A lot better than Redcoats and Rebels. Satisfying!

John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life, Paul C. Nagel, unabridged read by Jeff Riggenbach, Blackstone Audio Books, 1999.

These 14 tape sets are not seeming that long anymore, they use to seem way too long. Perhaps, the books themselves are so well done that 14 tape sets don't lose my interest. Ever since I was young, I enjoyed learning about Presidents, it fell off awhile, but now I am regaining that interest. In some ways, John Quincy Adams reminds me of myself. This book truly illuminated John Quincy Adams's life for me.

A Night Without Armor, by Jewel Kilcher, read by Jewel, Harper Audio, 1998.

I'm impressed that Jewel read these poems herself, oftentimes famous writers don't read their own audio books. She has an ideal style: poetic and also very understandable. Sometimes, I cannot follow poems of elaborate imagery or metaphor. Her poems are real and down to earth. Her reading style exudes the heartfelt feeling without overwhelming us. It is rare that I read a book of poems, but if all books of poems were like this, then I could really dig poetry. It's interesting to note that I have had not heard much of Jewel's music. But my friend Phil, even though a hardcore Hardcore fan, has told me she "has great lyrics". From listening to these poems, I can see exactly why. A beautiful poetic voice, she has!

Don't You Dare Read This Mrs. Dunphrey, Margaret Peterson Haddix, narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan, Recorded Books, 1997.

It touched me! As the story unfolded, it even was more touching. Beautiful and even powerful. It's sad any young people would have to go through what this brother and sister went through. Fortunately there is a happy ending, but the ending doesn't sacrifice for the genuine and real that is in this story. The type of book which you want to shed some tears over.

Collier, Peter and David Horowitz (narrated by Jeff Riggenbach).

1994: The Roosevelts. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio Books.

I was afraid the story might be chaotic because it was attempting to cover so many Roosevelt family members in one book, but it was well organized, clear and easy to follow. At first, I was thinking I'd prefer far more hearing about Teddy, and not so much about Franklin, but in the end, I guess the amount on Franklin was okay too. The author emphasized the relationships in the Roosevelts family as the main focus of the book, and that was done well. Maybe someday, I'll find an audio book about just Teddy. We'll see.

Robinson, Adam, performed by Julian Fleisher, Jennifer Jay Myers and Kevin Shumway, Madelon Thomas

1993: Princeton Review Word Smart. New York: Living Language.

I was expecting this to be dull, but was I ever pleasantly surprised. This format is highly effective! It's a great way to learn vocabulary. They didn't throw too many words at us, which was good. I learned some new words, refined my understanding of others, and reinforced my knowledge of others yet. The skits and discussion were lively and very entertaining. The skits were wonderfully creative. Some of it was a little corny, but overall I applaud this contribution. This is evidence that learning can be both entertaining and informative.

Lauper, Cyndi.

1993. She's So Unusual. Tokyo: CBS Inc.

Only a couple of these songs do I recognize. I wished the album had more variety in song structure. I read a book which portrayed Lauper as someone of character, thus now I am prone to respect he.

Twain, Shania.

1997: Come on Over. New York: Mercury Records.

Not too bad, I guess. A few of the songs are catchy. I don't listen to much country, thus maybe I could use some more to get myself use to the genre? A fairly decent album.

Duff, Hillary.

2003: Metamorphosis. Burbank CA: Buena Vista Records.

Somewhere in the middle is my estimation of this album. "The Math" is catchy. Sometimes, pop music is what you're looking for.

Various Artists

2003: Vans Warped Tour Compilation. Los Angeles: One Side Dummy Records.

Wow, two completely full cds of tons of bands. I love compilations because I an gain exposure to lots of bands. Oftentimes, there are at least a few bands on a compilation that suck or are mediocre. But it appears that nearly all of these bands play good music. I'm not sure if these songs are taken live, if they are, they sound incredibly good. A lot of punk, which is probably my favorite type of music, so I was fairly pleased with this album.

Various Artists

2003: Lookout Records Punk Seven Inch CD: Volume One: 1988-1989. Berkeley, CA: Lookout Records.

These types of cds are way cool, they put old albums on a cd so you get a lot of music. Alternative Tentacles is another record label which has done this. I don't think I ever heard of any of these bands. Five out the Six bands I really haven't gotten into yet, but one band I really got into. Their name is too explicit for me to print. Their songs deal primarily with sexual matter and are often crude. It is nice to see women express fondness for sexual activity. Their songs generally involve no musical instruments except their voices. Their style is similar to rap. This band is way cool, and even though their contribution doesn't last all that long, it rocks in a major way, quality wise. They even have a song called "FCC". I love it when folks condemn the FCC! The song "You Suck" rocks too, along with the others. Hopefully I can learn more about this band!

Perry, Michael

1996: Never Stand Behind a Sneezing Cow and Other Tales from Foggy Crossing Live. Eau Claire, WI: sneezingcow.com

This cd was created in the state I went to college in, Wisconsin. Perry successfully lampoons small town life without being harsh. A significant part of the humor wasn't my favorite type of humor, but it was alright. In some ways, this cd appears to be a more sophisticated version of Jeff Foxworthy.

Various Artists

1998: Radio Free Music Volume 2. Roswell, GA: Platinum Entertainment, Inc.

I like the concept. The liner notes discuss how they seek to expose underexposed artists because mainstream radio fails in this regard. Of course, that is what I'm all about. These artists don't seem really any different than mainstream artists though; they appear to be just mainstream minded artists that haven't got mainstream play. These styles don't seem ground breaking, despite the liner note which says this album is about "opening doors". They have B-52's on this album. I thought the B-52's were well played???? These songs are generally too slow for me. I would have liked to see punk or hardcore formats. We sure need more punk and hardcore!

Charnwood, Lord: narrated by Robert Whitfield

1998: Charnwood's Lincoln. United Kingdom: Blackstone Audio Books.

It was refreshing to hear Lincoln's story told from the perspective of a British citizen. In the early parts, Lord Charnwood provides insightful outsider perspectives, which I found interesting. As the book dragged on, I got less and less interested. I suppose Abraham Lincoln's life doesn't interest me as much as other American History topics. Maybe it's overdone and thus has become banal. Furthermore the civil war doesn't interest me all that much for some reason.

Hootie and the Blowfish

1994: Self titled. New York: Atlantic Recording Corporation.

Although the ballad "Let Her Cry" has a nice melody, I am struck by the hypocrisy of the band lamenting over the songwriter's woman's use of pot while using alcohol himself. A few good lyrics, but nothing incredibly impressive. The beat if the songs were okay, but overall, the songs weren't my favorite cup of tea. This is popular and it shows.

Coulter, Ann: narrated by Katie Mazur.

2002: Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, unabridged, Santa Ana, CA: Books on tape.

She is very hard to listen to. Vicious and inflammatory. It's as if she is constantly pricking you with a pin. It's not exactly edifying food for the mind. She does exactly what she accuses liberals of doing: providing character attacks and not making real arguments. There is no meat, no substance here. Rush Limbaugh's works seem to be political discussion as the cake with insults and attacks as icing on the cake. While her writing seems to be insults and attacks as the cake with political discussion as icing on the cake. Rush Limbaugh's works are much easier to consume. He at least make political and sometimes philosophical arguments. She just nags, nags, nags. Though I must say she is much more pleasant to look at than Rush Limbaugh. If Ann was living in the 1950's, I wouldn't doubt if she would become a John Birch Society member, she has that mentality. Does Ann really think this way? She like many on the right have ignorant views about civil rights, thinking we have no problems today. Despite how wrong Ann is on most topics, I must say when she speaks about abortion, she hits the nail right on the head. The narrator is very expressive, if one didn't know better, one could think it was Ann narrating.

Cantor, Norman: narrated by John McDonough.

2002: In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made. unabridged, Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books.

One of my favorite times to listen to audio books is while eating. While listening to the beginning, I feared this audio book might be too disgustedly descriptive to be suitable for eating with. But as I went along I found out, it was okay. The second part of the subtitle "The World It Made" is what most of the book is about. The book delved into context so much, that it neglected to fully cover the main topic, the Black Plague. At times, coverage of the Black Plague appeared to be parenthetical and tangential. Though worthwhile aspects of history were mentioned. Indeed sometimes the topics of tangents are more interesting than the main topic (quite possibly in this case), but perhaps the book could have been better named.

Zinn, Howard: read by Matt Damon, preface and afterword read by Howard Zinn.

1999: A People's History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

For some reason in the past, I have passed Howard Zinn's books on the shelves. I truly missed out until now. Especially inspiring was his tale about the civil rights movement. I like how dynamic Howard Zinn has become since he was once was a bomber in the air force and now is a radical. Though I do believe Howard Zinn is way too politically correct. The way Howard Zinn talks sound exactly like the type of people satirized by James Finn Gardner in his books lampooning political correctness. Sadly, Howard Zinn, in typical liberal/leftist fashion portrayed the pro choice movement as a movement which liberates women. Pro Life people tell us the fetuses are truly the oppressed ones, thus they warrant our sympathy. If only Howard Zinn portrayed the pro life movement as positive and the pro choice movement as negative, his analysis would be better yet.

Frank, Milo O.

1999: How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Audio.

Obviously, the author wants people to learn how to "get their point across in 30 seconds or less". He claims that commercials on television being 30 seconds is long enough "to get your point across". I don't think television is a good model. We have enough of a sound byte mentality the way it is, he is only worsening matters. Certainly terseness is good. I also dislike knowing how long everything takes. It can drive me mad! I fret when he shows me how much conversation can be had in 30 seconds. In Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman laments the disintegration of the pre-television era which promoted lengthy discourse which fostered thoughtful reflection and the subsequent rise of television which has fostered the vilification of virtually every idea due to its emphasis on brevity. Sadly this work is contributing the television mentality, or as Neil Postman calls it, the "telegraphic mind", which he considers far inferior to the "typographic mind", the mind based on the printed word.

Lewis, Sinclair: narrated by Barrett Whitener.

1997: 1919: Free Air. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio Books.

I believe this is the first Sinclair Lewis book I have gotten completely through. I was enjoying Elmer Gantry until my dog tore the book apart. I only go to a certain point in Main Street, then never got back. In both this book and Main Street, Lewis uses Minnesota as a setting, that is interesting! Books like this make me want to read more fiction. I love the era, I love the anti-classism of the book. The book made me really curious about the how long and how well automobiles were developed at that time. The back of this audio book talks about "the early days of motoring". It's a useful education in history to listen a story with automobiles in context.

Newman, Paul et al

2002: Scooby-Doo! #1. New York, NY: Hanna Barbera.

A comic book is good to relax the mind every now and then. I haven't been exposed much to Scooby-Doo since my earlier days. It seems each strip ends with the same climax of the kids discovering someone posing as someone else, causing trouble. Then the kids pull off masks to reveal the concealed identity.

Wodehouse, P.G.: Read by Frederick Davidson.

1999: Carry On Jeeves. Unabridged. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio Books.

I believe the first place I heard of P.G. Wodehouse was from a Propaganhdi song called "Anchorless". The introduction mentions how "Jeeves" has become a very popular character for Wodehouse, which is funny because I don't think Jeeves is all that interesting. He's alright, but not worthy of the seeming recognition. He is not dynamic enough. Bertie Wooster appears more interesting and he should be the one to have received all this recognition. I found the book hard to follow; I did not find a cohesive plot, but instead a series of events. I also had some trouble getting into the Rumpole books which were also written by a British author. Toward the end, the narrator voice shifted from Bernie (who narrated the vast majority of the book) to Jeeves, it was an interesting approach and also confusing. I don't usually do fiction; the deal was I could not find any more good non fiction books at our school library. In the end, I do not know whether this makes me more receptive to fiction or not.

Zines

Gabriel, C. Victor. A Gadfly's Journal.

An angry view of society, but intelligent. Lots of sophisticated words. Some good points, but too anarchist/ libertarian, no government leftist for me.

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Come back again soon!

Take care!

Best wishes!

Catfish

Volume 38

Andrew Bushard

Greetings all!

I hope everyone is doing well. It would rock in a major way if you request some material from Federation Without Television and the Autonomy Party. Visit:

http://www.freepressmedia.org

http://www.autonomyparty.com

Otherwise, enjoy this issue.

Andrew Bushard

Reviews

Audio

Forum Associates, Inc

The Eisenhower Era: The Solider-statesman discusses the war years and the Presidency. Tucson, AZ: Forum Associates, Inc.

It should have been longer. Eisenhower was not all that articulate. The reporter also cut him off some. Other than that, it was interesting for the short burst that it was.

Wrobleski, Adina

1987: Suicide: A Teenage Tragedy. Minneapolis MN: Adina Wrobleski.

I am all about audio tape lectures. The approach and views were slightly different than the other works I've been exposed about suicide. It's interesting how she says suicide is not as big of a problem as we think, but also we do not give it enough attention. She condemns common alarmism about suicide, and I especially liked how she refused to lay the blame on popular culture.

Nelson, James Lindemann Nelson.

1993: "Social Duties and Private Parts". The Hastings Center.

Organ donation is neither an issue I am passionate about nor one I think about very often (if it all), thus I suppose you could say it was good to get me thinking about this. Actually, I am trying to get a new state I.D., thus this issue is all the more relevant for me. He attempts to persuade by using philosophical arguments with an overarching hypothetical story. I do think he succeeded. He seems to be influenced by utilitarian philosophy, though it he did not explicitly state such.

Wolf, Susan M.

1993: The Termination of Life Sustaining Treatment. The Hastings Center.

If one was a beginner in the subject, one would likely obtain helpful introductory information. Even those who have learned about this subject are likely to obtain a little new information. I don't know about her voice; her voice seems too upbeat for a topic of this nature.

McNamer, Elizabeth, PhD.

1992: The Heart of It: The Canterbury Tales and Paradise Lost. Beverly Hills, CA: Dove Audio.

On the cover, it says "Scholarly and Highly Accessible Lectures", but I did not feel this work was really a lecture, certainly not to the degree I expected it to be. All she basically did was summarize the works in a laconic fashion and read a few important passages. It would have been better if it was at least a bit longer and she added some critical insight, instead of just a summary.

Various Artists:

Date Unknown, 1999, 2000: Fat Music for Fat People, Fat Music IV: Life in the Fast Lane, Fat Music Volume V: Live Fat Die Young. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords

I was seriously hurting for music, thus these three compilations helped tremendously! It does appear that Fat Wreck Chords bands have a distinctive sound. NOFX, No Use for a Name, Propagandhi and Lagwagon are my favorite bands on the label. These cds were a great bargain too, all were 5 dollars or less, which is unbelievably awesome! The Fat Wreck Chords compilations all have creative covers and titles, which I imagine is due to Fat Mike's doings. I do believe I like the values of Fat Wreck Chords!

Damianakos, Alexander: read by Stephen Diacrussi.

1993: Introduction: Before History. New York: NY: University Press and Sound Inc.

Previously I listened to other tapes in this series, but I was not impressed because I found them dull. However, this volume was better.

Damianakos, Alexander: read by John Rexine.

1993: Classical Greece I. New York: NY: University Press and Sound Inc.

This one was also better.

Damiankos, Alexander: read by John Rexine.

1993: Classical Greece II. New York, NY: University Press and Sound Inc.

This work was naturally very similar to Classical Greece I, thus the comments that apply to it, also apply to this work.

NOFX

2003: The War on Errorism. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

Often puns can get annoying and certainly banal, but NOFX devises some of the most novel and clever plays on words around. They have got to be some of the best pun makers in the land. In the liner notes, they discuss how they sought to make this album more politically deep than maybe some of their other material. Since they have one of the best sounds around, adding more politics is a recipe for an excellent album. "Franco-UnAmerican" is probably the best song of alot of super songs, and it is probably the first song I have ever heard to have included the phrase "Michael Moore" in it. Sadly, even though their embrace of politics is positive, they have embraced the dangerous mindset of "Anyone but Bush". Wow! This great band, full of great principles is evolving even more! Right on, NOFX!

Various Artists

1996: I'm Your Biggest Fan Volume One: A Punk Rock and Emo Compilation. Seattle WA: Tooth and Nail Records.

The price was stellar, only two bucks! MXPX is about the only band on this label I have ever heard of and have ever heard their music. Not quite punk enough for my tastes.

Cassell, Eric J.

1993: The Nature of Suffering: An Interview With Eric J. Cassell. New York, NY: the Hastings Center.

Let it be noted, I intended to check out a different tape, another tape from the Hastings Center, but this tape was in the case of a tape on "Patient Autonomy". It started out to not appeal to me, but after awhile, it turned out alright and the Eric Cassell has decent progressive views.

Various Artists.

2003: Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

Fat Wreck Chord driven punk music for a noble cause is about as good as you can get. I am confused about NOFX. Their album "Liberal Animation" appears to be a vicious mockery of animal rights, thus it confused me that they would associate with Propagandhi who are big proponents of animal rights. Additionally, even the NOFX song on this album "Clams Have Feelings Too" does not appear to be pro animal rights, but maybe it is. The liner notes said "this project was Fat Mike's idea from the start" which would suggest he supports the animal rights cause. At any rate, the cd is a superb idea and its delivery is marvelous. I admire PETA for all the good they do, thus I commend Fat Wreck Chords for using its artistic talents and resources to better the planet. It inspires me; maybe it can inspire you too.

Earth Crisis.

1996: Gomorrah's Seasons Ends. Chicago, IL: Victory Records.

I prefer the musical style on "Destroy the Machines" over this album's style. I do really dig what Earth Crisis believes in and stands for and we should definitely have more bands doing the same.

Various Artists

2003: Punk Rock Strike Three Disc Set: Volumes One, Two, and Three. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

I don't ever think I got a better deal on a cd set than this one. I don't know how you can beat a 3 cd set for only 5 dollars. Not only that, but the music is top quality punk. The cover has an awesome picture; I like what this independent label stands for, and I hope to support them, if I can, in the future.

Various Artists:

2003: Punk Rock Strike Volume Four. Cupertino, CAL Springman Records.

So far I have not quite got into this compilation as much as the other three in the series, but nevertheless, it is still of tremendous coolness.

Various Artists.

2002: BYO Presents Sample This. Los Angeles, CA: BYO Records.

A fairly respectable showing all around

Various Artists.

2002: Victory Style 5. Chicago, IL: Victory Records.

Some songs are good, but I think it may take some time and patience before this whole album grows on me. Victory Style 3 has done that, so maybe this one would too. Usually hardcore music has to grow on me before I can dig it to the fullest.

Davenport, Marcia: read by Nadia May.

1991: Mozart. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio Books.

In an ideal world, I would not have to resort to listening to biographies of Mozart, because our school library would be loaded with tons of fascinating audio books, but I suppose, listening to this is par for the course of life. Not bad, but a musician like Mozart, not matter how well written about, does not excite me the way biographies of political figures do.

Various Artists.

A-F Records. Pittsburgh, PA: A-F Records.

A-F stands for Anti-Flag, right? It would make sense since they seem to be the drive behind this label. These songs are truly punk, but I would have preferred at least some more of the melodic type of punk music.

Various Artists.

2002: Sugar Sampler Vol. 2. State College, PA: Jump Start Records.

A solid compilation contribution to the body of punk rock music.

Various Artists

1999: Spring Really Sucks. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

The title and the cover art is what sucks! How can they say that about the beautiful season of spring? I can definitely understand the trashing of winter, but not spring. But other than that small flaw, the album succeeds at drawing me more and more into Springman records.

Go Real Slow.

2001: Thirteen. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

I believe this is the first EP I have ever owned and it is quite a good one for that! The Springman Records attracted me to this band, and I must say the band is a good band. Proof positive of the virtue of Indy record labels, and I am ever glad I was able to support this fine Indy band.

Various Artists.

Springman Records Sampler. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

This sampler does what a good sampler should do: attract you to the fine label of Springman Records. It's good to see that catchy punk can be produced by lots of folks.

Machiavelli: translated by George Bull: read by Fritz Weaver.

1994: 1981: 1532: The Prince. St. Paul, MN: Penguin High Bridge Audio.

This is a book that is hard to listen to straight through. It is more conducive to study a portion at a time, since it is so very pithy. I would say there is wisdom contained in this book about preserving and maintaining a state. In fact, sometimes it seemed as if the lessons communicated were well ahead of Machiavelli's time.

Pain

1996: Midgets with Guns. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

From the Pain songs I heard on the Springman Records, and from the profile Springman Records gave them in the Springman Records catalog, I expected Pain to be more punk, but this album made them seem more ska. I am glad to be supporting an independent band, at any rate.

Damianakos, Alexander: read by Evangeline Costa

1993: Judaism I. New York: University Press and Sound, Inc.

The information itself was fairly interesting, but they could have spiced up the presentation a bit, at least.

Cohen, Herb: read by the author

2001: How to Negotiate Anything, Anywhere: Winning the Negotiating Game. Beverly Hills, CA: New Millennium Audio.

His thick accent (New Yorker?) made it hard to listen to, especially accompanied with his overly colloquial use of the English language. Some of the advice is okay; he just presents it with too much colloquialism that truly detracts from the message.

Damianakos, Alexander: read by Jon Clark.

1993: Christianity 1, Christianity 2. New York, NY: University Press and Sound, Inc.

Although I am familiar with the general story of Christianity, this refresher and its addition of some new details helped to broaden my understanding of Christianity's new development.

Damianakos, Alexander: read by Evangeline Costa.

1993: Judaism II, New York, NY: University Press Sound, Inc.

For all intents and purposes, just like Judaism I.

Ivins, Molly: read by the author

1992: Molly Ivins, Can't Say That, Can She? Abridgement. New York, NY: Random House Audio Publishing.

Too much material on Texas, plus too much material on the banal political matters everyone seems to comment on. Her personality is just fine. She does mix humor and compassion well.

Read by various authors

1998: 1992: Lost Civilizations: Pompeii: City Captured in Ash.

Before this, I really was not acquainted with Pompeii, except in passing. The audio book merged quality information with an exciting presentation style. Every vignette they presented all seemed to revolve around the catastrophe of the volcano. Maybe less mention of the castastrophe would have been better. Surely, this eruption ended the Pompeii civilization, but to always come back to it is to attribute a central element of fatality, which the original civilization did not posses.

Klang, Carl.

1993-2003: Extremist Won. Boulder, CO: Carl Klang.

This is a treat. It sure is swell to have catchy political music to listen to. This is one of those albums that even before you hear it, you realize you are going to like it. Descriptions of this album made it sound as if it was a "folk" album, which gave me the impression it was just "folk" (which would have likely been just fine). Some of the songs on here seem to be rock and country too. Nice. Carl Klang rightfully sings wonderful songs about important political issues that liberals fail to grasp and tackle. "Wheresoever Eagles Gather (The Ballad of Randy Weaver)" and "Seventeen Little Children" are two beautiful songs about two horrific acts of government tyranny, that too many people do not care about. The song "I am the Unknown Soldier" has very powerful emotion behind it; in fact Carl is marvelous at adding powerful emotion to the sad songs on this album. I totally dug the lyrics of "Don't Go Castin Your Pearls" since it was about how mainstream media distorts the rightful words of dissidents, in this case, the words of Carl himself. The clips of George Bush (the father) talking about the "New World Order" were wonderful touches. Klang had other non-musical enhancements to these songs, which pleasantly surprised me. He has something valid to say, and music is great way to convey his message. We should listen.

Auden, W.H.: read by the poet.

1996: The Voice of the Poet: W.H. Auden. Random House Publishing.

His vocal style made it hard to make out what he was saying. I am awfully curious as to who he is calling an "ogre" in the poem "August 1968". Does this have anything to do with the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968 and the protest of it? If so, who is the ogre, the cops, the protestors, or someone else? I wish the poem "The Unknown Citizen" and "September 1, 1938" would have been on here.

Various Artists.

2004: Rock Against Bush Volume One. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

The liner notes were a call to arms to get politically active. Fat Mike candidly discusses the importance of getting involved politically, and also how he is new to this. For better or for worse, Fat Mike appears to have jumped over the idealistic stage many activists go through for the most pragmatic angle. Even though this album is of the mindset "Anyone but Bush", the political awareness is definitely very positive. Although some of these songs appear to be about Bush and his administration specifically, all of them do not appear to be. There weren't that many Fat Wreck Chord bands on this compilation. More would have been nice, but it is also good to bring in bands from other labels too. The punk style of many of these bands seems to be the rougher type. There is not much if any pop punk/melodic punk/or maybe even strictly new school punk (though the term "new school" is probably one many debate the meaning of). I do often prefer melodic punk/pop punk to the older harder punk, but stylistic technique aside, this album and its underlying motivation has alot going for it.

Jarrell, Todd: Narrated by the author.

2000: Slow Dance with the Planet: Stories from the circumnavigation of the globe in a tall ship. St. Paul, MN: Highbridge Company.

I was scraping the bottom of our university library's availability of audio cassettes, but fortunately seemingly out of nowhere this one showed up. Being interested in travel (as most people seem to be), this was welcome. Mr. Jarrell sure seemed to have a passion for his sailing, and he also reflected philosophically about the greater meaning of it all.

Murphy, Jim: read by Richard M. Davidson.

1993: 1998: Across America on An Emigrant Train. Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC.

Since this was about Robert Louis Stevenson, I thought it was going to be mostly a verbatim extraction from his journal, although that would have been interesting, I was glad that the work took a different form. Excellent description that probably never got redundant or dull, and only served to enhance the tale. There was even some cultural reflection, which was indeed provocative. Although the journey of the emigrants seems far from pleasant at times, this work makes me want to travel in an old time train.

Various Artists.

Unknown date: Honest Don's Dirty Dishes. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's.

Although I have been to the Fat Wreck Chords site a number of times, and have made a few purchases from it, I never before really paid much attention to their link to their affiliate, Honest Don's. It was a mistake because I made a wise decision in purchasing this cd. In fact, as good as Fat Wreck Chords is, Honest Don's may be even better yet! I want to check out more of Nerf Herder's material. Yay for punk.

Various Artists

2001: Pop Punk Fever. Cincinnati, OH: Nice Guy Records.

For some reason, the distributors of this cd, some online punk store, sent this to me by priority mail. Although it was swell getting the cd quick, it seems like a waste of money, especially considering the fact that priority mail cost $3.85 and the whole cd only cost $6.60. Sometimes, you really got to wonder if people are making any money on these types of sales. I am becoming more and more acclimated to pop punk, thus this cd suited me well. Sometimes, I even think I dig pop punk more than old school punk.

Various Artists.

1989: Annihilator II: A Soundtrack for Destruction. Lawndale, CA: SST Records.

This is was a dollar store bargain! Rarely does one find metal and especially punk in the dollar store cd racks. I was especially intrigued to see the band, the Descendents on this cd. Since Soundgarden was also on this cd, I wondered if it was the same Descendents I have known all the along, and after looking at the pictures in the liner notes, I discovered indeed it was. Though the Descendents songs on here sound different than the Descendents songs I have heard. It's interesting that a metal/alternative band such as Soundgarden is on the same label. Certainly, labels have different genres of music, but usually punk goes with hardcore and ska, and it seems rarely with metal or alternative.

Mustard Plug

1999: Pray for Mojo. Van Nuys, CA: Hopeless Records.

I bought a one dollar sampler cd from Hopeless Records, which alone is a great deal, and I received this tape as a wonderfully nice extra prize they give out with their orders. What a prize it was! My tape collection needed some adds on, and you can't go wrong with solid ska. Who is this Mojo they are praying for? Does it have anything to do with Stuck Mojo or Mojo Nixon?

Various Artists

2003: Operation Punk Rock Freedom. Van Nuys, CA: Hopeless Records/Sub City.

I loved the fact I got this cd for one dollar postage paid. It cost them more than one dollar just in postage, so I surely got a good deal.

Kolatch, Alfred: read by Eli Wallach.

1991: 1985: The Jewish Book of Why. Highbridge Audio.

The style was pretty bland, but the information was still interesting nevertheless.

McCord, Gary with John Huggan: read by Gary McCord.

1997: Golf for Dummies. New York, NY: Harper Audio.

Dummies books are rarely if ever dull even on topics I am not super interested in, thus sadly I must say this book is an exception. The author had an okay voice, but he repeated the same phrase over and over, though he did have a couple original analogies. It sure could have been jazzed up, as dummies books usually are.

Various Artists

2002: Fat Music Volume VI. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

I now have all six Fat Wreck Chord compilations, and that is good. I was a little disappointed Tilt was not on this compilation, but they did have some other good bands instead, so it was alright. The general positive comments I have made for other Fat compilations apply to this one too.

Various Artists

2003: Nice Guys Finish Last. Cincinnati, OH: Nice Guy Records.

I like pop punk.

Various Artists

Year Unknown: Positive Youth Foundation Stop Racism. Positive Youth Foundation.

It was unusual that the cd had 67 tracks. It had 18 music tracks, then 48 tracks of nothing for 10 seconds, then the last track was a super uplifting message about the aim and purpose of the project and why it is important to make a difference to the world. The reflections on activism were entirely true and insightful. I just love it when music is used for good. I love musicians who are socially conscious.

Various Artists

Unknown Year: Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 3. Van Nuys, CA: Hopeless Records.

I have been listening to a lot of compilations lately, haven't I? Yup, I have found compilations to be a good way to listen to a lot of music. There are indeed some songs which make your time go faster on this cd.

Various Artists.

1997: Tooth and Nail Rock Sampler Volume One, Seattle, WA: Tooth and Nail Records.

The songs are often too slow and mellow, though there is a faster paced catchy song or two.

Various Artists.

2002: Mailorder for the Masses. Mordam.

Not quite up to the standards I desired. Besides, I think they overcharged me. The album art though is on the novel side.

Various Artists.

Year Unknown: Honest Don's Greatest Hits. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's.

The cover art and the title are both crude and disgusting. But otherwise, the album is fairly decent punk.

Various Artists

1997: Honest Don's Welcome Wagon. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's.

I did not like the front cover because it had pictures of liquor bottles all over it. Gross. The back cover was creative though. I am for punk, thus I added this album to my collection.

Price, Carol.

Year Unknown: 21 Days to Self Discovery: Define what you want in life – and discover how to get it. Boulder, CO: CareerTrack Publications.

Some bits were useful, but overall, I did not find her approach the most inspiring. There is too much in here involving the trends of contemporary psychology, I am not fond of. My approach to "empowerment" is much different than hers, thus despite the bold claims of the program, I left feeling empty, not having too much motivation to take along with me.

Amazing Transparent Man.

2000: The Measure of All, Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

Another instantly likable release from Springman Records. Pop punk music with lyrics that makes social points is a combination, I seek.

Sullivan, Ed.

1989: the Job Interview. SLI Audio.

These tapes are clearly of non-standard length, as it says the total running time is "1 Hour and 35 minutes". Standard tapes come in lengths of 60 minutes and 90 minutes per tape. This album had two tapes. 2 tapes of 60 minutes each equals only 120 minutes. While 2 tapes of 90 minutes equals 180 minutes. Apparently, it is some odd length in between those two lengths. This was not quite the typical interview guide, as the author not only gave some tips you may have expected, but he also broke interviews and interviewers into categories. He made some witty remarks, though often not nearly as funny as the laugh tracks made them sound to be. He also has quite the story of his first job interview, that you should check out.

Macklin, Ruth

1993: Medical Futility: the Limits of Patient Autonomy. New York, NY: Hastings Center.

The lecturer's name sounds a lot like a name of an older woman in a popular TV. show of the 1980's. Can you guess which show it is?

Author Unknown

Year Unknown: Genocide: American Style: a brutally frank look at U.S. mistreatment of the first Americans. North Hollywood, CA: Center for Cassette Studies.

I knew all this before, but it never hurts to be reminded about these dark actions of America. Hearing about them, plus the new details, made me outraged, as any good person should be outraged!

Rohn, Jim.

1996: Cultivating an Unshakable Character: How to Walk Your Talk all the Way to the Top. Niles, IL: Nightingale-Conant Corporation.

An admirable work. Surely I do not agree with every piece of advice given, but generally he is on the right track. Listening to tapes like these helps me stay focused on my goals, vision, and principles. Little is more important than that!

Books

Leebow, Ken

2000: 300 Incredible [Activities] to Do on the Internet. Marietta, GA: 300Incredible.com, LLC.

Although it was a breezy read, I didn't think the volume was super original. Most of what the author found "incredible", I would consider banal. I could probably find most of these sites on my own, or at least, similar sites, if I had wanted to go to them. There are a few sites, that I might visit, but overall, most sites here do not intrigue me all that much. Good reading, nevertheless.

Lipschitz, Chaim: edited by Ira Axelrod.

Franco, Spain, the Jews, and the Holocaust. New York: KTAV Publishing.

Lipschitz is very fair minded and sees the ever important gray. His treatment of Franco and the Holocaust is scholarly, honest, open minded, and intelligent. I am indeed persuaded that Franco did many great deeds and he deserves to be raised in our estimation of him. I certainly have learned to see gray in regard to dictators, and just as the author mentioned, even though we shouldn't ignore Franco's errors, we must acknowledge the fact that he saved 45,000 Jews. I sure hope when it is all said and done I have saved even a fraction of that many human beings. I want to learn more about Franco. I just love finding out new details about the Holocaust.

Zamudio, Dan

1995: How to Sneak Into the Movies. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

Another example of the wonderful nature of Interlibrary loan. Since I do not watch movies, you may be wondering why I am reading a book about how to sneak into movies. Stop wondering because a) I like to read such books for their own sake and b) a mutable mind can adapt any suggestions in here for other purposes shall the need arise. He gave reviews of theatres (based on the ease of sneaking in) in Chicago and Los Angeles, but for some reason there was no address or theater name for the theaters, thus the reviews did not seem that useful for me. The theme and the approach were fabulously executed. Lovely!

Richmond, Doug

1995: How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found. New York: Citadel Press

Excellent. Swell. Fabulous. Neat.

Buchanan, Patrick J.

1988: Right from the Beginning. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

If you'll notice, the title is a pun that works on three levels. "Right from the beginning" as being right wing from the start. "Right from the beginning" as being correct from the start. "Right from the Beginning" as a book which starts from the very beginning. This would be the second book I have read by Pat Buchanan. I wish the book would have included more of his later adventures, but he claimed that "that will be left for another book", since he wanted to focus on his early days. It would be nice if he does write a later book, because some of his most interesting tales were after this book was written. He does a good job at biographies himself, he is down to earth while highlighing important events of his upbringing and early life. He does inject some of his political views, sometimes directly relating to a life experience and sometimes not. I do not agree with most of them, but it was good to hear them. Through reading this book, I better understand how the Catholic faith has been central to this man's existence. He paints the faith as a beautiful one, one worthy of respect and veneration. In one spot in the book, he denounces emotionalism among men; I disagree with him entirely. Through the early pages, I was eagerly awaiting his discussion assaulting a police officer, and it did not let me down. He himself acknowledged his seemingly endless run ins with law, of which until now, I was not aware. He made one remark along the lines "Unlike the left, we saw police as social referees, albeit ones whose calls we may disagree with, but nevertheless necessary". He claimed that the left hated police in ways he never did. Though, few on the left can claim having assaulted a cop. I really don't care about his rebellious past as I hope others should not care either. The book is lengthy, but well worth reading even if you are ideologically different from Pat Buchanan.

Grobman, Alex and Michael Shremer.

2000: Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It? Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.

I came across Michael Shremer's view on Holocaust denial through another one of his works and it found it interesting, thus I was glad to read this book. A little dogmatic in their use of historical methods, but overall they effectively refute holocaust revisionism. In the process, they make some good points and insights about the issue and about the study of history itself. The Holocaust is one subject which rarely ever gets dull, especially when contemporary phenomena such as holocaust denial is discussed.

MacLaren, James

1995: The Hitchhiker's Handbook. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

Most of the Loompanics how to books have been better than this work. The writing style is too scatterbrain, disorganized, and stream of consciousness for a how to book. He was way too crass! He made one of the stupidest remarks around, when he said "EVERYTHING CRUMMY THAT THE COPS HAVE EVER DONE TO ANY OF YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS IS [BE]CAUSE OF YOUR OWN [EXPLETIVE DELETED] FAULT" (93). I did not expect such a moronic and regressive statement from a bad rebel dude like the author. I would expect it from an everyday citizen, perhaps. This statement is wrong, not only because of its absolutism but also because many times cops are the ones at fault. It's as if the Fraternal Order of Police has financially funded this book. Where else could they get such a ringing endorsement? The book is full of thumbs up icon (as a symbol of hitchhiking), but thumbs down would be a better symbol for this sorry book.

Broszat, Martin.

1960: German National Socialism: 1919-1945. Santa Barbara, CA: CLIO Press.

More informational and insight about the National Socialists to add to my already large input base. This book, maybe more than other books I've read on the topic, traced and profiled the genesis of anti-Semitic precursors to National Socialism, while at the same time also analyzing National Socialism.

Luger, Jack.

1987: The Big Book of Hiding Places. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

One might expect a detail orientated book of this nature to be a little dry, but it wasn't. I wouldn't say it was overly exciting, but it was definitely readable, giving me some good ideas if the need shall ever arise.

Ebenstein, William.

1943: The Nazi State. New York: J. J. Little and Ives Company.

One of the most thorough books on the structure and function of the Nazi regime that I have came across. It is apparent the author perceives the Nazis' approach to running the nation to be a folly. I enjoyed his subtly snide remarks about the Nazis' arrogance and ignorance.
Scotchie, Joseph.

1999: The Paleoconservatives: New Voices of the Old Right. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

I am proud of myself for having finished this sophisticated work. It was good to find out about the political group known as the paleoconservatives. I like different options and alternatives, thus although I do not agree with the political philosophy of paleoconservatism in its entirely, I do like to see it rising, however big it may be.

Lee, Eve

1980: The American in Saudi Arabia. Chicago, IL: Intercultural Press, Inc.

Libraries are great for among other reasons, when searching for another book, there is no telling what fascinating book one may come across, as I did here. Instead of the cursory approach, the author was effective in make a cultural point. Her use of hypothetical situations would, I imagine, be valuable for anyone in such a situation. I would imagine an American traveling to Saudi Arabia today would need some updates, but I also imagine even considering the 24 years that have elapsed, there are probably some cultural constants which make the book still relevant.

Diamond, Sara.

1996: Facing the Wrath: Confronting the Right in Dangerous Times. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press.

Great topic and fluid writing made the book hard to put down and easy to finish. Her essays do a wonderful job of precisely understanding the different components of the right. Many other books focus on just one area: the religious right, the moderate right, militias, or sometimes Paleoconservatives even, but she hit just about every right wing culture. I do think she was overly critical at times, but her analysis is a smart and good one.

Vroman, Brian.

2000: The Kingdom of Heaven and the Thousand Year Reich: The Jehovah's Witnesses and Nazi Germany. Mankato, MN: Minnesota State University, Mankato.

I heard about Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany briefly from others, thus it was nice to find a book which delved into the topic more thoroughly. This was a master's thesis and sometimes master's thesis can be (actually) very enjoyable to read.

Trigilio, Rev. John Jr.,PhD, ThD and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, PhD.

2003: Catholicism for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Since I realized I have learned a fair amount about Protestantism, but far less about Catholicism, I should learn more, besides the religion of Catholicism is fascinating. Most everyone in our society should know the basics of Catholicism, but this book expands beyond those to give you an introduction to the faith. The accessible format of the Dummies approach enabled me to learn alot about the faith of Catholicism, and indeed it has some virtues worthy of consideration.

Catholic Answers.

1993: Pillar of Fire Pillar of Truth: The Catholic Church and God's Plan for You. San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers.

A nice introduction into the Catholic faith, while at the same time, contrasting it with other options, namely secularism and Protestantism. It was a pamphlet, maybe a book version would be better yet. The style is good, so maybe the Catholic Answers organization is worth checking out.

Altemose, Charlene, MSC.

1994: What One Should Know about the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications.

The purpose of the work is served since it taught me information about the Catechism, which previously I had known little about. The writing could have been looser and less stiff, but nonetheless, it was informative.

Steiner, Arthur.

1938: Government in Fascist Italy. New York: Mc-Graw Hill Book Company, Inc.

Since (as reviewed above) I read a thorough study of the Nazi government, I found it useful that a similar type of book was done about Fascist Italy. Both books were written without the benefit of historical hindsight which can be both positive and negative. Though I must say the above book on Nazism was better written and more informative than this one. Although it is probably absolutely necessary to discuss "the corporative state" when discussing Fascist Italy, I found the discussion to be dry, and perhaps I do not find "the corporative state" part of Fascism to be that interesting.

Hill, Brad.

2003: Google for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Some of these dummies authors discuss how these books are not necessarily intended to be read cover to cover, but reading cover to cover is my way of doing, thus it is exactly what I did. A fine book to read cover to cover, too. Dummies books, though all accessible and usually easy to read, vary in degree of sense of humor. Brad Hill excels in this regard. His sense of humor made the text more enjoyable, without detracting from the book's informative focus. In fact, his humor and personality made the book all the more informative. He laid out the material in a step by step fashion which makes it is easy to apply. The frequent pictures of computer screens using Google enhanced my understanding, and can work well when one reads the book without a computer in reach. Search engines are great to learn about, when written by a hand as skilled as Brad Hill's.

Silverstein, Judith, MD and Michael Laskey, JD.

2004: Online Dating for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Overall, a commendable work. I have generally not felt right about online dating, but the authors make it sound as if it is something worth doing it. After all, they tell us they met through online dating. Sometimes, they interjected who exactly wrote a single line or paragraph, which I felt took away from the text and was not really necessary. I can't say I agree with every last bit of their advice, but generally they know their subject well and do provide useful insights. Their case about the virtues of online dating is persuasive and if nothing else worth a look.

McCabe, Linda L. and Edward R.B. McCabe.

2000: How to Succeed in Academics. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

As an aspiring academic, I needed to read this. Although they were of the hard sciences/medical science mindset, virtually all of the information could apply to other academics, especially if one was able to carry it over. Being a graduate assistant, I know a bit of the basics of academic life, but this book elaborated and enhanced my knowledge, especially in the matters of grants.

Freedman, Rabbi E.B. Freedman, Jan Greenberg, and Karen A. Katz.

1991: Read Aloud Responses to Questions Jewish Children Ask About History, Culture, and Religion. New York, NY: Prentice Hall Press.

This book is much like "The Jewish Book of Why", except for the minor detail that every question is not begun with the word "why".

Periodicals

Irwin, Daniel

2002: Suck a Lemon......Kiss a [crude word deleted]. 623 N. Borders, Apt 2, Marissa, IL, 62257.

The man is poetic sure, but he is too crude. His topics are too crude and so is his treatment of subject matter. In addition to being crude, he lacks the grace of good poets; he may be able to pen a catchy poem, but sadly he lacks the attitude of a poet. The picture of him on the back of this zine has an uncanny resemblance to Karl Marx.

Other:

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA Patriot Act) Act of 2001. Printed from http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ056.107

139 pages of a document and I made it through! There has been much talk from liberals and the left about how horrible the Patriot Act is supposed to be, so what I did was find out for myself. We can judge the so called oppressiveness of the Patriot Act on two grounds, what it actually says and what has resulted from it. On the latter ground, I must say despite all the hype and alarmism of the left and liberals, virtually no major restriction of rights have occurred because of it. I still feel about as free as I did before this act. Surely in other ways, my rights have been restricted, but little if any directly because of this act. Maybe what liberals should do instead of supporting gun control which serves to help cops, give an outcry when cops violate our rights (4th amendment for example). Local cops have probably violated my rights much more than the federal government. Even though I am a strong opponent of our federal government, I cannot say I found much objectionable in this document. In fact, there were even surprising positives about this, particularly a strong condemnation of discrimination against people of Arabic, south Asian descendant, and Muslims. Much of this document seemed to pertain to money laundering and the financial aspect of terrorism. Sure there were a few parts of the document that concerned me, but I do not see how even these aspects make the act so bad. We also have to remember it is utterly foolish to think the government should do nothing about terrorism. Becoming more defensive and more cautious is only human nature and only sensible. If any of our houses were broken into and robbed, we too would likely become more cautious and defensive, so why it is wrong for the government to do the same? The document was chock full of external references to other laws and acts, which at times, made it hard to follow. Without access to all these external references, one cannot know for sure, how bad the changes to these other acts and laws are. My sense is these changes may not be that bad after all. Maybe the fact so many external references are there is reason for concern. For some reason the document made up a law called "Crimes Against Charitable Americans", which did not seem directly related to the rest of the Patriot Act, but maybe the drafters of this document had some reason behind this. I am impressed that it took only a month and a half for such an extensive document to come out. It must have taken alot of people to produce this document. The original hypothesis the liberals and the left presented was "The Patriot Act is one of the greatest abominations and threat to civil liberties ever conceived". I read through the document and since I found little evidence to support such a notion, I much reject this hypothesis. Now, if the changes made in the external referenced laws and acts are indeed oppressive, then the hypothesis can be correct. But based on the fact that few major civil liberties have been violated in all essence, and the document alone is generally unobjectionable, I have to call liberals and the left alarmists. I am glad I have an open enough mind to change when evidence warrants it.

Donnelly, Thomas.

2000: Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century. The Project for the New American Century.

I was advised to read this because the advisor said it portrayed the alarming neoconservative agenda for foreign policy. Indeed, it was alarming, because it seemed to suggest the US military should get bigger and should be everywhere. This document seems to hold true with most thoughtful critics of neoconservatives. Although, there is not necessarily an unbridgeable gulf between me and conservatives since I am partly conservative, my thinking and priorities for life and politics is distant from the central drive of neoconservatives.

Catfish 39

Andrew Bushard

Reviews

Audio

Ackerman, Robert.

1988:Let Go and Grow: Recovery for Adult Children. HCI Audio Books

I did not see the subtitle right away, so I thought this audio tape was a standard self help tape about letting go of your past. It was good to find out it was about adult children of alcoholics. He had a pretty decent presentation style and he was able to inspire me some. He reinforced some uplifting beliefs about the struggle. Overall, he was attempting to tell adult children of alcoholics to celebrate in addition to just enduring therapy.

Adams, Bryan

2002:The Best of Me. Santa Monica, CA: A&M Records.

I first thought this was a greatest hits album since it was called "The Best of Me", but then I realized that "The Best of Me" was really a song name. Even though it is not a greatest hits album, there seems to be a lot of hits on this album.

Adams, Scott

1998: The Joy of Work: Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Dilbert is a very cynical cartoon, but I suppose satire is more cynical than reality. I do believe the immense popularity of Dilbert reflects the suppressed dislike of corporate America.

Adams, Scott.

2002:Dilbert and the Way of Weasel. New York, NY: Harper Audio.

Some of Adams' best material. His satire expanded far beyond his typical domain of the business world and reached out for popular culture, politics, human relations, and society itself. It is one full of pithy satire that I am tempted to listen to again right away which is rare among audio books even good ones.

Arroyo, Stephen.

1991: The Psychology of the Sun Signs. Sebastopol, CA: Cadent House.

Interesting I suppose, but maybe you shouldn't bother even if you are into astrology.

Author Unknown: Narrated by Ben Kingsley

1993:Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity. Nashville, TN: Carmichael and Carmichael, Inc.

Partially dry, and a bit interesting in parts; it didn't satisfy my need for stimulating audio tapes, which was a bummer.

Bad Astronaut

Year Unknown: Acrophobe. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's.

The lead singer sounds a lot like the lead singer of Lagwagon. I would not be surprised if it was the same person. More mellow and less punk than I thought, but still good.

Bari, Judi

1997: Who Bombed Judi Bari? San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Although I am not interested in environmental causes, it was very fascinating and also scary learning about her harassment on the hands of the FBI. If the tape was just about her environmental cause it might only be mildly interesting, but since it is about people's

severe reactions to her cause, it becomes many times more interesting

Beastie Boys

2004:To the Boroughs. USA: Capitol Records.

Are the Beastie Boys overhyped? It sure seems that way for me. Am I missing something?

The Beatles

1987: 1967: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. USA: EMI Records

This demonstrates that the Beatles are overhyped, though are some good catchy songs on here.

Bennett, William J.: Read by William J. Bennett and an All Star Cast.

1995: The Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey. New York, BY: Simon and Schuster Audio.

An honorable premise, but the storytelling was full of dry fables which often told cheesy and basic lessons, through there were a few gems in there. My overwhelming feeling was one that this was dull to listen to.

Bentley, Eric

1994:Are You Now or Have You Ever Been. Santa Monica, CA: L.A. Theatre Works.

L.A. Theatre Works shines best with their political plays that totally grip you. First class entertainment based on true politics. The drama of politics is wonderfully portrayed so you can second hand experience the hot action the originals must have experienced first hand.

Brady, Sarah with Merrill McLoughlin: Read by Laura Hicks.

2002:A Good Fight. Hampton, NH: Chivers North America.

I hate it when famous people have to author a book with someone. In fact, if a famous person authors a book with someone else (besides people famous for writing), it is more than likely the other person did the bulk if not the entirely of the writing. I do admire crusaders a whole bunch and find their tales compelling. Sarah's cause does not grip me, but I do know that causes are like that.

Brandreth, Gyles (adaptation): Performed by Martin Jarvis.

1996: Great Trials: Oscar Wilde. Amherst, NY: 1996.

Oscar Wilde thought he was witty, but he really wasn't. What we perhaps need is a lawyer like Rumpole the Barrister and a client like Oscar Wilde. That would really irritate the judges.

Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hansen, and Heather McNamara

1999:Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: Inspirational Stories of Overcoming Life's Challenges. Health Communications, Inc.

The premise seemed like the best, but it just didn't strike a nerve with me. Some of the quotes were great, but the stories just weren't what I expected.

Carville, James and Mary Matalin: Read by the authors

1994: 1994: All's Fair: Love, War and Running for President. New York, NY: Audio Works.

I haven't heard Carville talk that much so his thick accent surprised me. The relationship between these two has no current equal; it is one of a kind.

Chadbourne, Eugene and Evan Johns

Year Unknown: Terror Has Some Strange Kinfolk. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Fairly low level, but some a few good parts. Too crass and too goofy.

Chopra, Deepak and Wayne Dyer

1996: Living Without Limits. San Rafael, CA: Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc.

It was hard to hear them; I had to crank up my tape player in order to get a reasonable volume out. I think it was partly because the recording quality may not have been the best and partly because people who have inner peace think they need to talk in way soft (sometimes almost inaudible) voices. I am becoming increasingly fascinated with karma and eastern thought, and hope to hear more expanded discussions of how they view life.

Cocco, Susan

1984:Assertiveness Training. New York, NY: Warner Audio.

Although it's good to expose oneself to assertiveness training, I feel like I hit a plateau, I don't seem to be learning much new. It seems at this point, I just need to practice, practice, and practice.

Phil Collins

1998:...Hits. New York, NY: Atlantic Recording Corporation.

I've noticed that Phil Collins likes to put pictures of his face on his albums, and this greatest hits album has his faces all over the place. About half these songs are really good; the other half are only alright.

Covey, Stephen.

1989:The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Sound Ideas.

Laconic, but still insightful. Perhaps, in this case, I should have checked out the book, because this is way too brief for the important subject matter.

Covey, Stephen.

1992:Principle Centered Leadership. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Perhaps more so than Covey's other works, this hits the bull's-eye about the right way and right priorities, organizations should embrace. Covey urges even businesses to put people and principles ahead of money making. That is truly admirable.

Covey, Stephen R., A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca Merrill

1997:First Things First Every Day: Because Where You're Headed is More Important Than How Fast You're Going: Daily Reflections. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Redundant as the same points are repeated over and over. Plus, these points I have heard times before since I have listened to Covey's other audio tapes. This calendar format is fine for a calendar but it is really not the best for an audio tape.

Davis, Patty

1992:The Way I See It. Beverly Hills, CA: Dove Audio.

Another reason why expose and autobiographies are swell.

Dershowitz, Alan: Performed by Chalton Griffin.

2002:Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge. Albuquerque, NM: Americana Publishing.

Just like everyone else, Dershowitz decided to address terrorism. More interesting that I may have thought it would be.

D.O.A.

1992:13 Flavours of Doom. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Not as appealing as other D.O.A. material. Except the song "Hey Sister"; that rocked.

D.O.A.

2004:Live Free or Die. Burnaby, BC, Canada: Sudden Death Records.

D.O.A. remains one of my favorite hardcore bands. D.O.A. is ideal hardcore: lyrics you can hear, great beats, even some melody.

D.O.A.

1985:Dawning of a New Error. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

One of my favorite cassette tapes, a D.O.A. tape, was, unfortunately, damaged. Then I discovered this great cassette deal by Alternative Tentacles. This album happens to have on it many of the songs which were on the destroyed cassette of mine. Plus, how can you go wrong with a song called "General Strike"? It is catchy to boot.

Etheridge, Melissa.

2004:Lucky. New York, NY: Island Def Jam Music Group.

Most of the songs are only fair at best, but one song, "Tuesday Morning" is certainly one of the best songs I have ever heard. It is a ballad done so very right, sending a powerful message, exalting the nobleness of humanity, and also making a phenomenal political point. I just have to play that song over and over because it has a second to none impact that goes right to your heart. I am so glad she wrote that song because the hero Mark Bingham deserves all the praise he can get.

Freudberg, David with Lisa Mullins

Year Unknown: The Vegetable Chronicles.

Neil Postman claims there are two types of minds, the less sophisticated type formed by television watching and the more sophisticated type formed by reading. He claims the very structure of the respective mediums is responsible. This work is clearly made for the purposes of radio, and thus is much fluffier than a comparable book on this same topic would be.

Garbarino, James: read by Cotter Smith

1999:Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Audio.

The approach sounds wise and thoughtful. It's nice to not only see an in depth analysis of the problem, and also provide detailed sophisticated solutions. The case studies enhance it. A good mix of sociology and psychology

Gardner, David and Tom: read by David Gardner

2001:The Motley Fool Investment Guide: How the Fool Beats Wall Street's Wise Men and How You Can Too. New York. NY: Simon and Schuster.

David didn't bring his brother in to co-narrate this one, but he did just fine by himself. Top rate presentation, and if I was inclined to invest in the stock market, I would find their advice to be useful. I really didn't like when they claimed that it is virtuous to make money off the toil of others.

Gardner, David and Tom

1998:You Have More Than You Think: The Motley Fool Guide to Investing What You Have. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

The stock market has never really fascinated me, but this work made me interested in it, so applaud the work. The only problems are I believe the stock market to be unethical on several grounds, plus I don't even have the minimum they suggest if I did want to invest.

Graham, Stedman

1997:You Can Make it Happen: A Nine Step Plan for Success (abridged). New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

A lot of it is the typical stock of motivational works, though he does have some powerful unique experiences that can teach us a whole lot. I am going to snap if I hear one more motivational writer suggest the idea that in order to succeed in the world all you need to do is be nice to people. That must have been how Hitler succeeded unlike few others, right? In one breath, Graham praises the virtue of perseverance then in another breath he repeats the trite cliché, "Doing what you always have done will lead to what you always have gotten." For thoughtless gullible people the last cliché is entirely persuasive, but not to me. I know sometimes an action will not be rewarded right away, but it can be rewarded only after many times. Sometimes, you just need to keep trying to do it the way you've always done it. Practice makes perfect after all. You can't give up. Perhaps, what I could conclude is that you do not want to quit trying for the end goal, though it is certainly acceptable to change and adapt the means to get there. Perseverance coupled with flexibility seems to lead people far. Keep going for the end goal, just being willing to try something new to get there? One of the biggest gems I can take from this book is his insight that if you find it hard to stay committed to the steps necessary to achieve your goal, you may not really feel passion enough about it. Such a thought is powerful motivation to get me going!

Grant, U.S.: Narrated by Peter Johnson.

1988: Grant on the Mexican War. Camp Hill, PA: A Recorded Book Production.

More exciting than I expected. Grant also seems to be a better and more thoughtful person than what I have heard in the past. He even condemned mistreatment of animals!

Green Day

1995:Insomniac. Burbank, CA: Reprise.

I have trouble listening all the way through to many of the cds I check out from the public library, but this one I was able to, which says a little about it. This album can be described by a Millencollen song, "Mediocre". There was not even one or two toe tapping songs like there is with Green Day's first album.

Horizons Production

1986: Children of Alcoholics. Beverly Hills, CA: Dove Audio.

This is a wonderful and important topic that is rarely discussed. Unfortunately, this work was very light on useful information. Unfortunately, the format stifled its potential. Unfortunately, my hopes were let down.

How to Overcome Shyness: Developing Charisma, Making Friends, and Conquering Fear. The Cassette College.

Certainly admirable and useful. It is something I could have created myself. In fact, I have conceived similar plans to overcoming particular versions of shyness and have implemented them. The techniques are smart and are ones I recommend since with the use of behavior modification and my own ideas, I thought of them on my own.

Hubbard, L. Ron

1950:Dianetics Lecture Series 6: Understanding Dianetics. Bridge Publications.

Interestingly, the St, Paul Public Library Sun Ray Branch had cassette tapes still to check out. I grabbed a bunch of the Dianetics ones. This volume of the series was about the only one that could work on my tape player. The tapes were very old, in fact before the time I thought tapes were out. I also thought it was a couple of years into the 50's when Dianetics really got going, but from the talking on this tape it sounds as if Dianetics was really far already in 1950. Having not heard Hubbard's voice before, I was not too impressed. He was not that eloquent of a speaker really, even though so many people have called him charismatic.

Imbrigulia, Natalie.

1998: Left of the Middle. USA: RCA.

At Snyder's Drug Store I got a super cheap compilation (about 25 cents) which had mostly so so music, the gem of the compilation was a song by Natalie Imbrigulia.

Thus I was happy to find a full record by her. She has potential and maybe even savoir faire.

Jackson, Alan

1995:The Greatest Hits Collection. New York, NY: Arista Records.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Jackson, Alan

2004:What I Do. New York, NY: BMG.

Stronger than I expected. "To Do What I Do" is a nice ballad and there are some catchy other songs too.

Johnny Philko

2002: Songs to Swear By. Kinkhead

This band asked Federation Without Television to link to its page. We agreed. I just recently decided to purchase this cd. The political emphasis drew me in. It wasn't quite what I expected. I expected something akin to Carl Klang, which it may be lyric wise, but musically, it seems more hard rock or even metal.

Kasl, Charlotte Sophia.

2001:If the Buddha Was In Love: The Spiritual Guide to Love. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.

I like some of Buddhism and other parts I do not like. This audio tape has mostly the parts of Buddhism I find virtuous.

Kean, Rob

1999:The Pledge. Grand Haven, ID: NOIA Audio Books.

I rarely red fiction. Part of the reason is that it seems to require great patience to find an intriguing book. Since I couldn't find any good non-fiction audio books one day at the library, I started looking in the fiction section out of desperation. I stumbled across this, and since the whole topic of fraternities interest me, I had a feeling this would be a worthwhile visit to the fiction world. I sure was right. This is why it pays to have an open mind; if I can manage to look through the fiction, I think I may want to try some more in the future. This also demonstrates that sometimes when you can't find what you need in one place, you resort to alternatives you would not consider otherwise, only to find them extremely virtuous. This is one of those edge of your seat books, with plenty of drama and plot twists.

Kelley, Kitty

1991:Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

A well written biography of a not so great person. The insights are great and you are well entertained.

King, Martin Luther, Jr: edited by Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard.

2001:A Call to Conscience: the Landmark Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Time Warner Audio Books.

It was valuable to have heard so many of King's speech along with the introductions from eminent individuals who made the introductions profound and thoughtful instead of merely praising King. Even the more obscure speeches are included here, so you should

broaden your understanding of King and listen.

Klang, Carl.

1993-2002:Extremist Too. Boulder, CO: Carl Klang.

Some of the best money I have spent! 25 dollars is a lot for a cd, but Carl's cds are worth every penny! With songs such as "Stars and Stripes Upside Down", "Federal Reserve Song", "Watch Out for Martial Law", "It's Dangerous to Be Right (When the Government is Wrong)", "Please, Please Federal Police Man", "OKC Bomb Song", "I Want to be an Extremist", and the others will keep any critically thinking justice loving American playing this over and over. Carl Klang can be both witty and serious, a great combination to master. Carl Klang is one of those artists whose music almost never gets tiring no matter how many times you play it; you just can't have enough of it. Right on lyrics full of powerful and observant points with ever catchy music is the combination which makes this one of the best cds in my music collection.

Lagwagon

2003: Blaze. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

Melodic punk bands like Lagwagon have a place in my music listening life; that is for sure!

Lard

1989:Power of Lard EP. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Alternative Tentacles had a great sale of cassettes for only 3 dollars. I couldn't turn that down. I had heard much of Lard, though I have heard a lot of Jello Biafra. You can see the Al from Ministry's influence since the music isn't really like the Dead Kennedys.

Lard

1990:The Last Temptation of Reid. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Besides the song, "Drug Raid at 4 AM", the album didn't do it for me, and that song only a little. Too dark and convoluted sounding.

Laube, Lydia: Read by Deidre Rubenstein.

1996: Behind the Veil: An Australian Nurse in Saudi Arabia. Tullamarine, Australia: Bolinda Audio.

Some many books about foreign culture diligently attempt to avoid ethnocentrism and judging, but this book is willing to criticize Saudi Arabian culture. In fact, I read one book about Saudi Arabia which went to great lengths to demonstrate why American ethnocentrism can be dangerous, but that book was not nearly as lively as this one, so I suppose sometimes one just prefers ethnocentrism, if for nothing else to make the work listenable or readable. It's very good to not judge, but this book's justified criticisms of Saudi Arabia make much better reading than the typical travel book.

Lennon, John

2004:Acoustic. USA: Capitol Records.

The only really good songs were "Working Class Hero", "Imagine", and "God". The latter two I have heard before, especially the first of the latter two, which I have heard many times. The chorus of "Working Class Hero" does not seem to directly connect to the verses content wise, but perhaps that's the art of it. I prefer the non-acoustic version of "Imagine" to the acoustic version.

Lieberman, David J., Ph.D.: read by Sam Tsoutsouvas.

1997:Instant Analysis: How You Can Understand And Change the Most Common, Puzzling, Annoying, Self-Defeating Behaviors and Habits (abridged). New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Partially laudable, partially not. Changing bad habits is certainly good, the troublesome part is the rational emotive therapy type thinking the author, and so many psychologists today speak dogmatically about. I can't believe the author does all these suggestions himself, if not, he should not be suggesting them. I diligently try to only suggest that which I myself do. Though a wide range of behaviors were covered, I believe some were still left out.

Lunch, Christian

1990:Unreliable Sources. San Francisco, CA: Alternative Tentacles.

Until just now, I thought "Christian Lunch" was a blasphemous band name, but now I figure it's actually someone's given name. On this EP, the style of having a talking scene in the middle of the song was frequent

Madonna

2001:Greatest Hits Volume 2, New York, NY: Maverick/Warner Brothers.

Some good selections for a greatest hits album; some not so good selections.

Madonna

2003:American Life. Beverly Hills, CA: Maverick Recording Company.

Only a couple strong songs, which include "American Life", "Hollywood", and "Die Another Day". Lots of synthesizers for better or for worse. The song "American Life" sounds just like the type of life someone like Madonna lives. "Hollywood" appears to be a banal critique of the city, which may be accurate.

Martin, Janet Letnes and Suzann (Johnson) Nelson

1998:Growing Up Lutheran: What Does This Mean?(abridged) St. Paul, MN: Highbridge Company.

The authors said "This is most certainly true" many times over and over. If this was a song, that would be the chorus. This has the bite of satire, but it is pretty much all true, which is neat because sometimes real life is humorous enough without embellishment. The authors said that one of the main characteristics of Lutheranism is always accepting authority. Lutheranism is not for me. In fact, with that and the rest I heard on here I am ever glad, I, myself, did not "grow up Lutheran".

McGinnis, Alan.

1991:Bringing Out the Best in People. Chicago, IL: Nighthgale-Conant.

I love good motivational tapes. I was afraid it was going to be a little dry, but no, it was very exciting inside. I liked what he had to say and it is a good way to be! Motivation like this is super great.

Mellencamp, John Cougar

1989:Big Daddy. City Unknown: Mercury.

Way too slow. John Cougar Mellencamp sure has created some catchy and inspiring songs, but these ones seem to lack any kick.

Modest Mouse

2004:Good News for People Who Love Bad News. New York, NY: Epic Records.

I heard a Modest Mouse song on a mix cd and it was fairly decent, but none of these songs were good. It's really fortunate I checked this out from the North St. Paul Library rather than purchase it, because purchasing it would have been a waste.

Nerf Herder

Year Unknown: How to Meet Girls. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's.

Fun catchy melodic punk music. This is another way of saying for me all the way!

Nerf Herder

Year Unknown:My EP. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's Motor Oasis.

I thought Nerf Herder was more melodic than this, but whatever the case may be, Nerf Herder is still cool.

Nerf Herder

Year Unknown:American Cheese. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's Motor Oasis.

Good Wit. Nerf Herder seems to have a lot of songs about famous people. Music doesn't always have to be deep to be fun and full of great lyrics. A punk band you should check out. I now own all 3 Nerf Herder cds, so pat me on the back.

O'Rourke, P.J.: Read by Victor Slezak.

1988: 1992:Holidays in Hell. New York, NY: Random

House, Inc.

I thought this would be about vacations where you get stranded in the middle of the desert and are charged an arm and leg for help or a cheap hotel with crabby

workers, but it was even more interesting as it described fascinating travel to some of the worst places on earth (politically and socially). I really haven't read much of O'Rourke's before so this was a good start.

Palmer, Robert.

1989:Addictions Volume One. New York, NY: Island Records.

Pretty much all of the real toe tapping songs were the hits like "Simply Irresistible" and "Addicted to Love" which I remember from my MTV watching days. Although I would not likely purchase this cd, checking it out from the library enhanced my jogging time since it provided some additional choices. Plus, folks, really slow and mellow songs (unless accommodated by some power) usually aren't suitable for running, but songs like "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible" are. "Johnny and Mary" although with a less prominent tempo is a hidden gem, though on this copy, the cd skipped part way through.

Patent, Arnold M

1997:You Can Have It All: A Simple Guide to a Joyful and Abundant Life. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Hogwash. From the sound of it, I really don't want a "joyful and abundant life", at least what he is offering.

Richardson, Dr. Ronald and Lois Richardson, M.A.

1996:Birth Order and You: How Your Sex and Position in the Family Affect Your Personality and Relationships. North Vancouver, B.C.: International Self-Counsel Press, Ltd.

This birth order theory makes a lot of sense. This theory seems to contradict or perhaps minimize the theory of alcoholic families put forth by Sharon Wegscheider. Wegscheider argues that alcoholic families have strict and intense roles. The birth order theory seems to suggest pretty much all families have these roles anyways.

RoAne, Susan.

2000:How to Work a Room: the Ultimate Guide to Savvy Socializing In Person and Online (Abridged). Los Angeles, CA: Audio Renaissance.

A little too much of the simplistic mindset that if you are a good person, people will always like you. Such is rubbish in the real world. Otherwise, there is much prudent advice, plus probably the description of how to down to earth.

Shaw, Mark: read by Bill Evans.

1993:Down for the Count: The Shocking Truth Behind the Mike Tyson Rape Trial. Los Angeles, CA: High Tops Sports Productions, Inc.

I am drawn to court cases, famous or otherwise. This tale furthered my beliefs in the injustice and unfairness of the case. The style and information was excellent. The author did convince me that Tyson was wronged.

St. James, Elaine

1997:Simplify Your Life: Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that Really Matter. USA: Bantam Doubleday Audio

Having exposed myself to other simplicity literature, I have learned about many of the ideas. Plus I have thought of or serendipitously discovered many, myself. More so than providing new ideas, this work affirmed the sound and clever simplification ideas I have already employed.

Stewart, Elinore Pruitt: Read by Rebecca Burns

1997: Letters of a Woman Homesteader. Newport Beach, CA: Books on Tape.

I was impressed with how liberated this woman seemed during her time (early 20th century), but other than that, the book was fairly mundane.

Tannen, Deborah

1991: That's Not What I Meant. New York, NY: Sound Ideas.

It started out okay, then got more interesting as it went along.

Teenage Fanclub

1991: Bandwagonesque. Los Angeles, CA: The David Gergen Company.

I needed some music cds to listen, I couldn't find many, the cover art and the band seemed interesting, so I thought I would try it and it wasn't too bad.

Tilt

Year Unknown:Collect 'Em All. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

I really need to buy more punk cds like this for my collection. It's hard to have enough punk cds like this in one's collection.

The Underhills

2002: Belligerence is Bliss. Alhambra, CA: Gale-Force Records.

The cover is full of alcohol litter, and it seems the band is pro-alcohol. None of the songs really stood out. I don't think I will be buying any other Underhills albums.

Various Artists

Year Unknown: Anti-Floyd: the Terrier State. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords/Honest Don's.

Anti-Flag, Descendents, and Nerf Herder, among others make me glad I acquired this cd.

Various Artists

Year Unknown: Floyd: Squawk Among Us. San Francisco, CA: Pink and Black Records/ Honest Don's Hardly Used Recordings/ Fat Wreck Chords.

I got this cd as part of a grab bag offer from poppunk.com. I did not realize this cd even existed, though I am familiar with the line of Fat Wreck Chords. The collaboration between this affiliated record labels yields a positive punk product.

Various Artists

1999:All You Need is Love: Beatles Songs for Kids. Santa Monica, CA: Music for Little People.

At first I thought this was an original Beatles recording, then I found it was children covering the Beatles. It was a good variation of the Beatles.

Various Artists

Year Unknown:The Exfloyded. San Francisco, CA: Fat Wreck Chords.

It's nice that Fat Wreck Chords has this free cd. I do wonder what the point of having Pink and Black Records and Honest Don's listed as separate labels if they are all distributed and handled the same. But then again, it's fun to have different labels even if they are all pretty much just the same.

Various Artists

2004:Warped Tour 2004 Compilation. Los Angeles, CA: Side One Dummy.

One of the most professional sounding life albums around; usually live albums lack the refined quality of studio produced albums, but if you did not know this album was live, you likely would not be able to tell the difference. Out of 52 bands, only a few were up my alley.

Various Artists

Year Unknown:Return of the Read Menace. San Francisco, CA: Honest Don's and AK Press Audio.

You would think political punk would be great, but in practice it was not. Learn from my mistake, and do not purchase this if you prefer more melodic punk (like me).

Various Artists

2003:United We Stand 2. Hollywood, CA: Capitol Records.

The common denominator of these songs is that they are slow, and often too slow.

Various Artists

2001:God Bless America. New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.

It seems that the idiosyncratic styles of these artists took away from the covers of the classics. But for the singers who song their own singers, the songs were quality and real.

Various Artists

1997:Greatest Hits of the 60's 1963. Chadds Ford, PA: Creative Music Marketing, Ltd.

Although most of us have heard the big hits from the 60's, it sounded as if there were a couple songs on here, I had not previously heard. The album was quite short, some songs were fairly catchy, but otherwise I don't recommend purchasing this album.

Various Artists

1997:Poptopia: Power Pop Classics of the '70's. Los Angeles, CA: Rhino Entertainment Company.

Some songs are catchy; others are not.

Various Artists

2002: Feed Your Ears Vol. 1. Gainesville, FL: Fueled by Ramen

Records.

Nothing really stood out, though I was glad to get an opportunity to listen to another record label.

Various Artists

2005:Facedown Records Spring '05 Sampler CD. Sun City, CA: Facedown Records.

Dreadful! My reactions to albums like this make feel old, because such an album sounds like just unlikable noise. Way too heavy without any melody. Liking new school punk makes me feel young, though. I just can't accept music that is pure noise without any type of melody.

Various Artists

2003:Punkorama. Los Angeles, CA: Epitaph Records.

I didn't think I could find a good deal like this at Sam Goody. 2 cds for only $7.37. This just goes to show that it pays to look.

Various Artists

Year Unknown: Pure Punk Rock. Middle Island, NY: Punkcore Records.

The purpose of a record sampler is to whet your tongue so you want to purchase full length recordings of the bands. On that ground, this sampler failed because I do not desire to purchase an album of any of these bands. A couple of songs were alright, but I guess I much prefer new school melodic punk over this harsher less melodic punk.

Various Artists

2004:Take Action Volume 04. Van Nuys, CA: Sub City Records.

Great cause (suicide prevention); not so great music. The music is way too hard and rough for me. I did like the NOFX song, "Concerns of a GOP Neo-Phyte (Wrong Version)", but that's about it.

Various Artists

2004:Patriotic Country. New York, NY: BMG Music.

This album seems to be as much glorification of small town life as the title suggests "Patriotic Country". Patriotism can be fine in moderate amounts, but how can you glorify small town living? I have lived in a variety of places, including small towns and I must say one horse towns are among my least favorite places to be. Although the song, "My Town" has a catchy beat, the lyrics make me cringe.

Various Artists

2003: Punk Rock Fever. Cranbury, NJ: Jolted Records.

For me, disappointing, I have a couple of these songs on another compilation, but that's not their fault. It is true, punk is for me.

Various Artists

2003:Now That's What I Call Music 13. Santa Monica, CA: EMI Records & Virgin Records Limited.

A strange mix of trendy artists like Jennifer Lopez and alternative artists like the Ataris. Overall, a bit better than I would have expected.

Various Artists

2004:Springman Records #1. Cupertino, CA: Springman Records.

Once again Springman Records proves how it loves to give us bargains. This cd like most Springman compilations cost only $2. It's funny that major record labels don't offer compilations this cheap, but Springman does. I love to support Indy labels. Springman is a good one to support.

Various Artists

Year Unknown: Victory Style 4. Chicago, IL: Victory Records.

A decent use of 5 bucks.

Various Artists

2002:Punk-O-Rama 7. Los Angeles, CA: Epitaph Records.

I was impressed to see the Minneapolis Central Library had this available for me to check out. How many other cool cds does the library have that are checked out? I liked the versions of the songs that Rancid and NOFX did of each other. The Bad Religion song I have listened to many times before, and although it is better than many other songs, is not my favorite Bad Religion song.

Various Performers

1995:Tutti Tchaikovsky. New York, NY: BMG Music.

Way too slow and mellow. It won't put you to sleep, because the performers already seem asleep or at least very groggy.

Vidal, Gore: Narrated by Paul Hecht.

2003: Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson. Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC.

I was expecting an informative presentation about this historical subject, but I also got something unexpected: the author digressing about how his subject at hand indirectly and directly relates to current United States affairs. Such is not done nearly enough. Such seems to be one of the most valuable ways to use history.

Weil, Andrew

1997: 8 Weeks to Optimal Health. Canada: Random House.

A lot of virtues of alternative medicine are included here. I like alternative medicine, but natural hygiene is still the best for me.

Weil, Andrew

2000:Eating Well for Optimum Health: the Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition (abridged). Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC.

Too restrictive for me, but many good health ideas. I liked how in the end he contrasted various diets, though he concluded the Mediterranean diet was best. He thought a vegan diet was incomplete, but I think a vegan diet is just about right, especially a healthy one.

Weiss, Gary: read by Frank Whaley.

2003:Born to Steal: When the Mafia Hit Wall Street. U.S.A: Time Warner Audiobooks.

Goodness, I don't want to be like this. The story was good though, educational as well as I didn't know about chop houses before. It was also suspenseful.

Woitiz, Janet.

1988:Struggle for Intimacy. Deerfield Beach, CA: Health Communications, Inc.

The seminar format detracted a bit from the amount of information that could have been included. Though a seminar format is preferable to a radio program format. Still, the cassette taught some useful lessons about the troubles children of alcoholics have in relationships and also about the therapy of recovering from being a child of an alcoholic. We need more not less of this type of deal. We need longer formats too!

Woodman, Marion.

1990:Dreams: Language of the Soul. Boulder, CO: Sounds True Recordings.

I'm not sure I buy her theory of dreams, and even if I do, the presentation style was not analytic and detailed enough for my tastes.

Woodward, Bob

1994:The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Unfortunately this early look into the Clinton presidency could not have provided us with the significant happenings of the later years, since much of the first term and the whole second term was not covered at all. I did get another angle of Bill Clinton, and even though the Democrats aren't the most interesting, the book was. It irked me to learn folks acted as if the "New Democrats" idea was transcending the traditional traps and categories. I don't think transcending traditional categories is something the Democratic Party is capable of doing.

Woodward, Bob: read by Edward Herrmann.

1991:The Commanders. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Audio.

Suspenseful and dramatic. Although the Gulf War was a crucial aspect of Woodward's presidency, I would have liked it if Woodward would have dealt with other issues of Bush's presidency too.

Woodward, Bob: read by James McNaugthon.

1999: Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Trying to hit all the presidents perhaps caused him to gloss over some important material. He emphasized scandals but he forgot to cover the ever important Ruby Ridge and Waco scandals. Those were much more significant in effects of government power than Monicagate or many others. Still fascinating reading.

Catfish

Volume 40

Andrew Bushard

Reviews

Books

Acker, Kerry

2000:Need to Know Library: the Goth Scene. New York, NY: the Rosen Publishing Company.

The author did an excellent job enabling us to understand the Goth culture without stereotyping it (though in the book's brief mention of punk, it mischaracterizes punk, perhaps stereotyping it). After reading this book, I have a better understanding of the Goth culture.

Adobe Systems

1998: Electronic Publishing Guide: the Essential Resource for Electronic Publishing. San Jose, CA: Adobe Press.

This is one of those books disguising itself as a handbook for publishing, when it is really just a glorified infomercial for Adobe. Nonetheless, even if one never uses Adobe, this book can still be of use.

Alexander, Paul

2004:The Candidate: Behind John Kerry's Remarkable Run for the White House. New York, NU: Penguin Group, Inc.

I read part of a review of this book, which made the book sound cheesy, but the book really wasn't. In fact, it was odd: I finished this book in one day, something which is rare for even the best books of substantial length. I guess even though I dislike the Democratic Party, I can still learn something from John Kerry's candidacy and his life.

Blanco, Jodee

2003:Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation.

If this book had a theme song, it could be Bob Marley's "Cornerstone", which says "The stone that the river refused will always be the head cornerstone". The book gives me hope; it provides comfort to the outcasts, and hopefully it gives us strength to carry on. Surely, one of the best genre of books is non-fiction narratives, and of that category, this book excels like few other.

Boland, Mary

2001: Crime Victims Guide to Justice. Naperville, IL: Sphinx

If you have a fundamental understanding of the criminal justice system as I would like to think I do, then this book probably won't teach you much new information.

Brandt, Lisa

2003: Celebrity Tantrums: the Official Dirt. Toronto, ON: ECW Press.

Entertaining but hardly edifying.

Breitman, Patti and Connie Hatch.

2000:How to Say No and Say Yes to More Time, More Joy, and What Matters Most to You Without Feeling Guilty. New York, NY: Broadway House.

I liked how so many different situations requiring assertiveness where explained and specific examples and phrases were suggested to help deal with these situations. Still some possible situations were not described but I guess we can't expect the authors to get them all in here. A great combination of general principles and specific examples. Assertiveness books are so needed because no matter how good a person may be, there is always room for improvement.

Brooks, Guy and Victoria

1995:Malaysia: A Kick Start Guide for Business Travelers. North Vancouver, B.C.: Self-Counsel Press.

Not bad. A little too formal, but still useful.

Buchanan, Patrick J.

2004:Where the Right Went Wrong: How Neoconservatives Subverted the Reagan Revolution and Hijacked the Bush Presidency. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.

I like the fact that when a rightist such as Buchanan rightfully denounces neoconservatives, it might be reason for others to notice. Let us hope the conservatives follow his way. Although conservative views may not be my total ideal, I would much rather conservatives act and believe like Buchanan than act and believe like Bush. The criticisms are right on and Buchanan is courageous to be maverick enough to criticize the right. You conservatives better listen and change your movement to align it with Buchanan's recommedations.

Bueno-Aguer, Lee

1991:Fast Your Way to Health. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.

Can you believe it: I found a book about fasting at a library? Any library that stocks a book on fasting scores big points with me. I dug how the book combined emphasis on both the spiritual and therapeutic aspects of fasting. The book is solidly grounded in natural hygienic thought. I knew much of information about the therapeutic aspects of fasting because I read a bunch of books on fasting already, but I learned more on the spiritual aspects of fasting. Especially if you are a Christian, this book can be great for you.

Carville, James

1998:And the Horse He Rode In On: The People V. Kenneth Starr. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Typical, almost stereotypical two party polemic. James Carville believes that Kenneth Starr needs to get a life, I agree, I also believe that Carville needs to use his talents to smash rather than advance the two party system.

Cary, Eve, Alan Levine and Janet Price.

1997:The Rights of Students: ACLU Handbooks for Young Americans. New York, NY: Penquin Putnam, Inc.

Vital! Read, even if you are not a student. It's great to learn about student rights, especially in the favorite Q&A style. In general, I find it so immensely necessary to learn about my rights, thus I adored what I learned in this volume.

Catlin, Steven

1997:Work Less & Play More. Ventura, CA: Kimberlite Publishing.

This book attempts to put into practice a major aim of my life, to work needlessly as little as possible. I am glad that other people realize this aim is essential. Naturally, many of the suggestions I have already discovered or thought of, but one can always learn something new, right? If the possibility of reducing the amount of time you work has just been opened up to you, then this book can really help you out. Indeed, so many people don't realize how little we can work and still get by. Work Less & Play More exhilarates me because it uplifts the beautiful.

Creed, Dan

2003:Governor Ventura "The Body" Exposed: The Man. The Mansion. The Meltdown. Madison, WI: Hunter Halverson Press, LLC.

I am skeptical of his criticism of Jesse. Although I don't agree with everything Ventura believes or does, I do believe he has a lot of good ideas and he is an inspiring individual. I did like to get this perspective of Ventura's Residence Manager. Creed touched upon the notion of "servant leadership", which caused me to look into it further. I stayed up too late reading this book. In places, the work is even touching because Creed reflects upon the goodness of all the people he worked with (famous and not so famous). Exposes continue to fascinate me, and this work does what the genre generally does.

Crowley, Thomas.

1994:Settle It Out of the Court: How to Resolve Business and Personal Disputes Using Mediation, Arbitration, and Negotiation. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

When I picked up this book I hoped it would be a straight forward navigation guide for mediation and arbitration forums. The book heavily emphasized the philosophy and psychology of disputes and their resolution. It even covered trial. The book is insightful on these grounds, though I would have preferred a more straight forward approach describing the nuts and bolts of mediation and arbitration.

Cohen, Ben and Jerry Greenfield

1997: Ben and Jerry's Double Dip: Lead with Your Values and Make Money Too. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

I heard Ben Cohen speak in person and thought he had a good approach to business. This tape further elaborates Ben and Jerry's philosophy of business. Perhaps, Ben Cohen should run for president. He has some good views plus he has enough money to bankroll it.

Coulter, Ann

2003: Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism. New York, NY: Crown Forum.

For Labor Day holiday since the library was closed, I made sure to check out a bunch of books. I was hoping to check out a page turner since I really needed some good books for this holiday. Most of the books really didn't excite me. Some of them had good messages, but I just was not drawn in. Then I pick up Treason and finally I had a page turner. Ms. Coulter is a great writer (though I can't say I totally agree with her message). It's hard to tell what makes a book a hook. Sometimes, one may think if a book has too many sophisticated words, it is hard to read. But this book surely puts that hypothesis to rest as there are plenty of sophisticated words, yet you can't put the book down. I once checked out one of her other books, High Crimes and Misdemeanors, but I really couldn't get into it. For her book titles, she surely chooses words with unambiguous meanings and those that pack a powerful punch. Especially in regard to McCarthy, Coulter is a revisionist. In a way, this work is similar to Buchanan's A Republic Not an Empire, as both works describe history in order to make a political argument. The difference is that Buchanan is much more subtle and graceful, while Coulter endlessly tosses lethal grenades. Overkill, perhaps. Her writing is far more inflammatory than Buchanan. Buchanan, at least in part, maintains some objectivity, but Coulter is constantly complaining. These Republican types are quick to accuse someone of "treason" if the person critiques the United States government, but Republicans somehow can complain all they want and still are "patriotic". In fact, Al Franken pointed out that some Republicans who ripped Democrats apart for opposing the Iraq War saying it's unpatriotic to question government policy when our troops are at war, they themselves criticized the troops when Clinton was President. Coulter provides a list of presidents during the Cold War and argues that most of them were weak but Reagan was a hero. For some reason she left Warren G. Harding off this list. I don't know whether it was because it was inconsistent with her argument, or whether it was because she like many others thought his administration was insignificant. I was a little impressed to see her even criticize some Republicans. It seems if one is not conservative (even though one may be a Republican), one is not good to Coulter. She even criticized Bush once!! I do believe that is a first. She talks about Bush like a giddy school girl swoons over an attractive teacher. She repugnantly defends racial profiling in the war on terrorism. Does she realize that a number of terrorists have been WHITE? Timothy McVeigh, the Unabomber, and the Symbionese Liberation Army (all white except one black) are three examples of white terrorists. Perhaps, in 1995, the loser law enforcement agents were harassing Middle Eastern people when they should have been scrutinizing McVeigh and Nichols. It's great that Ann Coulter is a strong fierce woman. She is assertive and strong willed. She can hate as we sometimes should. But Ann Coulter lacks balance. She seems to have no sensitivity, no softness. Maybe she has a tender side which only her close ones see, but in her writing, it is not apparent.

Diamond, Harvey.

2003: Fit For Life, Not Fat For Life. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

I was pleasantly surprised to see such a natural hygienic book in the Maplewood, MN library. Books of this perspective are all too rare. Diamond believes raw food is absolutely key. He tells us to make sure we consume a greater amount of raw food than cooked and processed food. A good goal, which I find very difficult to attain. At least, he does not eschew all cooked and processed, but just believes the diet show emphasize raw food. It is my hope that I incorporate more and more raw food into my diet. I also am coming to believe that cooked food is necessary too. I just don't feel right if I only eat raw food. Perhaps there is something sacred about cooking food. Diamond tries to change the standard of way more cooked and processed food than raw food. I like that a balance of both to me is what we need.

Dimaggio, Richard L.

2002: Collection Agency Harassment: What the Debt Collector Doesn't Want You to Know. Clifton Park, NJ: the Consumer Press.

The common sense suggestions of the book, I figured out many already. The rest informed me about the collection agency law, specifically the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I feel more empowered in the debt arena. As lawyers go, Dimaggio appears to be a worthwhile one.

Dorio, Marc

1997: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Interview. New York, NY: Alpha Books.

This book appealed to me both out of general interest in Idiots' and Dummies' books, and also out of practical need. Though, it was more a matter of the former than the latter.

Eriksen, Ronald

1994: How to Find Missing Persons: A Handbook for Investigators Revised and Expanded Second Edition. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

I carried this book through customs, and perhaps surprisingly, they did not say much about it. I find it hard to believe some of the tricks used in this book to get otherwise inaccessible information worked and would work. It just seems these companies have more security than that. The informal tone added to the interest without taking away from the information.

Farah, George

2004:No Debate: How the Republican and Democratic Parties Secretly Control the Presidential Debates. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.

The book is a critique of the state of presidential debates (they suck) and call to include third parties candidates most especially Perot, Buchanan and Ralph Nader. As a pragmatic move, the author recommends inclusion of only those like these, while excluding the rest of the third parties. Since I so dearly love third parties, the pragmatic move might be a smart one. The author also clearly demonstrates how utterly pitiful and unjust it is that the debates exclude third party candidates. To support his point, he even finds surprising backing from people like Alan Keyes! How wonderful it will be if the author's ideas come to fruition.

Feiner, Michael

2004:The Feiner Points of Leadership: the 50 Basic Laws that Will Make People Want to Perform Better for You. New York, NY: Time Warner Book Group.

Generally sage advice drawn from the author's personal experience. In depth and elucidated extensively. I crave books about leadership because leadership is so

important to do right. Another leadership book I can add to my knowledge base.

Frank, Stephen and Stephen Wagner

1999:We Shocked the World: A Case Study of Jesse Ventura's Election as Governor of Minnesota. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

Written by two Stephens! Short and academic yet even non academics could get something out of it. It lacked the typical descriptions of this great victory instead opting for a more dispassionate analysis. Consequently, the main consultant to the authors is a professor from Minnesota State University at Mankato, whom I have met. This book, through its analysis, minimized some the intrigue of this campaign victory.

Fransway, Rebecca (ed)

2000:12-Step Horror Stories: True Tales of Misery, Betrayal and Abuse. Tucson, AZ: See Sharp Press.

Page turning extraordinaire. From reading other books about A.A., I was already predisposed to believe AA is not too good. This book has me convinced that, as many of the writers in this work say, the top self help organization is a cult. While reading this book's description of AA, it occurred to me that AA is very similar to Rational Emotive Therapy. Since Rational Emotive Therapy has issue, so does AA. I wouldn't want to go to an AA meeting; something rubs me the wrong way, and furthermore many of these authors rationally argued against it. Even though I am all against alcohol, I at best find AA to be an impediment.

Freeman, Allyn and Bob Golden.

1997:Why Didn't I Think of That: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

The pagination was weird. Instead of standard numbering, the pages were numbered by chapter. Otherwise, a solid book which serves the trivia genre proud.

Goldish, Meish

1998:The Dangers of Herbal Stimulants. New York, NY: the Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

For awhile, I was skeptical of herbal stimulants, since I have long been opposed to most every use of any drug, then I soon got to the point where I was against them. This book firmly sets in my mind how bad these herbal stimulants are and how my intuition was correct in directing me to oppose them.

Graham, Kevin

2000:Ralph Nader: Battling for Democracy. Denver, CO: Windham Publishing.

I hope one day society paints Nader the way Graham has painted him. Unfortunately, even the left has come to hate him for daring to run for President, for daring to demonstrate the Democratic Party is not right for America. I loved it when Graham described how General Motors attempted to dig up some dirt on Nader only to find out he was squeaky clean. Although Nader's influence in society has declined especially since publication of this work, Graham understands what's important and what's right. May one day this way be revered.

Gravitz, Herbert L. and Julie D. Bowden

1985: Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

My my my. This book articulated matters which I may have thought others didn't quite understand. I can't agree with all the solutions, but the assessment of the problem is certainly superb.

Greenblatt, Miriam

2003:Enchantment of the World, Second Series: Afghanistan. New York, NY: Children's Press.

I was glad to find a post Afghanistan War book to describe the country because to read a pre-US intervention book would be missing out on so very much.

Gregory, Leland H. III

1998:Presumed Ignorant: An Uncensored Guide to Disorder in the Courts. New York, NY: Dell Trade Paperback.

A combination of one of those books about all our stupid laws plus absurd tales about our criminal justice system. To combine the two together certainly enhanced the book.

Hamilton, Lee

2004: How Congress Works and Why You Should Care. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Hamilton is too supportive of Congress. One would expect him to be. Hamilton states that we need only reforms, but I would like to see a lot more than just reforms. At times, one might interpret Hamilton's tone a bit condescending.

Hammerman, David, Ed.D. and Lisa Lenard, M.F.A.

2000:The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reincarnation. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books.

Reincarnation and especially karma really intrigue me. It might be nice if they both existed, and they do seem more probable than a number of other possibilities, but I am just too skeptical to say they do exist for sure. This book says the purpose of karma is multifold including "experiencing the range of human emotions". But you can experience any emotion for any event since human emotions are subjective, as many psychologists say. Can karma exist when our ideas of right and wrong are so subjective, since one person's junk is another person's treasure. Do we have to learn lessons the hard way? This book devotes much effort to discussing past life therapy. To me, again, it seems intriguing, but it just seems so ripe for abuse and false conjecture. In some ways, I would be really glad if reincarnation does exist, but I just am not convinced of theological matters too easily since they are making descriptive claims in addition to normative claims. I am eclectic, though it seems more difficult to be eclectic about the origin of it all. I can easily be eclectic about a religion's description for how we should live, but it just seems that you are either right or wrong about the origin of it all and how the afterlife works. I did like how the book looked at reincarnation without necessarily focusing on one religion. On the back of the book, it was said we could "learn all about"..."Reincarnation in the 'The Big Four'—Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism". I do believe this is a misprint. Buddhism is not mentioned. I believe Islam was substituted inadvertently for Buddhism. I was intrigued about what Islam would say about reincarnation but there was nothing in the index or in the text itself about Islam and reincarnation. It's odd that people so often mix up Islam and Buddhism when the two are very very different. The book is persuasive and extremely well written though I am not easily persuaded about these spiritual matters. Reincarnation is a neat concept and maybe it exists (hopefully?), I just can't see myself affirming that it does for sure any time soon. Though there is something in me that believes in karma whether it is paired with reincarnation (as it often is used interchangeably) or not. I fear if karma exists. A "Complete Idiot's Guide" on reincarnation is hard to beat. It's hard to find books on this topic that cover the bases, so I am ever glad I did.

Handman, Gary

1990: Bibliotoons: A Mischievous Meander Through the Stacks and Beyond. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc.

I really should read more book about library themes (like this one), since I love libraries so very much.

Hayes, E. Nelson (Ed.)

1989:Adult Children of Alcoholics Remember: True Stories of Abuse and Recovery by ACOAs. New York, NY: Harmony Books.

A simply terrific concept for a book! In fact, I had an idea for a book very similar to this, but it was broader in scope. I thought it would be awesome to have a book with stories from people harmed by alcohol in many ways. I came across the book with part delight and part disappointment that someone beat me to the punch. The stories were touching and it is sure nice to realize someone shares your pain. I think a lot of people should read this anthology to get a better understanding of all the torment children of alcoholics face.

Hightower, Jim

2003:Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take it Back. New York, NY: Penquin Group.

More inspirational than your average liberal polemic. Content wise, it's pretty standard left fare. Some stories and examples were new to me. His aim is beneficial, his politics are generally a plus; we just need to expand ourselves, because the left doesn't offer enough. The left doesn't offer everything. I was born to read books about politics.

Hilton, Stanley G. and Dr. Anne-Renee Testa

1998:Glass Houses: Shocking Profiles of Congressional Sex Scandals and Other Official Misconduct. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.

Juicy to be sure. Though the authors are continuing the cycle. The authors condemn those who condemn Clinton because these people are judgmental. The authors are judgmental too! Is this book an apologist work for Clinton? It makes me wonder. I love reading about the impeached judge who became a congressman and the convicted congressman who had to wear an ankle bracelet while serving. For some reason Dennis Kucinich was included. He only got 2 pages. The material on him was pretty lame as his "misconduct" didn't seem to warrant even mentioning him. Most of the work is tabloid style dirt. The last couple chapters do provide a nice philosophical, sociological, and psychological analysis of the nature of United States politics.

Hogshire, Jim

1992:Sell Yourself to Science: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Organs, Body Fluids, Bodily Functions and Being a Human Guinea Pig. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

Illuminating. Even though I do not plan to sell any of my body parts to science or be a guinea pig, I must say this book opens one's eyes. Hogshire provides information on possibilities which some people may take advantage of. I don't like the idea of testing drugs, because I don't like putting drugs in my body, but I do like the fact that Hogshire is thinking outside the box by making novel suggestions. Perhaps, my favorite suggestion of Hogshire's is selling one of your corneas for a few thousand dollars. I can't believe anyone would think that bargain would be worthwhile. About the operation he says, "yes, you will be disfigured by the operation and probably have to wear an eye patch or get a glass eye and you will lose your depth perception as well as disqualify yourself for certain types of jobs and licenses". Classic.

Hoy, Michael (Ed.)

1998:Loompanics Unlimited Conquers the Universe: Articles and Features from the Best Book Catalog in the World. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to figure out a way to do a search for book publishers on the La Crosse Public Library's card catalog, thus this is the next best deal since I love finding Loompanics books. I guess finding Loompanics books by chance will be part of the fun. The editor has a talent of combining some of the dullest articles with some of the most fascinating. It was frustrating because I would read a fascinating article, only to find a dull article shortly after it. The story "Bramble Bush" was hyped up to be a classic, but it was probably one of the dullest pieces in this anthology. There's not much worse than dull weak plot fiction. There sure was a lot of emphasis on prisons. In fact, I believe 3 articles were on this subject. One article would have been enough as the material basically repeated itself. Toward the back was an article called "Land Mine Legislation". I was thinking the article might be about laws regulating land mine construction and setting, but no, the article was about really oppressive laws. I think I may have preferred the first option, but the article was still interesting nevertheless. I just wish it would have not been a metaphor!

Hunter, James

1998:The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership. New York, NY: Crown Business Books.

About the only flaw of this otherwise high caliber book is the mindset so common to motivational books, that if you are a good person you will succeed in life, and if you are a bad person you will fail. Utter rubbish. Sure it would be nice if such was the case, but such is not the case. This book is in many ways similar to Stephen Covey's Highly Effective People and related works. In fact, Covey is even cited in here. Effective was how the author borrowed from eclectic sources. I believe one of the values of an eclectic mindset is the possibility of learning from everyone. Servant leadership is entirely compatible with my philosophy of leadership. I want to embrace it. I do have reservations with Hunter's recommendation that servant leaders need to put others needs before theirs, as many others say "You can't love anyone else, until you love yourself first" The detailed contrast between authority and power was wise. Examples of Mother Teresa were given to illustrate how she had little power but tremendous influence. In another motivational work, the author used the examples of Frederick the Great and Jesus Christ, claiming the former was very powerful in his day, but today few care about him, while the latter had no official power, but today millions abide by his teachings. Adolf Hitler proves this example perfectly. Adolf Hitler obtained more raw power than perhaps anyone else in history, but his ultimate influence over lives is next to nothing. Few people seek to follow Hitler's teaching thus ultimately Hitler became a twisted joke. I hope to one day to get in a position where I can be a servant leader who advances these noble principles to the max.

Hunter, James C.

2004:The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle: How to Become a Servant Leader. New York, NY: Crown Business Books.

Mostly a rehash of Hunter's book, The Servant. If you read one, you really don't need to read the other (take it from someone who has read both), since reading both gets redundant. I definitely agree with the basics of servant leadership. Some of the specifics in this book of Hunter's bothers me. For one, Hunter over generalizes certain points. For example, he acts as if everyone, like him, is too easy on themselves. Lots of people are too hard on themselves. He like many other motivational writers/speakers act as if being good will always cause you to succeed, which is a very stupid though desirable suggestion. Ironically, he claims Wal-Mart follows servant leadership principles. I think in one sense it does, but in another sense it surely does not. Robert's Greenleaf's definition of servant leadership, involves "not using human beings", which as many have shown Wal-Mart does do. Hunter, even praised Bush, because of some prayer he says a lot. A lot of evangelical types naively believe there is nothing to criticize about Bush. Bush is definitely not a servant leader. He is the opposite of a servant leader. These criticisms should not detract from how profound this book is. Servant leadership is so awesome and I am ever glad I have read about it.

Huston, Peter.

1997: Scams from the Great Beyond: How to Make Easy Money Off of ESP, Astrology, UFOs, Crop Circles, Cattle Mutilations, Alien Abductions, Atlantis, Channeling, and Other New Age Nonsense. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press.

The only noticeable flaw of this fine book was how harshly the author dismissed all new age ideas as hoaxes and rubbish. I believe there are mixed motives all over the New Age field. He opened my eyes to New Age problems and sent me the skeptic message loud and clear. When analyzed by critics, New Age seems to be absurd, just like the author bluntly suggests. A Paladin Press book that had the Loompanics feel. Even the bits about the author, illustrator, and model were great reading. Folks, this is the type of book we need, an intellectual yet down to earth expose on a fascinating topic.

Jordan, Dixie

1995:Honorable Intentions: A Parent's Guide to Educational Planning for Children with Emotional or Behavior Disorders. PACER Center.

I surely had heard of ADD and ADHD before, but before I begin my current job working with Emotional Behavior Disorders, I had not heard of EBD before. I wanted to learn more so I asked my supervisor if I could have some material on it, which brought me to this informative book.

Kajander, Rebecca, CPNP, MPH

1995:Living with ADHD: A Practical Guide to Coping With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Park Nicollet Medfical Foundation.

Despite the fact this book was trying to advertise Ritalin through a thinly disguised attempt at writing about ADHD, it did provide good readable information about the "disorder" in a way as to promote sympathetic understanding.

Katz, Evan Marc.

2003:I Can't Believe I'm Buying This Book: A Commonsense Guide to Successful Internet Dating. Berkley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

The second full length book I read on internet dating. This one had a more personable style than the other, by a little. Some of the same points were made in both. This book supplemented the other.

Koop, C. Everett, M.D. and Timothy Johnson, M.D.

1992:Let's Talk: An Honest Conversation on Critical Issues: Abortion, Euthanasia, AIDS, and Health Care. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

One of the book's selling point was dialogue from two very different opponents, but in a number of instances, their opinions did not differ all that much. In these cases, often the opinions differed on small matters. Most of the arguments for any of the positions were not new, but the premise of the book is an admirable undertaking.

Kritsberg, Wayne.

1985:The Adult Children of Alcoholics Syndrome: From Discovery to Recovery. Pompano Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

This book is more geared toward how to handle the problem therapeutically that about insights into the disease, though it gives some good insights. The therapeutic approaches are wonderful, even those you could try by yourself without a therapist. Although many of the approaches would be positive, they do seem like extraordinary work.

Lansky, Vicki

1995:Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of. Deephaven, MN: the Book Peddlers.

I don't think a person could remember all these tips; thus, it might be useful for one to own this book, if one wanted to maximize usage of baking soda.

Lawrence-Ell, George

1997:The Invisible Clock: A Practical Revolution in Finding Time for Everyone and Everything. Kingsland Hall Publishing.

The theme is to forget about time and base your life on "a mission". Although I may disagree on some of his particulars, generally this sounds real good to me. As a person who has long found time stifling, I believe such is a good idea. As a person who has

sought to avoid thinking about time for quite awhile now, this is welcome and it gives me the all the more reason to continue avoiding thinking about time.

Lucaire, Ed

1993:Celebrity Setbacks: 800 Stars Who Overcame the Odds. New York, NY: Prentice Hall.

A lot like the book The Road to Success is Paved With Failures by Joey Green. Little is more inspiring to me than stories of people overcoming adversity to one day triumph. Little is more beautiful than this. It gives me hope. It reminds us to keep our eyes on the prize no matter how bleak it gets. You really can't get much better than this, folks.

Luger, Jack

1996:How to Use Mail Drops for Profit, Privacy and Self Protection. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited

In a way rebellious, in a way not. Either way still good to read

McCue, Camille.

2000: Finding What You Want on the Web. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

Virtually nothing in this book is new to me. I knew virtually all of it already. As a person who is a frequent internet user, a beginning guide to the net did not do me much good.

Metcalf, Franz.

1999: What Would Buddha Do: 101 Answers to Life's Daily Dilemnas. Berkley, CA: Seastone.

Reading this made me realize that the way of Buddha is not my way. I don't think attachment and desire are all bad nor do I think hatred is always wrong. I think some hate is good and healthy. There is good in Buddhism, to be sure. I like how this book, says it plays off the WWJD theme and does so especially in offering a WWBD bracelet just like the WWJD bracelet. I did like the question and answer format.

Moore, Michael

2003Dude, Where's My Country? New York, NY: Warner Books.

His style and approach are second to only a few. The content is typical and not necessarily incredibly original, but a lot of what he says needs to be said. It was going pretty good until the chapter "Oil's Well That Ends Well"; this chapter was stupid and it asserts just lofty ideas (ideas no one in the left has really been able to achieve). Moore does acknowledge how much Democrats suck, but his solution for solving our nation's problems is to vote Democrat. Personally, if someone really sucks, I try to avoid voting for her or him. But Michael Moore actually encourages people to vote for rotten candidates and a rotten party. Go figure. In some ways, he reminds me of Ann Coulter. Moore claims that most of the population supports liberal ideas while Coulter claims most of the population is conservative. In both cases, I believe cognitive dissonance led each to these conclusions. The idea popularity = right is a firmly embedded aspect of our democratic system. Both Moore and Coulter believe their ideas are right, thus instead of saying "popularity does not equal right" yet my ideas are still right, they have to claim the masses support their ideas. It is impossible for the majority to be both liberal and conservative, so at least one of them is wrong, maybe both of them. Moore is thinking right when he recommends that Oprah run for President. I do believe it would be good if some progressive wealthy famous person with a strong personality ran for president. She isn't the best pick, but Moore is thinking on the right track. Toward the end, Moore demonstrates his fair mindedness by showing how he thinks the left has erred over the years. Ironically, Moore in some cases criticizes the good of the left. One prime example is animal rights. Animal rights is a great cause and a great model for the left. It demands sacrifice, something all good activism does. He also disses the Free Mumia movement, which is a sure way to turn me off. Perhaps, Moore like too many liberals views the cops as redeemable. Other times, he has endorsed policies which help out cops (gun control for example), thus in turn, he has perhaps convinced me that gun control maybe is not such a great idea after all. Before the series of pages where he criticizes the left, he remarks, "I sat here for two full days staring at the computer before I could bring myself to continue" since he implied that the left is mostly correct. A person shouldn't have to think for 2 days to find errors of the left, errors of the left should come to one's mind instantly.

Motoyama, Hiroshi: Edited and translated by Rane Brown Ouchi.

1992: Karma and Reincarnation. New York, NY: Avon Books.

I needed to learn more about karma, so mission accomplished with this book. Another book I recently read was a bit more accessible, but there is some solid good information here. The author writes as though attachment is the greatest evil. How can this be? Attachment may not be desirable, but how can it be the worst element? That aspect of karma does not make sense to me. I do like the part of karma that rewards you for the all the good you do and punishes you for all the bad you do. Perhaps, we do need to be attached to justice and morality.

Mumford, Jonn with Megan Stevens

1999:Karma Manual: 9 Days to Change Your Life. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.

From St. Paul! (I currently live in a suburb of St. Paul). I have even visited this place, which is located on Wabasha St. One of the employees I talked to said it was a great place to work. She said something to the effect of "especially in our current socio-political climate. I love to do what expletive evangelical Christians". Well written and accessible. My curiosity on the topic was answered.

Novello, Don.

2003:From Bush to Bush: The Lazlo Toth Letters. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Often creative if not laugh out loud funny! Some of us actually from time to time DO write letters like these!

Parco, Vincent.

1994:Researching Public Records: How to Get Anything on Anybody. New York, NY: Carol Publishing Group.

Nothing new, mostly common sense to resourceful and even outdated, but it still has use, and even more so, I found virtue in reading it.

Piven, Joshua and David Borgenicht

2003:The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

I wish there were more books in this series. This stylistic approach enhances the how-to genre. Some of the scenarios are unlikely you will ever encounter them, and in some cases, I can't believe people need tips to do so. For example, it is rare any of us would ever get trapped in a lion's cage. The creativity is admirable, and it's neat to have so many novel scenarios in one place for your handy reference.

Portez, Mel and Barry Sinrod

1991:Do You Do It with the Lights On?: Americans Reveal Their Most Intimate Habits. New York, NY: A Fawcett Columbine Book.

You might think this book sounds pretty juicy, but it really wasn't. Does it really matter if 75% or 65% of all people thin about sex after voting? Not really. Although reporting statistic after statistic got tedious, the authors did try to vary the writing a bit, but it was still pretty tedious.

Quinn, Bill.

2000:How Wal-Mart is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can Do About It. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

The style is top rate and his points are good ones. It's too bad his thinking doesn't rule the world instead of Wal-Mart's.

Rhodes, Carol L., Ph.D. with Norman S. Goldner Affairs: Emergency Tactics: From Discovery to Recovery. Rochester, MI: Somerset Publishing.

The tone was a little too soft: I would have preferred a harder tone. I did like the vignettes, as they enhanced the text. A fairly quick read, I didn't learn too much, but it was interesting.

Rinehart, William

1997:How to Clear Your Adult and Juvenile Records.

Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.

The book was too slim and it emphasized juvenile records far more, but still useful.

Robbins, Alexandra

2002:Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company.

Robbins makes a stellar contribution to the expose genre. She is bold without being unnecessarily harsh or inflammatory. She makes her case.

Rutledge, Devallis.

1999:The Search and Seizure Handbook for Law Officers. Incline Village, NV: Copperhouse Publishing Company.

I wonder what law enforcement agents would think if they found out I was reading this. Such is a great advantage of a university library to have all this material of law enforcement training. The book was well written giving many good examples and through explanations. It was clear. At the end, there is a checklist, which I photocopied which could act as cheat sheet or handy reference sheet. I wish I could store all this information in my head and I hope can retain lots of it as I really want to know as much as I can about the law and my rights under it. I love to make concerted efforts at trying to seriously learn about the law, and this book helps me do exactly that.

Sach, Jacky and Jessica Faust

2004:The Everything Zen Book: Achieve Inner Calm and Peace of Mind Through Meditation, Simple Living and Harmony. Avon, MA: Adams Media.

It is cool that the Everything Book series delved this deeply into a specific type of Buddhism. The book emphasizes over and over the main essence of Zen was meditating, or as the authors put it "sitting". I just have a hard time accepting a worldview which places so much emphasis on sitting. The authors would encourage you to sit down all the time if you can. Zen and Buddhism certainly have virtues, and I know ways in which Zen could benefit my life, but I am hard pressed to accept it in its entirety. There was not enough coverage of karma and reincarnation; in fact, such seemed to be just an aside. The authors suggest than in Zen you lose your rational mind. I have tried meditation in various settings and it just has not worked for me, so I don't know if I trust it nor give it all the credit Buddhists give it. It surely was neat to learn about Zen regardless of whether I accept it or not, as educating oneself on alternatives to western religions is wise.

Sartwell, Matthew (Ed).

1994: Bosses From Hell: True Tales from the Trenches. New York, NY: Plume.

Why can't there be more books like this around. When I reached the end, I was regretful, because I wanted to read more stories!

Scheck, Barry, Peter Neufield, and Jim Dwyer

2000:Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches From the Wrongly Convicted. New York, NY: Random House.

Frightening and terrifying in a philosophical way. I feel so bad for the innocent who were in jail, and this book not only argues against it in an academic sense, but gives the problem human faces. I wish all the hard on crime folks would read this, hopefully it would get them to reconsider if nothing else. The authors describe many facets of the problem, ones I did not realize were there. I don't know how a decent person could read something like this and not be deeply saddened (perhaps crying) or righteously indignant. I think hard on crime people are psychotic. One of the most psychotic quotes I ever read came from this book. On one of the last pages, the authors quoted some psychotic nutcase, who said, "An innocent man [or woman] can never be convicted...It is a physical impossibility." People actually believe that? Unfortunately, some do. The significance of innocent people being convicted would be realized 3 years after this book was published, when Governor George Ryan made one of the most beautiful moves a governor can make by commuting all death sentences to life sentences or less, because he said the "system is broken."

Small, Linda Lee and Norine Dworkin

2003: You Know He's a Keeper...You Know He's a Loser: Happy Endings and Horror Stories from Real-Life Relationships. New York, NY: the Berkeley Publishing Group.

Light reading but great. You could say the keeper sections are inspiring. Some of the loser profiles were hilarious, like the one where the women described how disgusted she was finding the dog's name ahead of hers on the answering machine, and then upon asking why, the man said, "Because he's more important than you"

Smith, Perry

1986:Taking Charge: A Practical Guide for Leaders. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press.

A sage manual from a member of one of the best organized and best led organizations in society: the U.S. military. One may think those in the military would take a very iron fisted approach to leadership, but actually the opposite is true. At times, even an egalitarian approach. A very humble and inspiring way of approaching leadership which to boost sounds like an effective way.

Smolla, Rod

1999:Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells a Story of Murder by the Book. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.

I read many books that are interesting, but most usually, I can put this books down when I need to, this book on the other hand was very hard to put down even when I needed it. It hooked me in. He describes the law issues involved in layperson terms without being condescending. He does tell a good tale of his dilemma of being a first amendment lawyer but not being overly dogmatic about the use of the first amendment. I was disappointed that he got Paladin to stop selling the Hit Man book especially before I got to read it. I am one of those who Smolla would call a first amendment absolutist. I believe there should be almost no exceptions to the first amendment. I read and enjoy books like Hit Man without using the material for illegal or dangerous purposes.

Sorrels, Bobbye D

1983:The Nonsexist Communicator: Solving the Problems of Gender and Awkwardness in Modern English. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Although I generally strive to be very conscious of avoiding sexism in my language, it never hurts to be reminded. Pointers were provided to better facilitate nonsexist speech. There were even areas that my awareness was increased because of this book. My aim of nonsexist speech has been better achieved.

Spohn, David

1998:Life on the Edge: Parenting a Child with ADD/ADHD. Center City, MN: Hazelden Information and Educational Services.

I do believe such a style is a very effective treatment for the topic of ADD/ADHD. Working with ADD/ADHD kids, I can testify that many of his personal experiences and observations are right on target. I do enjoy working with ADHD kids and it is a good experience for one's soul, really. Unfortunately or fortunately, when I was riding my bike home from the co-op, olive oil drenched this book. So I told the librarian about it, and even though I damaged another book, she let it go because she liked my honesty. She said this book was damaged too much, so I had to pay for it, but "the good news is you get to keep it". Which I figured, and I have it.

Strupp, Peter

2004Fat, Dumb, and Ugly: the Decline of the Average American. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

The style of the book is appropriate. No introduction and no explanation are needed to enhance the statistics in here. The statistics alone prove the author's thesis and provide for an outstanding critique on the absurdity, folly, and shortcoming of contemporary America.

Sylvester, Nancy

2004: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Robert's Rules. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha.

This interesting book brought me back to my student government days in college. Although I find democracy questionable, I love parliamentary procedure. I love the formality of it. The formal structure of student government was the best part; we didn't really do anything; but the structure was fun. If Robert's Rules could be implemented for a non dogmatic democracy system, then we would have something praiseworthy.

Teece, Geoff

2003:Sikhism: Religion in Focus. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media.

This book was published real near a dreadful place I once worked at in North Mankato. Before reading this I knew little about Sikhism, and this book filled in the gap. In many ways , the religion sounds fairly appealing as religions go, especially the part about not cutting hair.

Teece, Geoff

2003:Hinduism: Religion in Focus. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media.

I knew a little about Hinduism and wanted to learn a little more. I learned a little more but not enough more. The book was too brief for my liking and I wish I could have read a Dummies book on Hinduism instead.

Teece, Geoff

2003:Religion in Focus: Buddhism. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media.

Despite the slimness of this volume, and my previous intellectual exploration of Buddhism, I still managed to learn something (like as the book said a Buddha comes once ever 320,000 years)

Thibodeau, David and Leon Whiteson

1999: A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story. New York, NY: PublicAffairs.

I am familiar with the Waco tragedy, and cannot stop learning about it. I liked Thibodeau's approach: biographical, fair minded, and critical when need be. He thought in some gray as he broke down the various elements of the acts and actors. He even critiqued David Koresh, which shows great fair mindedness. He stressed the idea that David Koresh was at least in part to blame for some of the circumstance, but overwhelmingly the government was tyrannical to an unprecedented level. I especially enjoyed his reflections about what happened after the event. He sadly mentioned that the left did not sympathize with the Branch Davidians; few people did besides the radical right. I noticed this before that in events such as Ruby Ridge, a prime example of tyranny, moderate left and right don't react too much, and mostly only the radical right cares. This is a big reason to be disillusioned with the left: when big acts of tyranny occur leftists care not. Yet reduce welfare payments and the left goes hog wild. It sounds as if unlike me, Thibodeau preferred that such an event not be framed politically. Thibodeau wrote about how most everyone was on the side of the government unwilling to see what was right. I am willing to hear the right side, the Branch Davidians, and am ever glad I read this excellent book.

Ventura, Jesse with Heron Marquez

2002: Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was another book out by Jesse Ventura. Then when I went to get the book, I was surprised at how thin it was. I did not realize right away that this book was geared toward kids. (That explained how some writing appeared overly simplistic). A competent introduction to government plus a brief glance at who Jesse is.

Weaver, Randy and Sara.

1998:The Federal Siege At Ruby Ridge: In Our Own Words. Marion, MT: Ruby Ridge, Inc.

I was disappointed that the Weavers had a ghost writer write this book, but otherwise how could I have any complaints? The story was well told: candid and concise. It was awesome that some segments were included from the Senate hearings. Mostly this book caused me to sympathize even more with the Weavers (I already had considered their plight to be a major act of U.S. government tyranny). When Randy described that he was visiting Aryan Nations because he "enjoyed learning about different ideas", he sounded just like me because I love to do that too!

Wegscheider-Cruse, Sharon.

1989:Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.

Of the classics on alcoholic families, to me this one most hits it right on the mark. As good as the others were, the others didn't quite go deep, but this one made up for what was missing in the rest. I am not entirely sure her solution is exactly what I desire, but her analysis of the problem is one of the most insightful around. What she says about it makes so much sense and her model is one which truly understands who dangerous alcoholism is.

Weston, Liz Pulliam.

2005:Your Credit Score: How to Fix, Improve, and Protect the 3-Digit Number that Shapes Your Financial Future. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Before this, I had not had a comprehensive understanding of credit scores. My credit is good since I passed the test for my apartment. It was good to learn the ins and outs of credit and this book makes me curious to find out my own credit information.

White, James R.

1996: The Roman Catholic Controversy: Catholics and Protestants --- Do the Differences Still Matter? Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.

I would have preferred to read a Roman Catholic critique of Protestantism instead of a Protestant critique of Roman Catholicism. I have gotten way too much of the latter and not enough of the former in my life, thus I would have preferred the former. He argues well, and I can see how someone would be persuaded by his reasoning, I, in the end, was not swayed. At this point, I say, if I have the pick between Evangelicalism and Catholicism, I think I would pick Catholicism.

Wilkinson, Phillip

2003:Eyewitness Books: Buddhism: Explore the Teachings and Traditions of This Ancient Religion. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc.

Even though the coverage was very basic, I still learned some important facts about Buddhism. A beginner could really benefit. Plus the visual emphasis of this series utilized fantastic pictures which enhanced the text a lot. It was a little too busy. I never saw most of the pictures before, so that was new.

Winston, Stuart and Harriet Harris, M.D.

1984:Nation of Gamblers: America's Billion Dollar-A-Day Habit. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

I really haven't read a book length treatment of the social epidemic of gambling, thus, it was about time I came across one. The authors reprint too many newspaper articles, and I don't think their solution of Gamblers Anonymous is the best solution. But for illustrating a problem, the work succeeds.

Woitiz, Janet

1990:Adult Children of Alcoholics: Expanded Edition. Deerfield Beach, FA: Health Communications, Inc.

Such an important topic, but I really didn't learn much new. The couple of insights I did receive, were however edifying. Oddly and unfortunately, I do not think she went deep enough. This book does help outsiders and skeptics understand why being an adult

children of an alcoholic is a burden since it articulates the matter well. As someone who is extremely interested in this topic, the book didn't enlighten me the way I wanted it to, or the way it could. It could be great to gain sympathy for this condition and that alone is a very powerful purpose.

Woititz, Janet

1985:Struggle for Intimacy. Deerfield Beach, FA: Health Communications, Inc.

Fresh insights. I would have thought her other book, Adult Children of Alcoholics would have covered it all, but this book has more yet. You might think this book pertains to just relationship issues, but actually, it extends to matters beyond just relationships, petating to what children of alcoholics deal with. As I mentioned in the review of Adult Children of Alcoholics, that book disappointed me because it did not delve deep enough (it had a lot of promise, but did not come through all the way), while this book did more than I expected, which I am very happy about. Janet says relationships are so important thus the issues and pain of ACOS will be magnified in relationships.

X, Mr.

1995:Fired? Fight Back! The No Nonsense Guide for the Newly Fired, Downsized, Outplaced, Laid Off, and Those Who Are Worried About It. New York, NY: Amacom.

Since I love learning, I read this book to find out more about the firing process. As the book suggests it is also imperative to be ready just in case. I do believe in empowering myself by learning about as many rights as possible. I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed the journey.

Zigarelli, Michael

1994:Can They Do That?: A Guide to Your Rights on the Job. New York, NY: Lexington Books.

Most people probably wouldn't find a book like this engrossing, instead they would find a novel engrossing, but I am the opposite. I just love learning about my rights. I have already read a bit on my rights in the criminal justice system, so this book on employment rights further empowers me. The style is an asset, as it utilizes effective techniques. You too pick this book up.

Other

Federal Communications Commission

2000:In the Matter of Creation of Low Power Radio Service MM Docket No. 99-25 RM 9208 RM 9242.

One pro low power FM radio publication recommended that I read this document, so I did. I am almost sure that virtually no one reads such documents, thus this act puts me and the cause ahead. The FCC frames the matter as it acting sensibly and fairly, but I differ. The beginning of my anti-FCC view was a great book about pirate radio written by Andrew Yoder, and ever since then virtually everything I have seen has reaffirmed this view. Through Yoder's book and other people's words I have become persuaded that the FCC should be dissolved and nothing it does can really please me. LPFM is certainly an improvement, but the system still is unjust and unfair. This work gives me a glimpse of how the FCC operates, but I refuse to submit to this agency. I would rather have entirely free airwaves instead, just like the internet. I hope the next docket released by the FCC is one dissolving the agency.

Tolbert, Yul

The Timelike Report Sheet Version 2.0 Timelike Publications, PO Box 02222, Detriot, MI, 48202-9998.

The issue I got was a single sider (too short) which consisted of a very typically banal condemnation of George W. Bush. Perhaps, leftists need to learn from academics. In academics, you are supposed to always do something original, to make an original contribution. In academia, you can not do what someone has done before. Unfortunately, the left keeps giving us the same old tired banal lines again and again.
